Pyrenean Mountain Dog Discussions

Pyrenean Mountain Dog

Awww no Pyr pics OK has to be done

Akira 16 weeks

[img-big]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v430/Fiona711/Akira16wks.jpg[/img-big]

All grown up with her new Foster pal the lovely Storm 2 years old

[img-big]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v430/Fiona711/Pic12192.jpg[/img-big]

Fiona xx

what lovely looking dogs you have

oh my what a stunning pup :smt049 :smt049 :smt049 :smt049 :smt049

Ooh lovely dogs! Bet you spend a fair amount of your day grooming!!

Gorgeous!!!!

Beautiful doggies

really gorgeous lovely dogs!

Wow good for a hug!!

Ooooh what gorgeous dogs. I would lOVE a pyrenean!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How old are they?

I do love Pyr's could you give me a rough outline of their temperment and character please stunning stunning dogs!

Akira is just a baby at 1 year old . Since posting the pics Storm is now a permenant resident here as he has settled down so well with Akira and they get on really well .As far as i know Storm is around about 2 and a half.

I have to say in answer to the post i quoted yes they are stunning lovely looking dogs . I fell in love with them as a wee girl watching the french series Belle and Sebastien and allways wanted one but i knew to have the time to devote to a Pyr i would have to get the kids grown up first so i would be able to spend the time training etc

Pyr's are not a breed for the faint hearted and if you are thinking about getting a Pyr please do your homework , Pyr's are bred to think for themselves , and they do , they are very stubborn, but gentle sensitive dogs they will teach you so much and open your eyes about training thats for sure , my lovely dobe Taz is running free at the bridge now but the differences in training and their personalities were very marked Taz would do a sit, down , stay what ever all day long if he thought it was what i wanted and he got a treat , Akira can also do all the basic commands but only if she wants to and in her time ,she could not care less about pleasing me , she would rather please herself.

I never even got the word sit out of my mouth half the time and Taz's bum hit the floor , where Akira does what i affectionately call the big mamma shuffle before eventually putting her bum anywhere near the ground , you can almost see her weighing up wether it is worth her while to do as i ask . She knows fine what wait means , but she will only do that when she is in the mood and even although she is food orientated once she has done it a couple of times , forget it Pyr's get bored so easily and so you have to make the training more varied and a lot more fun than a lot of other breeds and if you can accept that you will bever have the same level of obedience from a Pyr as say a GSD or a Dobermann fair enough .

Recall is another minefield you will rarely be able to let a Pyr off lead unless you are in a fully secured fenced off area , there is too much for them to see for them to be bothered listening to you , and they just love seeing the whole area they are in Akira will come back a couple of times but then she gets "the look " and i just know she is off and no amount of treats and calling her in a happy voice will make her come back until she is ready , they are a lovely breed but as i have said stubborn and not really very obedient but i love them and did a lot of research for over 25 years before i was brave enough to take the plunge into the wonderful world of the Pyr , and believe me all the research in the world did not prepare me for just how stubborn the adorable wee fluff ball could be , she had a habit of eating the plants in my livingroom and even when she learned what "off"meant she used to walk over to the plants take a leaf in her mouth and just look at me waiting to be told "off" and even then i had to go to her and take the leaf out of her mouth , only for her to repeat her little game a minute later , you need to have the patience of a saint and a lot of time to spend training , they love human company but very few male Pyr's can live together they are too dominant , bitches can live together and a bitch and a dog can work fine but if you get 2 bitches that do not get on you are in big trouble as they wont just tell each other off they will fight and mean it .

Storm came to me with no manners and very little basic training i was told he was dog/toy/food agressive so i knew i would have my work cut out with him , but i have to say he was a very misunderstood boy , his barking and lunging onlead at other dogs was not agression he just wants to say hello but because of his strength and the sheer size of him some people are understandably wary of him if he kicks off , luckily he is learning that if he is nice and calm and quiet he will get to say hello to other dogs but if he starts barking and lunging he just gets turned around and walked away , he does not now what to do with toys so theres no problem there i am still taking it slowly with him and Akira regarding food , but i do not think he is food aggressive either i am just not going to take any chances with him as lets face it challenging a 12 stone dog would be just plain stupid on my part , if he pinches food he should not have he will exchange it with me for a higher value treat and is slowly starting to leave things when asked but sometimes if he does not want to give it up i still exchange rather than challenge him he is much stronger physically than i am and it would be pointless trying to make him give me something if he did'nt want to . They have only had one scrap over a chew stick and as i did'nt see who had it first so when Storm told Akira off i did not take the chew off him i left him with it as he had sorted it out for himself , I know a behaviourist told me i should have taken it from him as it is my chew but i am trying to build up his trust in me and if it was his chew and he had told Akira to leave it , which she did i did not think that would have been fair for me to then take it off him .

His training is going better than i thought it would to be honest but i really think thats because i understand the breed and know how he will react in certain circumstances , i did have reservatiuons in taking on a full grown male but so far so good but i will say if i had not reared Akira from a pup and got to know the breed traits i would never have been confident enough to do it .

Sorry this is such a long post Gems and i hope i have not put you off too much but i have to be honest and say they really are hard work and need a lot of time and attention .

Fiona xx

What beautiful dogs you are so lucky.

mandie

Thank you for taking the time to write back fiona, i really appreciate it
They sound wonderful.

No problem they are a wonderful breed and i am really enjoying them and their stubborn ways I hope i did'nt put you off them too much but they do need loads of time and attention , i forgot to say loads of people assume they must eat loads but in fact they probably eat about the same as a fully grown rottie or GSD , as puppies they do eat a lot and need to have good quality quite low protein food to help their muscles and bones develop . I only gave Akira puppy food until she was 6 months old as the higher protien can make them grow too quickly .

Grooming is a nightmare with the puppy coat as it is so fine it can get matted easily so most days Akira needs a good brush which can take a long time . Storm has his adult coat and that is so much easier to keep in good shape a good brush once a week is enough for him , they seem to have a kinda self cleaning coat which is a bonus , as i somehow cannot imagine getting 12 stone of reluctant dog in the bath

If you choose a Pyr you have to be prepared to put the work in to them but they are so worth it , everyone assumes they are really cuddly but Madam Akira only like a cuddle when it suits her , she will jump up beside you on the couch but if you start stroking her she jumps off with a look of disgust lol Storm quite like cuddles but i think that is because he has not had much attention form people when he first came he would just come and stand beside me with his head down but now he will come over and nudge my arm to get petted and he will stand for ages letting me stroke and cuddle him

They are great with kids and so gentle as you will see my son is impressed with his 2 floor cushions lol



Fiona xx

Wow Belle and Sebastian, that brings back memories!

Oh they are beautiful dogs.

I think my OH had a rogue Pyr. His name was Bruno and he was loyal, stubborn, loving but he was a compulsive rover and couldn't be let off the lead at all else he would 'do a runner'. He also hated other dogs with a vengeance and defended his patch to the bitter end, so the family found it quite stressful.

But I have met Pyrs myself - there was one which belonged to a cruiser owner on the Shannon and he was sooooooooooooooo lovely and not in the slightest bit defensive.

I love pyreneans. I have used one in my novel.
:smt049 :smt049 :smt049

Poor Bruno sounds just like a typical Pyr to me , not a rouge at all lol They are mostly guilty of selective hearing when off lead and will come back eventually but in their time not yours , they really do need to be very well socialized with other dogs from a young age to help them get along with other dogs , I have been lucky with Akira i got her as an 8 week old pup and she has been going to training classes since she was 12 weeks old and loves all other dogs .

Male Pyr's can be a handful , luckily for me Storm has lived with 2 other dogs at his old house so is used to having dogs around as i have said he was supposed to be all things agressive but he is just a misunderstood big soft lump who is now learning some basic manners

Oh what is your book called? I would love to read it , if it has been released yet

Fiona xx

I bought the complete series 1 last year and it was a real nostalgia trip for me even in black and white it brought back loads of good memories and my first ever glimpse of a Pyr , i allways said i would have a pure white Pyr when i grew up but Akira has lovely markings and even though i went to pick up a white girlie Akira picked me and i love her to bits .

Just in case you did'nt know the dog they used to play the beautiful Belle in the series was actually a boy not a girlie

Fiona xx