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great pyrenees

Feeding Your Great Pyrenees with The Farmer’s Dog

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Feed fresh and keep your dog happy with The Farmer's Dog. It's a favorite for the Great Pyrenees at It's Dog or Nothing!

Feeding dogs can be tough. Feeding Great Pyrenees can be even more tough.

Pyrs can be crazy particular eaters. They’ll like a food for a day, they turn their noses at it the next. It doesn’t matter what it is—dry, canned, or fresh—they get bored very easily.

Feeding three giant breed dogs gets really expensive, really fast. I only want the best for my three, but I also have to be able to pay the mortgage—so they can have their yard (because of course that was the main deciding factor when purchasing our home).

Oh, and not to mention the bully stick budget. That’s a hefty one for sure. So, we have to be realistic and balance.

 

Related: How to Help Your Dog Gain Weight

 

Finding quality dog food, while still sticking to a budget, is definitely a difficult task. I absolutely love the idea of fresh dog food delivered to my door, but they all typically have one plan.

You have to sign up so you’re feeding your dogs 100% that brand of food, 100% of the time. They make is extremely difficult to customize a feeding plan, which most of us find essential.

That’s why I’m thrilled to have found The Farmer’s Dog.

The Farmer’s Dog

First, signing up for The Farmer’s Dog is SO FUN.

You start by talking about your dog’s weight and personality.

Atka, a Great Pyrenees, filling out his profile for The Farmer's Dog.

You also add info about each dog’s body type, activity level, eating style, and allergies/concerns. Kiska is allergic to almost everything, so I loved being able to add that to her profile.

After adding all your pup’s info, you’re given your recipe options:

Okay okay, but let’s get to the best part.

Like I said before, my least favorite thing about signing up for meal plans like this is the inability to tailor it to our needs. I’m going to be honest—while the floofs eat better than I do, I still can’t afford exactly what I want to feed them.

We have to compromise.

Mauja, Atka, and Kiska are not on The Farmer’s Dog as their only food source. They all get a small amount of dry and/or canned food added in.

Feed fresh and keep your dog happy with The Farmer's Dog. It's a favorite for the Great Pyrenees at It's Dog or Nothing!

You really can’t beat the convenience of The Farmer’s Dog.

I’ve adjusted their meal plan so they are getting 25–50% of their daily caloric needs through The Farmer’s Dog. Then, I can round out their diet with other food sources.

You can also change the shipping frequency if you’re tight on freezer space—which we always are.

 

Related: What to Feed Your Giant Breed Puppy

 

All three floofs love The Farmer’s Dog and are giving you the floof guarantee. Try it out—your dog will thank you for it.

Want your pup to try The Farmer’s Dog? Click the orange banner below to get 50% off your first order!

Don’t worry—you can always cancel your subscription if you or your dog aren’t happy (I seriously doubt that will be the case!).

Feed fresh and keep your dog happy with The Farmer's Dog. It's a favorite for the Great Pyrenees at It's Dog or Nothing!

Rufus & Coco Keep My Great Pyrenees Clean

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Pacific Northwest winters are rough, y'all. Keeping my Great Pyrenees clean and white is a daily struggle. I hate bathing them frequently because it isn't good for their fur, but they need sprucing! That's why I'm loving Rufus & Coco's Water Free Wash. #whatadogwants #petsmartgrooming #newtopetsmart #rufusandcoco #naturallyaustralian #feellikeashowdog

I love Seattle, but let’s be honest: Seattle winters are rough, y’all.

The grass in our yard is sparse–and the mud–oh my gosh the mud.

Some days, I look at the floofs’ coats, and I’m not sure if I actually have Great Pyrenees or some oddly-behaving Newfoundlands.

Great Pyrenees have self-cleaning coats, but they’re not a magic. Okay, maybe they’re a little magical. Typically, the mud dries and flakes off, but when you’re battling Pacific Northwest winter weather, the coat loses the fight.

 

Related: 5 Must-Have Tools for Grooming Great Pyrenees

 

The floofs end up a gray/brownish color, and you can easily see the specs of dirt trapped deep in their coats. I reeeeeally want to give them baths at this point, but it’s a fine line between keeping them clean and stripping the oils from their coats. Great Pyrenees should only be bathed a few times a year to prevent damage.

You know what’s even worse for their coats than frequent bathing?

Washing your dog with human shampoo.

 

Human shampoo for dogs

Your dog comes into your house absolutely covered in mud. He needs a bath.

You search and search, but you don’t have any dog shampoo on hand. So, you grab your shampoo bottle and figure it’s better than nothing.

Pacific Northwest winters are rough, y'all. Keeping my Great Pyrenees clean and white is a daily struggle. I hate bathing them frequently because it isn't good for their fur, but they need sprucing! That's why I'm loving Rufus & Coco's Water Free Wash. #whatadogwants #petsmartgrooming #newtopetsmart #rufusandcoco #naturallyaustralian #feellikeashowdog

Right? Wrong. Your dog’s skin has a different pH level than human skin–human shampoo is almost 200 times too acidic for your dog. Their skin is only about three to five cells thick, while ours is 10-15 cells thick.

Kind of a big difference.

 

Rufus & Coco

Rufus & Coco—Australia’s most awarded pet brand–offers exclusively all-natural products, designed to gently, but thoroughly, clean your dog’s fur.

Skeptical about all-natural claims?

Australia has some of the most rigorous product standards in the world, setting the bar high.

 

Water Free Wash

Pacific North2est winters are rough, y'all. Keeping my Great Pyrenees clean and white is a daily struggle. I hate bathing them frequently because it isn't good for their fur, but they need sprucing! That's why I'm loving Rufus & Coco's Water Free Wash. #whatadogwants #petsmartgrooming #newtopetsmart #rufusandcoco #naturallyaustralian #feellikeashowdog

When the floofs are in between baths, I’m not sure what to do. Do I wash them and potentially strip their natural oils? Or do I just let my house become even more disgusting?

There has to be a middle ground.

That’s when I learned about dry shampoo for dogs.

I tried the whole DIY cornstarch and baking powder dry shampoo trick, but I just wasn’t satisfied with results. Plus, the dogs ended up with a weird, lingering scent. I searched for other options and learned about Rufus & Coco.

 

Related: Grooming a Double Coated Dog

 

It’s safe to say that Rufus & Coco Water Free Wash has become my new secret weapon for keeping my Great Pyrenees clean in the winter (psst… if your dog hates water, give dry shampoo a try).

Pacific Northwest winters are rough, y'all. Keeping my Great Pyrenees clean and white is a daily struggle. I hate bathing them frequently because it isn't good for their fur, but they need sprucing! That's why I'm loving Rufus & Coco's Water Free Wash. #whatadogwants #petsmartgrooming #newtopetsmart #rufusandcoco #naturallyaustralian #feellikeashowdog

Water Free Wash cleans by absorbing oils and dirt in your dog’s coat, while also neutralizing odor.

Not to mention, it adds that extra poof to their floof.

Also, I have to make a quick shout out to the 3in1 Pamper Spray. It’s a great way to freshen your floof between baths. My three don’t even mind it!

  

When it’s time to use water

Pacific Northwest winters are rough, y'all. Keeping my Great Pyrenees clean and white is a daily struggle. I hate bathing them frequently because it isn't good for their fur, but they need sprucing! That's why I'm loving Rufus & Coco's Water Free Wash. #whatadogwants #petsmartgrooming #newtopetsmart #rufusandcoco #naturallyaustralian #feellikeashowdog

I am super particular about the shampoo I use on Mauja, Atka, and Kiska. They all have extremely sensitive skin (and react to a lot of things), so I’m always trying to avoid a week of dosing them with Benadryl.

Rufus & Coco shampoos are hypoallergenic, non-toxic, and concentrated–so a little goes a long way.

They have several shampoos (including a special puppy shampoo!), but my absolute favorite is the 2in1 Bright White Wash. It definitely helps keep my trio white even in the rainy season.

 

Rufus & Coco products are now available at PetSmart! Take a look.

 

Pacific Northwest winters are rough, y'all. Keeping my Great Pyrenees clean and white is a daily struggle. I hate bathing them frequently because it isn't good for their fur, but they need sprucing! That's why I'm loving Rufus & Coco's Water Free Wash. #whatadogwants #petsmartgrooming #newtopetsmart #rufusandcoco #naturallyaustralian #feellikeashowdog

Want a Great Pyrenees puppy? Here’s what you need to know.

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Do you want a Great Pyrenees puppy? Adding a Great Pyrenees puppy to your home is much different than any other breed, so here's what you need to know.

Do you want a Great Pyrenees puppy? Adding a Great Pyrenees puppy to your home is much different than adding any other breed of puppy. It can be difficult, but if you’re prepared, you will be setting yourself up for an amazing life with your pyr.

We polled thousands of Great Pyrenees lovers for their best tips about adding a Great Pyrenees puppy to your home.

 

Food and Treats

“Find out what their high-value treats are for when you really need them to cooperate, but recognize that not all pyrs are food motivated.” – Emily R.

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11 Great Pyrenees Trying to Keep Cool

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Summer can be rough, you guys. Even though we're in the PNW, we've had quite the heat this year. Here's how we keep cool, and 11 other Great Pyrenees trying to keep cool.

It has been in the 90s a lot this summer, which isn’t normal for the Pacific Northwest, and the floofs have been hating every second of it. Frozen Kongs, baby pools, and cooling mats are my go-to methods for helping my three keep cool.

Here are 11 fantastic Great Pyrenees trying to keep cool and beat the summer heat.

 

kristyandpatronus

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6 Reasons I Support Great Pyrenees Rescue

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Great Pyrenees rescue is something I've always been passionate about. Here are six reasons I support rescue and the stories behind them.

Recently, I shared my thoughts on finding a reputable dog breeder and why I believe they’re important.

Today, I’m going to share why reputable rescues are extremely important as well. I’ve come across sketchy rescues over the years. Rescues that pocket the money they get for the dogs rather than using it for their care. Rescues that don’t have the dog’s best interest in mind.

Some people encounter a rescue like this, have a bad experience, and then swear off rescues. Here are six reasons I support dog rescue, and why I think you should too.

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Breeding Great Pyrenees: Does Job Matter?

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Pet, show dog, or livestock guardian - does breeding matter? Here are tips for choosing a breeder and considerations for breeding Great Pyrenees.

Adopt don’t shop.

I’m sure everyone has heard this phrase encouraging people to rescue rather than purchase dogs from breeders or pet stores. I’m going to say something controversial–I don’t agree with it.

Do I think there is a rescue dog out there for the majority of people? Yes.

Do I think there are far too many people breeding? Yes.

Do I push adoption over the purchasing of dogs? Yes.

If I’m saying yes to all of these questions, then why can’t I get behind “adopt don’t shop”? To me, the answer is simple: Without people responsibly breeding Great Pyrenees, the breed I love and am extremely passionate about would cease to exist.

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5 Must-Have Tools for Grooming Great Pyrenees

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Grooming Great Pyrenees can be a challenge, but it doesn't need to be! Here are my top five must-have tools for grooming Great Pyrenees.

Grooming Great Pyrenees can be a lot of work. Their coats are thick and even though they only blow their coats twice a year, they shed all. year. long.

If you’re using the wrong tools, grooming Great Pyrenees will be that much more difficult. Over the years I’ve given a lot of products a try, and here are my top five grooming tools:

Oster Grooming Rake

Grooming Great Pyrenees can be a challenge, but it doesn't need to be! Here are my top five must-have tools for grooming Great Pyrenees.

The Oster Grooming Rake is hands down my absolute favorite tool for grooming Great Pyrenees. I’ve tried so many rakes, and this one gets deep into the undercoat without cutting the fur. My only complaint about the Oster Grooming Rake is that the handle isn’t very comfortable. However, I just wrapped some electrical tape around the handle and it made all the difference!

I get asked a lot about using a Furminator on a Great Pyrenees or breed with a similar coat. My advice is always no. Every time I have used it on a pyr, it has cut and damaged their fur.

[Read more…] about 5 Must-Have Tools for Grooming Great Pyrenees

Great Pyrenees Tips (from people who know the breed)

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There can be a lot of misinformation about the Great Pyrenees breed out there. We polled thousands of Great Pyrenees lovers to get their top Great Pyrenees tips.

Great Pyrenees. I could talk about them all day — ask anyone who knows me 😉 On It’s Dog or Nothing, I’m always trying to educate about the breed to help people decide if it’s the right fit.

Instead of me rambling on again, I asked thousands of pyr lovers for their advice to new or prospective pyrents. So many people submitted wonderful responses that I couldn’t include them all in this post. However, the links to all the Great Pyrenees tips are at the bottom of this post.

Top Great Pyrenees Tips:

“Get over thinking you can stop the barking. It can be managed, not stopped.” – Karen Pike

“Barking is innate. Just deal.” – Nicole Bethea

“Don’t continuously yell for your Pyrenees to come. They may see or hear something you didn’t; they may be in a trance. Go out and thank them and pet them to get their attention, then walk them inside.” – Cammi Lynn Brown

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What’s Next for Kiska?

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A foster failure turned service dog. Here's what Kiska the Great Pyrenees will be learning over the next year or two.

I’ve gone back and forth for quite some time debating if I was going to make this public, but I’ve come to know many of you so well that I want you to be involved in our lives. Some of you may have guessed what I’m going to say.

As many of you know, Kiska came to us as a foster. I had told myself over and over that I would not have two female pyrs at the same time. However, I was okay with a short term female foster, especially if it was a puppy.

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