I have a Pyr puppy for this purpose. Training him is a slow process, because Pyrs are famously stubborn--he'll be absolutely perfect one day, then the next day we'll go into the barn and he'll chase a rooster he feels is getting uppity. Pyrs don't get to be real mature adults till they are almost 2 years old, and he is going to need trained and re-trained until he has grown out of his playful puppy behavior. He's about 20 weeks old now, and he is just now figuring out when it is permissible to play, when I want him to chill out and settle down, etc. even though he's had a regular schedule for two months.
That said, they are pretty smart dogs. He did basic obedience and housebreaking in record time. When he is older and his joints have matured, I'm going to train him to pull a cart so I don't have to haul that darn wheelbarrow all over the property. If you have kids, or if you're not a very big person, you can use them for skijorning in the winter--they tow you on a sled or skis. They aren't good for mushing because they aren't really distance runners, but for just messing around in the snow they are lots of fun. They are decent guard dogs in that they won't bite a robber, but they will bark, growl and look very intimidating.
I would not have one around very young children. A Pyr puppy is big enough to knock over a small child accidentally. And when they are going through their puppy nipping stage, it's like having a medium-size dog really snapping at you. Not good for kids.
