A few weeks ago, we discussed Great Pyrenees barking. Today, we’ll be talking about Great Pyrenees roaming. I could give you the simple answer—keep him on leash or in a fenced area— but I’m sure you want more than that.
A common saying in the Great Pyrenees community is, “an off-leash pyr is a disapyr”. There’s a reason it has stuck all these years.
Before bringing Mauja home, I read a lot on Great Pyrenees and their tendency to roam. I decided to work on
I remember the first time she trotted off. She saw a screwdriver on the ground (no idea what that was doing in a field), picked it up, and happily pranced off in the other direction.
Stinker.
Since then, Mauja has been off-leash a small handful of times in areas we are familiar with (like my in-law’s lake house). However, it never fails that she decides to go on a walkabout and explore the neighborhood.
She will never be an off-leash dog and that’s completely okay; I’m not going to try and fight her instincts. Ultimately, it will just lead to us both being frustrated. Fences are our friends 😉
Related: Great Pyrenees Tips (from people who know the breed)
I have heard of a few pyrs that are trustworthy off-leash, but there are very, very few. Atka is one of the rare Great Pyrenees that can handle being off-leash. He’s extremely sensitive and attached to me, so he doesn’t stray far.
However, as he continues to mature, we’ll see how much this changes. Regardless, I don’t want to risk it so I keep him on-leash or in a fenced area. He’s too precious to chance it!
When thinking about Great Pyrenees roaming, it’s important to remember exactly what the Great Pyrenees was bred to do – protect livestock on their territory. If there isn’t a solid territory defined, a pyr will determine his own territory.
A solid territory is defined by a visible fence, not by what you say. Great Pyrenees roaming is instinct and you simply cannot train it out.
A Great Pyrenees is independent, knows his job, and will not listen to your definition of territory. As frustrating as this is, there’s still more to it.
More Than an Inconvenience
Sure, Great Pyrenees roaming is a bit of an inconvenience. You have to make weekly, if not daily, trips to your neighbor’s house to bring back your pyr
Great Pyrenees roaming is dangerous.
If you live in town, there’s a chance your Great Pyrenees could get hit by an unsuspecting driver. If you live in the country, you risk upsetting neighbors to the point of them shooting and injuring or killing your dog
Your Great Pyrenees could also get lost if he roams too far. While they have a great sense of direction, many factors can throw your dog off and make him lose his way.
Related: Breeding Great Pyrenees – Does Job Matter?
Electric Fences
An electric fence is a common route for people who are frustrated with their Great Pyrenees roaming around the neighborhood (or whose neighbors are frustrated).
I don’t want to be negative, but this typically will not work and I strongly advise against it.
Most importantly, it doesn’t keep other animals out. While Great Pyrenees are not typically aggressive, they do not take kindly to other animals on their territory.
They are generally able to intimidate predators such as coyotes and bears, but other dogs/animals won’t always back down. This could lead to a pyr being deemed aggressive, rather than protective
Adequate Fencing
Most rescues will require a 6 ft fence or strict adherence to leash walking to prevent Great Pyrenees roaming. Just like any other personality trait, each dog will require a different fence, but this is the general recommendation
We have a 5ish foot fence that Mauja and Atka have never tried to scale. Then there are pyrs that can easily scale a 6 ft fence, like this guy…
Great Pyrenees roaming is a problem most pyrents can understand. Here are out top tips to prevent your dog from going on a walkabout.
When in doubt, go for at least 6 feet in height and use a material that isn’t easy to climb.
Related: DIY Dog Leash Holder
Mental Stimulation
While management is the best way to prevent Great Pyrenees roaming, adequate exercise and mental stimulation will help keep your dog contained.
It’s important to remember that letting your dog into a fenced yard does not qualify as exercise. Your Great Pyrenees needs to get out and explore his surroundings. Brisk 30-60 minute walks around the neighborhood will help keep your dog happy.
Mental stimulation is an absolute must with the Great Pyrenees. While they may not be interested in training, they are exceptionally smart and need to be challenged
Great Pyrenees roaming is frustrating, but more importantly, it’s dangerous. Pyrs will do whatever it takes to keep us safe and it’s our job to do the same for them. If you don’t have a fence, consider investing in one or commit to keeping your pyr on-leash.
How do you prevent/manage Great Pyrenees roaming?
Good post, and thank you for suggesting humane and intelligent methods!
No, thank you! 🙂
Just moved to the country our neighbors on both sides have Pyrs
They roam all over. I have only had inside dogs what will we need to prepare for a 3 month pyrs?
How to contact Brenda Negri. Her website is http://www.lgdnevada.com, I can not connect to it.
I am reading her book “The Way of the Pack”.. I have been researching an electric containment system. Some think that electric fencing will not discourage Great Pyrenees from roaming.
Believe me it doesn’t work ,I have one and my boy Bear can and will go beyond that electric fence.
I had a great Pyrenees from a 4 week old puppy that I had to bottle feed and he was a great dog he stayed inside and I had no problems with him roaming I had a two and a half foot fancy never left so recently I found about a two-year-old Pyrenees I don’t know what his background is he was a mess as far as a grooming when I found her I can tell she wants to be outside all the time I’ve been up the first night every 3 hours to take her outside and she does really brisk walks my Pyrenees was easy to train this one I don’t know what her background is she’s so beautiful nobody’s claimed there yet I hate to see her abused like she was though she won’t eat she won’t drink any ideas
I think the purpose of overstating roaming is to get it into the readers head, don’t overlook this. If you love your animal, if you bond like you never bond to anything else, and its a female, your odds are greater that roaming won’t be an issue. BUT every dog is different.
Life is a crap shoot. Rig the dice!
Roaming is part of the breed …I learned this quickly every time my gate was opened…my dog was bred to be a guardian livestock dog …and it is extremely obvious….makes me love her that much more!
When I got my 18 month old, she was off her food. She had explosive stools, and was itching. Nervous and a bit distraught. She had been at the humane society and had just had much of her hair cut out , spayed , shots and treated for parasites, upon meeting you she would immediately go submissive to the ground, not knowing who she could trust. I had done my research on Pyrenees , and got a good quality kibble for sensitive stomachs and skin, a little ground turkey and scrambled egg. A marrow bone for her unease. When I ate I would put her bowl on the bed beside me , she cleaned her dish every time. The itching has stoped , her stools now normal, her appetite good ( would eat more than is advisable if I’d let her) the ground turkey and egg given now only once a week as a treat, she loves her kibble. She has been very responsive and quick to learn leash obedience. I know it’s not possible for everyone but she is with me all the time, loves to ride in the car, go to the dog park. Shops at Walmart with me.as a service dog in training. I know she will not be able to be off leash anywhere but the yard, but you know she really seems okay with that, she seems to appreciate well defined boundaries, for now at least. We have hens, horses, a lot of different activities which she is allowed to engage. Her training as a service dog, for mobility and impaired hearing has been quite smooth, her consistency good for her age. I know this is much more than you asked for, but I wanted to let you know how very remarkable these dogs can be if you have the time to spend with them, you see they need purpose, I’ve become her friend, her job and responsibility, we are becoming a team, she knows she can depend on me and that she is home.
My guys, Cooper and Jaxx are only half Pyr,(their Mom was an Aussie) but they have exactly that temperament you describe. So I resolve to daily walks and rides in the car. The best way is a routine they look forward to, including the cookie out of their special jar when we come back home. And just have them with me for periods throughout the day, address them in conversations without being demanding, just engage their interest. Lie you cannot to those dogs: Even if they are outside, they know when I am thinking of going somewhere and scratch on the door before I ever get up to gather my things.. So: I got the 6ft fence and they will jump up 5ft Hayrolls and lay up there to oversee ‘their herd’ of horses from inside their fenced area=attached to my kitchen back door. So far this has worked for me. As for letting them off the leash: No. (I got a 12ft leash.)
My pyr Apollo has been in a pet safe for big dogs for 4 years! He is 7 now and we rescued him from the shelter we buried 1500 feet on the ground and we live in the country on a 3 acres lot between a interstate and very busy us Highway and he has never roam away! Yes he is on his game when he is out but all I can say is thank pet safe for big dogs works! He learned his boundaries very fast he gets a tone alert first then the zap! It’s works well! Just my opinion! Thanks
I’m surprised he can feel the zap with that big furry ruff around his neck. For whatever reason, my Gracie does not wander off. I’ve shown her the boundary of her territory. As long as you don’t WALK them OFF the property, they seem to stay home. Walking them off the property just enlarges their territory. I can leave the place and she does not leave. She’s the second dog I’ve had that hasn’t wandered.m
Does that mean you do not take her places with you or go for walks with her along the road? Do you mean she has only ever stayed on your property? How big is the property and how did you show her the boundary?
I walked the boundary with her. Mind you, it’s fenced pasture. But we have a driveway that leads out to the road. I do take her off the property – IN MY CAR! never, never, never walk her off. As a pup, I didn’t leave her outside by herself. But as she got older, I trained her to stay up at the house while I walked down the driveway. If she followed, I yelled at her and sternly said “ Go Home!” Shes just so sensitive and she’s very into her job of keeping predators away. She guards her domain – t’s her job and she’s proud of herself, I guess. No, I do not take her for walks along the country road! That would be a disaster! If I take her for walks, I take her IN THE CAR to a place that’s not her territory. Then go home.
Maybe I’m lucky – but I had Lucy who was the same. She NEVER left the property! But I was her world and she would never have left me. We lost her at 5 from bone cancer. She was the love of my life! Gracie is just as devoted! Maybe it’s the females. Idk – I love this breed! But you have to understand them. They really are very sensitive and respond to a stern command! But never never be too stern! Always come back with pets and love!
BTW- we have 20 acres but the house has about 4, is not fenced, is off a country fairly busy road, with fenced pastures (which she IS allowed to roam through at will – and she does her patrol every morning and every night. But I bring her in at night to sleep).
BTW- our first Pyr was half Golden. My husband would take her jogging. We realized too late that as he took her off the property, she was really just enlarging her territory! And she wandered everywhere!! Since then, we have never walked the dogs off the property. They seem to be happy guarding their little spot here and we love them- and all their barking noise! Lol if I lived in town, it would be totally different. I would still not walk her off the property. I would drive her someplace and walk on a leash. She needs to know it’s different from her home and guarding the home is her job. Walking with me is a treat!
This is so helpful, thank you! We’re getting our first pyr tomorrow and I’m trying to learn all I can about boundary training. We are in a VERY similar situation to you- about 36 acres of fence pasture & 7 acres of unfenced area around the house. I would have taken her for walks from the house had I not read this. Now I’ll drive her off and then walk!
Thank you for posting. I read the article and was completely disheartened. We live on 20
Acres in the country. Closest neighbor about 1/4 mile. We have horses and the pastures are fenced. We are very active. I’m intrigued by the breed and training them to a territory. This article shattered that belief. I’m not a believer in tethering dogs and putting up fences defeats the goal of having a guardian dog But seems some people are successful and the approach of never walking them outside their perimeter makes total sense.
We have 100 acres and that wasn’t enough. Our buddy walked up on to our porch one day and came inside when I opened the door to see what the noise was. He was about 4 years old. We eventually found his original owner. A sheep guy. He didn’t really want the dog back after he found out he had been hanging around inside for a few weeks. For 4 months he hung around without any major issues. I built him a dog house because he just refused to be in the house at night. All day long – no problem. Come nightfall and he would just fuss and fuss until I let him out. It was easy to tell he didn’t leave the yard. If you don’t know what I mean read the section on barking. He did go walk-about pretty frequently but always came back after a few hours or after he got bored rolling in the mud by the creek. Then last week POOF. Gone. We got word he was spotted about 7 miles away by a guy who looked up the rabies collar number and called animal control for a contact. He didn’t stay there either. Dunno if we will ever see the big mud runner again which is a dang shame because he was just a fantastic dog. Just when you think the wandering isn’t an issue they get the itch to take a cruise and off they go. Man. If I ever get that big boy back he is going to find out what being tied up is about. Oh shoot I don’t know if I can do that to him. He won’t like it. I REALLY hate doing that butI’ll give him a few hundred feet of cable with a pulley on his lead but I just don’t think that is going to go over too well. . We live on 100 acres because I like to wander around and he likes to go with me and I am NOT into the leash thing. No other way I guess. It pains me to loose him like this. Maybe he’ll find his way back 3 months from now. Who knows. I doubt it. For now he is just gone takin’ a big piece of my heart with him.
Glad to hear this…we just got a GP puppy and we have a Rescue Border Collie mix and she does amazing with the Pet Safe underground fencing around our yard…I am hoping Gabby, the new pup, will too!
I wish I had thought of this earlier. I have been running my Great Pyr Skylar and our part Pyr Bella for four years. We have a 2500 foot Pet Safe that has worked for years, but in the past 6 months Skylar has been getting out on the road to chase down cars, UPS trucks and the like. He usually comes right back and waits outside the boundary for one of us to remove his collar and let him back inside the boundary. Then about 3 weeks ago he and Bella both slipped out at night and went to a neighbor’s farm about 2 miles away. There were 3 dead chickens on the ground and Skylar growled at the owner. The owner said next time they came over he might shoot them. Although it looks suspicious that Skylar was the culprit I have some doubts. He has killed a few chickens , but always ate them. These were killed and left. My point in telling all this is that perhaps taking him running with me opened up his territory. I no longer let him run free on our place ( I still let Bella run because she mostly stays in). I keep him on a chain outside and I run him 2 miles every evening so he gets exercise. It really is not satisfactory, though. He has always taken his guarding very seriously and has for the most part been outstanding at it, keeping away coyotes, bobcats, deer and skunks. I don’t know if it is possible to get him back to that place where he and Bella could run free outside day and night. I do not want him to be shot.
Could you possibly elaborate which specific version of per safe you used that was effective? There are several. Thanks!
This is helpful perspective, thank you. I have 2 Pyrs and I have somehow magically managed to train one of them to stay within about 30 feet of me when we hike with our goat herd. When she gets too far, I blow a whistle and she comes back in. But her brother–ha—forget it. I’ve tried the same training but he just isn’t as interested in staying close to me or “checking in.” I guess I just got lucky with my girl, makes me appreciate her even more. She’s a fierce and attentive guardian, but small and very trainable.
I’m convinced females stay home and closer to the One who is their world! Just my opinion.
I have a 3 yr old female that I rescued at 7 months…presuming she either barked too much or in this case after being the second in line to give her a home…the woman that I got Eva from couldn’t control her protective nature with her other two dogs and it became a fight to the finish…Eva and I found one another…but after obedience training and her doing an A+ job on the leash with the 10 or more other breeds…she was at rest next to me and an uncontrolled youngster came up behind me…Eva went into protective mode and there was an animal I hadn’t yet witnessed before with my own eyes straddling this poor boy with jaws open around his neck…this attack was a warning since she didn’t even puncture the skin but the humans were very much afraid of her and she was then labeled as an attack dog….and at this point I began to truly understand the breed and more than that…Eva…the dog she was and the intense love she had for me…long story short…she has never failed to find a hole in the fence on her 10 acres that she shares with 7 cats…she will scale the fence between my neighbor and I just to swim in his pond and then return to the gate and bark to be let in…she loves car rides and we do that often…she loves to sit next to me in a Gem car tethered to the seat as we travel the 2 miles to the post office to retrieve mail…don’t try to mess with her Gem car either while I’m inside or you will be subject to the deepest bark you’ve ever heard…and as she has gotten older her instincts have kicked in big time…we are moving further south onto my daughter’s farm and Eva is now there with 3 other guardian dogs watching over our house during the day and keeping the farm animals safe at night by patrolling her section of the 130 acres…we were there just the other day and when it came time for me to leave I could see the anxiety in her eyes as she flew through hundreds of chickens to make her way to an open gate to follow our truck…she was grief stricken watching me leave…she is food aggressive and shakes her head no when I call her and she is the most undisciplined animal my husband has ever seen but don’t come between us since I just not real sure after she’s warned you she’ll wag that fluffy tail….I absolutely love love her and she me….a senior woman’s dream come true!!
Our first Pyr, Barklee went to 3 ob classes, we could walk him off lead around the neighborhood with no problems even if we passed other dogs he wanted to go but he didn’t. Great dog. Our second Pyr Lacey, forget it, she would just take off.
My first Pyr I took hiking and tied him to a tree while I had a picnic on a ledge about 20 ft away. I kept my eyes on him but realized he was comfy in a spot further than the length of the leash. He very quietly chewed through the thick nylon and chose a better spot to lay down and wait for me. He was close enough to me to watch and protect. Well, I realized when we had to get back to my car with a broken leash that he would be fine off leash. To this day he walks off leash just great. Now I have 2 pyrs (8yrs and 3 yrs old) who will walk with me off leash: on trails or the beach. Both were rescues (rescued at 10 months and the youngest was rescued at 8 wks). I know it’s odd and rare and God blessed me because the 3 yr old doesn’t bark…I mean never! His is a unicorn of the Pyr world.
I’ve had 3 Pyrs-all female. The first one my husband used to take jogging. That was before we knew that doing so just expanded her territory. She was a wanderer! And a barker! But so sweet that when she got old, we got a second Pyr. By this time we had learned about those Pyr idiosyncrasies. No more jogging. In fact, we showed her our farm boundaries and never walked her off property- only drove her off when we had to go to the vet or groomer. Unfortunately, she developed osteosarcoma and we had to put her down. That was the saddest day of my life! She was totally my dog and I was her world! But because I loved her so much, I couldn’t imagine life without one of these gentle giants. We now have Gracie. She’s 3 and have never left our property. My husband installed a shock fence around the perimeter because we had no other dogs here to show her the boundaries. She does bark but we bring her in at night. I would love to have another Pyr but am hesitant because she seems so attached to me and I’m afraid she might be jealous. I know other people who have had two or more dogs and they don’t always do very well. Even fighting. I’m reading that several people have two dogs. Do they ever fight? I would take a rescue dog but I don’t want it to have a bad experience once it’s rescued.
I have had great experiences with introducing puppies.
We have a 4 yr old male pry. And we have found our invisible fence works well for our Great Dane and St. Bernard but nut Grendel. He wandered off in fall of 2014 worst 4 days of our lives. We found him in a farm a few miles away protecting two baby calfs in a field. He was full of ticks and burdock, had him shaved down bathed and de ticked. Thank god and the help of lost dogs of the finger lakes. We would get posting and pictures of people who saw him. Love my Grendel very much. What I did was purchase 2 30ft cables and put one attached to front porch and one attached to side porch. Great article thanks
3 pyrs and 2 were roamers. A five foot fence with a cap that makes it difficult to get over and expanding the fenced area to 5 acres giving them room to Ritamac with boundaries gas worked
We have 2 Pyrs on 30 acres with pipe fence lined with no climb wire. They have begun digging under the fence and leaving our property. They are contained now only by being tied all day. A sad life, but we can not chance the liability of them possibly harming something or someone, or being accused of such. I have no other solutions other than trying to re-home them on a farm where they can guard a herd.
I was told walking my dog around the perimeter of my land would show Chumley his boundaries. Wouldn’t walking them around the neighborhood cause them to think, this is their boundary. I trained Chumley to guard me and the house and barns. He is not on leash or in a fence. He does not roam.
How long did it take to train him to the boundary? Did you have livestock?
We have 3 of these amazing animals. My male when he “escapes” the fence will run around the house to the front porch and wait for me….. I love that about him…. My two females? Oh lordy lord!!!! When they “escape” the fence line? They are just gone!!!! We live in the country and their are so many smells and adventures awaiting these two….. the oldest when she finally deigns to hear us; will come back…. the youngest? Nope, we have to wait for her….. and wait… she does come back, but makes us nervous…. We have gone through 3 times of fencing for these guys…. right now we have a six foot privacy fence; and that is still a joke to them…… lol…. so we are planning our 4th…. I’m thinking….. BRICK lol
My pyr cross only does well off-leash if we are hiking, far from roads, with a defined path that myself and my husband are walking along. If we keep moving, she’I’ll keep circling back to check on where we are – but treats when she does, recall work, and playing the ‘hide and seek’ game help. (Hiding behind rocks, trees etc to make her come find us)
In parks and areas where we aren’t moving, she’ll leap any fence. 6ft, 7ft.. doesn’t matter . She needs to be kept interested and focused, or it’s wander time!
My 2 Pyrs & Lab live on 40 acres with tensile wire fence (3 strands). They’re either out protecting the horses ( at night ) or enjoying the air conditioning & sleeping during the day. The older one (10) has never left the farm. The 2 yr old spent 24 hrs. checking the boundaries & shied up in front yard next morning .
I’m grateful for enough space & neighbors that don’t want coyotes eating their small dogs.
Hi I have a pyredoodle wanted to keep him in the house he barks all time of the night, should I just let him stay out doors? Because it’s driving my husband & myself crazy having to get up at odd hours just to let him out. Thanks for any advise.
Thanks Deidra
Well they are nocturnal! I’m not sure what can be done since he’s probably already developed the pattern. Rather than put him outside to “bother the neighbors”, could you put a bed for him in the garage? I bring my Pyr in at night. She has a bed in the garage. Interesting idiosyncrasy – if the lights are off in the garage, she barks. If I leave a small light on, she sleeps! I used to say she was afraid of the dark! I think when the lights are off, she’s on high alert, listening to sounds. If there’s a light on, she just more settled. This was true with my other Pyr girl as well. Anyway, it works for me.
My Pyr is old and suddenly she barks to go outside usually at $;30 a.m. She has never done this before. now it’d just awful she gets agitated, and wants to be outside all night. I am afraid someone will take her or let her out. I may try the garage thing. Please let me know if you did it, and how it goes, thanks. I will do the same. pegg.oconnell.poc.po@gmail.com
We have new neighbors that have “Cooper the Great” I call him. He is really nice and friendly, but he has taken to roaming off his 2 acre fence in yard. I do not really have a problem with that except for safety. I L O V E dogs. I have 2 Springers and like to walk the neighborhood. My concern is if I am out walking and my male meets Cooper. Do I need to be concerned? I am sure there will be a “barking fest”, but hopefully nothing more. Some of the neighbors are getting upset and afraid.
Your thoughts?
Jan
I just purchased a 6month old pup. He is huge at this point, the pup was very scared when we first meet. Within 3 days he distroied my get to know you shed, this is a shed I have invested thousands in, so I had to make different arrangements. I have him to tend to my sheep, I raise Big Horn Rams. I had to leave for about 3 hours, so I put him into one of my sheep pens, for very wild sheep, the fence is 6′, good thing my son was around. The dog imprinted on me so much, the 6′ fence ment nothing. He got out 3 times, my son found him laying on my coat. I hated to do this but, we placed him in our house, with us, it is very cold out, the house is warm, with him in and out I worry about sickness. He is a stinker, we have to keep our eyes on him, 6 months old you know. First he was scared of the sheep, within 1.5 weeks he was fine. He has a 8 acre sheep pen to Rome, so far so good. He can be outside without supervision, being fenced in. The fence would not be an obstacle if so motivated. He has made a impact with the yoties thus far. I haven’t seen any yoties in the pen, sense he has been here. We will be lambing in a few months, so I hope not to loose lambs with him. Perhaps I will need two dogs. One thing I have noticed, he has become my closest buddy. I can’t wait to see his size, at full growth. At full operation I will have over 150 sheep perhaps more, but then we will open a additional 30 acres of pen. Property will not be an issue, I can open upto 150 acres. I’m not sure how many dogs I will need. Most of the fence will only be 4′. Our sheep are a wild breed, and can easily clear a 6′ fence, without a problem, but they have everything they want and need so they stay contained easily.
What state do you live in Michael Block?
Hello…we just adopted a 9mon pur. He is excellent with our whole family including our wild 5mon dane/Lab mix. We are in process of least training, he just sits or I have to do a push/pull…finally just end up either picking him up or dragging him…☹. He is slowly finding all the weak spots in our fence. Everyday I’m trying to fix weak and open areas that he has just BUSTED through. It’s a 6ft wooden privacy fence. We need some advice on how to control this or how to divert his energy elsewhere. The other puppy does great tiring him out only in mornings. Our kids play with him but doesn’t seem interested most of the time. Maybe some advice on how to be more effective on leash training. Please and thanks.
Penny is a rescue, 14 week old pyr and aussie mix. She is getting really big. But she is an escape artist. We have a large fenced in yard, fenced with 4 foot high deck-type rails. She had not attempted to dig out or jump or climb over, she sticks her head between the rails and then twists until she has slipped one side of her shoulder through then twists until her body is out. I can’t even take the trash out She must stay right at my feet. My major problem with her is that she herds me. She nips at my ankles and my feet, She removes my shoes and drags off my sox. Everything I try does not succeed. How do I stop this?
I rescued Mia, a Great-Pyr., and she was incorrigible! I’ve had dogs my entire life, mostly Labs, and consider myself a pretty good dog trainer. I have met my match! I read every blog about these dogs, and considered giving her away to a ranch where she could roam all over the place. I have 10 unfenced acres surrounded by another 1100, and she trained my pit bull to roam all over the place. They always came back, although sometimes pretty beat up from fighting off skunks, raccoons, and coyotes! I realized I was being an irresponsible pet owner and decided to get serious about training a 7 year old dog set in her ways.
Stern voice commands, making her sit down in the middle of our trail walks (on a leash, she was a puller) which turned into a test of wills that one day lasted over an hour. I would not let her move. Treats. A lot of petting. I think she became annoyed with the sound of my voice, and incessant commands. This went on every day for a month. It worked! She now walks with me without a leash, heels, stops, and looks up at me waiting for my commands. She will still on occasion roam if I let her out by herself too long, which I’m careful not to do, but she’ll try to outsmart me if I take too long drinking my coffee in the morning! Enjoyed your article!
Frank
Im a little late to this party BUT…i have a great pyr. Hes almost 2 and the sweetest boy ever. However he refuses to stay home OR on a leash. I canot afford the fencing right now cause our property is pretty big. Ive had to go pick him up several times this week. Its like he goes in cycles. He will stay right here for months, then all of a sudden hes gone every day. I CANNOT get him to stay on a leash. As soon as im out of site hes slipped out of his collar. I even got him one of those guaranteed to not slip ones to no avail. I tried a harness and he ate it. Any suggestions?
I just want to know if you found a solution?
I’ve recently rescued a 9 month old Pyr. She already has my heart. I keep her on a cable tie outside the back door. She used to be positioned out by the chicken coop but this sweet girl has to be near us so she chewed through her harness. Needless to say, we moved her doghouse and keep her tethered nearby. She barks at night so I bring her in. My husband takes her running and I take her for drives whenever I run errands. She has the best leash and car manners. She intuitively wants to please but can be stubborn as hell when she chooses. I tried taking her hiking sans leash and she did great until she spied a dog down the hill. Now I take her hiking on a long leash. It is what it is. A little extra work but she’s so worth it!
I have a three year old Pyr. Jersey Girl, Who has barked recently for the first time, and only because my Bernese Mtn. Dog was on “duty”. She doesn’t, wander off and she is so calm and docile that I can’t believe what I read sometimes.
She is the sweetest dog, and I’m thinking it’s because she was raised with my BMD Bella, who is calm and quiet. I know though, even if she was vocal like most of the the Pyrenees I would love her just the same, Aren’t they just the best ?!?
We have lots of big, fluffy, stubborn dogs. 1 is a Caucasian Shepherd, One a Great Pyrenees/German Shepherd, 3 are a mixture of the two from an “uh oh” litter we had last year, one is a Husky and the a great pyrenees/lab mix. Can you tell we like our guardian breeds? We had a 4ft fence for the past year that came with the house we bought. Before that, the dogs stayed outside in 6x6x10 or 6x6x20 kennels and they’ve torn holes in the chain link in almost all of the panels. We just finished having a 6 foot wooden privacy fence installed (ours are dog aggressive with strange dogs in their territory and one will act like hes going to bite strangers who come into the yard without our permission) to not only contain them, but keep the neighbors dog from coming and trying to get into the yard. I let them out for the first time in a few weeks to run in the yard and the first thing they all did was walk the fence line and check for weaknesses! Our lab mix is the big digger and we used chicken wire or galvanized metal fencing to keep her from digging out at the old house, so we are about to bury that underneath the fence to keep them in. Hopefully it works like it did for my lab’s kennel at the old house, especially since they’re about to have a new little sister in a few months.
We have a 4month female Great Pyrenees and 2 older dogs. We live on a 40acre property with the house almost in the middle. I’ve been trying to leash train Chloe the Pyrenees. Needless to say it’s been a constant battle of wills with her. I feel like I’ve accomplished quite a bit when I’m working her with the leash. She stops when I tell her and then sits and stays till I call her , but so often after I take the leash off her our other dog Jake who we’ve had for about 3years and has not been trained to stay around the house, he will run off and she follows him. I find it so frustrating and would appreciate any helpful advice.I just want to keep her safe and healthy
We have a 4month old female pyr named Chloe. I’ve been working with her outside with a leash. We live on 40acres with the house almost in the middle. We also have 2 older dogs. When I walk Chloe with the leash around the border of the big yard she does great. She stops, sits, stays,and comes when I tell her. However more times than not when I let her off the leash and our 4yr. Old dog Jake who is not trained against roaming, runs further than I’m trying to train Chloe, she runs right behind him. I find it so frustrating. I would much appreciate any advice. I only want to keep her safe and happy.
Hi, I had a wonderful 3 yr male, named Bandit. He was fullblood Great Pyrenees and raised in the goat pen as a pup and give goat milk mixed with his feed until 6 mos old. I trained him to stay with the goats and was lovely with the new goat kids. He would snuggle in between the larger goats when it was cold out. He always wanted his morning hug, then he was off to watch his herd. He could be found sleeping on hay bales in a good place to oversee the herd. I started this spring to put him on a 12 ft chain so I could “loan him out” to breed some friends dogs. We loaded him up and he had a panic attack leaving his herd but we got him to their house. He was gone 3 weeks, back for 2 weeks then gone for 2 more weeks to impregnated them. He returned 8/1/19 he seemed to be more of a roamer, wanting to find all the females in the area and a lack of attention to the goats. I had to keep him on a tether at night. Someone told me that if you neuter them they calm down, so I set up an appointment to get him neutered end of the month in August. I started leaving him off the tether and 2 days ago I went out to find him hanging off one of the cattle panels he tried to jump and his choke chain got caught on a piece of the cable and hung him.. He was dead.. I regret starting the tying up thing….. Now I have first pick of his litters but am afraid to mess up with another LGD, my training must be deficient to have this happen
What happens if you exhaust a young pyr? Drive them to go run 5-10 miles. Then drive them back home to their trained territory. Does this curb their wandering? Building off the method the lady described of never walking them across their boundary.
I think I got lucky with my pup! He’s a border collie/Great Pyrenees cross. He definitely barks at everything, has the coat of a Pyrenees and protects our property (not aggressive, just barks lol) I’m not entirely sure if it’s the border collie part of him or his attachment to me, but he lives a pretty much off-leash life. We live on an acreage and not once has he run away. We’ve gone camping, into stores and on walks in the city. He’s glued to me and wouldn’t ever leave my side. He’s 3 now. I see so many missing Great Pyrenees posts on Facebook and it makes me sad but I count my blessings that my Ruger stays home.
I have a male (almost) 3 yr old pyr and yellow lab. Keep him on a 100′ run with 30′ lead. Dog Park and walks in the mountains everyday. He needs to be exercised. I run him up dirt roads in the car. At the end of the road or when he approaches the car, I let him back in. He has interacted with coyotes & bears, without injury to either. He wanders off, but comes running back if he loses sight of me for more then a few minutes. My toughest time is getting him in the car if he doesn’t want to leave. Likes the water, but doesn’t swim. Spoiled.
Got him from farmer/breeder in the Finger Lakes (near Naples) NY
I have a pyr mix and I can’t keep her confined. She will go under my house and tear apart whatever I’ve put up as a barrier in a matter of minutes. That pretty much goes for in the house as well – I put her in the laundry room for less than 10 minutes while I mopped the kitchen. ALL the dogs were out there so she wasn’t alone. She ate through the wall into the back yard in less than 10 minutes. All the other dogs were still inside and she pops her head back through the hole to say Hi when I came out to get them. She ignores house gates, even at the top of stairs, she won’t kennel, and because she can free roam to hear heart’s content she refuses to housebreak. I’m about at the end of my rope. She was a rescue I pulled out of the pound, she came with 2 puppies. They went on to furever homes and Hope was supposed to stay with us. I have no idea what to do next. I’ve had collies – herding dogs – but I’ve never had one that acts like this.
Knowing my Pyrs gave certain instincts because they are guardians—such as the need to know what is happening, to be able to check things out—I try to provide Constructive ways for them to express those needs. Now I live in a townhome in Nebraska. I previously lived in a house with a backyard in Alaska.
In the house I put in a dog door. Their kennel was the entire back yard and the house. They could check out the back, front, and sides by using the dog door and the front by racing to a big open picture window. They knew what activities were normal in the neighborhood and barked when they couldn’t get to something different to check it out. They were not then and not now kenneled. The house and yard and now the townhouse is their territory. My boy got me up one night barking, staring out the picture window at fire Down the street. As it turned out it was neighbors burning trash in a barrel. In the house, they knew the different sounds of children playing and when one child shrieked in pain, they shot out the dog door barking and barking to alert someone because, of course, they could not get to the child.
Currently in our townhouse we do not have a fenced yard but all the windows that have shades I make sure the shades are always at a height that allows them to see out. Other windows do not have shades. But they can keep an eye around the property and neighborhood through all the windows. We go to A dog park daily for their exercise and freedom from confinement by leash. This gives them a daily chance to explore and roam at will (the dog park is fenced and big).
As far as barking, once they know I’m “on it,” whatever they’re concerned about, they’re fine and stop.
In my practice, “partnering” with Great Pyrenees works really well vs issuing commands.
Our grown Great Pyr runs full force at our 4 ft cedar fence and jumps against it to “stand up” at the fence to see over it and what’s going on. He doesn’t try to jump over it, but he has broken several pockets and one of the posts is leaning from the force of his weight. The fence is 25 years old and we are tired of replacing the rotted parts our dog has broken, so we are going to replace it. Chain link is not an option, but putting up a cedar one again is, as well as a black aluminum fence. I am leaning towards the black one because it’s maintenance free and the cedar one isn’t, but I am afraid the weight of our dog will bend it. I have had people tell me it won’t, but they don’t own a Great Pyr. Do you have suggestions for stopping our dog from jumping up on the fence with his full weight (he is probably 120 pounds or so) or which type if fence would be better (cedar or reinforced aluminum)? Thank you so much. By the way, I love your website.
17 Pyrs on our property. 3 inside and the rest with sheep in different areas. Had to switch from barb wire with electric as 3 of them were insistent on exploring the woods. We now have 17 of the acres with a woven wire fence and top barb. 2 still went past by going over. A final electric a foot from the top and a foot inside keeps them in…whew.