What is the temperament of a Great Pyrenees/Lab mix?

November 08, 2019

Every dog’s temperament is different. Factors that determine temperament include:

The genetics of the dog — what genes did it inherit from its parents? If they had good temperaments, the pups are likely to as well. If not, the pups probably won’t either.

The behavior of the mother while raising the litter. Besides contributing 50% of her offspring’s genes, the mother is the example the puppies learn from about how to be a dog and how to interact with people. There has been research to show that normal puppies removed from an outgoing mother and raised from birth by a mother who is fearful of humans also become fearful dogs, even though that isn’t in their genes.

How skillfully a puppy is socialized to its world between the ages of 5–16 weeks. First by the breeder and then by the new owner, puppies must get out and see the world they are going to be expected to live in. They need to have lots of positive experiences with sights, sounds, and smells. Puppies who are kept in someone’s backyard or house during this critical formative period often become fearful dogs.

How a puppy/dog is raised, trained, and treated. Puppies raised with kindness and guidance have a very good chance of becoming well-balanced dogs. Puppies and dogs who are trained and treated with methods that cause them pain or fear or both (electronic fences, choke, pinch, and shock collars, shouting and hitting, etc.) are unlikely to be happy dogs with good temperaments.

Some dogs enjoy being around other dogs. Some dogs don’t, just as some people prefer to spend solitary time rather than socializing and others are party animals. Dogs who don’t enjoy the company of other dogs should not be put into situation such as doggy daycare or taken to dog parks and forced to put up with social butterflies. That is one way that bites and fights end up happening. Know your dog and respect its temperament.