The Great Pyrenees dog, commonly shortened to the Pyrenees, is a large breed dog that was originally used to transport sleds and protect property. Lying down with their ears relaxed to the sides and the beautiful curved tail, they are alert and prepared for any intruder that may come.
Majestic and bright, these giant dogs feature long fluffy white coats that throw a lot. These puppies combine striking looks with brilliant intelligence, making them the complete package when it comes to dogs.
These puppies have a dense double coat that is often white with hints of gray or badger. They are fairly large dogs with males averaging 105 pounds and females averaging 95 pounds. They have naturally flexible ears with a high tendency to drool.
The Pyrenees is a loving and loyal puppy and great with children. The dog is believed to have such a wonderful temperament due to its high willingness to please. The Pyrenees have been repeatedly classified in obedience tests and make perfect dogs enter agility or obedience contests.
However, due to their high aptitude for intelligence, it is important that they receive sufficient mental and physical exercise. Without enough exercise, they can become hyperactive and begin to spin circle and bark. Rest assured that with proper interaction these puppies will be the perfect pet.
Taking Care Of Your Great Pyrenees
Learning to take care of your Great Pyrenees from being a puppy really helps you mitigate future health problems you may have. Proper feeding, styling and exercising your Great Pyrenees is essential for every phase of your Pyrenees life.
You want to take him to the vet every month for up to four months, then once a month for all of his vaccinations until it’s him and an adult after once or twice a year. Keeping him mentally and physically active will minimize problem behaviors and keep him happy.
Feeding Your Great Pyrenees Dog
Canine nutrition is incredibly important to your Great Pyrenees dog’s well-being. Your dog’s nutritional needs will depend on his age, activity level, and breed. Be sure to choose the right food for his well-being. Here are some tips on how to feed your dog and what types of food to choose from.
Dry Food
When choosing a dry food, make sure the first ingredient is real meat. Don’t choose a brand that lists something like cornmeal or wheat flour first. Also avoid words like a by-product, animal, and ‘meat parts’ as these are terms for the ground animal parts left in meatpacking facilities.
You want to find foods that contain beef, real chicken, beef flour, or chicken flour because there is more real meat present in the food.
Select dog food that offers a rich selection of vitamins and minerals.
There are dry foods specifically formulated for puppies, older adults, obese dogs, diabetic dogs, active dogs, large breeds, small breeds alike. Choose a type of dog food that matches what your Great Pyrenees needs to be based on its health, weight, and age.
Wet Food
A wet dog food diet can be helpful for dogs suffering from constipation. You can also feed wet food in combination with dry or raw food. Be careful when serving too much wet food, as it can cause diarrhea in your puppy. Choose a moist food that contains mainly meat. Look for canned foods with many vitamins and minerals.
Always remember that your Great Pyrenees dog has a completely different digestive system than humans. It is best to never feed your dog from your table, or while you are eating snacks. This can easily be avoided by changing the behavior habits of natural begging while training the Great Pyrenees.
Raw Food
A raw food diet can be great for your Great Pyrenees as it more closely mimics what they would eat only in the wild. However, you should be careful to avoid feeding your dog contaminated food.
A good rule of thumb is to avoid feeding your Great Pyrenees anything you don’t eat. Stick to human standards and safe human food for dogs in this scenario.
You can freeze meat and thaw it for your dog, or you can buy raw food mixes that are already prepared. Raw food needs to have more meat than any other ingredient. However, dogs like vegetables, so are sure to include things like peas and carrots.
How Much To Feed Your Great Pyrenees Dog
How much you feed your dog depends on its endurance, age, activity level, and breed. You can assess whether you should feed your dog more based on whether you can feel its ribs. If its ribs don’t stick out, you know you’re feeding enough. If its ribs are covered in fat, you should cut back on the food.
Here is a general guide to feeding dry and wet foods:
- 5 lbs: half a cup to three quarters cup
- 10 lbs: three-quarters of a cup to one cup
- 20 lbs: quarter and quarter cups for one and three-quarter cups
- 40 lbs: two and quarter cups for three cups
- 60 lbs: three to four cups
- 80 pounds: three and two-thirds cups to five cups
- 100 lbs: four and a quarter cups to six cups
Remember this is just a rough guide that you can adjust as needed.
But keep in mind that the average Great Pyrenees is about thirty to sixty-five pounds when fully developed, so you will want to feed it with about two to four cups of food.
When to feed Fido
You should not separate your puppy from its mother until it is approximately eight weeks old. To grow properly, you need your mother’s milk for the first eight weeks of your life. After eight weeks, you can start feeding him store-bought dog food.
Puppies need to eat three to four times a day. Establish a consistent feeding schedule. Avoid feeding your puppy too close to bedtime, or you will have to go to the bathroom while trying to sleep.
Unless, of course, you enjoy waking up in the dead of night, stumbling across a chewy toy or three, and cleaning up the poop.
On the other hand, it is a free world, who am I to judge you? I’m right?
However, divide your puppy’s daily feeding portions into thirds or quarts and feed him at regular times each day. This helps with optimal nutritional absorption, digestion, and overall healthy regulation.
For puppies, be sure to feed him only puppy food to give him the nutrients he needs to become an adult dog.
You can soak the puppy’s dry food in hot water to make it easier for him to eat and digest.
As your Great Pyrenees enters adulthood, you can cut back on feeding twice a day while switching to adult dog food. Continue to feed by weight and feed at regular times.
A consistent general routine is beneficial to your dog’s mental well-being and calm feeling.
I recommend feeding at seven in the morning and then at five at night. Adjust according to your own schedule.
Some dogs are content to eat the same plate of food all day, so a diet is all that is needed. Other dogs like to gobble up their food, especially if they feel the competition from other dogs you may have around the home, so be sure to feed these nutty gluttons twice a day.
Simply divide the daily feeding portion in half and feed twice. You shouldn’t overfeed your dog even if it devours its food and acts hungry for the rest of the day. Do not let him fool you. When it comes to food on their minds, its always gone time!
A big part of dog ownership is establishing that you are the alpha dog in the pack. It may seem trivial, but it is a great contributor to setting your alpha. He must wait patiently until you finish your meal and clear the table. Only then should you feed it. Doing this establishes your dominance and teaches your dog that he does not rule the roost.
He may have to go to his crate during meals if it is too noisy with begging for scrabs from the table. He may start choosing this on his own, or you can train him.
Personally, I feel a little uncomfortable when my pet ‘Peeve’ begs for my scraps and licks his chops while drooling over the freshly washed Bermuda shorts.
SwitchingThe Food
To switch food brands, try these changing schedule:
• Day 1-2 Mix 1/4 new with 3/4 old food
• Day 2-4 Mix 1/2 new with 1/2 old
Day 5-6 Mix 3/4 new with 1/4 old
· Day 7 100% of the new dog food
When you switch your puppy to adult food, you should start approximately nine to twelve months for small breeds, twelve months for medium breeds, and twelve to twenty-four months for large breeds.
Use the above switching schedule to introduce your dog to the new adult food. It’s generally better to stick to the same brand of adult food as the puppy food you fed with Fido, but you can change it if you find a healthier brand.
Treats And Healthy Snacks
Here are some healthy human foods that you can offer your dog in his diet or as treats:
- Oatmeal
- Yogurt
- Apples without seeds
- Peanut butter
- Cheese
- Bananas
- Meat, cooked or raw after being properly frozen
- Berries
- Melons
- Green beans. Be careful, as this can act as a laxative for your dog.
- Peas
- Pumpkin and squash
- Brewer’s Yeast. Not baker’s yeast, which can make your dog very sick.
- Carrots
- Eggs
- Salmon or other fish
Foods to avoid
Now you know that dogs’ digestion systems are different from ours. Some foods that we can eat without problems can be toxic to dogs. Avoid feeding your dog the following:
- Table scraps. Feeding your dog table scraps teaches him to beg. It also makes you feel entitled to your food. Finally, you don’t always know what’s in your food and you can feed your dog something that makes him sick.
- Onion or garlic
- Chocolate. Especially dark-chocolate
- Grapes or raisins
- Macadamia nuts
- Fruits pits or seeds
- Soft bones such as pork or poultry
- Potato peelings or green potatoes
- Rhubarb leaves
- Yeast dough or baker’s yeast
- Human vitamins or medications
- Broccoli
- Caffeine
- Alcohol
- Mushrooms
- Persimmons
- Avocadoes
- Raw egg. Can give your dog salmonella poisoning
- Xylitol which can be found in foods such as brand-named peanut butter
Fun Facts About The Great Pyrenees
- The Pyrenees have a tail that folds into a unique shape and is therefore called the “Shepard’s Hook” tail.
- The Pyrenees used to not only flock shape, but they also pull carts.
- In France, the Great Pyrenees was nicknamed “Patou”, which means shepherd.
- The Great Pyrenees dogs were bred to be independent as they were supposed to be left alone on the mountain with sheep.
- The Pyrenees are one of the few breeds with double du-claws on their hind legs.
- These puppies tend to roam, so it is recommended that they have a fenced-in yard.
- A smaller and similar breed is the Pyrenean Shepard.
- Despite their size, the Pyrenees is quite stealthy and can move around quite quietly.
- These pups are the markings on their face.
- Although rare, sometimes their tail can form a corkscrew shape.