Working dog or show standard?

[Red Devil]

My son a few years ago with a litter of Great Pyrenees. Doesn't get much cuter than this!

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adorable... the only thing i heard about the great pyrenese that made me think twise.,.. because oh are they beautiful..is that they frequently have stomach twisted... i would not be able to stand it if suddenly my dog were going through that pain... is this as common as i was led to believe........

 

[Dan F]

adorable... the only thing i heard about the great pyrenese that made me think twise.,.. because oh are they beautiful..is that they frequently have stomach twisted... i would not be able to stand it if suddenly my dog were going through that pain... is this as common as i was led to believe........

I don't believe it is that prevalent - my mom has never had it happen in thirty years and countless Pyrs. I have heard that stomach-twisting is most common in deep-breasted dogs like Greyhounds, Whippets, Weimaraners, Standard Poodles, and Great Danes, but I'm not sure how true that is. Great Pyrenees do tend to die younger (around 12-14) but that is true of giant breeds in general. Hip Dysplasia is another common ailment among big dogs, but good breeding practices can reduce the risk.

 

[Red Devil]

Thats good to hear... you can google alot of info but it is not always reliable and true... a real reliable source is to hear it from a breeder especially one who has bred for 30 years.thanks.......

 

[Dan F]

Thats good to hear... you can google alot of info but it is not always reliable and true... a real reliable source is to hear it from a breeder especially one who has bred for 30 years.thanks.......

I found this list of breeds prone to stomach-twisting using our pal google:


Great Dane

Basset Hound

Saint Bernard

Doberman Pinscher

Weimaraner

Old English Sheepdog

Irish Setter

German Shorthaired Pointer

Gordon Setter

Newfoundland

Standard Poodle

German Shepherd

Since Saint Bernard and Newfoundland are on the list, I wouldn't be too surprised if it happens to Pyrs as well. It may be that we have been lucky or that good food and plenty of exercise help lower the chance of it happening. While the average lifespan may be only thirteen or fourteen, the female in the background of the first picture I posted was sixteen at the time of the photo and seventeen now.

 

[Miguel]

About a suitable guard dog:
I think you have everything stateside. I know breeders of several molosser breeds.

You can check the Great Pyrenee ( not my cup of tea ) because of the longish hair.

First you need to ascertain what your main goal is Property or Persons.

You want dogs that are allways roaming around or dogs that allways want to have you in their sight?

Property guards are more dettached of the need of you, generally sleep during the day, and do their thing in the night.

Person guards could not care less about a robber ( with a spade of salt of course ) if it is not visible to them. But woe betide when or if it is )


(
You can check Dogo Argentino, Bullmastiff, Cane Corso, Presa Canario, etc

 

[Miguel]

Last phrase of above post got stuck in there....

Then you must decide on the size and type of dog you prefer, within mollossoids.

Short snouts or longer snouts. Generally the first are more Person, the others more Property ( originating from farm cattle gaurd dogs ).

A couple of breeds that i would look into in your " position"

- bullmastiff
-dogo argentino
-boerboel
-fila Brasileiro
-cane Corso
-presa Canario
- Rafeiro Alentejo
-cao de gado transmontano
- mastin espanol
- turkish Kangal
- turkish or russian ovcharka
- rottweiller
( there are many more )

( i only care for these type of dogs/ people will come and say that the are a lot of other type of breeds that can do what you want, and they are right, with a caveat:

The breeds i wrote about have guarding INGRAINED. Other breeds need to be taught, imo.

 

[Dan F]

Great Pyrenees really aren't that great of a guard dog, as they are bad about roaming off. They are bred as sheep guardians and are great for that. My family has been raising sheep longer than I have been around (40+ years) and the dogs they breed do get shown but they are also used as work dogs around 50% of the time.

The long hair can actually get ridiculous. My mom lets the dogs in the house a lot of the time. She has tile floors, and if she doesn't sweep/vacuum every couple days the dog hair will form drifts. It does let them stay comfortable outdoors, though, as we do get a harsh winter occasionally.

 

[Miguel]

About Gastric Torsion:

Every large breed of dog is prone to it. And it is more prone the heavier they are.

Gastric torsion derives from a " defect of Nature" ( i find no explanation for it ) causing that dog's stomachs are only attached by one side. They are like bags hanging on a thread, so it is easy to have them revolve and create a knot in the " connection"....

The risk can be diminished by (1) never playing or exhert your dog after food; (2) never pick your dog up in the air alone, like you would a smaller dog. If you need to make it lie down on, say, a vet's examination table, you will notice that the vet will help you by picking the hind pair of legs and you pick the other and up with the dog without " torsions". ( in general, avoid horse play in a manner that the dog contorts itself playing with you.)

And never, ever, excite a big breed after having eaten.

 

[Aquanero]

Great Pyrenees really aren't that great of a guard dog, as they are bad about roaming off. They are bred as sheep guardians and are great for that. My family has been raising sheep longer than I have been around (40+ years) and the dogs they breed do get shown but they are also used as work dogs around 50% of the time.

The long hair can actually get ridiculous. My mom lets the dogs in the house a lot of the time. She has tile floors, and if she doesn't sweep/vacuum every couple days the dog hair will form drifts. It does let them stay comfortable outdoors, though, as we do get a harsh winter occasionally.

That surprizes me. From the discription of what the poster was looking for I got the impression he wanted more of a property guardian as opposed to a personal protection dog. I thought a GP would have be a great dog for his 5-6 acres. The hair yes I can see that I have alonge haired dor that sheds enough hair to make 3 dogs out of.

 

[Miguel]

Back on guardians:

I have not spoken about neapolitan Mastiffs nor Bordeaux Dogue ( have kept both for ages )

neapolitans are not an easy dog and really need an experienced owner ( more than an Alpha leader ) we can talk more about that if you want.

Bordeux ( BX ) stateside are increasingly showing a lack of fortitude in the hind legs ( which breeders have yet to resolve, I think ). Wish they had the hind quarters of the bullmastiff!

And also, do you have children? Some breeds are more adequate than others...