I replaced my iron will with a silicone one. Will that be okay?
It’ll be non-stick and take the heat, however, your Pyrenees may chew it to pieces.
I wasn’t interested in a Great Pyrenees even before reading this. My interest has now lessened further.
Whenever I hear a statement like that I’m pretty sure it’s the person making it that’s stupid. Most historic breeds were bred for a specific purpose. A Great Pyrenees isn’t going to behave like an Australian Shepherd for a reason.
Furthermore dogs, like people, are individuals. A member of a “smart” breed can be dumb as a box of rocks, and for a variety of reasons.
I know I’m preaching to the choir here but having been to a lot of agility matches and seeing a wide range of breeds compete equally well the idea that a dog’s intelligence can be judged by its breed gets under my skin.
My wife wont let me get a pony, so I have been campaigning for a Pyr. So far, the polls have not been encouraging…
I ended up having a Great Pyrenees in my life for a while as a kid. BIG MISTAKE.
I was sort of homeless, wandering around from town to town looking for my mother. (She’d given me up for adoption because… I’m actually not totally sure but given that the explanation involved her breaking the “Gypsy code” I’m pretty sure it was just my racist adoptive Grandpa making stuff up.) Anyway, I thought–great big dog to keep me safe, right? By day I can ride her like a horse, and by night I can use her as a great big warm mattress.
Yeah, turns out this dog was the canine equivalent of Bonnie and/or Clyde. Everywhere we went, there were people there who ALREADY KNEW HER and were pissed off because she’d eaten their children or raped their goats or something. Half the time I think it wasn’t even true, but the point is, about 80% of my adventures involved breaking her out of the local doggie jails, which did NOT make finding Mom any easier. In fact, I now realize that I was basically wandering around between the same few villages, since I kept meeting the same people with the same issues with Belle (that was the dog’s name). I thought she was leading me to my mother using some magical dog sense–what can I say, I was a stupid little kid.
Anyway, if you have some livestock or something, maybe it’s a good choice. If you want to wander around the ACTUAL Pyrenees, they’re surprisingly awful at that.
The first Pyrenees I met was owned by a tiny 90 lb lady. She walked Kether on leash and did not worry about her wandering at all. She was obedient and gentle.
All dogs are not the same - even among the same breed
Nemo is 110+ lbs. My 8 year old daughter can walk him with absolutely no problems, she weighs around 38lbs.
Sometimes, Nemos gives me grief on leash, by not her. As he matures he will calm down and walk fine 100% of the time for me. He is 2.5 years old.
He also can do all the tricks, knows the commands you expect of a dog. If I am holding treats he will sit, stay, lay down, stand up, roll over, touch my hand, etc, etc etc. If I am not holding treats he will look at me and decide if he wants to do it. For the 8 year old, he does what she asks 90% of the time no snack. For me? 30% unless I am using a tone that gets me 100%.
These dogs decide who and what they need to listen to. They understand their size and use it.
Same deal with hounds, or which I’ve had several. Great pets, but they were bread to be independent (and somewhat stubborn), so you have to plan accordingly.
My dog likes and listens to any and all 7 year olds far more than she listens to or likes me, treats or no.
She has 4 dew claws, maybe she has a little pyr in her?
Where can I order a hypo allergenic one?
Also worth considering:
“Drops turds the size of Cooper Minis.”
I wish I knew this when I housesat for a Pyr owner. The dog disappeared into the woods and refused to come to my calls. I was convinced I was going to have to grovel because I lost their dog, until it came trotting back hours later, as though it did nothing wrong.
How does the (according to Wikipedia and the article) nocturnal nature express itself?
Nemo turns into a giant bat and hunts after dark.
He is more dopey/friendly before sundown. At sundown he goes to work and patrols the house. He is serious about strangers not getting near Hannah, Pretzel, Heart or I.
In March 2011 a giant white dog turned up in our yard and didn’t want to leave. He was friendly and interested in our little dogs. We tracked down his owners at a local farm that got him with the intent of having him guard sheep. But he hadn’t bonded with the sheep and didn’t want to be around them. (Pyrs are usually checked for temperament by the breeder to see which ones will make good flock guardians and which make good human companions)
We repeatedly returned him home but he kept scaling the fence and escaping, then returning to us. Eventually they tried to collar and leash him, but since he had never been on a leash he freaked out. This scared the wife of the family, and she considered having him put to death at the vet instead. We stepped in and volunteered to take him.
It took a week of gentle, constant training but he got used to the collar and leash, and even lost his fear of getting into the car.
Since we got him he’s grown from the skinny 91 pound yearling that turned up here to 131 pounds of muscle and fur. He loves his little dogs, and immediately adopted a kitten I found in a ditch over the winter.
As others have noted, virtually every Pyr will roam if not fenced in. There are very rare exceptions, like the one on another farm down the road. She stays close to her chickens and children.
They also bark at everything and have amazing vision to go with that barking. Argus will not just bark at coyotes and foxes. He barks at crows, trucks, song birds, squirrels, etc. He can see a crow flying at the point where my eyes barely register it and bark at it. At night, you can expect all night barking unless it’s windy and they can’t hear nature doing its thing.
They can also be extremely intimidating. Argus will give the appearance he is going to rip someone to shreds, but then wag his tail and walk along side them once they get up to him. I’m always amazed when couriers don’t hesitate to approach him.
Any dogs they make friends with off your property lose that status when they come wandering on to it. He will knock them down and stand over them until someone comes and deals with the situation. But he doesn’t actually attack them. Pyrs aren’t known for starting fights. But once bitten they can and will fight to the death.
Pyrs aren’t a dog for everyone, but I wouldn’t give up my big white fluffy monster dog for anything.
Sounds like those extra claws could come in handy …
If you do get one name it Victor Borge. Yes, I know it’s not a Great Dane, but compared to other dogs it will be the pianist.
