Does your Great Pyrenees bark? If so, you are not alone. There are several reasons that the Great Pyrenees is surrendered to rescue, but the most common reasons include size, their tendency to roam, and to top off the list – Great Pyrenees bark. A lot.
Whenever I talk with potential adopters about pyrs we always discuss what they should expect in regard to barking. They usually respond with, “Oh, my (insert breed here) barks all the time. I’m used to it.” I let out a chuckle and think, “we’ll see how you feel later”. I often joke that anyone interested in a Great Pyrenees should take Mauja for 24 hours and then decide how they feel about their current dog’s barking.
Great Pyrenees don’t typically bark much as a puppy, so a puppy’s bark is not indicative of how the dog will act once mature. Usually around 6-8 months, your Great Pyrenees will ‘find his voice’ as he matures into the guard dog he was meant to be. Mauja’s always been a barky butt (as we lovingly call her), but Atka didn’t make a peep until almost 9 months old.
Mauja and Atka bark at people, dogs, plastic bags, screeching cars, birds, someone shoveling, kids playing, yelling on TV, weird noises, objects that aren’t where they are ‘supposed to be’, and us when they’re feeling particularly sassy. Great Pyrenees bark at anything they feel could possibly be a threat. Furthermore, they don’t stop barking shortly after the sound occurs or when the person is beyond the yard. Great Pyrenees bark and bark until they are absolutely, positively sure that their message was heard and understood.
You cannot train a Great Pyrenees not to bark.
Let me say that again.
You cannot train a Great Pyrenees not to bark.
Yes, you can absolutely manage the barking, reduce its frequency and intensity, and remain on the good side of your neighbors, but attempting to eliminate pyr barking is going against their natural instincts. Asking a pyr not to bark is like asking a bird not to fly or a fish not to swim. I’m a firm believer in working with your dog’s natural instincts, not against them.
Great Pyrenees bark during the day and night. There are several tactics to help reduce the amount of barking and find a middle ground between your desires and your pyr’s instincts.
Great Pyrenees Day Barking
The Great Pyrenees is a livestock guardian dog who was born with the natural instinct to guard his flock. The flock need not be livestock; it can very well be your family. Pyrs are not attack dogs and generally will not become aggressive with predators unless the situation becomes dire. They prefer to intimidate their enemy through their giant size and booming bark. Attempting to prevent your pyr from guarding will just lead to a confused, unhappy, and unstable dog.
A lot of the time, Great Pyrenees bark at things you can’t see or hear. Rest assured, they are indeed barking at something. It might be the sketchy-looking leaf that just blew by your backyard or a person coughing 3 miles away, but they are barking at something!
Dealing with Great Pyrenees barking during the day is a bit easier because you will generally have more understanding neighbors when the sun is shining. The technique that has worked time and time again is to thank Mauja and Atka for barking (read more about that technique here). Praising your dog for doing his/her job will go a long way in minimizing the amount of barking. However, sometimes your Great Pyrenees will get so worked up about something you can’t hear or see and nothing you say or do will quiet him down. Mauja and Atka will ignore their highest value treats when they are in serious guard dog mode. Simply bring your pyr inside (you’ll definitely have to go outside and get him!) until he calms down so your neighbors don’t hate you.
Ideas To Reduce Barking
Socialize, socialize, socialize. Allow your pyr to experience the world around him and learn about different sources of stimulation. Socialization will allow him to determine what is ‘normal’ in his world and what are the possible sources of threat. Regardless of whether your pyr is 10 weeks or 7 years, socialization should occur. Dogs are most receptive to socialization as a puppy, but that doesn’t mean it should be neglected at an older age. The Great Pyrenees is naturally aloof so socialization will help prevent your pyr from being suspicious of those around him.
Exercise. Great Pyrenees have relatively low activity needs, but their exercise should not be pushed aside. 30-60 minute brisk walks each day will help your pyr to learn even more about the world and hopefully limit boredom barking. Great Pyrenees were bred to do a job so they need to be given the opportunity to use that energy in a productive way. Without proper exercise, pyrs will bark incessantly and/or become destructive.
Mental stimulation/training. The Great Pyrenees is an incredibly smart, yet independent, breed of dog. It’s important not to confuse independent with dumb. Pyrs were bred to work on their own without human direction so they typically have little interest in obedience training. However, it’s important to exhaust their minds to help lessen their barking. It will take time, but find what works for your pyr and keep sessions short as they bore easily. Atka has his Advanced Canine Good Citizen certification – it can be done! Kongs and other interactive toys are also great for keeping your pyr’s brain busy.
Thank your Great Pyrenees. This is hands down, the best technique I’ve tried so far. Never yell at your pyr for barking; he is doing his job! I talk more in-depth on this technique to reduce Great Pyrenees barking here. When you thank your pyr, go outside or over to him and acknowledge his work. Let him know that you’re grateful for the alert but you’ll take it from here. Your Great Pyrenees knows he needs to protect you, but he also knows that you will protect him.
Great Pyrenees Night Barking
The Great Pyrenees is nocturnal by nature so typically their barking will increase once the sun goes down. Nighttime is when most predators will be active, so the Great Pyrenees had to adapt to best protect its flock. I have found that the most successful way to keep pyrs quiet at night is to establish a consistent bedtime routine.
Our bedtime routines started with Mauja and Atka on day one to try and get them on the same schedule as us. Every night we would do the same thing: evening potty break, bedtime treat, snuggles and a bedtime song (yes, I’m serious), and then finally crate time (when we were still working on house-breaking). Once they were each housebroken, our last step was to close the bedroom door so they were in there with us overnight.
A proper bedtime routine has been a complete game-changer for so many people who are frustrated by their pyr’s nighttime barking. People even tell me that they thought the bedtime song was ridiculous until they tried it. Some pyr’s latch so tightly to their routines that they’ll cry if you try and finish without their usual song! Mauja and Atka’s nighttime routine no longer includes the song, but we still do the same thing every night to keep things consistent.
I would also recommend purchasing a fan or a white noise machine to filter out the sounds that your Great Pyrenees will inevitably hear. I also advise against keeping your window open if you are still struggling with nighttime barking. They have exceptional hearing so Great Pyrenees bark at things you can’t hear. You want to drown out as many noises as possible.
Unless you live in the country and are using your Great Pyrenees as a livestock guardian, it is not recommended to leave them outside overnight. Mauja and Atka would be so incredibly happy if we let them outside overnight, but we would have the police knocking at our door at 1 am due to noise complaints. Trust me. When it’s dark they do. not. shut. up. I never worry that anything will sneak up on us, though!
Conclusion
Great Pyrenees bark. There are some pyrs that are naturally quiet, but they are the rare exception to the rule. Don’t get a puppy and expect to be able to raise him not to bark; their instinct is incredibly strong. If you are hoping to share your life with a quieter Pyrenees, talk with rescue groups where the dogs are living in foster homes. This will give you a better idea of what to expect in the dog (but remember, you never truly know how a dog will act in a different home).
If you learn to appreciate the breed-specific traits of a Great Pyrenees, you will never be able to imagine your life without one <3
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One of the favorite things Mom ever heard about the Kuvasz and roaming was, if you have an acre of land, after a week with a Kuvasz, you will have two acres! They love to keep expanding their territory, and I’m sure the Pyrs are the same. Katie did some barking, but she mainly barked from dusk to dawn thankfully. Now that she is older, she rarely barks.
I enjoyed my pyr’s barking all night long. He roamed our land & I always felt secure because I could always tell where he was. Of course it was a very sad day when he crossed the rainbow bridge but I’ll always love him even if he is heaven now & waiting for me to come home.
Haha… my GPs are outside barking as I read this article. I love them so much. I totally agree with the night routine. I bring mine in at about 9:30. They shuffle around the house for awhile, bark off and on until about 11 or so when I go to bed. Then they settle down. Sometimes they bark late after that, but it doesn’t bother me. I do believe that their size and bark would be intimidating to a potential intruder.
I tell Alexa to play lullabies. Ike is usually asleep before the second verse of teinkle twinkle little star and if he wakes up barking I can say ” Thankyou, now go sleepy” and he does.
If you can sleep with the tv on with very little volume they get used to noise and it helps a lot. I’m on my 3rd pyr and they sleep with me and never disturb except in emergency. Rest assured they will definitely attack if you are in danger even if you may not realize it. Their instincts are better than ours!
Your article is right ON!! Thanking Hiro for doing his job and letting him know “we got it” was a game changer. He loves his bedtime routine. And I use youtube “ocean wave” videos as white noise.
We have had Pyrs for 25 years and when we got our first one the California Pyr group told us that all Pyrs dig, drool, bark, and shed. Each of ours has done some combination of these but all have been incessant barkers. I also thank them and bring them inside. On the up side we have not had a coyote anywhere we have lived. 🙂
Exactly!
I was pleased that I instinctively had used many of your suggestions. We have bedtime treats and closed door at night with a fan going and it is usually enough to keep the barking at bay at night. My mom trained our pyr to go outside to bark. Of course his interpretation of go outside was to stick his head out of the pet door to bark. Needless to say this gets lots of laughs and comments when we have company.
MY Pyrs Storm and Meeka bark all the time,I Tell them good dogs they stop and lots of tail wagging,best dogs ever.
Ha! We do the same thing with our 6 year old Pyr, Bailey at night. She’s shut in the bedroom with us after her nighttime potty walk. We have a small fan on for white noise even during winter. She sleeps the whole night and I never worry about anyone breaking in as I can’t even sneak out of the room without her knowing! She’s definitely our guardian angel!
I have an eighteenth month old Carpathian Shepherd , Dobby.He was the has the same behaviour patterns and is also a Livestock Guardian Dog.And yes he does all the barking I have found that praising him is the only way to get Dobby to quiet down a little. I found the article very helpful.I certainly feel very safe with Dobby to guard me I also have a seven year old Alaskan Malamute they are great talkers and when they both start to talk it’s so loud. They both sleep in my bedroom at night and although I live in the country I feel totally safe with them to protect me. I think I will try the bedtime song.
I’ve been thanking our GP since day one. However, he only responds to that for a few moments. If something else catches his eye or any of his other heightened senses, it’s all bets off and we start all over. He will not come inside. We have wood floors and he doesn’t like the texture. Nothing will coax him inside and he is way too big to be lured. Plus, he is here as a hired hand. We have chickens and mini goats and horses for him to protect. Even if we could get him in at night, then he wouldn’t be able to do his job. He’s a natural guardian, but barks at EVERYTHING. When I go out to see what he’s barking at and validate him, it seems to encourage the next alarm even more….he won’t stop until I come out to thank him! My neighbors have been very patient, but I am losing mine and need uninterrupted sleep soon. I haven’t been able to find any advice or support on a rural working dog and continuous barking. I’ve tried everything I can get my hands on and only had limited success. Being rural with neighbors only a couple of acres away makes it tricky. My hens and goats need his protection at night mostly, so I don’t want to bring him inside – plus he hates even the concrete garage & driveway texture. How do I keep a happy dog and happy neighbors (& get some sleep myself)?
Exactly my problem–I need Sophie outside because of predators. PLUS with my arthritis & balance problems I cannot go outside in the dark, bumpy land to thank her.
Would a collar that prevents her from lifting her head to bark help?? What would “de-barking surgery do to her psychologically? She is four.
She also keeps racoons from coming in cat door if outside. If inside, she barks a lo also, Particularly whenever another large dog barks in the rural distance.
HELP!!
omg I have not slept in 3 days, my pry didn’t start this non stop barking until he turned 1 year old, now night time he won’t stop barking. im in the rural country side, but my neighbors are mad. stopped talking to me because of my pry barking, I bring him inside and he still will not shut up. our family has to get sleep for work in the morning. I am afraid I have to surrender my pyr. . we need sleep!!! does anyone recommend a shelter to take him too. I was told from my cousin that her pyr is not nocturnal, so I believed mine would not be either, I was wrong. they are not all the same.
A young Pyr has a lot of energy and being so intelligent they also get bored. It sounds like the dog isn’t getting enough physical and/or mental exercise daily. “A tired dog is a good dog”. Take for long walks (a mile or two), practice heeling, sit stays, down stays, etc to work the mind, even a car ride on an errand gives the dog something to do.
Great article and so important to educate people that love the beauty of the Pyr and know little about them. In our case, our Sebastian, 8 years old, will be mostly quiet all evening, until we turn the lights out and his fan on (of course) and all the bedtime routine..as soon as our light goes out, he starts his barking. We say he’s letting everyone know that he is now officially on duty for the night. He’ll quiet down at some point, but we pretty much sleep to it knowing that all is well in his normal bark. I also love that when I’m home alone, I never have to worry. Love our Pyr!
I have two. the female, Freyja is on constant high alert! she patrols a 3AC fenced pasture. She has alerted me to coyotes, fox, turkeys, frogs and rogue leaves and chicken feathers blowing in the breeze. The male, Odin prefers to wait quietly for any predators, with the goats by the barn. Occasionally joining her if she sounds really frantic, but he rarely has that barking frenzy. They are both just over 1 year old and I don’t expect to see any big personality changes. I love them as they are,& think they work well together! I can sleep well at night knowing those chicken feathers will never get close to my goats!!
Sounds like my two doofs loki and sasha they like barking at the cows, crickets any thing that moves I will know about it lol they are good dogs and thank god we are surrounded by farmers but my dad just moved in with us and wont stop complaining about them I have no idea wat to do to get him to understand any of this
This is fascinating. Now, I know never to get a great pyrenees (or probably any other guard dog). I’ll stick with Border Collies 😉
Our Great pyrenees is mixed with border collie she is the sweetest dog I’ve ever had.
Had one no thanks….Pyrenees are far superior. A real dog with thousands of years in its DNA…not a few hundred of her nipping.
Well I’m glad you know your limits of what you can handle, much better than getting a GP and having to surrender it because it’s not the dog for you.
I have always owned PitBulls, I love the breed for their loyalty and unconditional love but after we got my girl Bell I don’t think I could live my life without a Great Pyr, she is an amazing dog with my kids and my other pets.
I’m also never scared that anyone or anything will sneak up on us, she is on guard duty 24/7 even if you don’t notice it.
The only thing worse than Mack’s barking is his snoring. OMG he rattles the windows. I’ll bring him in if he’s particularly barky (he actually is a LGD for my horses and is out 24/7 doing a superb job). He lies down on his bed in the living room and his snoring then keeps the whole house awake and probably some neighbors as well. And I wouldn’t change a single thing about him. Mackie is the best dog EVER.
Mine bark all the time but I wouldn’t have it any other way! They are my girls and I love th like my own kids.
My girls are mother and daughter. My husband died of pancreatic cancer this past January – the girls and I went through a tremendous grief/adjustment period. They dug under the chain-link fence, or right through the gates to get out whenever I was at work, but oddly enough never left the property. They’d sit in the front yard and wait for me; or Benny, I’m really not sure. My spring was spent on fence repairs and trying to get on a common ground with these girls. We are all we have now, and they’re very possessive to say the least! I’ve tried to keep them socialized as much as I can, and they are good with the neighbors, since most of the winter the neighbors continuously put them back up whenever they got out and patched the holes as best they could. I brought them in at night just to be with me – and at first they barked off and on all night. It’s been six months now – every once in a while they’ll bark inside the house and I tried the positive lessons – praising them for looking out for me – most of the time that works pretty well! But for the rare times when something is definitely off in their world – I sing to them. It may sound ridiculous – but I sing lullabies, or calming songs to them every evening – and it really seems to calm them. 🙂
I love my Pyr/ lab rescue pups, Dallas and Denver. They bark but once they are in their crates at night, silence. They only bark when outside very rarely in the house. Dallas will bark inside when he wants to go outside. This is our first time with Pyr/ lab pups and it’s been great. No they don’t roam, we have an electric fence, yes we have holes and they’ve rearranged our garden to their liking. Would love to rescue another but all are requiring a fenced in yard. We had GS dogs for the last 14 years, took a break due to their crossing the bridge and other family issues. I keep a routine at night for them and it works, only time it doesn’t work is when our daughter comes home for a visit. She wants them with her all the time ! I wouldn’t trade these two in for anything, barking, hole digging or whatever, we love them to the moon and back. There our reason to keep going on.
Ohhhh I am thrilled with my Pyrenees, Woody. Woody is a soulful loyal fur-ball. He rarely barks and when he does, it’s because he is letting our Anatolian know he’s available if need be. I’ve owned the ASD for seventeen years, my first Pyrenees’s was adopted in November 2015, and I couldn’t be happier. I could own 10 of Woody, as long as they were just like Woody though. Woody will roam sometimes and also take off after a herd of deer. It’s so funny how s-l-o-w he walks until he spots a deer or some other creature , then he’s like Usain Bolt, the Olympic runner. I consider myself very fortunate after reading lots if the information regarding the Great Pyrenees. One thing that drives me crazy is that Woody loves laying in the mud. OMG, it drys and I vacuum up the dirt. His east is that. When I first got Woody, we were bathing him not knowing better and the following day he would be twice as dirty. Learn through experience I guess. Thank goodness he doesn’t bark a lot, but my Anatolian got that covered, he barks all day except when he’s eating. Live my fur-balls, Woody the Great Pyrenees Mountain dog and Brutus the Anatolian Shepherd Dog, both adopted together from Big Heart K9, in Lancaster Ohio.
I just got a Pyr puppy. A bit spontaneous, but I researched the breed when the opportunity to own her came up. It’s only been three weeks, and she is 11 weeks old now, and I’ve been thinking, where has this breed been my whole life? Now I’m worried because she is just starting to bark. She is an indoor dog, and already has a bedtime routine. Her barking consists of about 3 loud barks every time someone comes in the door, or even if someone comes down the stairs (of of our 4 teenagers, for instance. Really?) I can handle this, but I’m worried it’ll get worse. I’d like for her to be a therapy dog and plan to socialize her a lot. We’ll do whatever it takes to make it work. I can’t imagine my life without her how!
We adopted a female 2 year old that had been through 4 previous homes. She is a great dog and yes she barks a lot, especially at night. We have 6 acres fenced off, so she can run at night and bark all she wants as the closest neighbour is a half kilometer away. Her previous homes were all in suburbs. At night, I can tell by her bark which part of the property she is on and I don’t mind the noise as it is rarely close to the house. Coyotes make a lot of racket too, so her barking is not out of place in the country.
Another problem is fence height. We have vinyl horse fence that is almost 5 foot around half of the property and cedar posts around the rest with 4 foot goat fence attached all the way around. Guess what. A Pyrenees can clear four feet, especially with a deer clearly visible on the other size. We had a two year old male that cleared the fence twice last year. He died of seizure clusters despite being on his meds and going to the emergency vet. Now we have a 6 month old male pup and I am raising the fence to five foot all the way around by adding a layer of fencing at the top. Do not underestimate a Pyrenees ability to jump.
Great dogs, but you need to accommodate their idiosyncrasies.
We had finally gotten to a good point in our routine where our Great Pyr, Dolly, was only barking a few big barks a night, but then my work schedule changed after I got a new job and Dolly is not a fan! I used to get up for work at 4:15am so now she goes bananas at 4:30am on the dot. Every morning, without fail. It’s like she’s trying to wake me up to tell me that I’m late for work! lol! My husband is always able to calm her down with pets and belly rubs (she refuses to sleep on her nice bed and instead sleeps on the floor on his side of the bed so that he can pet her). She’s such a sweetie and I know that this time will pass by and she’ll get accustomed to our new routine, but for now… We’ll have to withstand the 4am barking!
I just discovered your blog and am loving it! Keep sharing your Great Pyr experiences and advice! 🙂
Great post! Have nice day ! 🙂 njram
Thank you for sharing! It’s very helpful for me. I always want to have a Great Pyrenees, gonna prepare before taking one home.
Thanks for sharing the love and advice. I would love to accept her barking but I live in a neighborhood with lots of neighbors. I have had the dog warden to my home on three occasions since I adopted Myka. The next time is a hefty fine and the time after that they state they will remove her. This is for her daytime barking which is mostly when there is another dog being walked and we have a lot of dogs here. I do give Myka melatonin at night and she does sleep through quietly, which she did not at all prior. Just as an aside I was told by the adoption group that she was a Newfie mix, she is certaintly not, definately a GP.
It’s safe to give them melatonin? If so that’s great idea, it is all natural.
After losing several goats to coyotes and trying every recommendation by various agencies, including Fish and Wildlife.
I decided to get a Great Pyrenees, Sadie is now the queen of the farm. She killed her first two coyotes at 14 months old and never got a scratch.
She watches her herd that is ever growing faithfully, she loves the cats and her fur brother and sister that live in the house.
She is one of the most affectionate dogs I have ever owned and now two years old loves to play with me, which for her is a running charge that will knock me down if I am not ready.
She is at over 100lbs and eats very little for her size, each morning at sunrise she is sitting in the field where she can see the kitchen window, she has learned my routine and knows that I will be making coffee.
As soon as she sees me, she will go sit at the gate and wait for me to come let her into the yard so she can check around for strange smells that weren’t there the day before.
She does bark from sunset until sunrise and that lets me know she is on patrol.
We were about at our whits end with our pyre barking almost constantly, we were afraid our new neighbors hated us. The best thing that has helped our great pyre with barking has actually been a shock collar. Now, before judging, let me specify that we do NOT use a BARK collar…we still want to encourage our dog to bark when needed and still fulfill his natural instincts, but the shock collar can be controlled by us when we deem his barking excessive. We don’t use the collar very often, and almost never use the shock setting, but a beeping setting to just give him a startle. Since the first time using it, it has worked wonders! We have only to give him a little beep once and he knows to chill out for a while. It has been the best option for us. Less time being stressed and more time to love and enjoy our dog.
What type of collar do you use ? I live in suburbs and my neighbors are not happy. I need to find a solution fast. I love my baby boy but he will not stop. He’s 11 months old now and very loud.
I have a 4 yr old GP. She’s an awesome dog is great with my toddler like will let her climb all over her (I don’t allow it but I know if I’m out of the room she’ll let her do it or just get up and walk away) she barks tons outside during the day but very rarely at night. And never barks in the house. Once she barked in the house and that’s cuz she could see a dog in our front yard. I told her thank you for letting me know and she laid back down. Just a just dog. The hair I could do without.
LOL Kelsie, you forgot that they also bark at clouds, rainbows, tree farts…:)
i have had BMD (Berners) for 23-24 years. i had never met a dog that never took her eyes off me..total devotion with all three of my girls over the years
Breeze on May 9, 2018, went to sleep and never woke up. She died of a massive stroke. i went to ask her to move off the sofa as i wanted to put my legs up…she didnt move.
i was devastated. Went into a trauma depression i did not get out of and honestly wanted to end my desperate life. best friends were so concerned, Bonnie got on the web, up pops a “Pry” up for adoption that day. it took me 10 minutes to research the breed.
“Chunk” was given up because he DIDNT BARK. how interestiing eh?! he went out for adoption with a family and returned because HE DOESNT BARK LOL LOL
he is 1 1/2 yrs old i am so in love with him .
He saved my life
i adore him and vice versa. he has a wonderful history with complete medical records and life history going back to when he was 6 weeks old. His breeder is in west or southern Texas
he truly does not bark….is so friendly and loving, loves to meet new people. what else can i say to you PYR owners? you are so aware how remarkable this breed is..
i have laughed and laughed over all the ‘MY PYR’ NEVER SHUTS UP. I am so hoping that “Chunk” never finds his bark. even tho he is the rare exeption he is my guy and saved my life. he is perfect!!
I would love to be kept in touch via emails, etc with any thing you would love to tell me
Sherri Raef Carroll
Half Moon Bay (yes on the ocean nice and cool here 62o)
sherricarroll66@gmail.com
Hi Sherri, I always wanted a Great Pyrenees and found Bella at an animal control. She had been there 2 months and returned once because they had older dog and she was too rambunctious. She is 1 1/2 and just a big puppy. We are a retired couple at 66 & 67. The first month was a learning experience and we was tempted to take her back but she has so much character. We have an acre of fenced yard she loves it plus we walk her everyday and dog park once a week. She has a blast. Were trying to socialize her because she wasn’t. I’d love to rescue another so she’ll have a companion. She’s our baby now!!
People should research this breed thoroughly before adding them to their family. The Pyr is a working dog and uses its voice to deter threats – unlike breeds like the Anatolian that is more aggressive. Yes the Pyr will bark at what seems like nothing, but their sense of hearing is phenomenal and they may detect a perceived threat from some distance away. My neighbors are trespassers so if my Pyr annoys them with her barking oh well. They poisoned my other sheepdog, which is why i ended up getting my first pyr. She found her voice at about 7 months and has been a great LGD since then. She rarely barked before that. Shame on people for surrendering these great animals for “barking too much”. I can only repeat , please research the breed before making the family addition. These are some of the most awesome dogs you can have. They are loyal, affectionate, beautiful, dedicated, gentle and intelligent. They are sociable but naturally weary of strangers. I could not have asked for a more perfect dog. Getting ready to add another to our family
Our Great Pyr is 18 months old and lives on 5 acreas. He has 20 sheep, 4 chickens, 2 horses and 2 labs to protect. He has been a great dog, but lately showing signs of aggression which worries me. He started jumping up on 2 legs and pushing on the horses. It happens when the horses come too close to the house, too close to me and when I’m feeding the horses. It almost looks like he is trying to keep them from their feed. I don’t understand why he is doing this. Last night, he attacked my yellow lab. This happened twice before when he was younger. There is nothing going on to provoke this attack. It appears as if he doesn’t recognize him which is ridiculous since they are always together. I wish I knew what was going on in his mind with this aggression towards. I appreciate any advice you may have.
Dear Antoinette, Maybe your male pyr is establishing his dominance over the other animals. And if you don’t stop it, he may try to establish dominance over you. He needs to know that you disapprove of that. Whenever my female spayed pyr misbehaves, I ignore HER but never her misbehavior. I feed and water her but no pats, no loving words, no words at all. I look her right in the eye until she turns away. If any dog does not “turn away”, submit to you, it is time to find them a home with a more assertive person. My dogs have “no doubt” that I love them. Males are harder to handle than females. Has he been neutered? Lessing the testosterone may be a good idea. I have a mutt male of another breed and he is always trying to establish his dominance over my big girl and I let him know right away that I disapprove of that. So far the greatest successful discipline for my dogs is to just “shun them” for a while. My communication with them increases as they improve their behavior. May you succeed in whatever you do.
Are you using Bravecto on him? It has been reported to cause aggression.
We just adopted a 2 year old GP. He is a great pup. Very well mannered and doesn’t “bark” that much so far. But he does start howling randomly sometimes. What do you suppose he is trying to tell me? Most of the time, it seems like he does it when he notices someone or our other dog is not in the room. But last night he started howling and seemed real nervous. Almost like he was scared. Just seemed odd. After I calmed him down he just wanted to lay next to me. Just curious. Thanks in advance!
You are so right about thanking them for “warning” us. We “categorize” the noises to help our dogs out. Our rescue Pyr , Zeus, didn’t bark much when we first brought him home. I think it may be because he was in bad shape physically and had never lived in a house. He was 9 years old, heartworm positive, had lyme disease, and only weighed 82 pounds (now 132 and 11 years old). Then we fostered Olive and let the barking begin! She was 3 years old and had just been freed from a busted puppy mill where she had been a “breeder” and confined to a pen her whole life. We have 5 acres and a smaller area with a secure fence, and she would run and run, barking hysterically the entire time. We concluded that she was so happy to have her own yard, she was running around saying, “it’s all mine, it’s all mine”. Inside, she barked at almost everything on TV so to help her out, we categorized the noises that were okay and didn’t need worried about. Anything on TV is “fake news” so when Olive starts barking at the TV, we tell her thank you but it’s okay, it’s only fake news. Outside, anything going on next door is the “neighbors” – pulling in their driveway or their dogs we just say, thank you, it’s okay, it’s just the neighbors or neighbordogs. Same with motorcycles, birds, and squirrels. And as a last result, if they (because of course Zeus now barks to back up Olive) keep barking, I start howling and they join me and forget all about barking and we just sing instead. 🙂
If you think Pyrs can annoy with their barks, try an Anatolian. My little Kangal runt (85 pounds soaking wet, from 140 and 170lb parents) has a sort of *final warning* “bark” I’ve never heard from a Pyr. It’s more like a roar (BAAAAAAAAAAAAARGHGHGHGHG!!) than a bark — ear-splitting, and scary.
Fortunately we don’t hear the roar every day, but man, does she bark. Scolding does nothing. Praise does nothing. Reassurance does nothing. She just does not care what humans think — if she think’s there’s a threat, she’s gonna blast.
I have to work in the evening because I spend all day managing the dog — bringing her back inside when she’s been going on too long, letting her back out because these just ain’t indoor beasts. She’s what you might call “high-maintenance.” The only thing that reduces barking is having other dogs over to play. She sort of guards and plays with them, instead of obsessing on the property line — barks somewhat less.
So if you find yourself admiring pictures of gorgeous Anatolians, thinking to yourself “I’m sure one would be fine in the suburbs/city, because I have a big backyard, and they’ll get used to the city noise,” think again. Unless you have a *very* flexible schedule, and my description sounds fine to you, don’t do it. 🙂
We have a GP as a neighbor. The owners used to live out in the country with acreage and used him to protect their livestock. They are now our neighbors in a community of 3 acre lots. They leave their GP out all day and night. I think I am loosing my mind because of the incessant barking. We have tried to talk to them about the barking but they are really not open to discussing any type of resolution. We recently put up a 350′ screen on our fence but it did not stand up to the weather. We are thinking of putting up a metal fence, but I am afraid that he will still go to the corners and bark…..bark…and bark. I wish people could realize how inconsiderate they are to have a barking dog in a community setting. I need help!~!
We adopted -rescued a bother and sister at the age of 7months. My previous Great Pry was 165lbs full grown and lived to be over 15 years – he got a lot exercise in the evening after I came home from work. I have to say they are just about the most beautiful, loyal canines I have ever know. While it takes time and a lot of patience to train them to moderate barking, come when called and walking on a leash (full harness is best) with out pulling you into the next town. They are great with children and when on leash are quite comfortable meeting other people. However if yours does back off meeting some one be assured there could be a very good reason. They are far better at assessing another’s real intentions than we mortals well ever be.
They can also demand a lot of attention from you :). Giver their size and eminence strength you will find yourself stroking/rubbing/scratching (mine love being touched /stroked) on the bridge of their nose between their eyes. And they can be very, very persistent.
T he one thing I think that needs to really emphasized for any prospective owner is that Pyr’s are incredibly strong. So proper training and socialization are more than just concepts – they are absolute requirements if one is going to have a household member. As noted by others while very intelligent they are strong willed – another way of putting it is hard headed. I do find it interesting that most sites do not rate them as all that smart. I do believe the reason is that most humans rate dog intelligence as how easy they are to train.
I have found your blog so helpful! My husband and I adopted our pyr/lab mix from a shelter before we really knew what we were getting into, so your posts have saved my sanity many times!! I do have a question for you in regards to barking though- when our pyr meets new dogs- whether it’s on his turf or somewhere neutral like a dog park, he tends to get right in other dogs’ faces and bark at them. As you can imagine, some dogs really don’t like this and become aggressive. I don’t really think our guy is trying to be aggressive, he never attempts to actually attack another dog. Any suggestions on how to redirect or stop this behavior? I’m afraid to take him places where there are a lot of other dogs or let other people bring their dogs over.
Good luck with your neighbors. I had a sheltie, 25 lbs of fur, spring and yap, and the suburban neighbor from the dark side. Yes, Lucas would warn us about every percieved danger but we tried to bring him in when he was in that mode. Our neighbor would yell at him before he could finish a bark and I could open the door even if I was standing there. Please make sure you are not THAT neighbor. Code enforcement told us she was in violation for her yelling. The neighborhood dogs were within code.
That said, check out what your local ordinances are regarding barking dogs. It may be annoying but within the legal limits. If it isn’t, perhaps mailing a copy of the ordinance to your neighbor would put them on notice that you are serious. You may need to call in some kind of authority like my neighbor tried.
I really hope you can work something out for everyone’s sake, including the dog who is only doing what his genetics tell him to do.
Our 2 gorgeous Maremmas are exactly the same, always on the lookout, barking at everyone passing by. We had to bring them indoors at night… Interestingly, they don’t bark at their friends from the doggy park, not at the old ladies and they completly ignore greyhounds.
At least when they go for a walk, as soon they leave the gate, they turn into the friendliest dogs ever.
Thanks for the post. I found this overall pretty helpful. That said, our Pyre doesn’t bark at anything and everything (well, he does, during the day)… Instead, he barks when he wants more attention, food, to go outside, to go potty, food, if he wants to play with the other dog, and pretty much whenever he wants something.
He loves getting up at 4AM and barking, or murmering, constantly. He goes back and forth from the bedroom down the hall towards outside, barks, comes back into the bedroom, barks, repeat. 3:30 AM, sometimes 4 or 5… but always early early. I know some of this is a learned trait. He’s learned he can get what he wants from barking (sometimes, we’re doing better) but it’s still frustrating. He’ll bark to go outside. We go potty and come back in, 15 minutes later he’s barking at the door. Sometimes its 15-times between 5-9pm. Big loud mean bark sessions to go outside. How do we curb this part?
We just adopted a pyrenees mix from the local shelter. I totally own the fact that I did no research on the breed (you would think animal control would have mentioned it), I was most concerned about the dog getting along with my cats. Nocturnal dogs NEVER crossed my mind, never even knew there was such a thing. Boy are we suffering now, the constant barking, barking, barking. I can’t take him for a walk because he obviously has never had a leash on and will just drop to the ground – does anyone have any ideas on how to train him to walk on a leash? I would love to have a walking buddy and I know he would eventually love the exercise if we could get him out of they yard.
Love it. Our GPRs over the years have been working dogs full time, though house trained and loved time in the house for a while. What I have found fascinating about them all has been that when out neighbor uses his large equipment- excavator, tractors and even mowers, they will bark a few time then kick back UNTIL they are using it post dusk or at night with the equipment lights on. Then there is nothing that will stop them from barking until they are done using the equipment. Same is true with fly by helicopters. Daytime- nope no big thing. Sunset on, all hell breaks loose in the pastures.