What are the cons of owning a Great Pyrenees dog?

November 02, 2019

The Pyrenees Mountain Dog (in the US known as the Great Pyrenees - which I never understood as a name as it is the smaller of two similar breeds - compare it to the Pyrenean Mastiff) I do understand that Pyrenees Mountain Dog is a bit of a mouthful so lets call them by what they are called by the people who work with them and use them in the Pyrenees - Patou.

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The Patou is a big dog - This on its own has a number of drawbacks:

It is very strong - if it wants to go somewhere it is happy to drag you along. You want to educate them well and early.
They shed and when they shed they shed a lot (there is a lot of dog there!)
The agile and love to jump. Again - back to education. I find most guests might not welcome a 40kg + furball jumping all over them.
Oh and they can sometimes drool ... big dog, lots of drool.
They take up a huge amount of space on the couch. You better known how to explain to them where they are supposed to rest if it is not on the couch.
They eat. A lot. Make sure you have a suitable budget for food.

Well there are a few more but the more interesting ones have to do with the character and particularities of the Patou.

Herd dogs - as others have said they are herd dogs, not herding dogs. This means in practice that they will instinctively protect their herd, which ideally includes you, their owner. This might sound like a great idea until they decide that the postman or your cousin’s beagle happen to be a threat. (To be fair, most of the Patous elabve met tend to just ignore small dogs).
Independent - they are bred to stay with herds for weeks on end in the mountains and make their own decisions as to how to protect their herd. That makes them fiercely independent. They make their own mind up as to what they do and what they like. You need to know how to work with this kind of dog or you will find your life rotating around that of your Patou.
They guard ... and warn off threats. They have a bark which is meant to be heard across mountain valleys. So if it feels threatened, or lonely, or maybe just bored, your Patou might decide to bark a bit. Expect everyone within a mile to notice.
Dew Claws. Don’t get me started on dew claws. They have them and they are vicious little things. Dew claws will always be razor sharp unless you keep trimming them (an interesting experience in and of itself) so expect them to catch and rip up ... well anything they catch really. Bonus problem - the dew claw itself can rip and cause considerable pain and distress to your Patou. (If there is one thing I wish I could change about these fabulous dogs is to simply get rid of the dew claws ...)
People don't respect them. This is something very weird ... I have never seen this happen with other dogs but people think that Patous are white fluffy furballs and therefore can be cuddled as if they were some kind of plush toy. They are not and most Patous will not be happy with that kind of treatment. Unfortunately most people who want to cuddle one will be clueless as to the fact the dog is not enjoying that kind of attention.
They are very active dogs. Hey they were bred to run up and down mountains all day while fighting off bears and wolf packs for exercise. You better be ready to provide them with something to do as well as plenty of exercise.

But don't let the cons put you down. If you are ready for a big, athletic dog and can handle an independent spirit ... a Patou might just work for you. The list of positives is at least twice as long!