Buffalo Creek Farm: Great Pyrenees Dogs

A livestock protection dog is rarely out of sight or hearing of his flock. It is a calm animal that moves slowly to avoid disturbing the livestock and possesses a better than average sense of hearing, sight and smell. They will often become curious and defensive whenever something out of the ordinary occurs. Most people do not want an overprotective dog that will bite any stranger entering the field, so they must also be sociable. An economic benefit is a dog that does not eat too much. This fits in with the need of having a calm animal. Calm animals have a lower rate of metabolism so they eat less and expend less energy.

A good livestock protection dog looks forward to interactions with his master, but will not be too dependent on them for love and affection. They must be self-confident and capable of making independent decisions. A large dog is also desirable. Large dogs usually will have a higher position in the pecking order. They will be challenged less by other dogs, wolves or coyotes. Livestock protection dogs regularly patrol their area and mark the perimeter with urine which acts as a message to others that this area is off limits.

Great Pyrenees are also known as Pyrenean Mountain Dogs. They originated along the border of France and Spain. They are the best know and most popular of the livestock protection breeds. They are primarily white in color and the coat may have markings of badger, gray or varying shades of tan. They have a weather-resistant double coat that consists of a long, flat, thick, outer coat of coarse hair, which lies over a dense, fine, woolly undercoat. Double dew-claws are a feature of the rear legs. Males stand 27 to 32 inches tall and weight 100 pounds or more. Females are 25-29 inches tall and weight 85 pounds or more.

~adapted from Livestock Protection Dogs by Orysia Dawydiak and David Sims.