Breeds / Medium
Pyrenean Shepherd puppies
Energetic, clever and highly attentive, a small French herding dog that is devoted to its owner, wary with strangers and never short of ideas.
The facts
- Size class Medium
- Country of origin France
- Adult weight 6.8 to 13.6 kg
- Adult weight in pounds 15 to 30 lb
- Adult height 38 to 53 cm
- Energy level Very high
- Grooming Low
- Coat type Medium rough and smooth
- Typical lifespan 17 to 19 years
- Good with children Fine with supervision
- Good with other dogs Fine with supervision
Where these come from:
About the Pyrenean Shepherd
The Pyrenean Shepherd is the small herding dog of the French Pyrenees, the moving half of a partnership with the big white flock guardians. It is a light, wiry dog of 6.8 to 13.6 kg standing 38 to 53 cm, in rough faced and smooth faced varieties, and it is among the longest lived of all breeds at a reported 17 to 19 years. The character is intense, quick and watchful, mischievous with its own people and thoroughly suspicious of strangers.
Exercise and mental work are the whole story: this dog was built to cover ground all day and needs a sport, a job or serious training to stay sane. Grooming is a weekly brush, since the soft undercoat mats easily. Pyr Sheps are sensitive, vocal and reactive to movement, so early socialisation is essential and supervision makes sense around young children. The breed is a poor fit for a quiet household that wants a decorative dog and a short walk.
What to expect at eight weeks
At eight weeks a Pyrenean Shepherd puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A medium breed puppy at eight weeks is a manageable armful that will not stay that way. Most of the growth happens between now and six months, so buy for the adult dog where you can. This is a very high energy breed. The mistake owners make is trying to tire it out physically. Training, scentwork and puzzles will do more than distance ever will. Grooming is straightforward, but start handling the coat, feet and ears in week one anyway so it is never a fight later. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything it meets calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of its life.
Health worth knowing about
Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.
- Hip dysplasia, which breeding stock should be x-rayed for
- Patellar luxation, diagnosed by physical examination of the stifle
- Patent ductus arteriosus, found by a cardiac examination in puppies
- Choroidal hypoplasia, detectable by DNA test and an ophthalmologist evaluation
- Progressive retinal atrophy, detectable by DNA test
- Epilepsy, diagnosed by veterinary work up and tracked through breeding lines
From Pyrenean Shepherd breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/pyrenean-shepherd/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.
Your Pyrenean Shepherd puppy's first six months
- Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
- Worming and parasite schedule.
- Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Medium for a Pyrenean Shepherd.
- Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 6.8 to 13.6 kg adult range.
- Puppy names and the first week checklist.
Other medium breeds
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Not veterinary advice. Breed information is general. Your own dog, and your own vet, always win.