When I take my Great Pyrenees Ishka for a walk in the
park there is rarely a day when nobody asks me about her
breed. She is of striking beauty, a large, 100-lb dog,
with a thick, long, snow-white coat. She resembles a
cuddly polar bear, and even kids that are normally afraid
of big dogs come up to greet her and give her a hug. Many
times I am asked about puppies from my dog. But besides
the fact, that she is spayed and a senior dog, I warn
people not to get this kind of dog based on this first
impression.
Great Pyrenees belong to a group of dogs known as
livestock guardian dogs (LGDs. Other breeds of dogs from
that group are the Anatolian Shepherd Dog (which I own as
well), the Akbash Dog, the Kuvasz and the Kommondor, to
name a few.
Livestock guardian dogs are an ancient type of dog
bred solely to live with livestock and to protect them
from predators such as bear, wolf, coyote etc. They are
NOT herding dogs, nor are they attack dogs. They will let
a predator know that they are there by barking and
charging. To fight and attack would be the last resort,
and most predators will take the warning and leave.
Since LGDs are becoming increasingly popular as pets,
they are turning up in alarming rates at shelters and
breed rescue, as their owners find them to make difficult
pets. The usual complaints are stubbornness, dominant
behavior, and excessive barking and digging.
If one is looking for a large beautiful dog and is
considering an LGD, I recommend giving this a lot of
thought.
What I like about my LGDs is that they are very calm
and low energy if you compare them to, let's say, a lab
or Golden Retriever, especially once they reach maturity
around 3 years of age. They are happy to keep me company
without the need for constant attention. Due to their
independence they don’t mind when I leave them alone,
they will go and spend hours in the yard being perfectly
happy to "guard" my backyard. My lab mix dog
would not be happy about this at all. I also appreciate
their natural ability to guard and protect their home and
who lives in it, without being overly aggressive. They
will use the least amount of force necessary to get the
job done, which is usually barking. Training them is an
ongoing challenge and it gives me ample opportunity to
marvel at their intelligence and independent nature.
Sounds like the dog you always wanted? Read on. In
order to live harmoniously with such a dog one has to put
an enormous amount of time and effort into raising them.
I am talking about at least 2 years of constant attention
to training and socialization. This kind of dog does not
take well to force-based training, which can quickly
result in a dog that aggressively defends itself by
attacking its owner. Positive training methods work best
to get results. But even with lots of training, the LGD’s
independent nature will make him a less obedient dog then
one may desire. As these dogs have been bred for
thousands of years to work independently and without
human direction, they will not follow a command when they
feel something else is of more importance than what is
being asked of them.
Socialization of pet LGDs is also a must; it has to
begin early, no later then at 6 weeks of age, and ideally
should be started with the breeder and must be continued
throughout the dog’s lifetime. Being a guardian breed
these dogs have a natural tendency to be aloof and
standoffish, and if this is not met with constant
attention to socialization, it can easily result in an
aggressive dog that is not safe to be around.
LGDs are usually very gentle with children if they
have been properly socialized. But most children will not
find them to be great playmates, as LGDs are not known to
be playful. A fact that works fine for me, as I do not
desire to throw Frisbees or balls for any length of time.
My dogs will fetch a ball, but only because I asked, not
because they think it’s a great game to play.
If you love your nice landscaped yard, think twice
before you get an LGD; they love to be outside, but you
may not agree with their idea of landscaping. If a
moonscape doesn’t appeal to you, look for another type
of dog (not that other breeds don’t dig, but LGDs are
notorious for it, and they dig BIG holes).
Now we come to my least favorite trait of this kind of
dog, and that is barking. It is a rare LGD that does not
bark a lot. When in their territory, they alert to every
unfamiliar sound or person they can hear, see or smell,
and this usually does not end at your fence line. This
can make owning such a dog in the suburbs a problem, as
your neighbors may not appreciate your overzealous
watchdog.
I cannot imagine life without one of these magnificent
dogs, but what makes them perfect for me, can make them
very undesirable for others.
