The Great Pyrenees has the appearance of a large white bear. With his double hair coat and natural protective instincts, this breed is an excellent guardian for sheep as well as a good companion.

History

Horand became the centre-point of the society's breeding programs and was bred with dogs belonging to other society members that displayed desirable traits. Although fathering many pups, Horand's most successful was Hektor von Schwaben. Hektor was inbred with another of Horand's offspring and produced Beowulf, who later fathered a total of eighty-four pups, mostly through being inbred with Hektor's other offspring. Beowulf's progeny also were inbred and it is from these pups that all German Shepherds draw a genetic link. It is believed the society accomplished its goal mostly due to Von Stephanitz's strong, uncompromising leadership and he is therefore, credited with being the creator of the German Shepherd Dog.

Appearance and Size

Males grow to between 110–120 pounds (50–55kg) and 27–32 inches (69–81cm), while females reach between 80–90 pounds (35–40kg) and 25–29 inches (64–74cm). They live to between 10–12 years of age. Their coats are white and can have varying shades of gray, red (rust), or tan around the face (including a full face mask), ears and sometimes on the body and tail. As Great Pyrenees mature, their coats grow thicker and the longer colored hair of the coat often fades on those dogs that were not born completely white. Sometimes a little light tan or lemon will appear later in life around the ears and face. Being a double-coated breed, the undercoat can also have color and the skin as well. The color of the nose and on the eye rims should be jet black. Grey or tan markings that remain lend the French name, "blaireau," (badger) which is a similar grizzled mixture color seen in the European badger. More recently, any color is correctly termed "Badger" or "Blaireau." All white dogs are not preferred by top breeders for many reasons. Therefore, these all white dogs in most breedings are less frequent. It's not unusual that breedings that result in a high incidence of all white puppies do not have the required jet black pigment on the nose and eye rims. These breeding lines are therefore not, as a rule, desirable in well-bred stock. There are generally all white puppies in most litters. This is normal and these all white puppies can be bred successfully in the hands of a competent breeder. The rear leg bilateral double dewclaws are required.

Personality

By instinct, the Great Pyrenees tends to be a good guard dog. He has an innate desire to protect his family and home. Originally, the breed was intended to be left alone protecting sheep flocks up in the mountain valleys of Europe. This has created a dog that has a natural tendency to protect his flock. This can unfortunately lead to problems if the dog is housed in an urban setting without appropriate training. The Great Pyrenees is an intelligent and independent dog and can sometimes be a little difficult to train, especially for obedience. He tends to be quiet and introspective and must be taught early in life that humans are the pack leaders.

Wikipedia and GNU

The content of this entry is from the Wikipedia article "Great Pyrenees" licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.