The breeds · working
AKC Miscellaneous · UKC Guardian · FCI standard 92
Pyrenean Mastiff.
Flock guardian against wolf and bear, now mostly an estate guard. FCI 92 utilization: guard and defense; previously used against beasts of prey, in particular wolf and bear; nowadays an excellent guard for country estates and their owners. UKC: originated in Spain as guard and defense dog against beasts of prey, mostly wolves and bear; today a guard for country estates. AKC breed page: centuries-old rare breed from the Pyrenees Mountains in Spain that protected flocks from wolves, bears and thieves. RKC: formerly the Navarra Mastiff, developed in the Pyrenean region between Aragon and Navarra; always a flock guardian against wolf and bear; wore a heavy spiked collar to protect neck and throat.
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.
The body
What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.
Height at the shoulder
Low and high span FCI, UKC, AKC page and RKC; standards print minimums with no ceiling. Center blank.
Weight
Only the AKC page gives a weight; breed-wide band counted in both rows.
Coat
Shedding
AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.
Heat tolerance
Derived from the coat description in the standard (confidence derived). 3 = medium coat; the standards do not state an undercoat.
The dog at home
What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.
Exercise need
RKC band 'up to 1 hour' = 60 minutes.
Energy
AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.
Grooming load
RKC band 'every day' mapped to 4; the AKC page band (3 of 5) is lower, so the sources differ.
The work
What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.
Role
Predators as each source states: wolf and bear (FCI, UKC, AKC, RKC), thieves (AKC page).
Also used on
Search pattern
No source describes pack size or patrol pattern.
How common the problems are
Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.
Hip dysplasia
Voluntary registry: affected dogs are under-reported and evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock, so true prevalence is higher. Current all-data figure, undated.
More
akc bands
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.
- USHip evaluationOFA (US) as the registry's evaluation; the RKC lists no breed-specific restrictions or required schemes for the imported breed · Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, Disease Statistics by Breed (hip and elbow dysplasia tables, all evaluations on record), read from the OFA statistics service on Oct 5 2026
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. 4 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.
- Also called
- Mastín del Pirineo, Navarra Mastiff
Every breed, read the same way.
The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.
All published breedsYour pyrenean mastiff, on the record.
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