Why Great Pyrenees?
Lauren Parsons
Often Great pyrenees remind most people of polar bears with their long white fur and adorable faces. Great Pyrenees also known as Pyrs are hardworking, lovable, affectionate and beautiful dogs. If you are looking for a dog to protect you, your home, or your livestock, while still having a loving companion a great Pyrenees could be the right dog for you.
Great Pyrenees originated from the mountain range in southern west Europe where these dogs, known as Pyrenean mountain dogs, were bred for protecting and guarding large herds or flocks of animals from predators. Great Pyrenees are one of the top 15 biggest dogs in the world, they can grow to be 24 to 36 inches tall and weigh from 85 up to 160 pounds. These dogs are amazing guardian animals with their strong and powerful bodies, loud deep bark and sensitive hearing. Pyrs can sense, smell or hear a threat before it even shows up. You’l know exactly when that is because your Great Pyrenees will alert you and scare it away with their loud, intense and consistent bark. You can be sure that when you have a great pyrenees you and your animals will be protected. Pyrs will typically sleep most of the day and be up and alert most of the night. Most Great pyrenees can have a high energy level to do their job, but can also be very lazy. Male and female pyrenees differ in a few ways. Female Pyrenees are a little more active and alert, while males tend to be more docile and relaxed, becoming alert when noticing an actual threat. The size difference differs as well, male pyrenees typically have a lot more muscle, while females are leaner and shorter.
On November 4th 2022 on a small ranch in Georgia, a 21 month old 85 pound great pyrenees named Casper fought off a pack of 11 coyotes killing 8 of them in the process. Casper was protecting a flock of sheep from these coyotes. For 15 days Casper was missing until a local rancher found him on his ranch wounded and hurt. Luckily Casper recovered from his injuries and is now guarding his animals once again. This just shows how amazing and loyal a great pyrenees is, and how they would risk their lives to protect you and your animals.
While great pyrenees are great strong protectors they are also very affectionate and lovable dogs. Even if you don’t have any animals, a Great Pyrenees is a great companion, they love to be pet, snuggled, played with and are incredibly gentle. Although be prepared for them to let you know when someone comes up to the front door or a car drives by with their loud bark. While they have a very protective instinct most all Pyrenees are not aggressive when around other animals and people. It doesn't take much to take care of a Great Pyrenees compared to your average dog. A lot of Pyrenees owners keep their dogs inside. These Dogs love to be both inside and outside. Great Pyrenees are very independent, unlike a little cavalier or smaller dog, you can be sure that your Pyrenees will be able to defend itself and remain safe. Of course like all dogs great pyrenees need to be trained. Since Great Pyrenees are very big strong dogs, they need to be taught how to walk on a leash, and how to be gentle with small kids and animals. Great Pyrenees need a lot of exercise so they need to be walked daily or have space to run and play. Pyrs also have very long hair, and can shed a lot. Twice a year they blow their coats- which means you’ll find fluffy tufts of white fur all over your yard. Therefore they need to be brushed often but do not need to be bathed often. Their fur is unique as it is a protective barrier to sun, rain, snow and dirt. Once they dry off after a rainy muddy day, the dirt shakes right off and you have a fluffy white Pyrenees once again.
All in all Great pyrenees are amazing animals. They can be used to protect large herds of livestock or just be household guardians. With the right owner to give them plenty of exercise and the right training, a Pyrenees can make for a great house dog too. When looking for a dog, overall there is alot to consider, but if you want a friendly and loyal guardian, Great Pyrenees are the right dog for you.