Archive for the Category »Pyrenees «

Great Pyrenees — The Pyrenean Mountain Dog

By admin
12
Nov 2009

For more information about Great Pyrenees Puppies, please visit : www.pets4you.com .
The Great Pyrenees, also known as the Pyrenean Mountain Dog is a breed of working dog officially recognized by the AKC in 1933. As the name suggests, the Great Pyrenees is a breed originating from the Pyrenees Mountains of southern France. Great Pyrenees are known as a majestic dog that was used traditionally for protecting livestock. They are also used as an avalanche rescue dog, as a cart-puller and a sled dog, as a pack dog on ski trips, and as a companion and defender of family and property. Loyal and protective of its territory, the Great Pyrenees makes for a great family dog that gives the distinct impression of elegance and unsurpassed beauty combined with great overall size and majesty.

 

The Great Pyrenees reaches maturity at about two years of age. Full grown, the dogs are large and muscular. Males grow to between 110–120 pounds (50–54 kg) and 27–32 inches (69–81 cm), while females reach between 80–90 pounds (36–41 kg) and 25–29 inches (63–74 cm). They have beautiful and weather resistant double coat. Their weather resistant coat allows them to withstand intense cold temperatures. Coat color is either solid white or white with patches of badger, tan, wolf gray, pale yellow, reddish brown or varying shades of tan. These dogs shed heavily once a year. The dog has a broad chest and a wedge-shaped head, a slightly rounded skull with no apparent stop. The Great Pyrenees muzzle is wide and gently pointed. He is slightly longer than tall. One distinctive characteristic of the Great Pyrenees is that it has double dewclaws on its hind legs. The color of the nose and on the eye rims should be jet black. He lives to between 10–12 years of age.

Great Pyrenees Puppies need a lot of attention as they are very active and might have the tendency to wander off or escape. They have an independent nature and sometimes require a firm hand in order to make them realize who the master is. They love to chew and have a tendency to bark a lot and some tend to drool and slobber. Once the puppy accepts the crate as his den, he will feel comfortable in the crate. Great Pyrenees puppies are not right for everyone due to their adult size and temperament, but they do well in the right type of home with active leadership. However it is noted that their devotion to their family remains true even if self-sacrifice is required.

Great Pyrenees is Gentle and affectionate with those he loves and is a capable and imposing guardian. He is calm, well- mannered, and somewhat serious. While known to be protective of its family and territorial, the Great Pyrenees is devoted to its family, and somewhat wary of strangers – human or canine. The Great Pyrenees loves the companionship of humans, and is a great choice for a family pet for those that have adequate space for this giant dog to get some exercise. They are courageous and protective dog that makes for a good watchdog.

Category: Getting a new puppie dog, Pyrenees  Leave a Comment

Grooming Your Great Pyrenees Dog The Easy Way

By admin
12
Nov 2009

John Williams
For more information on the great pyrenees or a complete list of dog breeds visit this Dog Behaviour website.
Large breed dogs pose special grooming dilemmas. The Great Pyrenees and other Bernard family members have cornered the market on that special combination of girth and hair. Without a regimented grooming routine the Pyrenees’ flowing white locks can easily morph, soon resembling an electrocuted Komondor on steroid.

One obstacle to keeping large breeds in the peek of beauty is the difficulty in locating nail clippers, brushes and dental supplies suited to their substantial size. Substitution will have to be made. Still, with a little ingenuity grooming is a snap.

Body Brushing
Combing out the Great Pyrenees is a challenge. The high-stung nature of the breed makes them tend to wiggle around during grooming. In fact, these stealth dogs are apt to sprint off if not restrained, sometimes moving up to three centimeters in a single afternoon.

Your best bet for body brushing or raking is to work on your pet while he is asleep. Avoid active times such as 6:00 to 6:03 a.m. and the 30 minutes after sunset Pyrenees’ devote solely to barking. This breed is known to sleep with its eyes open. When stalking them with grooming tools be cautious. Once you are with in 65 feet of your dog, listen for a train. This verifies your dog is snoring.

Work efficiently once you begin grooming a Great Pyrenees. You may only have 13 hours before he wakes up. When grooming 140 lbs. of fur bonded together by drool and the occasional tree branch, you must not dally. A weed eater is an efficient option for quickly working your way through the shrubs to the actual hair prior to brushing.

Nail Clipping
Clipping your Pyrenees’s claws should be a regular part of your grooming routine. Before beginning this procedure head for the hardware store. Pick up a large metal rasp and bolt cutters. Once claws have been neatly trimmed call in HAZMAT to remove the clippings from your home. Don’t forget the dewclaws.

Great Pyrenees’ have a multitude of extra toes just kinda ‘hangin’ out’ on their lower legs. Hiding amongst them are a total of six massive curly toenails. Each is so large it makes a valosaraptor claw look like a minute droplet of Chihuahua snot. Don’t let the dewclaws go unattended more than a few weeks. Negligence will yield a clipping big enough to be used as a spiral staircase.

Dental Care
Dog owners often overlook the importants of good oral hygiene. Fortunately, in the Bernard breeds, their mouths offer plenty of room to work in. Take advantage of this trait. You can create ample access to the mouth by simply pulling their massive floppy lips up from both sides of the face. Then, use three clothespins to secure them to one another across the bridge of the nose. You may also secure a single lip to the opposing ear in a similar fashion.

Once the teeth are exposed insert a shop vac tube under your dogs tongue. This technique is identical to that of the ’spit sucker’ used in a dental offices. A fifteen-gallon vac should suffice. Once the shop vac is fired up the Great Pyrenees will start to awaken. You will have about two hours to completely remove large pieces of sod stored along the gum line before your dog hits full cognitive thought. At this point he’ll eat the vacuum prior to falling back asleep.

As a final touch, clean you canine’s feet. Shinny up between the pads with a flashlight, some pliers and a bottle of WD 40. Remove stones, dried bats, milk carton children and anything else not belonging up there. Once this task is done your grooming regiment is complete. Wake your dog by simple uttering the word ‘cookie.’ By the time you get to ‘coo’ every Great Pyrenees in a six mile radius will be in your kitchen.

With a little work and a few trips to Home Depot, your Great Pyrenees, Saint Bernard or Newfoundland will glow with beauty. When you combine all this glamour with their high intelligence and magnetic personalities, your dog will be the envy of the neighborhood.

Category: Pyrenees  Leave a Comment