Great Pyrenees E-Book

Juliette Cunliffe

• Herausgeber: CompanionHouse Books
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Serie: Comprehensive Owner's Guide
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 229

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Beschreibung

As magnificent as the range whose name it bears, the Great Pyrenees (or Pyrenean Mountain Dog, as the breed is known in England) is a powerful, natural guard dog whose immense strength and quiet confidence elevate the breed beyond the realm of ordinary working dogs. The Great Pyrenees's attractive white coat and beautifully domed head impart an elegance to the breed that speaks to its unmistakable antiquity and purity. As the history chapter of this Comprehensive Owner's Guide discusses, the Great Pyrenees was originally bred as a livestock guardian in the Basque mountainous region between France and Spain, where it was called upon to protect flocks from wolves, bears, and other large predators. The modern-day development of the breed in Europe and its spread to England and the United States are covered in considerable detail. Owners considering adding a Pyr to their home and lives will profit from the chapter on breed characteristics which catalogs the breed's virtues as well as drawbacks. Considering the great size of the breed, its protective instincts, and its need of space, the awe-inspiring Great Pyrenees doesn't fit easily into every possible living situation. Of course, owners who do believe they can meet the challenges of Pyr ownership will be rewarded with a fearless, loyal, good-natured companion for life.New owners will welcome the well-prepared chapter on finding a reputable breeder and selecting a healthy, sound puppy. Chapters on puppy-proofing the home and yard, purchasing the right supplies for the puppy as well as house-training, feeding, and grooming are illustrated with photographs of handsome adults and puppies. In all, there are over 135 full-color photographs in this useful and reliable volume. The author's advice on obedience training will help the reader better mold and train into the most well-mannered dog in the neighborhood. The extensive and lavishly illustrated chapter on healthcare provides up-to-date detailed information on selecting a qualified veterinarian, vaccinations, preventing and dealing with parasites, infectious diseases, and more. Sidebars throughout the text offer helpful hints, covering topics as diverse as historical dogs, breeders, or kennels, toxic plants, first aid, crate training, carsickness, fussy eaters, and parasite control. Fully indexed.

Leseprobe

Physical Characteristics of the Great Pyrenees

(from the American Kennel Club breed standard)

Head: Correct head and expression are essential to the breed. The head is not heavy in proportion to the size of the dog. It is wedge shaped with a slightly rounded crown.

Skull and Muzzle: The muzzle is approximately equal in length to the back skull. The muzzle blends smoothly with the skull. The cheeks are flat. A slight furrow exists between the eyes.

Neck: Strongly muscled and of medium length, with minimal dewlap.

Topline: The backline is level.

Eyes: Medium sized, almond shaped, set slightly obliquely, rich dark brown. Eyelids are close fitting with black rims.

Ears: Small to medium in size, V-shaped with rounded tips, set on at eye level, normally carried low, flat, and close to the head.

Nose: Black.

Teeth: A scissor bite is preferred, but a level bite is acceptable.

Foreleg: The legs are of sufficient bone and muscle to provide a balance with the frame. The elbows are close to the body and point directly to the rear when standing and gaiting. The forelegs, when viewed from the side, are located directly under the withers and are straight and vertical to the ground. Front pasterns are strong and flexible. Each foreleg carries a single dewclaw.

Coat: The weather resistant double coat consists of a long, flat, thick, outer coat of coarse hair, straight or slightly undulating, and lying over a dense, fine, woolly undercoat. The coat is more profuse about the neck and shoulders where it forms a ruff or mane which is more pronounced in males.

Shoulders: The shoulders are well laid back, well muscled, and lie close to the body. The upper arm meets the shoulder blade at approximately a right angle. The upper arm angles backward from the point of the shoulder to the elbow and is never perpendicular to the ground.

Body: The chest is moderately broad. Back and loin are broad and strongly coupled with some tuck-up.

Hindquarters: The angulation of the hindquarters is similar in degree to that of the forequarters. Thighs—Strongly muscular upper thighs extend from the pelvis at right angles. The rear pastern (metatarsus) is of medium length and perpendicular to the ground as the dog stands naturally. The rear legs are of sufficient bone and muscle to provide a balance with the frame. Double dewclaws are located on each rear leg.

Size: The height at the withers ranges from 27 inches to 32 inches for dogs and from 25 inches to 29 inches for bitches. A 27 inch dog weighs about 100 pounds and a 25 inch bitch weighs about 85 pounds.

Tail: The tailbones are of sufficient length to reach the hock. The tail is well plumed, carried low in repose and may be carried over the back “making the wheel,” when aroused.

Feet: Rounded, close-cupped, well padded, toes well arched.

Color: White or white with markings of gray, badger, reddish brown, or varying shades of tan.

Contents

History of the Great Pyrenees

Enter the world of the Basque country and meet the powerful Mountain Dog created there. Trace the Great Pyrenees from its home region to the Americas and Britain and observe the many faces of the breed as a livestock guardian, carting dog and more.

Characteristics of the Great Pyrenees

Find out about the unique qualities of the Great Pyrenees, its personality, versatility and requirements. From discussions of the breed’s temperamental and physical traits, including hereditary health concerns, determine whether you are a suitable owner for this majestic mountain of a dog.

Breed Standard for the Great Pyrenees

Learn the requirements of a well-bred Great Pyrenees by studying the description of the breed set forth in the American Kennel Club standard. Both show dogs and pets must possess key characteristics as outlined in the breed standard.

Your Puppy Great Pyrenees

Find out about how to locate a well-bred Great Pyrenees puppy. Discover which questions to ask the breeder and what to expect when visiting the litter. Prepare for your puppy shopping spree. Also discussed are home safety, the first trip to the vet, socialization and solving basic puppy problems.

Proper Care of Your Great Pyrenees

Cover the specifics of taking care of your Great Pyrenees every day: feeding for the puppy, adult and senior dog; grooming, including coat care, ears, eyes and nails and bathing; and exercise needs for your dog. Also discussed are the essentials of dog identification.

Training Your Great Pyrenees

Begin with the basics of training the puppy and adult dog. Learn the principles of house-training the Great Pyrenees, including the use of crates and basic scent instincts. Enter Puppy Kindergarten and introduce the pup to his collar and leash and progress to the basic commands. Find out about obedience classes and other activities.

Healthcare of Your Great Pyrenees

By Lowell Ackerman DVM, DACVDBecome your dog’s healthcare advocate and a well-educated canine keeper. Select a skilled and able veterinarian. Discuss pet insurance, vaccinations and infectious diseases, the neuter/spay decision and a sensible, effective plan for parasite control, including fleas, ticks and worms.

Showing Your Great Pyrenees

Step into the center ring and find out about the world of showing pure-bred dogs. Here’s how to get started in AKC shows, how they are organized and what’s required for your dog to become a champion. Take a leap into the realms of obedience trials, agility, earthdog events and tracking tests.

Your Aging Great Pyrenees

Know when to consider your Great Pyrenees a senior and what special needs he will have. Learn the signs of aging in terms of physical and behavioral traits and what your vet can do to optimize your dog’s golden years. Consider some advice about saying goodbye to your beloved pet.

KENNEL CLUB BOOKS®GREAT PYRENEESISBN 13: 978-1-59378-319-8eISBN 13: 978-1-59378-984-8

Copyright © 2004 • Kennel Club Books® A Division of BowTie, Inc.40 Broad Street, Freehold, NJ 07728 USACover Design Patented: US 6,435,559 B2 • Printed in South Korea

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by photostat, scanner, microfilm, xerography or any other means, or incorporated into any information retrieval system, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the copyright owner.

Photography by Isabelle Français and Carol Ann Johnson, with additional photographs by

Paulette Braun, T.J. Calhoun, Alan and Sandy Carey, David Dalton, Bill Jonas, Michael Trafford and Alice van Kempen.

Illustrations by Patricia Peters

The publisher wishes to thank Gale B. Armstrong, Giovanni & Roberta Lazzeri Cardini, Marie-Claude Couty, Rhonda Dalton, Raymond Ducrey, Mrs. Beryl Lordy, Rocco Muraca, Michéle Etienne Serclérat, Mrs. Janet Srodzinski and the rest of the owners of the dogs featured in this book.

A creation of the Basques, the Great Pyrenees is a unique, magnificent dog who is known as le Chien de Montagne des Pyrènées in its homeland and as the Pyrenean Mountain Dog in the UK.

The Great Pyrenees is known by several different names, but all of these names are derived from the Pyrenean mountain range in the Basque country, lying between Spain and France. It is in this mountainous region that the breed has long been used as a guardian for flocks of sheep and goats, working on steep slopes, in dense undergrowth and open pasture. The breed was widely used in this manner until the late 19th century, when large predators were eliminated from the region.

In the breed’s homeland, the Great Pyrenees was used to guard animals from bears and wolves, so it was important that this magnificent breed not only was of great size but also had strength and stamina. Temperament, too, was incredibly important. There could be no nervousness, and yet no amount of aggression could be permitted.

Large Pyrenean-type dogs can be traced back to well before the birth of Christ, for fossil remains have been found dating back to the Bronze Age (1800-1000 BC). It is believed that large, primarily white guardian dogs, the early ancestors of the Pyrenean breed, migrated from Asia Minor into Europe, both by sea and by land. By sea, the Phoenician traders went from Cadiz northward through Spain and then into the Pyrenees; by land, the dogs moved westward with the Aryan migration into Europe, thus helping to establish various different breeds, each of which developed its own individual characteristics. Among these were the Maremma, Hungarian Kuvasz, Komondor, Slovensky Cuvac, Polish Tatra Mountain Dog, Anatolian Shepherd Dog, Akbash and Pyrenean Mastiff, the latter clearly a close relation of the Great Pyrenees.

Nina Scott Langley’s renowned painting (circa 1930) of a Great Pyrenees created interest in the breed outside the Basque country where stretch the Pyrenean Mountains.

The Maremma Sheepdog, sometimes referred to as the Maremmano-Abruzzese, comes from the Abruzzi Mountains in Italy. The Maremma closely resembles the Pyrenean breed, but is somewhat smaller.

Once in Spain, the climatic conditions under which the Great Pyrenees developed were similar to those of its native land, and these dogs remained in isolated mountainous regions until the Medieval period. An interesting early reference to the breed is a sculptured bas-relief, found over the North Gate of Carcassone, which bears the royal arms of France.

From French writings of 1407 we learn that “Great Dogs of the Mountains” were used to guard the Chateau of Lourdes. Here they were regularly used as guards for the men making their rounds, and provision was even made for them in the sentry boxes. French King Louis XIV adopted the breed as the Royal Dog of France in 1675, and this caused the breed to be highly sought after by French nobility.

Already these dogs were recognized for their usefulness, for they had both a good sense of smell and exceptionally good eyesight. Whatever their use, be it as flock guardian, pack animal or messenger, one Great Pyrenees was considered to be equal to two men.

CANIS LUPUS

“Grandma, what big teeth you have!” The gray wolf, a familiar figure in fairy tales and legends, has had its reputation tarnished and its population pummeled over the centuries. Yet it is the descendants of this much-feared creature to which we open our homes and hearts. Our beloved dog, Canis domesticus, derives directly from the gray wolf, a highly social canine that lives in elaborately structured packs. In the wild, the gray wolf can range from 60 to 175 pounds, standing between 25 and 40 inches in height.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALAN AND SANDY CAREY.

MOVEMENT TO THE AMERICAS

Pyrenean dogs traveled to Newfoundland with Basque fishermen in 1662. They went as companion animals, but also as guardians. In Newfoundland, the Curly-Coated Retriever was already a favorite of English settlers in that land. The Pyreneans mated with these dogs, bringing about the Landseer Newfoundland, which is a large black and white dog.

THE NINETEENTH CENTURY

Britain’s Queen Victoria, a well-known dog lover who did so much to draw attention to the breeds of dog she owned, had a Great Pyrenees in 1850. By the mid-1880s, the breed was registered with the English Kennel Club and was shown at London’s Crystal Palace. In France, the breed had been exhibited in the Zoological Gardens of the Bois de Bologne, on the outskirts of Paris, in 1863.

In 1897, Count H. A. Graff van Bylandt included the breed in his encyclopaedia, Les Races de Chiens, published in Brussels. In this, and in the 1904 edition, there were photographs of this majestic breed, hitherto unknown to so many dog fanciers, and the result was a sudden demand for puppies. However, in France, this did not have a positive effect on the breed, for in a few short years much of the best breeding stock had been sold abroad, causing a drain on genetic resources and consequently putting the future of the breed in danger.

MAIDA’S PATER

In the past, the Great Pyrenees was frequently used when an outcross was needed to infuse new blood to strengthen some of the larger breeds. Although Sir Walter Scott’s famous dog Maida is always referred to as a Deerhound, his sire was actually a Great Pyrenees.

The Pyrenean Shepherd Dog (called the Berger des Pyrenees in France) has worked in association with the Great Pyrenees for many generations in the Basque country. This smaller breed herds the flock, while the Great Pyrenees guards from human and lupine marauders.

The Hungarian Komondor belongs to the family of large white flock guardians. The breed is distinctive for its completely corded coat and its take-charge personality.

THE GRANDE MADAME

Madame Harper Trois-Fontaines’s de Fontenay Kennel was undisputedly the fountainhead of the breed in Britain, providing stock from which many Pyrenean enthusiasts were able to build their kennels, both at home and abroad. This remarkable lady died in 1972, in her ninety-eighth year.

The first Great Pyrenees known in Ireland arrived in Dublin in 1898, having traveled over from France.

EUROPE IN THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY

It was in 1907 that the Pastoure Club was formed in Hautes Pyrénées, France, with the aim of perpetuating interest in the breed. This led to the first breed standard’s being published. Two years later, in 1909, Lady Sybil Grant, daughter of Lord Roseberry, brought Great Pyreneess to England, these for the purpose of breeding. In the early 1920s, Sir Cato Worsfold also attempted to establish the breed in Britain, but, like Lady Sybil Grant, without significant success.

One of the lesser known flock guards, the Tatra Mountain Dog, known as the Owczarek Podhalanski in Poland, is related to the mountain guards of Rumania and Hungary. It is a large, confident breed used to protect flocks as well as estates.

Unfortunately, during the 1920s the Great Pyrenees declined in both numbers and quality in France, but M. Senac Lagrange and a handful of other dedicated breeders worked hard to revive the breed. Together they formed the Reunion des Amateurs de Chiens Pyrénéens, and this club drew up the breed standard in the mid-1920s. The club still exists today, and its breed standard has been the foundation stone for all Great Pyrenees standards of the modern era.

PURE-BRED PURPOSE

Given the vast range of the world’s 400 or so pure breeds of dog, it’s fair to say that domestic dogs are the most versatile animal in the kingdom. From the tiny 1-pound lap dog to the 200-pound guard dog, dogs have adapted to every need and whim of their human masters. Humans have selectively bred dogs to alter physical attributes like size, ability, color, leg length, mass and skull diameter in order to suit our own needs and fancies. Dogs serve humans not only as companions and guardians but also as hunters, exterminators, shepherds, rescuers, messengers, warriors, babysitters and more!

In England, it was not until the early 1930s that Mme. Jeanne Harper Trois-Fontaines began her de Fontenay Kennel, which from 1938 was near Amersham in Buckinghamshire. She had first been impressed by the Great Pyreneess she had seen at the Manoir de Careil when vacationing in France with her husband. He suggested that she order a couple, which she did, no doubt willingly, but these did not arrive in Britain until 1933. Unfortunately, they were not allowed to be quarantined together, and they are said both to have died of loneliness before the age of six months. The following year, Madame successfully brought in a ten-month-old puppy from the Loire, and she thought very highly of this dog, Kop de Careil. Six months later, the bitch lannette de Boisy joined him, forming the foundation stock of the renowned de Fontenay kennel.

HELPING THE ST. BERNARD

Because the number of St. Bernards had been seriously depleted due to avalanches and distemper at the hospice in Switzerland, in 1870 the blood of Great Pyrenees, and that of other large breeds, was used to help the St. Bernard breed back to recovery.

The Kuvasz from Hungary is not as large as its cousin, the Komondor, and enjoys growing popularity in the UK and America.

Take note of this gentle giant. At a dog show in Paris (circa 1930), a Great Pyrenees became a press spectacular. This photo appeared in numerous publications of the day.

Madame Harper Trois-Fontaines aimed to import only the most typical bloodlines from France, and in this she spared no expense. She also did valuable publicity work on behalf of the breed, not only through dog shows but also with appearances on stage, screen and television. From her kennel, Great Pyrenees were to be exported world-wide.

It appears that it was the late Baron Rothschild who first suggested starting a breed club, this at a tea party at his home in Tring. Seemingly, the very next morning, Mme. Harper Trois-Fontaines went to The Kennel Club to obtain registration papers, and opened a bank account for the club. In 1936 the Pyrenean Mountain Dog Club of Great Britain was registered with The English Kennel Club (although it was to be almost a decade before the club was officially recognized), and, in October of that year, the first breed classes were judged by France’s M. Senac Legrange at Crystal Palace.

BREED NAMES AND NICKNAMES

Known in Britain and some European countries as the Pyrenean Mountain Dog, the breed has various names around the world. In the US, the breed is known as the Great Pyrenees and, in France, is called Le Chien de Montagne des Pyrénées or Le Chien des Pyrénées. Over 200 years ago, it was also known as the “King of Sheepdogs” and the “White-furred Lord.”

HUNTING-DOG HISTORY

French writers of the 18th century told their readers that, at Versailles, the Pyrenean dog hunted wolf and wild pig, working alongside scent- and sighthounds.

FROM WORLD WAR II ONWARD

Throughout out the years of World War II, Mme. Harper Trois-Fontaines continued in her efforts to get the new breed club recognized by The Kennel Club, and over a period of four years managed to register 150 Pyreneans. Membership increased after the war and, in 1945, The Kennel Club gave the club official recognition, allowing Challenge Certificates to be awarded, the “tickets” that are required for British championships. It was headed by the same staunch lady supporter of the breed who was at that point its President, Secretary and Treasurer, though this had not been the case in its formative years. In May 1946, the breed’s very first Championship Show was held at Buckingham Gate in London.

Later, due to the controversy surrounding one person’s holding three such posts in the breed club, Madame resigned as Secretary and Treasurer. Subsequently the club ran into difficulties, only to be bailed out financially for the second time by Mme. Harper Trois-Fontaines. In 1969, the first Pyrenean Symposium was held, with the aim of furthering knowledge about every aspect of the breed.

The Pyrenean Mountain Dog Club of Great Britain still exists, and is one of four clubs now in Britain. In 1996, a Diamond Jubilee Banquet was held, together with the first World Congress, which took place at Coventry. This was an opportunity for enthusiasts from all over the world to get together and share their ideas about the breed, and there was a plentiful supply of knowledgeable speakers from as far apart as Scandinavia and Australia.

THE PYRENEAN AS A CARTING DOG

Great Pyrenees were used for pulling small carts until fairly recent times. This was particularly so in Belgium and northern France, where they delivered milk, like many other of the carting dogs. Although today the subject of carting causes controversy in some circles, some breed enthusiasts still use their dogs to pull small, light-weight carts as a hobby.

Mountain Dogs photographed in the Pyrenean Mountains early in the 20th century illustrate the type of working dog that existed about 100 years ago.

PYRENEANS AS LIVESTOCK GUARDIANS

This breed’s original role in the Pyrenean Mountains region was that of livestock guardian, but now in many countries the Great Pyrenees is kept purely as a companion and show dog. However, in some countries the breed is still employed successfully for its original purpose. A livestock guardian dog is neither a hunter nor a shepherd, but it does show a protective attitude toward its stock and will fend off predators upon the animals that it considers as its own property.

In the US, toward the close of the 1970s, there was renewed interest in using the Pyrenean as a livestock guardian dog, as new methods of preventing the loss of stock to predators were needed. Among various breeds considered, the Pyrenean was found to be well suited to the job. It had kept its original instincts, yet still showed good-natured behavior with people, and so made an admirable family companion.

In recent years, Great Pyreneess performed an interesting exercise in Norway, close to the borders of Russia and Finland, where bears were entering a village. A long-standing Norwegian breeder of Pyreneans worked in cooperation with the Norwegian environmental organization, which placed six puppies on three farms. This understandably caused some concern among breeders, who thought the breed would run the risk of obtaining a bad reputation, thereby losing its popularity as a family dog.

Although the dogs used had chased foxes, it was not known whether they would apply the same principles to chasing off bears. The outcome, however, was that the dogs were indeed effective, showing a high fighting spirit around the bears and completing their mission without injury. Despite resistance from the bears, the dogs maintained their interest in their work and could cope with physical contact with the bears without sustaining injury or becoming nervous. Added to this, they took their own responsibility for livestock in their neighborhood; on two occasions of accidental encounters with bears, the dogs showed guarding attitudes towards their owners, scaring off the bears.

One of the farmers was so impressed that he subsequently took on two Great Pyreneess of his own. Soon after, although bears were still found at the northern and southern ends of the village, they did not enter the village center, as they had done in previous years.

THE GREAT PYRENEES IN AMERICA

The first pair of Great Pyrenees was introduced to America in 1824 by General Lafayette, who took two males to J. S. Skinner, author of The Dog and the Sportsman. Although there were a few imports following these, the breed in the US was really launched when the Basquaerie Kennel was founded in Massachusetts in 1931. This was the largest kennel of the breed ever established, and stock produced from this source provided many smaller kennels, both in the US and abroad, with dogs.

The early days of the breed in the US were relatively informal, with people happy to cooperate in supporting and promoting the breed. Owners and breeders all worked together in helping to standardize the breed and to improve it.

In 1933 the Great Pyrenees was given official recognition by the American Kennel Club. By April of that year, there was separate classification for the breed at shows. In 1935, the breed standard, which had been based on the French standard of the 1920s, was revised, remaining unchanged for a further 55 years.

Slovak Cuvac is the Czech equivalent to the Pyrenean Mountain Dog. It is a large white guardian breed utilized to protect flocks in the Liptok Mountains. Rarely seen outside the Czech Republic, the breed is sometimes called Slovensky Tchouvatch.

EARLY SHOWS

The first time a Great Pyrenees appeared in a dog show in the US was on February 21, 1932 at Boston’s Eastern Dog Club Chow. Here Urdos de Soum won the Miscellaneous Class. Then in 1934 Ch. Patou, one of the Basquaerie dogs, took the Working Group at Middlesex County Kennel Club Show.

Specialty shows began in 1935 at the Morris and Essex Show, held on the famous Giralda Farms Estate in Madison, NJ. Urdos de Soum again achieved success at this show, winning the class for dogs of 25 pounds and over. Mitsou de Langladure won the equivalent class for bitches. Members and friends of the Great Pyrenees Club of America, which had been officially recognized by the AKC on September 10, 1935, donated special prizes for the winners.

By January of 1936 there were 41 Great Pyrenees living in the US, 17 of which had been imported. There were three litters whelped in 1933, two in 1934 and seven in 1935. Clearly, the breed was on the road to success!

An example of a Great Pyrenees that worked for the military is M. Dretzen’s Ch. Eng. Porthos, photographed in 1907.

GROWTH OF THE GREAT PYRENEES CLUB OF AMERICA

The first 15 years of the club’s existence experienced substantial growth, with plenty of activity and publicity, but there was little growth during the 1950s and 1960s, in part because until the mid-1960s bylaws limited the membership to fifty. However by the 1970s the breed had further increased in popularity so membership continued to rise again and by the 1990s membership was in excess of 700.

Two Great Pyrenees photographed in the early 1930s. The dog on the left was well known in its day, Eng. Ch. Thora.

There are many regional clubs who all have members with the breed’s best interest at heart. They, too, organize all manner of events in their local areas, and provide information and assistance to owners of the breed.

Today in the US, the Great Pyrenees is found in the show ring but is also much loved as a companion in the home; the breed is also used on farms and ranches as a livestock guardian.

PYRENEANS IN NEW ZEALAND

Pyreneans from England’s de Fontenay Kennel went to New Zealand in the late 1940s. Early in the next decade, two Pyreneans from the Pondtail Kennel were imported and kept at Auckland Zoo, the latter producing a small litter. However, it was not until 1956 that the breeding of Great Pyrenees began in earnest in New Zealand. There were imports from Britain in the 1950s and 1960s, but there are some sad stories among them, due primarily to the long journey involved and the time spent in quarantine.

There was a poor survival rate in litters whelped, and the selection of stock from which to breed was limited, so numbers did not increase greatly. Despite this, some Pyreneans went to Australia at this time. In New Zealand the breed became firmly established in the 1970s and 1980s, with imports from England and also from Australia. The first NZ Champion was Cherryglen Elizabeth, an import from Britain, and it was she who produced the first two NZ-bred champions.

A breed of increasing importance in Spain is the Mastin del Pireneo, known in English-speaking countries as the Pyrenean Mastiff Unlike most of the other large flock guards, the Mastin del Pireneo can be seen in white with grey, black, brindle or orange. The breed is long-coated, unlike its cousin the Mastin Espanol.

Over recent years, breeders have continued to import stock from prominent kennels in Britain, the US and Australia, but the number of kennels in New Zealand can be counted on two hands. Nonetheless, Great Pyrenees always attract the crowds when they are seen in public, and apart from winning at Group level at dog shows, they can also be seen collecting for charity. Because New Zealand has no natural predators, there is little use for dogs as livestock guardians in the country—although Pyreneans always seem ready to take over the supervision of a few sheep in a paddock if the opportunity arises.

The Great Pyrenees’s height is usually measured at its shoulders—not yours! This is a mountain of a dog that requires a committed, capable owner to love.