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The call that came last week was not unusual. A gentleman called to inquire about possible Great Pyrenees ownership. We discussed the pros and cons of the breed. Could he tolerate dog hair in his home? Did dog drool bother him? How about if he had a dog that barked excessively? Did his wife and children really understand the ultimate size of the breed'?

The responses to these standard questions were thoughtful and appropriate. But then came the stumbling block I always dread: Do you have a fenced-in-yard? I asked. 'No' he replied, but I have a very large property, and I know how to train dogs. I'lI just teach him to stay in his own territory.' Oh no here we go!

As I tried to explain to him the independence of the breed and how Pyrs have a unique tendency to think for themselves, I felt him start to withdraw from the rapport we had begun to establish. It was as if his very "dogginess" had been challenged. Of all the areas of knowledge we try to pass on to new Pyr people, the use of crates and the necessity of fencing seem to cause the most defensive reactions. That's unfortunate, because with Great Pyrenees using enclosures is an absolute requirement.

In March 1978, I wrote an article far the Great Pyrenees Association of Southern California newsletter entitled Pyrenean independence. The issues I struggled to understand back then are quite relevant to the common scenario presented above.

At the time, I was an active obedience exhibitor and had German Shorthaired Pointers as well as Pyrs trained to be responsive off-lead. So I decided to try a little experiment with a very young Pyr puppy. The following is a synopsis of that article.

Pyrenean Independance It's fun to be able to let a dog rally exercise and explore the world, and I've always wanted a Great Pyrenees that I could trust off-lead. My adult Pyrs are all obedience trained and will behave oft-lead if under command or not distracted by something. But if they get through the front door, or get loose while away from the yard, or see another dog while off-lead in the park, they take off. There seems to be very little desire to stick by me or know where I am, and obedience commands such as "come" are completely forgotten. Even out in a big open field, I don't feel confident about letting my Pyrs run free. One thought I had as to why my Pyrs were impossible off-lead was that perhaps I wasn't beginning a training program early enough with young pups. Maybe if I let a young puppy follow me off-lead, it would continue to stay close and be attentive as it got older. My last litter gave me the chance to try this theory, since I was going to keep one of the resulting puppy bitches. At the age of 5 weeks, Misty, the pup I decided to keep, started going for walks around the many Southern California parks and was let off-lead. Her behavior over the last 2 l/2 months has changed dramatically, and I find it most interesting. You have probably all seen programs such as Wild Kingdom that show mother bears and their cubs. When the cubs are very young, they stay close to the mother, usually under her if possible, and are always ready to run back to den. They always seem to be watching her out the corners of their eyes. Latter they tend to forget mother and begin developing their own sense of independence and mastery of the world. At some point maturity win out over the need for protection, and the cubs go off on their own a final time. This has closely paralleled Misty's behavior. At 5 and 6 weeks of age she became braver, attending to the interesting things around her and stopping to sniff and look at objects. But if I went on, within a moment she would come galloping after me. She always came when I called her name, whistled or made a loud noise. Unfortunately, within two or three more weeks the attentive behavior began to fade out. Only occasionally would she come when called, and she only checked on me when something frightened her. Even when I took her to a brand new park, this independent spirit was dominant. Now, at age 4 months, she only comes when she wants to, and the need to investigate and explore is much stronger Than any dependence on me. Soon, I will no longer be able to trust her off-lead at all.

I've finally accepted that Great Pyrenees are very independent animals. (You old-time Pyr people knew that all along, right?) A Great Pyrenees of normal temperament, especially during its active years, would probably always respond to freedom or to unfamiliar situations by exploration and internally driven investigation, rather than to human cues and commands. It is not their nature to let humans make the decisions or take the risks. That's why, as long as Pyrs have this independent nature, my dogs will stay in a fenced in yard or on a lead.

Although I wrote this 15 years ago, nothing I've seen in the Great Pyrenees world has changed this perspective much. Pyrs still prefer to think for themselves rather than simply following the wishes and commands of their people. I once asked a very respected obedience judge it he had ever seen a really good obedience Pyr. He was thoughtful as we tried to figure out what I meant by good . I've seen a few high-scoring Pyrs, he said, but they didn't seem to be working freely or spontaneously, just correctly. I've seen some Pyrs that were happy in the ring, but more from their own antics than from an accurate performance. But if "good" means a dog that is willingly and cheerfully a responsive follower to a human's leader-ship, one that performs a set of exercises not only precisely but with the ability to adjust to human change, and one that really wants to understand and do what its owner desires, then no, I haven't seen a good obedience Pyrenees.

Our task is now twofold: to protect the inherent nature of the breed and to help new owners understand and accept these basic Pyrenean traits.

Gazzette, April 1993, Vol. 110, No. 4. -- Kathleen McCure

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