Pyrenean Shepherd – Superior Herding Dog

The Pyrenean Shepherd is known for its courageousness, speed and intelligence. This breed has all the qualities that a Shepherd dog should possess. If you want to buy this dog, make sure you give any job to do else it would be sheer waste of his skills.

You can either give it sheep or livestock to boss around or some competitive dog sport which requires usage of brain as well as body. The dog excels at agility courses and its treat to eyes to watch them running.

Pyrenean Shepherd is full of life and it is not suitable for dull owner. The dog also makes vigilant watchdog because of its alert nature and natural wariness towards strangers. The dog is small sized and comes in two coat, Rough-Faced and Smooth-Face.

Irrespective of coat, the dog looks adorably and makes great pet to active and enthusiastic family. Socialization of this breed is necessary to have a well-adjusted and level headed dog inside home.

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Pyrenean Shepherd Origin

The Pyrenean Shepherd hails from Pyrenees Mountains (France). This breed was used to herd sheep and other livestock while the Great Pyrenees was used to provide protection to them from wild animals and thieves.

Pyrenean Shepherd was also used in World War I in search and rescue mission and to carry message from one place to another. The breed’s is extremely smart and can do myriads of tasks. Its intelligence, speed, reasoning ability and athleticism can only be defined in superlatives.

Characteristics

• The dog belongs to France and is a sheep dog.
• It is mischievous, lively, athletic and highly trainable breed.
• The lifespan of this breed is 15-17 years.
• The dog’s height ranges from 39 to 47 cm.
• It weighs around 7–15 kg.
• The dog comes in white, brindle, blue, grey, black and fawn colors.
• The average cost of this breed is $500 – $800 USD.
• The dog can survive in kind of space provided to it but should be regularly exhausted with physical activities and mental play.
• The dog barks frequently.
• The dog is bestowed with endless endurance. It should be given daily dose of physical activities. It is also an excellent swimmer.
• It is not a hypoallergenic breed.
• This breed sheds moderately.
• Grooming needs of the dog is low and simple. It only needs once a week brushing.
• The dog excels in agility, jumping and advanced obedience games.

Appearance

The Pyrenean Shepherd is a small, sturdy dog with light boned dog. It has an endearing face and charming appearance. The face of the dog is of triangular shape. They have short muzzle ending in a well-developed nose.

The eyes of the dog are expressive, thoughtful and of black color. It may or may not have double dewclaws, single dewclaws or no dewclaws. The ears of the dog are of medium sized and cropped. The tail is long with featherings on it. Few surgically shorten its tail. The dog gives the impression of intelligent and vigilant breed that is always ready for action.

• Size and Weight

Ideal height of the male breed is 40–50 cm and the ideal height of the female breed is 38–48 cm. The male breed weighs around 20–25 kg and the female breed weighs around 38–48 cm.

• Coat and Color

The dog is available in two variants of coat, the Rough-Faced and the Smooth-Faced. Both the types of coat are doubly layered, weather resistant and have long hairs. The rough-faced coat tends to be wiry or straight, and have facial furnishings but their eyes should be easily visible.

The under coat of this type of coat tends to be somewhat wooly. The smooth-faced coat tends to be smooth, fine and have shorter hair than the later. The muzzle is covered with short and fine hairs which gets long towards the end. Both the varieties of coats come in white, brindle, blue, grey, black and fawn colors.

Temperament

1. Personality – Pyrenean Shepherd is a happy, cheerful and lively breed. If you’re someone who enjoys humor and fun in life, this dog is meant for you. It is quick witted, mischievous and vivacious The dog enjoys every moment of his life and will spread positivity to your home. This breed understands human emotions well and knows when his master feels low. It will even try to bring smile on your face by doing silly and funny activities. This dog gets astoundingly attached to owner and cannot survive happily without his human friend.
2. Behavior – This dog is naturally reserved with strangers and will take time to get mingle with new guests. They make excellent watchdog and herding dog. The dog outperforms itself in any sort of dog’s competition. It can run at incredible speed and it seems as if the dog is flying. It makes great playmate to children and can play with children all day. This breed tends to be bossy around other animals and like sheep they try to control them.
3. Activities Requirement – The dog is brimming with energy all day. It needs minimum two hours of vigorous physical activities. If you’re not a herder, give the dog opportunity to run in an open and secured area. They are great athletes and excel in agility, jumping, rally and advanced obedience. You can also take this dog for swimming which can be good source to outlet its energy.
4. Trainability – This dog is naturally a herding dog. They do not require training in the area they already excel or which comes to them naturally. It is important to house train the dog so that it follows the rules set by master. It is advisable to socialize this dog properly so that you can have an easy going pet inside home.

Feeding

You need to feed this dog barf diet. Barf is an acronym of biological appropriate raw food. You can give raw ham and egg to this dog. Deer meet provides a good supplement of minerals and vitamins to this dog.

You should keep in mind that dogs are carnivorous animals and they love bones and meat. You can also give them fresh chicken and grains to eat. This breed loves fruits, cottage cheese and boiled eggs. Keep in mind that this breed is a greedy eater and shouldn’t be given more food than proposed amount.

Lifespan

The dog can live up to 15-17 years.

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Health Issues

The dog is not hypoallergenic in nature. It is a healthy dog that doesn’t suffer from major health issues. Minor health concerns of this breed are gastric torsion, hip dysplasia, and other musculoskeletal problems.

Grooming

The rough faced coat is somewhat require more grooming than smooth faced coat. But irrespective of types, both the coat sheds moderately. The only difference is that rough coated requires more brushing than smooth coated else the hair will form cords similar to Puli. Other process of grooming is similar to other dog breeds.

Habitat

The dog is highly adaptable. It can adjust itself to any size of apartment provided you fulfill its exercise requirement. The dog can live in cold and warm climate equally well.

Pet Names

1. Rita
2. Molly
3. Abella
4. Danny
5. Dollar

Things To Consider Before Buying

Pros

1. The dog makes excellent companion to active companion who loves to lead adventurous life.
2. It is an outstanding Shepherd breed.
3. The dog is highly adaptable as it can live in any kind of climate and home.

Cons

1. The dog is not hypoallergenic.
2. It tends to be bossy with other animals.
3. It requires someone who can commit to its exercise needs else it will become mischievous and destructive.