This is information I have compiled that may be helpful to you as a GP owner. There are plenty of resources online, but I have only included here the practices I would personally use. For basic information on behavioral training, please visit https://itsdogornothing.com/10-tips-for-training-a-great-pyrenees/?fbclid=IwAR0VXgpCbAQR_z_ATuKNxmXHVoD2B3TQlS0yIy93eI-zrE-A8bnO52OlX-w.

All this information has been proven true in raising my pyrs. A mishandled pyr may develop trust issues, and that will be a major setback for you and your dog.

Pyrs, in general, do not respond well to aversive training tools and techniques, and the shock collar is about as aversive as it gets. There is also a substantial risk of the dog associating the shock with an unintended cause. For example, let’s say that you are trying to teach the dog not to chase after the neighbor’s cat. You shock him while he is actively chasing the cat. There is a chance that he will associate the shock with the act of chasing, which is what you want him to stop doing. There is also a chance that he will associate the shock with the sight of the cat, leading him to believe that the cat is a threat. Next time the dog sees the cat, he may run away from the cat, terrified, or he may eliminate the threat by attacking and killing it. In the same scenario, let’s say that you call the dog’s name, and he turns and looks at you while he is being shocked. He could easily then associate you with the shock and consider you to be a threat. That is the opposite of what you want.

Although a Great Pyrenees may mature slowly, your puppy grows fast and needs wholesome, nourishing food. Nothing takes the place of a good quality balanced dog food, or puppy food for young dogs. Dogs prefer consistency. Quality, commercial foods ensure nutritional balance; manufacturers urge you not to supplement by providing additional additives to their already correct mixture. Give dog biscuits (the hard, chewing kind); they are good for cleaning the teeth. Do not give bones for these can splinter and thus be dangerous. Shop all natural dog treats here! https://pawtree.com/bethanywmoser/products/search?query=treats

Your pyr should be fed large breed puppy food at least until a year old and if it becomes pregnant or is nursing. If you want to continue feeding puppy food until 18 months, that is perfectly fine. Shop dog food here! https://pawtree.com/bethanywmoser/products/search?query=dog%20food

Clip toenails and dewclaws regularly. This ensures that they do not grow so long as to curl under and into the flesh. Never let anyone tell you the dewclaws should be removed. They are a part of the breed, one of its several identifying characteristics and thought to have a “snow-shoe” effect.

Never shave a Great Pyrenees in the summer. A Pyrenees needs his coat for protection from the sun. The “world’s most beautiful dog” requires a minimum of grooming care to keep him looking beautiful. However, care should consist of a good brushing once or twice a week to keep the coat in top condition and clean. The Pyrenean coat is coarse and hence a brush should remove the dirt. Loose under-coat can be removed easily with a wide-toothed comb or “rake”.

Great Pyrenees generally stay in good health. Some more common problems may include mats in the fur (especially around the neck and ears), the dew claws growing too long, ear infections (due to dirt and moisture in the ear), eye infections (pink eye), allergies and “hot spots”. Hot spots are caused when an area of the skin becomes inflamed. The fur will fall out, the skin will turn bright red and the dog wants to bite at it. Jump to article on hot spots. https://redbranchmama.com/2024/07/07/hot-spots-on-dogs/

Keep Vetericyn and Betadine on hand. Minor irritations and injuries may not always illicit a trip to the vet, but you certainly want to avoid infection. Vetericyn can be used for hotspots or other irritations. If your dog has a minor cut that you are comfortable with treating yourself, you can clean once with Betadine and then apply Vetericyn. Continue with Vetericyn in the days following, but do not use Betadine again. It is relatively harsh and should only be used for initial cleaning. Jump to article on treating cuts and scrapes. https://redbranchmama.com/2024/07/07/treating-cuts-and-scrapes/

Great Pyrenees, guardians by nature, like to sleep outside. They don’t like the wind and will find a shelter behind a wind block.  Cold and snow doesn’t seem to bother them, although they will find an overhang if it begins to rain heavily.  A good shelter will keep the wind and rain off them and give them a place to stretch out when it is hot. A shed, garage or barn works well.

Potty Training:

Pyr puppies house break very quickly following this schedule:  Take them out to potty: 1) every two hours, 2) after they finish eating or 3) when they wake up from a nap.  They usually will not mess up their kennel, so they will sleep through the night without incident. They do need to be taken out soon after awaking. Always take them to the same spot and they will quickly learn. If the dog is kept inside, it is good to have a “safe” spot where the dog can do its duty without getting in too much trouble. There is a commercial product that is scented to attract the dogs to do their duty on it. If you use a potty pad, tape it to the floor. This can be moved closer to the door every day and then finally placed outside.

Mealtime:

Biting people by a Great Pyrenees is very rare and usually related to a pack mentality issue. Pyrs are so gentle that we have only heard of a few cases of it among hundreds of owners. The time when it will most likely happen is when a non-alpha person (a child) attempts to take the food dish from the dog. This is not just pyr behavior, as most large breed dogs will behave the same way. If there is a question in your mind whether your child or your dog has dominance, instruct the child not to go near the dog while it is eating. Better yet, feed the dog outside away from the children.

It is important to note that taking your dog to obedience school and having them well trained does not establish pack order. Many obedience programs rely on pats and praises and do nothing for keeping right pack relationships. Do not assume that if your dog was the star of the obedience class, that it will not defend its food dish, especially from someone who is not the alpha of the pack. Also, female dogs who are pregnant or nursing (hormonal), will be more likely to growl and posture around the food dish.

A method to get your pyr to be more tolerant is to pat or scratch it while it is eating. Some suggest picking up the food dish after thirty seconds and then setting it back down. These behaviors help to reinforce pack order by saying, “I still control the food dish and I’m letting you eat”. I have done this with both of my pyrs since they were small to avoid food aggression, and I consider it imperative. If you have another dog you feed at the same time, it is a good idea to leave ample space between bowls. When we first got Jari, I fed him on the other side of the driveway from Sasha. She is our alpha, and she did show him his place a couple times when he got too close to her food.

Another bad situation is to place the food dish where lambs or sheep can get it. This is dangerous because the dog will tend to guard his food and may nip at the lambs or sheep so that they keep their distance. The dog food may contain copper, which is harmful to sheep. Place the dog food dish away from the sheep, goats or chickens.

Chickens:

A pyr will guard what it is bonded to, or better said, it will guard the defined space that contains what it is bonded to. If bonded with sheep, it will guard sheep. If with the owner, the owner and his or her property. If the pyr is to guard, it is not good to raise it around other non-pyr dogs where it can pick up bad habits such as chasing poultry or livestock. Pyrs don’t normally chase, but if the big puppy bounces up to a chicken and the chicken runs the other way, the pyr will give bounce after it. Once chasing starts, the chicken soon becomes a diversion, and that pyr can no longer be trusted with poultry. Closely monitor your pyr puppy for its first 12 months if you desire to raise a trustworthy poultry guard. A pyr confined to a kennel will likely be more aggressive with poultry than a pyr that is loose with them.

If your puppy chases your chickens,

Put that pup on a leash so you have control. Walk towards the chickens and have a “NO” word. Show the pup the chickens, say the word strongly and pop the leash. Do not let the pup get close enough to frighten the chickens. If the chickens run, it will be tougher on the pup. If the pup advances toward the chickens, pop the lead and say your “no” word. If the pup doesn’t respond to a pop on the lead, increase the strength of the pop. When the pup looks away from the chickens, praise the pup. Make it a big deal positively. If you only correct negatively, you are going to frighten the pup.

Never have the pup off leash around the chickens. When you know the pup is not lunging or interested in the chickens, start getting closer to the chickens. When the pup is trustworthy, walk through the chickens. When the pup is ignoring the chickens, throw some food to the chickens so the come closer to the pup. The pup cannot react. If it does, you are not done working on a short leash. Eventually graduate to a long lead, such as small rope or lunge line of 20 feet. Do the same thing. You want the pup to think the sky is falling when it approaches or even looks at the chickens.

When the pup chooses not to look at the chickens – wow – go crazy with praise. Show the pup the difference. Chickens mean the sky is falling. Staying away from chickens means the world is AWESOME. If you don’t stop the misbehavior now, you might not be able to have the dog around the chickens, ever.

IMPORTANT – be sure to ALWAYS follow with praise, even if the pup looks away from the chicken and at you for a second. Too much negativity will get you nowhere. The pup will figure it out. Baby steps. When the pup decides to turn away from the chickens – praise. When the pup walks through the chickens on a leash and doesn’t look at them – praise. Praise for everything positive no matter how big or small.

The most common reason I’ve seen for people rehoming a dog that was meant to be an LGD is problems with chickens. You owe it to your dog to train him properly. If something happens to you, you don’t want him to be labeled unadoptable because of behavior issues you failed to fix. IF your pyr kills a chicken, you can tie the chicken to his neck and leave it for a couple days. I’ve heard people say this is abuse, which I find silly. When it solves the problem (ask my Jari), it will be worth knowing that your dog is a solid LGD and can be trusted to do his job.