Great Pyrenees dog breed Profile & Facts!

Great Pyrenees dog, as the name suggests, is a majestic and magnanimous dog breed. They have a very large built. They are excellently muscular, and double-coated dog. Their outer coat is long, coarse, and either straight or slightly wavy. While their undercoat is fine, soft and thick. Their coat colors vary and can be solid white, white with patches of pale yellow, tan, or gray. Their ears are triangular and downward. The Great Pyrenees’ nose is black and their eyes are dark brown. Moreover, their tail is quite long, reaching at least till their hind leg.

As mentioned above, they are beautifully muscular and giant dogs. Male Great Pyrenees’ average height is 27 to 32 inches. While a female Great Pyrenees has 25 to 29 inches height. Great Pyrenees’ weight is almost between 100 to 160 pounds for a male while 85 to 115 pounds for a female Pyrenees.

Great Pyrenees History: Going back to the Great Pyrenees history, it was believed that this canine breed first worked with peasants in Pyrenees Mountains that separate Spain and France. The Great Pyrenees were originally bred to guard flocks and shepherds. Great Pyrenees is a nocturnal breed that guard the flock at night when all the peasants are sound asleep. With the passage of time, Great Pyrenees canine breed was used for multiple tasks. They were used to pull small carts and deliver milk in Belgium and Northern France. They even served as sled dogs, pack dogs and family companions. During the WWII, Great Pyrenees were used to bring the supplies of artillery. However, because of their protective nature, it is still considered that the Great Pyrenees is an excellent livestock-guarding dog.

Great Pyrenees has various names. For instance, they are called Great Pyrenees in the United States and Canada. While they are known as Pyrenean Mountain Dog in the United Kingdom and most of the Europe. Although Great Pyrenees first belonged to the peasants but it is known that in 1675, the Dauphin in the court of King Louis XIV made a declaration of making the Great Pyrenees the Royal Dog of France. This initiated the guarding abilities of Great Pyrenees to be used by almost all the French nobility to guard their estates. Besides their popularity in the French nobility, it is known that the Queen Victoria of England also kept a Great Pyrenees in the middle of 19^th century.

Because of the war torn land in almost everywhere in the world, Great Pyrenees like many other significant breeds started deteriorating. It was after the war that Great Pyrenees was brought back to its glory by the breeders to preserve the magnanimity of this breed.

Great Pyrenees Temperament: Unlike its giant built, Great Pyrenees is known to be very gentle, calm, and well-mannered. While they are gentle, patient, and affectionate, they are also very fearless and confident with a strong will. They are likely to go to greater lengths to protect their families since they are capable and imposing guardians. Great Pyrenees breed is highly devoted of their families. Although Great Pyrenees is very gentle with their family and children, they also possess an independent, and slightly stubborn nature. However, their temperament also depends on how they are trained and raised. They are natural wanderers, this is why they must be kept on-leash. The Great Pyrenees is a natural barker because of its protective nature and its being the live-stock guard dog.

Great Pyrenees Shedding: The Great Pyrenees breed has a double coat which makes it obvious of their heavy shedding. They shed throughout the year. Because of their constant shedding, their care and grooming is the top most priority if you want to pet a Great Pyrenees. In order to slightly control their shedding, it is important that you groom them and brush them regularly to get rid of their loose and dead hair.

Great Pyrenees behavior problems: No matter how gentle and affectionate Great Pyrenees’ are, they come with their own particular behavior problems. They possess a mind of their own and will like to take some decisions on their own, while not heeding attention to what their master wants. For instance, unlike other dogs, Great Pyrenees’ will not like to response back when they are being called. It is not that they are not habitual of obeying, it is just a matter of what they actually like to choose.

There is a proverb used for Great Pyrenees’ which is, “His bark is worse than his bite.” Barking is another very frequent behavior issues in Great Pyrenees’. Since it is imbedded in them to protect their surroundings, they are likely to bark at every little trace of danger. And even a gust of wind can be that danger for them. Their constant barking makes it unbearable for some people. For this, patience is required from the people who are fond of Great Pyrenees.

Consequentially, it is well known that Great Pyrenees breed comes from snowy mountains. And their huge built requires walk and exercises. When the weather is cold, Great Pyrenees is very enthusiastic for daily walks and exercises. They even enjoy hiking in a cold weather but when the weather gets warm, because of their heat sensitivity it gets difficult to make them walk, let alone exercise. No matter whatever you command, if they are not feeling like it, they would not do it. It is because the warm weather affects their energy level and their capability to walk and run for hours. However, appropriate training is the key to solve all these behavioral problem in Great Pyrenees. If they are well trained, all of the above mentioned problems can be tackled. Moreover, while talking about the hot weather, it must be kept in mind that Great Pyrenees’ coat should not be shaved even in a hot weather. It is because their coat keeps them cold and protects them from the sun; the way it keeps they warm in a cold weather.