Great Pyrenees Facts

There are many different kinds of dogs that can be used as livestock guardian dogs. I personally like Great Pyrenees because most of them have a natural tendency to be gentle toward people. Some LGD’s can be over-protective of the livestock under their care, even toward the owners! I have not found that to be the case with this breed of dog. Here are some basic observations I have collected through the years.

Great Pyrenees shed twice a year, spring and fall. Some folks simply shear the dog in the spring, while others choose to comb and brush the shedding hair out of the coat. I choose to brush my dogs, as the longer hair in the summer helps to protect the dog from biting flies and mosquitoes. I have noticed as my dog has aged that his hair is more likely to mat up. I always have a pair of scissors available as I brush to cut out any mats that may have formed. I have been told about a special comb called ‘The Furminator’ that is supposed to be outstanding at removing undercoat shed, and I think I will be investing in one soon!

Dew claws are one of the signatures of the Great Pyrenees breed. They have single dew claws on their front legs, and double dew claws on their back feet, for a total of 6 dew claws. THESE NEED TO BE TRIMMED regularly along with their nails! If not, the back dew claws will curl around as they grow and embed into the dog’s flesh. This is painful but avoidable. Some vets offer to remove dew claws when they spay or neuter, and that is something to consider.

Barking at night is a normal ritual for many Great Pyrenees. It used to bother me until I learned why they bark! I am not referring to the alert bark that says there is a predator too close to the fence. I am talking about the ongoing deep woof-woof-woof that many Pyrs vocalize that may go on for hours. What they are doing is setting up an audio warning to any predator within the sound of the bark, that says ‘This property is protected and will be defended so stay away!’ The bark is usually low and bass, and will travel on the damp night air for quite a distance.

Fly strike can happen on ears and feet, but the nose is usually the worst place affected. Biting flies will come and congregate in one area, biting repeatedly and causing an open sore. A friend of mine uses an equine product called ‘War paint’, which comes in a deodorant-style container that is applied to the affected area. It repels flies, and the dog cannot wipe the stuff off. I have a brand new stick to use this year should the need arise! Available from Jeffers!

Digging holes is a favorite summer pastime of many Great Pyrenees! They do it to get cool dirt to lie on and cool off, or that is as far as mine have gone. Another friend owns a Great Pyrenees who may be mining, she digs so deep! The caves that dog digs are impressive!

Training a Great Pyrenees to do its job is largely unnecessary. Dogs from working stock already know what to do to protect their flock, and you will have a hard time convincing them to change their minds to your way of thinking. Protecting livestock has been bred into them for hundreds of years, and chances are you can’t improve on what they naturally want to do.

So why do I like my Pyrenees? Peace of mind. When a friend lost her Pyr unexpectedly due to illness and had a time with no LDG…she said that she did not sleep well at night, and was nervous during the day for her animals. The confidence in knowing her animals were safe was gone...she hadn’t realized just how much the dog’s presence set her mind at ease. Another friend…the one with the Pyr who dug caves…decided she no longer wanted to deal with barking, hole digging, stubborn dogs…and gave hers away. I am not exaggerating when I say that within a few hours of her Pyrs leaving the property…she had loose dogs trying to get in the pasture where her goats were! She managed to win that round, but first thing in the morning they were back and she was running around like a crazy woman in her pajamas with a pistol. Later on that afternoon, she had one of her Pyrs back on the property, and the stray dogs stayed away.

I really like having my Great Pyrenees LGDs, and hope that as long as I have goats, I always have a trustworthy Pyr to guard them. They are worth their weight in gold for the peace of mind they bring, and I have been truly blessed to have them!

Great Pyrenees Puppies

A great livestock guardian dog has to start somewhere! I personally own two Great Pyrenees males. One is about 7 years old, and one is 5 months old, so we are dealing with ‘puppyhood’ all over again. We got our older male as a roly-poly white ball of fluff, who looked just like a little polar bear. He was cute and sweet and happy, and was born on a working farm. When we got him, I was concerned about putting him in with our mature goats as they weren’t very fond of him. I could tell by the not-so-subtle way they tried to head-butt him in the ground like a fence post every chance they had. So, to be on the safe side, I kept him in a pen on the other side of the fence. Well, I tried to, anyway. He didn’t care that the goats wanted to kill him…he kept climbing the fence to be in with them. Though I was scared to have him stay in with the goats, I let him. Obviously, they did not kill him! He did quickly learn to stay out of their way.

Now…we made it a point not to be overly affectionate to him at the beginning, to make sure he got his comfort from the goat’s presence and not people. We would pat him and speak kindly to him, but would not play games with him or spend a lot of time with him.

It is very important to note…I had NO GOAT KIDS at that time. A Great Pyrenees puppy will ‘play’ with goat kids, and may end up damaging or even killing them! I generally tell people not to trust their pup with goat kids unsupervised until the pup is eighteen months old. Many people put their puppies in with their bucks if they don’t have a kid-free pasture.

And…the chewing. Unbelievable! Give them acceptable things to chew on, and keep things that you do not want chewed out of their reach. Move hoses, cords, tools, feed dishes, buckets, etc…away from their area , or you will find these items chewed up and in their pile of stash. This includes wiring and lights on trailers that are parked in the pasture. YOU WILL NOT BREAK THEM OF CHEWING! It is your responsibility to keep things you don’t want chewed out of the puppy’s reach, or the destruction is your fault…don’t blame the puppy.

I highly encourage owners to spay and neuter their LGD pups. This helps the dog to focus on its responsibilities, and not be distracted by hormonal urges.

In the end, it is worth it! Maximus, my older male, has protected my flock from coyotes, stray dogs, birds of prey…and who knows what else. I am sure if he could talk, he could tell me some pretty amazing stories! I have never had a goat killed or damaged by any predator these years he has been on duty. As long as I have goats, I want to have a livestock guardian dog standing guard. However...they all have to start out somewhere!