The Great Pyrenees is also popularly called the Pyrenean Mountain Dog outside North America.
This dog breed is large and commonly used as a livestock or sheep guardian dog.
This dog is not to be mistaken for the Pyrenean Mastiff.
- Hypoallergenic: Negative
- Life expectancy: 10 – 12 years
- Weight: Female: 36–41 kg, Male: 50–54 kg
- Height: Female: 65–74 cm, Male: 70–82 cm
- Temperament: Fearless, strong-willed, Affectionate, Patient, Gentle, and Confident.
- Colors: White, Red, Tan, and Grey
Elegant, majestic, and imposing, the Great Pyrenees is a large-sized dog of medium substance that is slightly longer than tall.
This dog’s thick coat gives the impression of an animal with denser bones and stature. This breed was initially developed to guard sheep on steep mountain slopes, so it must combine agility with strength.
The dog moves with so much ease and has good reach and drive. The body is shielded with a weather-resistant double coat that consists of a dense and wooly undercoat and an outer coat that is long, coarse, and flat, imparting the right insulation from the Pyrenean cold.
You can feel nothing but elegance from the contemplating expression of a Great Pyrenees dog.
History of The Great Pyrenees
The Great Pyrenees dog is a very old dog breed that most likely descended from the first flock of guardian dogs, which were large-sized white dogs that lived in Asia Minor around 10,000 BC.
Around 3000 b.c When nomadic shepherds brought their goats and sheep to the Pyrenees Mountains, they brought their flock guarding dogs, creating the basis of the popular Great Pyrenees breed.
These dogs did great as livestock guardians for many centuries. In medieval France, they quickly became a formidable fortress guard, and great bands of these handsome, imposing dogs became the wealth of many large chateaus. In the late 1600s, this dog breed caught the attention of the French nobility.
For a rather short time, they were in high demand in the court of Louis XIV. This dog breed gained so much attention that 1675, Louis XIV officially decreed the Great Pyrenees the “Royal Dog of France.” Around that same time, the Great Pyrenees found their way to Newfoundland, where they likely played a role in creating the Newfoundland breed.
Also worthy of note is that the first documented Pyrenees was brought to America by General Lafayette in 1824. At the dawn of the 1900s, the breed had utterly vanished from French court life, and the dogs that remained were those that were found working in the quiet and isolated countryside.
Puppies of the white dog were sold to tourists who transported them back to England and other parts of the world. However, these dogs bore minimal resemblance to the great Pyrenees that was once so admired. With time, interest in the breed of dogs began to decline in England.
Fortunately, the dog breed still existed in high numbers and quality in the native mountain land, making it possible for later fanciers to get good breeding stock. These dogs were the foundation of the Pyrenees available in today’s world.
Serious importation of the dog breed to America happened in the 1930s, and as soon as it was 1933, the Great Pyrenees were given AKC recognition. The breed got great attention from new owners, and today, the breed enjoys moderate fame as a family pet.
The great Pyrenees dog breed has also earned a reputation as a trustworthy livestock guardian in service in most parts of the United States.
Temperament
Great Pyrenees is a loving dog that is a capable and imposing guardian. This dog breed is devoted to its owners and family but somewhat wary of human or canine strangers.
When not provoked by anyone or animal, the breed is calm, somewhat serious, and well-mannered. While it is much praised for being very gentle with children and family, the Great Pyrenees is a dog with an independent, sometimes stubborn nature.
Unlike other dog breeds, these are natural wanderers and should mostly be kept on a leash. If you don’t want a noisy dog, then you must know that as a guardian dog, the Great Pyrenees dog breed is a natural barker.
Upkeep
Great Pyrenees must stay active, so daily exercise is required to keep in good shape. If you have the time, a moderate walk is usually good enough.
This breed enjoys hiking, mostly in snow and cold weather, but it does not thrive in hot weather, hence its lack of fame in Africa and other sub-Saharan regions. This dog’s coat must be brushed once or twice weekly and daily when shedding.
Though very beautiful, some dogs of this breed will likely drool at times and can also be very messy drinkers.
The Health of Great Pyrenees
- Major health concerns: CHD and patellar luxation
- Minor health concerns: entropion, skin problems, OCD, osteosarcoma, chondrodysplasia (dwarfism), cataract, panosteitis
- Occasionally seen health concerns: otitis externa, gastric torsion, spinal muscular atrophy.
- Suggested tests: knee, hip, eye
- Average Life span: 10–12 years
This breed of dog will show life-long loyalty to its owner and protect them at every given opportunity.
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