Need Advice

[TarynSkylark]

Hello Everyone,

we have a neutered male great pyrenees. He's going to be turning a year old in a couple of days. We're having some major behavioral issues with him that i need advice on. A few weeks ago he started playing dominance games with me, which i have no problem dealing with as i am bigger than he is. He had been peeing in inappropriate area's ..all while looking at me, and occasionally growling at me if i told him something he didn't like. After working with him on this he had started to get better. The Major issue i am having with him is he nipped my two year old daughter this morning. He's always been very good with her but she had a cookie and he wanted it and he nipped her. He didn't break skin or even leave a bruise but it had me pretty freaked out for a bit.

Could anybody offer advice on what we should do next? we live in the suburbs so we do not have goats or live stock and he is mostly an indoor dog since when he is outside he barks non stop (pyrenees trait i know.)

This is my first child and i'm not sure how to make him see that she is higher in the pack.

  ~Morgana

[Kiahpyr]

I'm sorry you are going through this. I have a 13 month old female pyr. She has never done anything like that. She only stops listening and chews on some stuff.

I have a 2 and a half year old daughter. I have her tell Kiah to sit and give her treats and her food. I would give that a try. I know my daughter is always right there when the dogs are. This may seem weird, but I would pat your daughter on the head first before you pet him if there both together. Your pyr may see her has an equal or below him. Try the whole dominant thing with them. Hopefully this works out.

[ZooCrew]

I agree with what has been said already.  I don't own a pyr, but your problem is with basic pack status, which can happen with any breed.

If possible, have your daughter start doing some basic obedience and even feeding him or giving him his bowl.  I don't know if pyrs play fetch, but you could try that with her as well.  If he is gentle, you could have her give him treats.  If she is gently, mabye try her hand at brushing him briefly.  Anything to have him listening to her voice and her commands.

Good luck with this.  He does sound like he's going thru the teen phase and testing his role in the pack.

[Gypsy Jazmine]

Your dog needs to understand that he is a lesser status dog than you & your family...Do you treat him like he is "people"?...If so stop that!...No letting him sleep with you...lay on the couch...Never let him go in or out a door before you & your skin family...Do not free feed...He needs to know where his food thus his living comes from...Practic e NILIF (nothing in life is free) & make him sit before he gets fed, goes outside, gets a treat, gets a toy to play with or any other privlege...So far as your daughter is concerned, first & formeost, never leave them alone together, also, have her put his food dish down for him after she gives the sit command & he complies...If he refuses to obey her tell him "too bad" & put the food back up until he decides he is hungry enough to obey...Make sure if he does obey to tell him happily that he made a great choice!!...Also, try to ignore him for a full 5 minutes when you come home & he greets you...Or if he acts  innappropriatl y in any way put him in another room for a time out & ignore him...In a wolf pack a lone wolf is a dead wolf & our canine companions do understand this...Away from their "pack" & ignored is not a comfortable place for them to be...I had the same problem with Samson at about 7 or 8 months & I had to resort to doing the "alpha roll" with him but I would not reccomend this unless you have consistantly tried all other avenues...Good luck!

[TarynSkylark]

thank you for all the advice everyone some of the things are things i can try ..others not so much. My daughter isn't quite 2yrs old yet and tho she is capable of putting the dog food bowl down she isn't capable of playing fetch or giving him obedience commands.. her  verbal progress isn't much past "Mama, Daddy, Doggy, Cat, and Cup."

     ~Morgana

[CujoandShamus]

I am by no means a pro at Pyrs however with ours when he started the nip stage I laid him on his back showing his belly to me (he was not very happy) but a breeder told me that showed them they were to be the passive towards us. I did this until he would back down.