Often known for their majestic look, the Great Pyrenees are giant, immensely powerful, guardian dogs. This breed of great Pyrenees is one of the oldest breeds developed for guarding purposes. They are different from other breeds as most of the breeds were developed to take command from their owners. This breed was motivated to work on its own.
Today people are adopting the Great Pyrenees as companion dogs; still, they have some guardian instincts. In the case when you are planning to adopt a Pyr dog to be your companion animal, there is a need that you should understand this breed and know how it is different from other animals.
Several people adopt this dog as companion dogs; still, their heritage guardian instincts come through their personality in distinctive ways. Here in this guide, we will discuss things that an owner should know before adopting the Pyre dog.
Table of Contents
Facts related to the great Pyrenees:
Pyrenees dogs are intuitive, intelligent, and independent thinker dogs having the behavior of protecting their family. They are not big retriever-type dogs who love pleasing their owners.
Remember, the Pyrenees are guarding dogs, not a herding dog. Their guarding behavior extends to their human family, their kids, and their property. In general, this dog is a loving, gentle giant with their family, but they take their protecting work very seriously. They don’t understand the fighting games; whenever they perceive that their child or owner is being attacked, they will respond quickly. It is up to the owner to handle the situation in order to avoid any harm both to the visitor and the dog.
Since this Pyrenees breed is independent thinker, it is quite difficult to train them. One needs to be patient while training their Pyrenee dog. They will not respond to harsh behavior. The great Pyrenees dog will start following your command only after developing the positive, loving bond between you and the dog. In the absence of firm leadership, there are chances that your dog will be stepping in to take over.
We never recommend you to keep the Pyrenees outside of the fenced area. Because of their protective instinct, they can consider any random canine or even human as intruders and may attack them, leading to harm.
Since they are having protective behavior, they generally bark more in comparison to other dogs. Their barking behavior made many owners surrendered to rescue their dog because of many noise complaints. Also, they are a nocturnal breed that doesn’t even sleep in the night. They will keep barking, protecting you even at night.
In the case when you have another pet dog in your house, the Pyrenees is most likely to be dominant over the other dog.
Because of their double coat, they shed more. They have two shedding seasons where that blow out their undercoat. The owner needs to brush and groom this breed regularly.
Also, they drool more in comparison to other dogs. Those owners who are not comfortable with its drool avoid adopting the Pyrenees.
Can the Pyrenees be left outside?
No, a Pyrenees off-leash outside the fenced area is considered as “dis-a-Pyr.” There are very rare chances that they will return back to home. Also, the Pyrenees outside the fenced area can consider any random human predator or intruder and will attack him leading to harm because of their guardian behavior.
If you have proper fencing outside your backyard, you can keep your Pyrenees outside. They love winter. Even in the warmer weather, they prefer to stay outside the house.
Since they were originally livestock guarding dogs, they could be good guardian dogs if they enter the house. They prefer to stay outside and guard your family and home.
Can they sleep outside?
In general, Pyrenees don’t like to enter the house and sleep with you. Even in the winter condition, they love staying outside. But we recommend not to leave your Pyrenees dog outside for a long time in winter conditions.
Though they have a double coat, still the low temperature outside can be harmful to your canine buddy. In the case when the temperature is normal and pleasing, let your dog have their own space and sleep outside.
Do the great Pyrenees like to sleep outside?
Yes, great Pyrenees loke to sleep outside. They were bred originally to guard the livestock. It’s in their behavior to stay outside and sleep outside. The Pyrenees breed has a double coat making them able to withstand the cold weather outside. Despite their double coat, we never recommend leaving your Pyrenees out to sleep in freezing winter.
Can the great Pyrenees live outside in winter?
Yes, great Pyrenees can live outside in winter because of their guarding nature and double coat. They were developed as a guardian dog. Thus they have a double coat that makes them able to withstand the low temperature.
Do the great Pyrenees like snow?
The great Pyrenees, with their double coat and warm furs like cold weather and love snow. This breed is considered a mountain breed which was originally bred to guard the livestock in hilly and snow areas.
Best climatic condition for great Pyrenee
The climate that the great Pyrenees loves most is winters. Though they work well in summers as well, their preferred climate in winter. They love winters and snow.
Can we leave the great Pyrenees outside without proper fencing off-leash?
No, it is not recommended to leave your pyr dog outside off-leash. They are very less reported to come back home. Also, because of their guarding behavior, they might consider any random person intruder and harm him.
The bottom line
So these are some important things you should know before rescuing or adopting a Pyrenees dog. I hope this article is helpful to all who are planning to adopt a Pyrenees dog.