Great Pyrenees Pre-Ownership Considerations

[risestar]

Visit the Great Pyrenees Breed Info pages in the links above, specifically;

http://www.greatpyr.com/great_pyrenees_finding_your_pyr.php

to discover all the ins and outs of the breed

[tiny]

help! adopted 3 yr old male. had for 2 weeks. not sure of previous environme
nt. dog very friendly but very scared of loud noises. shows no signs of
agression but is very timid. not sure what to do. likes to remain in his room
on his bed. prefers to go outside when dark. not eating very well. we are
being very patient but need some ideas.

[Christine]

poor 3 year old Pyr - yes your right be patient, very patient, let him come to you rather than you going to him - USE FOOD TREATS - chicken and weiners, and when he comes to you after you say "COME" give him the food reward and PRAISE HIM QUIETLY.

Be consistent, dogs are very social and will want your company eventually, but he must be shy for a reason, let him know he's safe in your environment.

Two weeks is not so long if he's had some bad history that took place over 3 years. These dogs (Pyrs) are amazing, if he's not agressive, as I've said, be patient and use the reward method - it will work!

Yogurt is another favourite - mine love every flavour.

[risestar]

noise shyness can be common in softer pups

best way to work on it is to condition them by constantly exposing them to new noises and situations. Bang pots and pans together, drop things on the floor that make a loud noise, eventuially the dog will improve, although its likely to remain sensitive to really loud noises, but its not going to freak out

[bodhizmom]

tiny, congratulations on your new boy !
patience, consistency and more patience will help.
2 weeks is not a long time at all.

our bodie moved in at 10 months, he's almost 4 now.
he had never been house broken,
couldn't walk up or down any steps and was terrified to get into
any kind of vehicle and refused.

when i finally, with the help of his foster parents, got him in my car to bring him home for the first time, he sat in the front seat beside me facing backward for the entire 2 hour ride.
it was nearly a year until we had a handle on these things completely and
now i know it was worth every minute of it.

so hold on, hang in there. it will all come around.
be gentle, stay with what you want from him.
show him for as long as it takes that he can be safe with you in your space.
stay in touch.
bette

[nick's spirit]

Tiny
Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your new boy.
Yes...time & patience & consistency will bring your new boy around.
And it is not unusual for a Pyr to want to go out only at night, that's their "job trait" a guardian dog bred to patrol & protect their "flock"
as far as eating, he will eat as he gets hungry & comfortable. Set his food down take it up after 15 minutes, some of my Pyr's would decide to only eat their evening meal.
they can be stubborn,but they give so much back. It does take awhile for them to trust, it took Holly almost a year and now she is the most loveable & trusting girl, we are so glad that we had the patience & percerverience with her. she is going to be 6, and we laugh about that first year of frustration & cherish the fun & happy time we have with her now
as the rest have said 2 weeks is not a long time
Stay with it....he will be worth it.
What is his name?
Nancy & Holly

[Jewel]

LOL, that thread is 4 years old :) I sure hope that Tiny's "new" pyr, who would by now be 7 yrs old, is no longer timid. :D These spams often drag up pretty old threads, look for the dates on the postings.

[nick's spirit]

Good eye Jewel
sure got taken in on that one!!
I will now read everything before I post

[pyr_wannabe]

Hi,

We are thinking about adding a pyr to our family. We currently have 2 mini dachshunds (a old 12 year old girl and a 7 year old who is diabetic but doing well) and a male chihuahua who is 1 year old who thinks he rules the roost.
The femail diabetic dog is the dominent female. I have been talking to a local pyr rescue and they have a young female (looks to be only a few years old) extra large and as he puts it "a very sweet girl".
We live on 12 acres that used to be a horse farm so plenty of room to run around and is fenced in. I worry about our little ones out there though. Although we never leave them outside alone I worry about the chihuahua most of all. We would like a pyr because all I have come across were very sweet to us and our granddaughters when we had them. We would like an additional family member that would watch out for our little ones since we worry about wild animals.
I have had a large dog before, a German Shepard, and have been around larger dogs and I love them. He is probably going to bring the little lady down for a visit soon so hopefully she can get along and be protective of her little brother and sisters.
Any advice on making the relationship work would be helpful...Thanks.

[TexasKat]

Introduce the dogs in some 'neutral' territory first.... a park, a walk somewhere other than 'home'.

It's likely aggression issues would come from the existing dogs vs a new Pyr -- mainly because it's their home being 'invaded' by 'that big white fluffy thing'.

It will take weeks for a Pyr to come to trust a new family. My best advice -- be patient and be aware of 'conflict' signs. Do your current dogs have any food aggression/resource guarding problems now?

[pyr_wannabe]

Introduce the dogs in some 'neutral' territory first.... a park, a walk somewhere other than 'home'.

It's likely aggression issues would come from the existing dogs vs a new Pyr -- mainly because it's their home being 'invaded' by 'that big white fluffy thing'.

It will take weeks for a Pyr to come to trust a new family. My best advice -- be patient and be aware of 'conflict' signs. Do your current dogs have any food aggression/resource guarding problems now?

Not really, they will try to steal each others bones or treats if they get chance but no real aggression issues.

[wmcrussell]

Jada is 15 months and we have had her since she was a couple of months. We brought her into a house that already had 4 Shit-Zu dogs and cat and a ferret. It took a few weeks, but once she get adjusted she not only got along with the others but also watched over them. If any of the other dogs got in a agrument, she would push her way in between them. A year later she is their protector, especially our eldest female she particularly watches over and makes sure no one else messes with her.

Jada seems to know that Scrappy is up in age and needs the extra help. Our Pyr has brought so much into our lives. She is very wonderful.