# new to us pyr questions



## InHisName (Jan 26, 2006)

Found a beautiful pyr on Craigslist, have a few questions.
She was in a home with a yard and causing problems just doing her job- patrolling the city limits, barking at night, so they found her a new home. 
We brought her here, introduced her to other dogs and livestock, showed her the boundaries, and she is doing fine, but barking for hours on end. Is this normal? Right now it is 4am, I brought her in because of the barking, and she is peacefully sleeping. She is bonding well with the family and other animals, what else can we do to help her be secure. Dont mind barking, but is it normal to start and not stop? She is calm, sweet, but new to farm life.


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## nehimama (Jun 18, 2005)

Barking is the Pyrenees' way of warning off any would-be predators. She's just doing her job as she knows it.


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## hercsmama (Jan 15, 2004)

I agree, she is doing her job. It's what they do.
Actually, I love hearing my two bark at night, let's me know they are hard at work, and I can sleep peacefully knowing nothing is going to come through those fences.


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## Batt (Sep 8, 2006)

I think you will find that she will bark less as she grows accustomed to the spooky night noises...not quit, just less. I'm not sure about bringing her into the house when she is barking as that will just teach her that if she wants to come inside, just continue to bark. Also, make sure she has some thing to guard, a job.


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## 95bravo (Mar 22, 2010)

Pyrenees bark just to bark. It is there way of saying "thou I walk thru the valley of death I fear no evil for I am the baddest critter in the valley".


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## CAjerseychick (Aug 11, 2013)

Yes I second the " will bark less as she settles in theory", just bring her in at night when you have had enough....


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## InHisName (Jan 26, 2006)

thanks for the input.... last night was better- we put her in the hay area next to sheep but fenced in- warm, but limited her visibility and muffled her bark towards the house. She barked less yesterday throughout the day, so thinking settling in will help.


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## Batt (Sep 8, 2006)

Next to the sheep? Personally I would want her to be right with the sheep. So when you look in there you will see nothing but white wool. As far as warm, my pyr prefers to sleep outside when it is snowing. When I go to do chores after a fresh snow I have to look carefully for 3 black dots to find him (2 eyes and a nose).


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## anita_fc (May 24, 2008)

Next to the sheep is good at this stage if she was raised as a backyard city dog. She will need a great deal of supervision to begin with. Do you plan for her to be in with the livestock eventually?


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## Batt (Sep 8, 2006)

Ooops! Anita, your right, I didn't catch the fact that she was a city dog. A little bit longer being close to the sheep is entirely appropriate.


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## InHisName (Jan 26, 2006)

Yes, she was a backyard city dog- so we are introducing her gradually. She had learned the fine art of opening the gate in her city backyard, and was patrolling the neighborhood, dog catcher didn't like it. Here is what happened last night-
We put her in the pen again next to the sheep. (about 9 pm) she escaped- put her back. Hubby could not figure out how she got out, so 4 times, he would pen her, and before he could make it back to the house from the barn, she was sitting on the porch. The last time, he fell on the ice HARD on a kneecap, was rolling around out there on the ground, opened one eye, and guess who was right on the top straddling him? (breathing dog breath in his face?) Yep, Christmas, the Pyr. 
Editing here, maybe when he was down she was just being "top dog" - not sure what dynamics were going on there.


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## CAjerseychick (Aug 11, 2013)

InHisName said:


> Yes, she was a backyard city dog- so we are introducing her gradually. She had learned the fine art of opening the gate in her city backyard, and was patrolling the neighborhood, dog catcher didn't like it. Here is what happened last night-
> We put her in the pen again next to the sheep. (about 9 pm) she escaped- put her back. Hubby could not figure out how she got out, so 4 times, he would pen her, and before he could make it back to the house from the barn, she was sitting on the porch. The last time, he fell on the ice HARD on a kneecap, was rolling around out there on the ground, opened one eye, and guess who was right on the top straddling him? (breathing dog breath in his face?) Yep, Christmas, the Pyr.
> Editing here, maybe when he was down she was just being "top dog" - not sure what dynamics were going on there.


She sounds like a busy girl, with an investigatory sense of things-- and doing what a Pyr would do-- concerned for your Husband and checking him out-- she could be a real good dog once she settles in.... We had to put a chain on our front gate, our dog figured out the latch pretty quick...
Also how high is the fence-- caught our 8month old clearing a 4 ft fence this morning...


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## am1too (Dec 30, 2009)

My half 1 YO all white 100 plus pound GP/chow just climbs the fence. He can rest his elbows on top of the 4 ft fence. He climbs in and out. He's more than twice as big as his mom. And yes he barks at night.


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## CAjerseychick (Aug 11, 2013)

am1too said:


> My half 1 YO all white 100 plus pound GP/chow just climbs the fence. He can rest his elbows on top of the 4 ft fence. He climbs in and out. He's more than twice as big as his mom. And yes he barks at night.


My 8 mo old can too ( need to weigh him he was 85lbs last time we looked- he is a Pyr- Anatolian) but I never thought he could take a running leap OVER it he is in that awkward gangly stage....


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## DenMacII (Aug 16, 2008)

Our two Pyrs will bark more on some nights than others. I think on the really quiet, still nights the female will bark all night at her own echo down into a steep creek bed. Most nights I sleep through it, but I will wake when the bark takes on a different tone telling me they've gone from distant warning to a close in concern. In any case, I sleep real good knowing they are with our livestock.


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## InHisName (Jan 26, 2006)

Thinking of leaving Christmas (pyr) in the house on Sundays.
Today put her in pen next to sheep (with lab buddy). She must have climbed the fence, because I happened to look out the nursery window at church, to see Christmas up at the road, a driver looking at her rabies tag, and calling the phone number on the tag. (hubby is pastor of the church across the county road from our property.) I ran through the childrens church class, and hollered at the woman "that's my dog, it's ok"
called Christmas into the childrens class, then into nursery- where she was perfectly happy to eat the toddlers animal crackers offered to her. 
Is there a way to get them to stay at home? I think she likes to be a guardian of people (the folks who had her before had foster children) 
that is good, since we always have people around, but we want her to bond to sheep. 
Is there a way?


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## aart (Oct 20, 2012)

It'll take time, and much diligence, to train this dog to behave properly in it's new environment. It could have not ben well trained where it came from, which will make your job of training it harder. Good Luck!


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## InHisName (Jan 26, 2006)

The dog has quieted down barking at night- just barking when things are going on. In the last 2 days, we have had 4 sheep have twins, so 8 new lambs. When momma sheep stomped at her through fence, she bit at her through fence, only getting wool. 
We brought her into the house with new drying lamb- ok while we are with her- but when put into pen with 2 day old lamb, she played too rough. 
Is this normal for a pyr not being around sheep? will she get it? If she bites a sheep, she will have to go....


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## hercsmama (Jan 15, 2004)

You really need to give her a lot more time to adjust. Yes they instinctively will guard, but the bonding can take a bit, especially if she has never been around the animals. Don't try to rush the process. She is naturally bonded to humans, you need to change that. Allow her with them only under supervision, like you would with a puppy.Given time, you will see a difference.


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## InHisName (Jan 26, 2006)

Ok, more time. Right now, she is fenced off from the lambs and sheep, but can see and smell everything that is going on. The lab is teaching her to care for these sheep- he is really attentive to the lambs, and showed us where one had scooted off to- would not leave that hidden newborn lamb until we came to him and got the lamb. (who momma had rejected, now a bottle lamb)


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## hercsmama (Jan 15, 2004)

InHisName said:


> When momma sheep stomped at her through fence, she bit at her through fence, only getting wool.
> We brought her into the house with new drying lamb- ok while we are with her- but when put into pen with 2 day old lamb, she played too rough.
> Is this normal for a pyr not being around sheep? will she get it? If she bites a sheep, she will have to go....


This is what I was responding too. She hasn't yet learned to be submissive to the sheep. When Mommas stomp, she should, and will in time, submit and simply lie down, or back off completely.
She shouldn't yet be allowed near the newborns, as she isn't submissive to the Mommas yet.


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