Pyrenean Mountain Dog

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Pyrenean Mountain Dog

SPECIAL SKILLS: The breed works in France guarding their flocks of sheep and herds of cattle from bears, wolves and other stock thieves.

SIZE: Bitches normally stand between 65 to 72cms tall at the withers and dogs 70 to 80cms. Bitches usually weigh 40kgs plus and dogs between 50 to 60kgs

COAT: Pyrenean Mountain Dogs are plain white with markings in either grey, badger, reddish brown or tan on their heads, ears and root of their tails. Great Pyrenees should have profuse undercoat of very fine hair, with a longer, thicker, coarser-textured outer coat. The coat becomes longer towards the tail and should form a mane around the neck and shoulders, bitches having a smoother coat and less mane than the dogs. They should have a strong head without coarseness and no obvious stop. A scissor bite is correct but a pincer bite will be tolerated. All pigmentation should be black.

CARE REQUIRED: It is necessary to brush or comb this breed thoroughly once or even twice a day to remove loose hairs. This becomes even more important during the moulting times. Failure to do this will result in the coat matting and the dog's coat looking dull and unhealthy. They do require regular bathing and this is no easy task!

CHARACTER: Pyrenean Mountain Dogs are now kind-natured and gentle dogs, thanks to generations of selective breeding worldwide. They are brave, intelligent, affectionate dogs who normally mix well with children and other household pets. They are loving and want to be included in all family activities. They can, however, be aggressive towards other dogs of a similar size. Strangers will be mistrusted and you and your family will be protected against any unwelcome strangers. Pyrs are reasonably independent and hardy but can also be stubborn and because of this are not really dogs for novices. They can, especially when disturbed, bark a lot and, as such, are not suitable for built up areas.

TRAINING: 80 - 100 minutes per day. Exercising puppies must be done very gradually to avoid putting excess strain on their growing bones and tender tissues and, even with the adult dog, care must taken to build up exercise gradually. Having said that, for their size they really do not need copious amounts of exercise, but, in time, should be given free running off the lead as well as regular controlled walks.

SOCIAL BEHAVIOR: Pyrenean Mountain Dogs are highly intelligent but do have a stubborn streak which can lead to problems if the handler is not consistent and loving. They must be trained from an early age with a firm hand as they are far too strong when fully grown and would, by then, be too independent

EXERCISE: Pyrs are highly resistant to disease. Because of their size, they are, however, susceptible to bone and joint related problems. The puppies must be fed as per the breeder's diet sheet to stop the onset of these complications. Deafness is known in the breed due to the white colouration of their coats.