Great Pyrenese

[llombardo]

I came across one one available. 6 months old. Great with kids and other animals. Presently lives in the hen house with a flock. I am not fond of an outside dog, but I understand this breed loves to be outside and can handle the colder weather. His sole job would be protecting the flock. This particular pup loves being both inside and out. I just don't know if I Could keep him outside in extreme weather, I would make a terrible farmer. Then there is the rooster, will he accept a dog or will that be a problem? Any experience or stories with the breed would be appreciated.

Last but not least--is this a pure bred it not?

 

[Perfectnoise425]

We had a pryanesse, I absolutely love them! They are usually great with kids! And love to be out in the cold..absolutely love it! They are very aloof stubborn dogs. More like a cat than a dog. Ours had a high prey drive with bunnies, terrible to listen to. But otherwise he was fine with everything else. I did not have him with our chickens, he passed away last year. Really a wonderful dog! Fyi the HAIR, the HAIR! Get a good vacuum
It would be a good idea to check to see if they have the parents. Does it matter if it's pure bred? Ours was. But they dont register them with the Akc, because for some reason they are not recognized. Check if it has dewclaws. They also grow until they are 4 or 5.

 

[Folly's place]

It's a very large, very furry dog, who's also very independent (self right) so plans to do it 'his way' unless firmly convinced otherwise.
Not always great with children (has he been raised with them?) and not good with strangers.
Do you have secure perimeter fencing? Grooming experience? Dog training experience? $$$ to have a large breed dog? Joint issues are a potentially big problem too. It's going to be the most expensive flock guardian you'll ever have, and having two dogs is better too.
After this rant, if it's right for you, have that 'meet and greet', and see if you fall in love or not.
Mary

 

[llombardo]

We had a pryanesse, I absolutely love them! They are usually great with kids! And love to be out in the cold..absolutely love it! They are very aloof stubborn dogs. More like a cat than a dog. Ours had a high prey drive with bunnies, terrible to listen to. But otherwise he was fine with everything else. I did not have him with our chickens, he passed away last year. Really a wonderful dog! Fyi the HAIR, the HAIR! Get a good vacuum
It would be a good idea to check to see if they have the parents. Does it matter if it's pure bred? Ours was. But they dont register them with the Akc, because for some reason they are not recognized. Check if it has dewclaws. They also grow until they are 4 or 5.

It only matters about being pure bred because I do want him specifically for protecting the flock. Not sure if I could get the same results if mix breed. I have other dogs, now looking for a working dog to do a job. All my dogs have tons of fur, so I'm prepared..lol

I do have rabbits--so that could be a problem. They said he is great with kids and other animals.

 

[llombardo]

It's a very large, very furry dog, who's also very independent (self right) so plans to do it 'his way' unless firmly convinced otherwise.
Not always great with children (has he been raised with them?) and not good with strangers.
Do you have secure perimeter fencing? Grooming experience? Dog training experience? $$$ to have a large breed dog? Joint issues are a potentially big problem too. It's going to be the most expensive flock guardian you'll ever have, and having two dogs is better too.
After this rant, if it's right for you, have that 'meet and greet', and see if you fall in love or not.
Mary

He has been raised with kids and is good with them. I have 7 dogs right now, none that can do the job he could do. 3, almost 4 are seniors. 3 with hip dysplasia.

I am aware of stubbornness. I had one come behind me and head butt me in my butt. It was pretty funny. Then I couldn't catch him--had no idea where he came from. He wouldn't get in the car for nothing--even bribery with a cheeseburger. It took me and two big men to push and pull him into the car..lol

I have a 6 ft vinyl fence with locks on gates, tons of experience in dog training. All my dogs have a min of 1 year consistent training when I get them then ongoing training for life.

I could put my older golden with him, I think they would get along great, but the golden does not like staying outside.

 

[micstrachan]

I have heard stories of great pyranese mixed breed dogs protecting chickens. I don't think the one you want is pure bred, but he sure is cute! There is a story on these forums where a great pyranees mix was distraught and brought an injured rooster to his owner and dropped it at her feet. The rooster's wing was missing. The owner went out to the chicken area to investigate, and found a couple dead chickens (roosters, too? I forget) along with a dead raccoon. It sounds like the dog came to the rescue of the flock, killed the raccoon, and brought the injured, yet still alive bird to its human for help. I asked the BYC member what she did to train the dog and she replied that the dog just decided on his own that all the animals there were his to protect. Pretty amazing dogs.

 

[micstrachan]

Oh! And my daughter's best friend's dog (lab) had half great pyranees pups. They kept one, as did my colleague. Both of them are fiercely protective of their humans (kids and adults). However, both of them have bitten strange adults when protecting their family.
My colleague tells me his dog walks the perimeter of the yard all day long, which is great, since they live in the mountains, he has young children, and we have mountain lions.

 

[Perfectnoise425]

Gotcha! Go for it. I think maybe if you introduced him to the bunnies slowly and they arent running around all willy nilly all day, he might be ok with it. Especially if he has other interests like protecting your flock. My parents just got a pryanesse aussie mix..you can surely see the difference in her, especially in her activity level. We didnt have too many issues with drake. Aside from having lyme twice which made his hips go. But he was already 14.

 

[Perfectnoise425]

Like everyone is saying and I keep forgetting to say..they are very protective of their own. He would even break up fights between our cats. And he was always aware of new people entering our home.

 

[llombardo]

Like everyone is saying and I keep forgetting to say..they are very protective of their own. He would even break up fights between our cats. And he was always aware of new people entering our home.

They sound like amazing dogs. I love hearing good stuff about all breeds.