The Pastore Transumante is home to Italy's first Dog Biopark: a vibrant, authentic place where dogs aren't simply bred, but grow up immersed in a true balance of animals, the land, the seasons, and a profound relationship with humans.

Here, each dog is part of a complex and harmonious system, designed to respect its nature and enhance its innate abilities. This model stems from ancient pastoral traditions, knowledge passed down over time, and a modern vision of animal husbandry, one that views biodiversity not as a limitation, but as a value to be protected.

The Dog Biopark is a biological ecosystem where the selection, growth, and training of working dogs take place in the context for which they are destined to live: the real world. It is here that dogs designed for today's animal husbandry, for coexistence with wildlife, and for a sustainable future take shape.

Active for over fifteen years, today Il Pastore Transumante is the largest Italian center entirely dedicated to guard dogs and one of the very few authentic references in Europe: a place where expertise, vision and respect for nature meet every day.

The wolf has returned, reclaiming lands abandoned for decades by shepherds and farmers. A natural return, made possible by the species' extraordinary ability to adapt and the comprehensive protection introduced in the 1970s to prevent its extinction, a real risk at the time.

An iconic species and key predator, the wolf plays a fundamental role in natural balance: it regulates ungulate populations, protects rural landscapes, and contributes to the health of ecosystems. But it is also a presence deeply rooted in our culture, traditions, and collective imagination, an emblem of freedom, strength, and wild nature.

The wolf's absence has for years favored the uncontrolled growth of ungulates, causing enormous damage to agriculture and the landscape, often greater than that caused by the predator itself. Today, its presence is stable and widespread, even in peri-urban areas and on the outskirts of large cities, as demonstrated by increasingly frequent sightings and images.

This expansion, however, has not been accompanied by adequate monitoring or effective management and prevention strategies. In many livestock farms, predation on sheep, goats, cattle, and horses has become a real problem, resulting in significant economic losses and often delayed or insufficient compensation.

The conflict between wolf protection and human activities has thus become more acute, fueling fruitless conflicts. Our vision is different: we believe in a balanced approach that places the entire mountain and pasture ecosystem at its center. This delicate system has for centuries found its equilibrium thanks to prevention and conscious management practices, which are now more essential than ever.

In the Apennine pastures, the coexistence of wolves and livestock has historically been ensured by guard dogs, particularly the Maremma Sheepdog and the Sila Sheepdog.

Today, public tenders support prevention tools, but often only fund the purchase of the dogs, without proper selection, training, and management, thus reducing their effectiveness. Not all guard dogs are suited to work: the aptitude for defense is innate and must be enhanced with appropriate genetic selection and imprinting.