History

Since ancient times, it has appeared in the Pyrenees and became famous in the Middle Ages, when it was mainly used to protect castles, plus The breed was mentioned by Gaston Phoebus in the 14th century. In the 17th century, this breed was appreciated as a companion dog, and in the time of Louis XIV, it became a court dog and achieved great glory. The breed was first described in detail in 1897 by Earl Bylandt. Ten years later, the first breeding club was established, and in 1923, at the urging of Bernard Senac-LaGrange, the Réunion des Amateurs de Chiens Pyrénées- RACP), registered with the French Society of Kennel Centre (SCC) to establish the official standard. The current standard is still very close to the standard set in 1923, with only some clear revisions.

Origin

France

English name: Great Pyrenees

Function: Used as a guard dog when grazing in the mountains

Lifespan: 9-12 years

Character

The impression is very elegant, beautiful, combined with great size and Majestic temperament. The coat is white or predominantly white with grey or tan markings of varying shades. Very smart, kind, and kingly. Both standing and moving, show a distinctive elegance, always appearing solid and harmonious, clearly reflecting the purpose for which this breed was bred: in all climatic conditions, on the steep slopes of the Pyrenees, guard the flock.

The Great Pyrenees has a very kind heart, self-confidence, gentleness, composure and steady character, very docile temperament, very loyal to people, and very rich in feelings, you can see it in it The abilities a guard dog should have. Willing to protect his territory, flock or family when needed, he is usually calm, composed, patient and forgiving. He is very strong-willed, independent and slightly reserved, caring, loyal, and brave to the humans or animals he is responsible for.

If you want it to have a very healthy body and mind, as well as a very beautiful face and posture, you should leave enough time for exercise. Of course, enough food is also very important, and there must be a fixed amount of time. Time for it to groom its coat. It is very suitable for home-style life, but it does not belong to the indoor type. The Great Pyrenees was not very calm when it was born. It used to appear on the battlefield, and sometimes there was even an iron chain hanging on its neck.

General Appearance: These dogs are large, dignified, and robust, but do not have a certain graceful attitude.

Important Proportions: The wider part of the skull is equal to the body length. The muzzle is slightly shorter than the skull. The body length from the shoulder to the rump is slightly greater than the dog's height at the withers. The depth of the chest is equal to, or slightly less than half the height at the withers.

Behavior/Temperament: This dog is often used to protect herds from predators, and is chosen for this role based on her ability to protect and prevent predators from approaching the herd as much as possible. ability. Therefore, the main characteristics of this dog are: great strength, flexibility, and gentleness on the object of its protection. This protection dog has a tendency to be independent as well as an autonomous spirit, which may require some level of training from its owner.

Head: The head should not be too large compared to the dog's body. The sides of the head are flat.

Skull area: The widest part of the skull is equal to its length. The skull is slightly rounded as the sagittal ridges become palpable. Because of the prominent occipital bone, the skull is pointed. The eyebrow ridge is not obvious. The middle sulcus between the eyes is barely felt.

Stop: Has a smooth slope.

Nose: All black.

Muzzle: Broad, slightly shorter than the skull, tapering towards the tip of the muzzle. Viewed from above, a frontless "V" shape is formed. Under the eyes, the muzzle is plump.

Lip: Not too droopy, just enough to cover the jaw. Black or dark markings with black, also on the palate.

Lower Jaw/Teeth: Teeth are healthy and complete, with white teeth. Scissor bite (upper incisors tightly clasping the lower incisors without loosening in the middle). A pincer bite is acceptable as there are two lower incisors protruding anteriorly.

Eyes: Small, almond-shaped, slightly off-set, with an intelligent, thoughtful expression, amber eyes with never sagging lids. The eyes are docile and have a dreamy expression.

Ears: flush with the eyes, small, triangular, with rounded tips. Lay flat on the head, slightly upturned when the dog is alert.

Neck: Powerful, relatively short, rarely droopy.

Body: The distance from the shoulder point to the rump point is slightly greater than the dog's height at the withers. The distance between the sternum and the ground should be about half the height at the withers, which should never be too far apart.

Topline: Well supported.

Shoulders: Broad.

Back: Moderately long and muscular.

Waist: Moderate length.

Hip: Slightly sloping, butt very prominent.

Transverse abdomen: almost no protrusion.

Chest: Not too low, but wide and long. The elbows are naturally relaxed, but not too low. The height of the chest is equal to or slightly less than half the height of the dog at the withers. Ribs are slightly rounded.

Tail: At least try to reach the fly node. The tail hairs are dense and feathery. When the dog is stationary, the tail should preferably be hooked. When the dog is alert, the tail is turned up to the rear, forming a perfect circle, only the tip of the tail can reach the waist (the Pyrenees describe this as "flywheel" to describe the characteristics of this dog).

Forequarters: erect and strong.

Shoulders: Moderately sloping.

Upper Arm: Well muscled and of moderate length.

Forearm: Erect, strong, and muscular.

Carpal joint (carpal joint): The limb is in line with the forearm.

Foot (metacarpal): Slightly inclined.

Forefoot: Not too long, tight, with slightly arched toes.

Hindquarters: The hind legs are more striped than the front legs. Viewed from behind, the stripes are perpendicular to the ground.

Thighs: Well muscled, not very long, slightly sloping, well defined.

Posterior knee joint (knee): moderately angular, parallel to the body.

Lower thigh: Moderately long and muscular.

Hocks: Broad, firm, moderately angled.

Hind Legs: Not too long, tight, with slightly arched toes.

Prosthetic hooves: The hind legs may have two developed false hooves. The front legs sometimes have one or two false hooves.

GAIT/MOVEMENT: The Pyrenean Mountain Dog is free and powerful, never awkward. The main movement characteristic of this dog is stretch, not speed, but it also has a certain softness and graceful stance. The skeleton of this dog gives it an unrelenting gait.

Skin: Thick and soft, often with streaks all over the body.

Hair: Fully covered, flat, long, and soft, with very brittle hair on the shoulders and back, longer on the tail and neck, which may be slightly wavy. The coat is thick all over the body, and the down is also thick.

Color: Head, ears, base of tail, and sometimes body white, or white with gray markings (badger or wolf), or off-white, or orange. The most popular color is badger gray tabby.

Size:

Height at Shoulder: Male: 70cm to 80cm.

Bitch: 65cm to 75cm.

A tolerance of 2 cm is acceptable for very good dogs.

Defects: Any deviation from the above points is considered a defect, the degree of which is strictly proportional to its grade.

General Appearance:

General appearance gives the impression of being bulky and undistinguished. Overall it appears to be a generally weak, sluggish dog.

Head:

Too heavy and irregularly shaped.

The skull is too wide and the forehead is raised.

The stop is too prominent, or not present.

The lips are too droopy, with a drooping upper lip.

Insufficient color on nose, eye rims and lips.

Eyes:

Too round, too light in color, sunken or protruding, too large or too small, eyes too close together, or too far apart. The third eyelid is clearly visible. It is difficult to express emotions through the eyes.

Ears:

Too wide, long, curled, creased, set too back, ears set too high.

Neck:

Elongated, slightly long, or too short, giving the appearance of the dog's neck sinking into the shoulders. Too much droopy skin.

Body:

Swaying, arching, or drooping belly.

Chest:

Too wide or too narrow, flat on the sides, or barrel shaped.

Tail:

Not enough coat, or tail not well upturned, too short, or too long to form a feather, tail not forming a "wheel" when moving ”, or even in a constant “wheel shape” at rest.

Forequarters:

Abduction or inversion.

The shoulder-humerus angle is too large.

Hindquarters:

Abduction or inversion.

The hocks are too straight or too angular.

Feet:

Long or open.

Coat:

Short, curly, silky, soft, or not down.

Deficiencies to exclude:

Behavior/Temperament:

Aggressive or overly shy.

Nose:

Not dark enough.

Jaws:

The upper jaw is concave, or the lower jaw is prominent, or any deformation of the jaw.

Eyes:

The eye circles are flesh-colored. Yellow eyes.

False hoof:

The hind leg has no false hoof, or only one false hoof, or both false hooves are degenerated.

Color:

Any color not specified in the standard.