I guess a pyr is just a breed that I should love like grandchildren. They go home and I don't live with them 24/7. I thoroughly enjoy my time with them, but am not totally responsible for them. Maybe Jake is not a typical pyr, whatever that is. I know they are all different, but he is not what I expected. I wanted a really, really, heavy coat and his is only heavy around his neck. I can brush all 3 of my dogs in 30 minutes flat. Even if I only do it once a week, it only takes 30 minutes. I enjoy brushing them, but I was hoping for a more time consuming job. He loves, and I mean loves everyone. He will pull on his leash to go up to every person he sees, even with a prong collar. I have had him on a chain collar and he can be gasping for breath and still straining to get to a stranger he sees to get petted. I was expecting a more aloof dog, from the ones I had known previously. Granted, the ones I knew were from my childhood in Tennessee. They were outside dogs, mostly staying with livestock, but they had these super thick, woolly coats, that covered their whole bodies, except for their lower legs. They would approach you to sniff you, but unless the owner had them sit, you really couldn't pet or love on them. The owner and their family could, but not strangers. I don't know, we've only had him for 7 months now, and I have no idea what his life was like before we got him, except that he had been taken out of a shelter and into rescue at 10 months of age. He had been adopted from rescue at least once and maybe twice and returned both times. I don't know why except, he ate too much and barked too much. Don't get me wrong, I love him to pieces and he will always be my baby, I am just not sure this is the breed for me. I guess I expected a dog more like Cody, just younger and more playful to play with Max. I definitely got the playful. He and Max playfight for hours each day. He has more stamina than Max and will keep it up until Max just lays down to rest. He's a great dog. Maybe he is just the way he is trying to make up for his past and will change as he ages.
Kathy