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Great Pyrenees

The breeds · working

AKC Working · UKC Guardian · FCI standard 137

Great Pyrenees.

Livestock guardian, not a herder. FCI 137 utilization: pastoral guardian in the mountains; selected to guard flocks on its own against predators, with a propensity for independence and initiative. AKC: bred for the strenuous work of guarding the flocks in all weather on the steep mountain slopes of the Pyrenees; territorial and protective of flock or family, strong willed, independent. UKC: historically left on its own to protect the flocks; also used for centuries as a watchdog. RKC history: guarded flocks in the Pyrenees from the Middle Ages, castle guardian, Royal Dog of France under Louis XIV, messenger and pack dog for the French Army in World War II, suggested as a smuggler's pack dog. Breed club: guard dogs by instinct, not training; nocturnal; takes about 18 months to become an effective livestock guardian; absolute intolerance of predators, including strange dogs and people, with extraordinary patience toward stock. USDA bulletin: a guarding dog is not a herding dog but a full-time member of the flock; Great Pyrenees seem to reach behavioral maturity earlier than Komondors and Anatolians (those two at about 18 to 30 months); in a yearling evaluation 83 percent of 59 Great Pyrenees were rated good guardians against 38 percent of 26 Anatolians. Andelt 1999 (Colorado sheep producers): producers using one breed rated effectiveness the same for Akbash, Great Pyrenees and Komondor; producers who used several breeds rated the Akbash above the Great Pyrenees.

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

10.9YRMedian lifespan10.5 to 11.3, measured on real dogs.
0INHeightdogs null, bitches null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
85–-InfinityLBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 100 lb; breed bitches 85 lb.
1HRSExercise, every dayUp to 1 hour per day (Royal Kennel Club band for the Pyrenean Mountain Dog). The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 27 to 32 in · bitches 25 to 29.5 in

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1990

Low and high span the AKC and UKC figures and the FCI printed range; center blank because no standard prints an ideal.

Weight

dogs 100 lb · bitches 85 lb

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1990

Open-ended: the AKC anchor is about 85 lb at 25 in; no ceiling is printed by any source.

Coat

AKC: weather-resistant double coat, long flat thick outer coat of coarse hair, straight or slightly undulating, over a dense fine woolly undercoat; ruff or mane more pronounced in males; plume on the tail; feathering and pantaloons; curly and stand-off (Samoyed type) coats are faults. White, or white with gray, badger, reddish brown or tan markings; markings covering more than one third of the body are a fault. UKC: solid white or white with grey (badger or wolf), pale yellow or orange patches; any other colour is a disqualification. FCI 137: most appreciated markings are badger grey

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1990

Shedding

Royal Kennel Club: sheds, yes. Breed club: when the dog sheds its coat, daily brushing is necessary for several weeks so dead hair does not bind against the skin

Breed clubGreat Pyrenees Club of America, 2015

Heat tolerance

2 of 5 · AKC: weather-resistant double coat, a long flat thick outer coat of coarse hair over a dense fine woolly undercoat, with a ruff or mane. UKC: dense and double

DerivedAKC breed standard, 1990

Derived from the coat description (2 = heavy double / long). The coat is a working adaptation to snowy mountain slopes (AKC).

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

10.9 years (10.5 to 11.3)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

UK pet population. Other bands are shown beside it, never merged: the AKC breed page gives a 10-12 year band, the Royal Kennel Club page a lifespan band of under 10 years, and the Great Pyrenees Club of America brochure says lives of twelve or more years are not uncommon.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

Up to 1 hour per day (Royal Kennel Club band for the Pyrenean Mountain Dog)

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped: up to 1 hour = 60.

Exercise need

Royal Kennel Club: up to 1 hour per day, large house and large garden, town or country. AKC breed page: energy level 3 of 5. Great Pyrenees Club of America: must be confined in a well-fenced area (minimum 6 ft fence) or they will patrol a large territory; on leash at all times outside the fence; by nature nocturnal and works in the night

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

A guardian's activity is territory patrol, not a daily walk quota; the RKC band is the only numeric source.

Energy

3 of 5

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Grooming load

3 of 5 · Royal Kennel Club: grooming more than once a week. Great Pyrenees Club of America: brush once a week, parting the coat and combing from the skin out; daily brushing for several weeks while the coat is shed. AKC breed page: coat grooming frequency 2 of 5

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Center is the RKC band (3 = more than once a week); low is the weekly brushing the breed club and AKC band describe.

Grooming

Thick weather-resistant double coat with a mane and pantaloons. Mats form behind the ears, around the neck, on the belly and the back of the legs (breed club). Pyrs who are brushed regularly seldom need bathing (breed club)

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Why they get given up

Great Pyrenees Club of America: hundreds of Pyrs end up in rescue or shelters each year because owners did not understand the breed (guard instinct, barking especially at night, independence, roaming)

Breed clubGreat Pyrenees Club of America, 2015

Single breed-club statement; no counts.

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

Livestock guardian, not a herder. FCI 137 utilization: pastoral guardian in the mountains; selected to guard flocks on its own against predators, with a propensity for independence and initiative. AKC: bred for the strenuous work of guarding the flocks in all weather on the steep mountain slopes of the Pyrenees; territorial and protective of flock or family, strong willed, independent. UKC: historically left on its own to protect the flocks; also used for centuries as a watchdog. RKC history: guarded flocks in the Pyrenees from the Middle Ages, castle guardian, Royal Dog of France under Louis XIV, messenger and pack dog for the French Army in World War II, suggested as a smuggler's pack dog. Breed club: guard dogs by instinct, not training; nocturnal; takes about 18 months to become an effective livestock guardian; absolute intolerance of predators, including strange dogs and people, with extraordinary patience toward stock. USDA bulletin: a guarding dog is not a herding dog but a full-time member of the flock; Great Pyrenees seem to reach behavioral maturity earlier than Komondors and Anatolians (those two at about 18 to 30 months); in a yearling evaluation 83 percent of 59 Great Pyrenees were rated good guardians against 38 percent of 26 Anatolians. Andelt 1999 (Colorado sheep producers): producers using one breed rated effectiveness the same for Akbash, Great Pyrenees and Komondor; producers who used several breeds rated the Akbash above the Great Pyrenees

Breed clubFCI Standard N° 137, 2005

Great Pyrenees were the most common guarding breed in the 1986 Idaho survey (57 percent of 763 dogs, USDA bulletin). Producer ratings are opinion surveys.

Also used on

Royal Kennel Club history: messenger dog and pack dog for the French Army in World War II; suggested to have carried packs of contraband across the Pyrenees; court dog of France under Louis XIV. FCI 137: castle guardian in the Middle Ages. UKC: watchdog as well as flock guard. Breed club: farm and ranch guardian that lives near the farmyard, part pet and part guard dog

EditorialThe Royal Kennel Club

History statements from registry pages.

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

9.5% · 9.5% dysplastic of 7,509 OFA hip evaluations on record (current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026); 89.3% normal; mild 5.7%, moderate 3.4%, severe 0.4%; breed rank 138 of the breeds listed

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Voluntary registry: affected dogs are under-reported and evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock, so true prevalence is higher. Current all-data figure, undated.

Elbow dysplasia

2% · 2.0% abnormal of 1,838 OFA elbow evaluations on record (current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026); 98.0% normal; grade 1 1.5%, grade 2 0.4%, grade 3 0.1%; breed rank 126

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Voluntary registry: affected dogs are under-reported and evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock, so true prevalence is higher. Current all-data figure, undated.

Most common disorders

The parent club's recommended health tests, listed on the AKC CHIC page, are hip evaluation and patella evaluation. The Great Pyrenees Club of America brochure names no specific disorder and refers readers to its health pages

Breed clubAKC

No VetCompass paper or insurer report on the breed was reachable; this row records what the parent club tests for, not a prevalence ranking.

What the studies found

Population-level findings, shown as a spread. Breed sets the odds; the parents set the dog.

Aggression, as studied

1986 University of Idaho survey of about 400 guarding-dog users (763 dogs, 57 percent Great Pyrenees): most dogs were aggressive to predators and other dogs, though Great Pyrenees seem somewhat less aggressive to dogs than other guarding breeds. Fewer Great Pyrenees injured livestock than Komondors, Akbash or Anatolians

StudiedGreen JS, 1999

Producer-reported survey summarised in a USDA bulletin, not a behaviour test. Not a bite statistic.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 3; Mental Stimulation Needs 3; Trainability Level 3; Barking Level 3; Watchdog/Protective Nature 5; Good With Young Children 3; Openness To Strangers 3; Good With Other Dogs 3; Shedding Level 3; Coat Grooming Frequency 2; Drooling Level 3; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 3; Adaptability Level 3.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

Side by side

Or let the selector rank the Great Pyrenees against your own answers.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 9 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Pyrenean Mountain Dog, Pyr, Chien de Montagne des Pyrénées, Pyrenees Mountain Dog

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