Big Paws Only Dog Forums
Great Pyrenees => Great Pyrenees Discussions => : Little Bit January 01, 2008, 05:37:03 PM
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Hi everyone! I just joined and boy will I have alot of questions!
On Christmas morning my neighbor knocked on my door and handed me one of her GP pups! What a surprise that was. She knew I wanted one last year and decided to give me one! She is the runt, which I love, and is 8 weeks old. She is the first GP I have ever owned so this breed is new to me. I live on 10 acres out in the country. She will have tons of room to run around in. She will have 4 horses to guard and is already trying out her job by sitting out with them when I feed.
So, I will be reading for awhile to learn! My first question tho is about food. She was a bit thin when I got her but is now back up o a good weight. I feed her puppy food, about a cup both morning and night. I heard from someone that she should be getting a adult food not puppy food. Any input on this? My two adult dogs eat Purina, which I like.her mom and dad eat a mix of several types of adult dry food as it is cheaper for the owner to buy. Basically it is all thedog food tht our local grocery store has from broken bags. They mix it all together and sell it cheap. Her dogs look fine but as mine is a pup I want to do well by her.
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hi, and welcome! Your puppy is super cute! Whats her name?
i dont know much about Pyrs, but i've only ever had one dog on puppy food, and thats my Chinese Crested, and its to help her gain weight for her upcoming dog show. LOL. I have two bull terriers who are on Eagle pack, lamb & rice holistic. our great dane who has always been on a vet clinic brand of dog food. I think if you feed her Giant breed Puppy she should be ok... because the puppy food just makes them grow fast, and with a giant breed you really dont want her to grow that fast and put a strain on her bones and joints and muscles.
Im sure others will have input on this. Congrats on your new baby!!!
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Hi there and welcome!!! I LOVE PYR PUPPIES!!!! I'm Alex, my babies are Naja an 8 month old Pyr Puppy and Moo (yess like the sound a cow makes. lol) 8 or so month old Cairn Terrier/Toy Poodle mix. Good for you for taking in this baby, and for wanting to do the best you possibly can for it! She's precious by the way! Does she have a name yet?? As for food, I would get her on a good quality adult food as soon as possible. There's lots of great info on the food forum here, but puppy food has too much protein and can cause alot of problems down the road. I feed my two Canadai All Stages, it's only 24% protien so it's good for growing joints, and I can continue with it as they get older. Holly is the food Guru here though, she'll have lots more info I'm sure. ;) Can't wait to see lots more pictures of your baby!!! :D :D :D
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Thanks guys! I jst mixed her puppy food inwith the adult food I have. I have never had a Large breed before. My other two dogs are a 13 year old Lab mix (smallish) and a year old Heeler/Boarder Collie mix. I feed them Purina lamb & Rice. I have always had good results with this food so didn't think about changing it. My hubby's uncle feeds all his show dogs Pedigree, it's a religion wit him! He as shown all breeds but raised Irish Setters and Poms.I will look at the dog food available in my area the next time I go to the store.
Her name is Little Bit. It is he name the breeder gave her and she comes to it, so I guess I will keep it! She looks just like her dad and her mom was all white. I love her dad, not so crazy about her mom, so I hope she takes after daddy!
She also has no back dew claws and was told this is a sign of her not being a purebred. All I know is both parents are registered and there are no other breeds of male dogs there. So, can this be a thing that happens? Breeder says sometimes they will be born without those dew claws. Doesn't really matter as she will be fixed and I don't care if she is registered in the future. she is to be my livestock guard dog and member of my family!
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I'd say if you're not worried about the dew claws then to heck with it. ;) My girl only has single dews on her hind feet and I couldn't love her more any other way. Not having double dews isn't a clear sign that she's not pure bred, just that she doesn't meet breed standard, but if you're not showing or breeding and if you really don't care, then I wouldn't let it bother you. People who want to be all judgy and tell you things like that imho are just being haughty and snobbish. ;) :D
BTW Good luck finding a good food. Alot of the websites for the different food companies will have a list of distributers. So all you have to do really is key in your Zip or postal code and it'll tell you who sells that food in your area. ;)
Modified to add, also I really like her name, I think it's adorable. :D
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Welcome to BPO! Awwwww. Little bit is so cuteee! What a cute name too!! hehehe I bet that was a great surprise on christmas!!! Sounds like she will fit in your family perfectly.
As far as the food goes, puppy food is ok as long as it is formulated for large/giant breeds. I've had Miles on tons of different foods already. All life stages, giant breed puppy, another all life stages, another giant breed puppy, and finally now, an adult food (but can also be used as all life stages.) Miles has never really done good on any of these foods. The food he's on now is still new to him (California Natural Herring and Sweet Potato), but he is doing best on it so far. I would recommend to go with what your pets do best on. I agree Pedigree and Purina aren't the best foods out there as they have alot of fillers and somewhat "unknown" ingredients in them, but if your dogs do well on it, I don't see a problem feeding it. Just my opinion. :)
By the way, I'm Samantha, mom to a 6 month old great pyrenees, Miles. I remember when miles was 8 weeks and that small. It seems like just yesterday! Now, he's 75 pounds of fluff!
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Wow, 75lbs at 6 mos? Guess I'm in for a big dog really quick!
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Bah humbug my neighbor only gave me some dog treats...but no puppies to go along with it!!
Welcome to BPO - I have 1 dog who name is Harley he is a Flat Coated Retriever. I agree with what everyone said regarding dog food - most people on this board are more knowledgeable than I am but I do know that I used to feed Eukenuba and various vitamins now I use a good food and don't use the vitamins anymore.
Welcome to BPO your pup is super cute!!
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Thanks guys! I just love her...which makes my other pup just a bit jealous!
She came out in the pasture when I fed last night and our gelding chased her out. She ran to the house all scared. Poor baby. The horses are used to the other pup(a heeler) chasing them and I guess the gelding figured LB would do the same. I brought her back up to the horses and let her hang with my filly so she wouldn't be afraid of the horses. I told the gelding that he better watch it as that pup may just save his life one day ;)
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Hi & welcome! Congratulation s, Little Bit is such a little cutie! What an amazing Christmas gift, you are in for an wonderfu time with her. I know that I'm (very) biased, but Pyrs really are a different kind of dog and I absolutely adore them. Please, please feel free to post lots of pics of your baby. ;D :-*
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You all are too kind! I had to laugh this morning when I went out to feed the horses. She came along of course. She was on one path and I was on another going back to the house. She wanted to get to me so started across the snow bank. It was as tall as she was and she was jumping like a rabbit through the snow. I wish I had the camera with me as she was soooo cute!
I took some more pics tonite. The date on my camera is off. Oh, and don't mind the floor. We moved here last year and the floor is the last thing to work on.
I wish this had come out better but she was trying to get to me and it was taken at too close a range
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/itchysmom/Little%20Bit/100_4265copy.jpg)
Hi There!
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/itchysmom/Little%20Bit/100_4259copy.jpg)
Playing with the cat
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/itchysmom/Little%20Bit/100_4258copy.jpg)
Such a Face!
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/itchysmom/Little%20Bit/100_4270copy.jpg)
Bye Bye
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/itchysmom/Little%20Bit/100_4255copy.jpg)
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Awwwww, HELP! You are giving me puppy fever now, too. :-* She does have the cutest little face, but that "bye, bye" pic just cracked me up. What a cute lil' tail she has, too! ;) ;D
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Welcome to the board. I too am owned by many GP's and have started a GP Rescue within the last few months. Currently there are 7 adults (3 are fosters) and 7 puppies, 6 of the puppies are from a litter of 2 of the fosters and I pulled them from a shelter when they were 3 days old. The other pup just came to me this week- He is not full blooded, but I know that his mom is full bloodied. He is mostly white, but the dad was a Golden Retriever and some of the other pups in the litter were actually a apricot color. He does not have the double dew claws- the famous 6 from the pound all have double dew claws.
Your baby looks a lot like my 6 from the shelter so who knows what happened on the dew claws, but as you said it really doesnt matter.
Pyrenees are guardians. They will guard the horses. Heelers prefer to herd, so maybe your horses are use to the heeler herding them and the gelding decided to train the puppy early.
She is a gorgeous little girl and will probably be one of the best companions ever for you and the family.
Again welcome to the board. I am a GP fan but also have Danes and a Newf mix. My house is always in a state of chaos but it is a happy house and thats the important factor.
Paige
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bigdogs@5501: That is a house full of BIG dogs! Bless you for rescueing those dogs!
Another question! Long ago a doggie person told me about how to check a dogs hips...you do this on puppies more than older dogs. She said to lay them on thier back and gently press down on thier hind legs. if they can open them to the floor, hips are good. If there is a resistance and you can't take the knee part all the way to the floor, thier hips will go bad. Anyone agree with this? Little Bits legs will not go to the floor so I am assuming her hips will go bad eventually.
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Hi, and welcome to BPO! I have two Saints (male 5yo, female 11yo) and know that you'll find this board extremely friendly and helpful. :)
Just a quick note: I rescued my guys four years ago and struggled for almost two years to find a food that worked for them. After trying several high-end brands, we settled on Purina Beneful. I cringe a bit, knowing it's not the best, but both dogs have good coats, good weight, and good poops (finally). So learn as much as you can, and follow your instincts for what's best for your pup. And keep us posted! :)
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Another question! Long ago a doggie person told me about how to check a dogs hips...you do this on puppies more than older dogs. She said to lay them on thier back and gently press down on thier hind legs. if they can open them to the floor, hips are good. If there is a resistance and you can't take the knee part all the way to the floor, thier hips will go bad. Anyone agree with this? Little Bits legs will not go to the floor so I am assuming her hips will go bad eventually.
I have never heard of this test before. Just to assure my dogs good joints I started her on joint support as of 4 months of age. We will see the X-rays in July :)
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My older dog is on a joint suppliment now. so, I can give that to the pup at about 4 mos? I can do that!
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Hi and welcome. I just joined this site a week ago and there is tons of great info! Your little pyr is sooo cute! congrats! They are in my opinion the best breed to own.
I have an almost two year old pyr. When he was a pup he had a mask on his face similar to yours. He has lost quite a bit of the coloring as he gets older. We fed Marley puppy food until he was about 8 months and then transitioned over a month period to adult food. Make sure whatever brand you choose that you go with a large breed formula. We have always fed Marley Nutro. We find the quality of the food and the treats are excellent. The less fillers and crap in the food obviously the better it is for the dog. You notice right away with good quality food versus "fast food" for dogs like Purina that their absorbtion of nutrients is far greater - meaning smaller poo's....great for them ...and their owners ;)
Can't wait to see more pics!
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Welcome! LB is too cute. I love her face. She sounds like she is already a ton of fun and I am sure that you will fall in love with the Pyrenees breed. I sure did. I adopted Jenny from a rescue group this past October and I am finding how wonderful Pyrs are each and every day. There is so much information on this site.
I feed Jenny the Innova giant breed formula and she does great on it. You will definitely have a big dog very soon, enjoy her little fluffy self, because she will certainly be a big fluffy dog before you know it! ;)
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I'm glad you all like my Little Bit! and thank you for the welcome!
I have decided to go ahead and put her on the adult food my other dogs are eating. I had an Aussie who did poorly on a wheat base dog food, he got trrible hot spots. Will a corn base dog food be as bad for LB? I know the hot weather will affect her also? I did put the Aussie on Nutro and the hot spots cleared up. Guess I will have to take a trip the the feed store in the next town and see what they have.
Ok, you asked, more pics! This was yesterday. it was such a nice sunny day and she was having fun in the snow.
Playing with big sister
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/itchysmom/Little%20Bit/100_4284copy.jpg)
Ah Ha! I got the ball!
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/itchysmom/Little%20Bit/100_4297copy.jpg)
What was that sound?
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/itchysmom/Little%20Bit/100_4300copy.jpg)
You taking my picture?
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/itchysmom/Little%20Bit/100_4295copy.jpg)
Comin at ya!
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/itchysmom/Little%20Bit/100_4293copy.jpg)
That's it for now...enjoy!
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You really should find a dog food with no corn in it at all, its just a filler and the dogs can't digest it. Good luck.