raising Great Pyrs with other dogs

[wbf]

We are seriously considering a Great Pyr however my question is....  how difficult is it to raise this type of breed with another dog in the household (1 1/2 year old Standard Poodle)?  I was told that a puppy raised with another dog will bond to our other dog making training very difficult if not impossible.  Is there any truth to this? 

Although I have some experience with flock guards as we had a Kuvasz many years ago, I have no direct experience with Great Pyrs.  Are there differences in type amoung the breed and if so, how do I know which is the best "type" for a family/companion dog?  Also, any suggestions on what bloodlines have the best temperament for family life or does it not matter?  Is there anyway to determine if a puppies head or lip conformation will predispose it to drooling or is this something that a reputable breeder will have taken care of :-).  Thanks for any information.

[patrick]

Pyr puppies do well with other dogs and it is actually a good idea to have a puppy with an adult as the adult dog will teach the puppies doggie manners.  The problem with bonding usually occurs when you raise siblings together - two puppies from the same litter raised together often bond very strongly with each other.

Drooling is strongly related to the conformation of the dogs head  The more square muzzle is going to have a loose lip which then leads to excess drooling.  The current standard calls for a more refined muzzle with a tight lip - as such they are then considered to be a 'dry mouth'. 

[wbf]

Thanks for your reply. 
Is it possible to determine if a young puppy will have a more "square" muzzle?  Also, do you have any suggestions on whether a male of female would be better suited in a home with a neutered male?
Do you have any advice on how one can determine if a breeder is considered "reputable"?

[patrick]

Best is to know if the parents have a wet mouth or a dry mouth  As young puppies it is not always possible to tell but looking at the parents will give you an indication.  And the breeder should know what she is producing.   Neutered males can work together but male/female combinations seem to always work  Of course the female will eventually end up being the boss- haha

You do need to decide if you want a show/pet, male or female, and how much money you are willing to spend.  Prices for Pyrs can range $500 to over $3000 depending on the breeder and  the bloodlines.  The GPCA keeps a breeder list which is a good place to start as well as some of the members here periodically breed as well.  and you can always consider rescue but it is hard to get purebred puppies from rescue.  Where are you located?

[wbf]

Thanks so much for letting me know about the GPCA.

I have just started to learn about the bloodlines as well as certain characteristic s within the breed but I suspect it will take some time for me to be "fluent" :-).  I breed horses so I am a bit of a bloodline junkie although I must say that it is much easier to remember Hanoverian sires and dams.  I noticed that many of the dogs have such long names :-).  Anyway, temperament and good health are the most important as we are looking for a pet/companion.  We prefer a male however a female is not out of the question if she is the right one.  We are thinking of getting a puppy later this year as my youngest daughter will be 4 years old.  We are, however, willing to wait for the right dog.   Regarding price, I think that the purchase price is the cheapest part of dog ownership.  That said, our main concern is a calm temperament and good health.  We are located in Ontario, Canada but we are willing to travel to deal with a good breeder.  Feel free to e-mail me at mail@westbrookhanoverians.com

[Kiahpyr]

Good luck finding your pyr. I love mine so much! Keep us posted on your search and can't wait to see pics when you get one.

[Mark Dozier]

What a good question. I rasied one Pyr from 6 months old with my old pointer for about 4 months. They were fast friends ande Toby taugh Bear a lot. It actually made potty training so very easy. Pyr are LGD or large guardian dogs and the love having a "flock" people or dogs or sheep  it doesn't matter.
As to training they are fairly easy to traiin but you must be consisitent you have to be consistent. So if you start working on Sit, you have to use the same voice all the time and you have to do it with every dog every time the same way. Pyr are brilliant and will know in an instant if you are not consistent with all dogs and they will use that to their advantage.

Regrading the search for a Pyr puppy. Unless you are going ot investing the HUGE amount of work in breeding, which you have stated you are not I would talk to rescue groups. Perfinder has lots of Pyr's. Puget Sound Pyrenees Rescue has great dogs. SPIN is another great place.

One word about that puppy. Dog owners pick their puppies. Pyrenees Caretakers are picked by the Pyr's

And remeber pyr's are like Lays potota chips. Nobody can have just one.

[patrick]

That is so true- the breed is totally addicting  If you get one you WILL get another.