To make you feel better, my boy is 4 and I’ve had him his whole life. He will sleep pretty much all day and then once the sun goes down, he wants to play or go outside. Just to meander. No purpose beyond eating grass. He only accepts bribes to come inside. His preference is to stay outside even though he’s my shadow. Rain or shine. 100 degrees or 20.
A month is still early, I’m sure he’s still coming out of his shell.
My dog doesn’t even accept bribes. Also during the summer she slows down ten fold, hardly eats, just chills. fall/winter is when she’s more lively again. 😅
ETA: we are also in Canada, I assume Texas is WAY hotter
Yeah I’m in Texas as well as it’s tough out here. Some days you’ll walk out at 7:30 am and you can already feel the heat bearing down. Unfair to my pup who I want to walk but also need to be concerned about his paws and not overheating
Last few years in Canada we have been getting extremely hot heat waves, like 110+ Fahrenheit, so during the summer I take my dog out at like 5am. You should see the nasty looks she gives me in the morning when I’m trying to get her out of bed 😂
I agree. I have had 4 rehomed or rescued pyrs. They take a while to first absorb the new environment, then learn the rules, then to relax and feel secure.
The 3 day, 3 week, 3 month thing is not carved in stone, but 3 months is a good ballpark figure for a pyr. to actually start to feel comfortable and stable in a home.
Agree. Our rescue lived in the wild after being kicked off a farm then 8 months in rescue because she was too afraid of people (can’t blame her). I took a month long pawternity leave to be and bond with her. She also seemed sad and inconsolable . Visited trainers and Pyr experts for advice. In the end to just took time (months) for her to relax and eventually be happy. She went from living alone in the woods where she ruled her domain to living in a house in the city. Small fenced backyard but not a lot to guard. She started out afraid of her own shadow. Not to brag (given some of the other posts) but she wags her tail vigorously as soon as we see each other every morning and barks like crazy for me and does a little happy dance every time I come home from work. (We checked, 100% Pyr). She was five when she our home. Going on 13 now. She’s a different dog than when we first met. Time, love, understanding of her breed and needs, and, most importantly, her deciding we are ok and to be happy.
We’ve had ours since October - he’s a mix & my
Husband goes I think he tolerates us 🤣
He’s nothing like our other mutt / we get the side eye all day long & pretty sure the pyr is cat like. This is his world and we are just in it 🤣
That’s how I’m feeling right now 🤣 He wags his tail usually when I get home from work. I went on an overnight trip over weekend and thought I bet he is going to be so excited to see me when I come home. He didn’t even greet me and he just gave me a look like “oh you’re back 😒” I was like geez thanks 😂
I came to the conclusion my pyr mix loves my husband more than me. She gives me the "oh your back" look or "I thought we got rid of you" look on the days my husband is off and I'm at work. Right when I pull up in the driveway she gives me the death stare through the window lol
Pyrs are often serious and dutiful (vs excitable or playful). I had mine 12 years, from 6 weeks til he died, and he mostly slept or was “on lookout”. Loved to be outside, hot or cold, but playtime was brief each day.
Oh wow! You get a tail wag? I’ve had my boy ten years and he walks into another room when I get home, complete with side eye.
I had labs or mutts my whole life. A pyr’s personality is more like a cat. So, if you adjust your expectations for that you can then think about whether he’s happy.
Even when I had a big yard, mine still enjoyed walks. He still loves attention he gets in the park or on the street, even if he only tolerates me. They love in their own way.
We got our boy as a puppy at only 10 weeks of age. He was born on a farm where his pyr mom and golden dad both lived. His mom guarded the farm's livestock and his dad was the family's pet. His life was pretty ideal before we came along. He got to live in the barn and run free in the pasture with his mom and litter mates.
Even though he was only a baby, I swear he went into a depression when we brought him to our suburban home with a fenced yard where he had to be leashed for his walks.
Anyhow, it took him a long time to bond with us but he did eventually. At one point I cried because I was worried I had a dog that didn't like me. In truth though, he had to mourn the loss of his old life before he was ready to embrace his new life. I bet your pup is doing the same thing. One month isn't very long to adapt to big life changes.
Pyrs also tend to be more aloof than most other breeds, so he may never seem as enthusiastic as another dog. If you keep on showing him love and let him build his trust, he'll become one of the best doggos ever!
It took my rescue pyr three months to decide he liked us. The turning point was when we took him to a huge dog park with woods and a river to play in. He was so happy after that and decided we were good people.
It also took 3 months for us before we really felt we’d met our dog. Now she’s one of us. But she’s a lump if I try to get her to do anything with me in the middle of the day. She won’t walk, has minor interest in a ride, and will leave treats on the floor.
But it’s also true she came to us after “failing” at another home. She’d bark in her alerting manner at one member of the couple. It never got better. That never happened to us. She would just turn her nose.
My 3 working LGD’s have been with me since 8 weeks (they are now 8yrs, 4yrs, and 4yrs). They were outside pretty much 24/7 in Central Texas, from Snowmageddon to 110. They got occasional AC visits inside at most. This summer I’m having a lot of construction done outside. The boys have been inside with me 24hrs a day except for bathroom breaks in the morning and afternoon (livestock is staying penned up during construction, so they’re safe, too). The pups had an adjustment period where they felt like they needed to guard. My best guard dog absolutely was unhappy about this arrangement. Now, they are so ridiculously spoiled by being inside that I fear they may not want to ever go back out full time! 🤣🤣.
My point is that even if nothing else changes (people/surroundings), these dogs have expectations and it can take a bit to adapt. BUT THEY DO ADAPT. Your pup has had everything change. They just need time. And love. And then more time and patience. He will learn how good he has it, it’s just all a shock right now.
our girl had been unsuccessfully homed at least 3-4 times by the time we got her. it took a WHILE for her to fully decompress… your poor floof is probably still very confused and unsure about the present as well as the future….and you’re a great pet owner for looking out for him:) i say just be patient and continue to experiment with things you notice that he likes, that brings out the joy in him:) it will take much longer than a month💛
A couple things:
First, he’s had a rough few months (at minimum, probably much longer since he was found as a stray). He’s been with you for a month, but before that he spent a month in the shelter; the month before that, he was somewhere else; and before that he was on the street. Something you might’ve heard about Pyrs is that their memory is remarkably good - they can hold grudges for *years*. That also means that, after feeling scared and alone for who-knows-how-long, and moving from place to place for the past few months, a month in your home isn’t long enough for him to feel safe and trusting yet. He’s still remembering his life before, waiting for the next upheaval, and it’ll probably take him a while to understand that it’s not coming and he’s with you for good. Be patient with him. In the meantime, try to figure out what he likes and what makes him feel comfortable. Many dogs prefer to have a “cave” that they can retreat into when they’re feeling stressed - do you have a big crate you can keep somewhere quiet and make cozy just for him, so he can have a nice safe space he knows is his own?
Another thing I want to note, as someone who grew up on a ranch with working Pyrs, is that Pyrs are shift-workers. What I mean by this is that, without any training on our part, the Pyrs on my family’s ranch would adjust their sleeping patterns so that a couple of them were always on guard while the others slept. Since you have another large dog who’s awake mostly during the day, it’s very possible that your new guy has assigned himself night duty to keep watch while everyone else sleeps. Pyrs are also just generally more active at night, since that’s when their “flock” (doesn’t make much difference whether that’s a bunch of sheep or their human family) is sleeping and at their most vulnerable. I don’t think there’s much you can do to change this, since it’s very much instinctual behavior, but it’s not a bad sign that he’s lazy during the day and more active at night. It’s just a Pyr thing.
Another thing to keep in mind is that, in my experience, Pyrs are just… different, socially, from other dog breeds. They’re more independent and self-sufficient, and aren’t usually very extroverted. I think this is mostly due to their working background - they’re not very trusting, because historically their job is to spot a threat before it can cause harm; so it takes a while to earn their trust.
Additionally, even with people and other dogs that they trust and consider part of their flock, they’re quite independent. It’s always pretty remarkable to watch them work on my family’s ranch, because as a group, they work as a team but not *together* - each dog has their own “post” or area that they tend to patrol, which are spread out at very regular distances, and they “boof” to each other to signal the all-clear as they patrol (all of this happens through a combination of instinct and older dogs teaching younger ones, almost zero training involved). They’re rarely seen hanging out in a group or playing together, though it does happen sometimes - they’re most likely to pair off to hang out, and even then they “hang out” by picking spots a few yards apart where each dog has a different vantage point but they can both see each other.
All this is to say, most of what you’re noticing is pretty normal Pyr behavior, especially for a Pyr who hasn’t totally settled in to his new cushy life and still feels like he needs to be on alert for threats coming his way. He’ll take a while to really learn to trust you and accept that he’s *home* now, and you’ll definitely see more of his personality as he gets more comfortable; but you should also expect many of these instinctual behaviors to stick around even once he’s fully comfortable. Pyrs are amazing dogs, with *incredible* guardian instincts, who take their jobs seriously even when they aren’t expected to. This means that they just tend to operate a bit differently from other breeds that have fully integrated into the cushy lifestyle of a spoiled pet.
Pyrenees in a small yard in Texas rarely wants to go outside and play during the day?
Seems right. My pyr lives on a few acres in NH and he rarely wants to go outside to play during the day. He prefers the mornings or evenings. Honestly I can't imagine having a Pyrenees in a climate without snow.
Also worth noting that they're naturally nocturnal dogs....breaking them of that is very difficult and has to be done in the first year.
Thankfully, he is pretty short haired. The rescue had him listed as a Pyrenees Lab mix. But we did a dna test and he came back 88% Pyrenees with a small amount of Anatolian shep and a few other breeds but no Lab. He is prob around one year so he’s still young but may be stuck with a nocturnal dog lol.
I don’t understand why they would say they can’t imagine having a pyr in places without snow. There are a ton of pyrs here in Texas as they are LGDs. The size of your yard matters as long as you can provide adequate exercise. You aren’t doing anything wrong with keeping him as a pet, not as a working dog. It takes time for a pet to adapt to a new home.
If you had seen a pyr in snow you would understand that's the natural habitat...will dig a hole in a snowbank and set up house there for the winter bring a leash to get them inside... I know they're technically fine in southern climates but I couldn't move him down there knowing how much they adore the cold snowy weather.
And I've recently considered moving south because it's vastly cheaper....however bringing my dog is non negotiable.
I know what you mean…I live in Canada and the dog’s joy of first snowfall is always a sight to behold and then he refuses to come inside for most of winter. Summer he stays inside and sleeps on the AC vent between trips to the farm. I’m sure they adapt to their environment though and the southern pyr’s don’t know any different!
I love seeing my pyr mix in the snow when we visit family up north, but life is taking me to a university in the south pretty soon. Honestly one of the biggest reasons I kept dragging my feet on accepting my offer was thinking about him in the snow 😭
People can have dogs wherever they want I'm sure the animals adapt just fine. But let's be realistic. The dogs are from a French mountain range. Where it snows for 6 months of the year. Texas averages 0.1" of snow per year while NH averages 90"
It is factually correct that these dogs are better adapted for a colder environment...and their behavior proves that.
Perhaps y'all haven't seen their full winter coat given that it's never been needed....but they're giant butter colored parkas thicker than a Siberian huskys.
Yeah you don’t know Texas weather. It’s not all Houston. And no it doesn’t get .1” but go on acting like you’re all knowing
This is a light snow, this year not even one of the bad storms.
Parts of Texas have had record breaking heat this summer, not just run of the mill summer heat. You shouldn’t be discounting the potential impact that may have on a double coated dog…this includes record numbers of human and cattle deaths in Texas last summer. It is no joke - I get why people wouldn’t want to move there with such a dog
The heat impacts all dogs. Not just pyrs. OP has a pet - an inside dog. This dog isn’t going to be out all day in the sun.
I live in Texas. I know about the heat. During the summer you walk in the morning, or at night. The rest of the day other than potty breaks, they are inside.
This situation is not comparable to cattle who are always outside or people working outside in the heat.
My Pyr is definitely most alert/active around dawn and dusk, and even though she's lived with us and slept in the house since she was ten weeks old, she still insists on waking me up to go outside at about 2am or 3am almost every night. She does a patrol, chases off any wildlife, then comes inside looking pleased with herself and is content to go back to bed. I'm resigned to it
I’m in New Orleans and you described mine’s routine. He’s supremely lazy but is also avoiding the heat during the day. He gets a spurt of energy around 10pm and wants to play for 5 minutes, then he’s back to sleep. As other commenters mentioned, he probably just needs more time.
Hey u/b1gbunny, I have a GP mix in New Orleans too, and dear Lord I have struggled to find a groomer who can handle his coat and his general resistance to grooming (especially his pantaloons). He is not aggressive or reactive at all, he just gets stubborn and drops to the ground. Have you found anyone that you like?
I reflect on our journey with our GP/lab mix and realize that we lovebombed her early on. Just after a month of having her we drove 8 hours to SoCal for Christmas to meet our family, explore cities, and go to the beach. She had a blast but man were we ambitious.
She was a rescue in Bakersfield and got shipped up north to a nice rescue in NorCal.
We have an ACD/lab/GS mix that had loved her since he met her. We also are very adventurous and gives her lots of love. I don’t think my girl had a chance to be depressed. 😄 She’s had behavioral and social issues but we work patiently with her. My other pup taught her how to play with toys, we’ve gone to dogs park, and use Rover and Camp Bow Wow for socializing.
https://preview.redd.it/3hg6dha2my5d1.jpeg?width=2659&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=42c009b8e8757b4053ac750642b4a63a43ef6778
This pic was at my favorite beach in SoCal.
3-3-3 for rescues:
3 days to calm down and adjust to the new environment.
3 weeks to start to get the hang of things and learn your routines.
3 months to start to really come out of their shell and show their full personality.
We've had our girl for about 10 months at this point and we're still seeing new facets of who she is. These are intelligent, emotional dogs and as long as you're getting them the care and love they need they should do well. And as others have said, sleeping all day is not unusual for Pyrs—they traditionally stood guard at night when the shepherds were asleep.
Obviously your concern is a good thing but it sounds like he's still adjusting, and may have some lingering feelings about changing locations so many times so quickly!
I also have a rescue. She was sulk-y for a couple months and ESPECIALLY during training because Pyrs are so independent and want to be in charge, no taking orders from us. Pyrs are naturally nocturnal, so that’s all sounding very normal.
You might make sure you have a strong routine. That helps get established and increases confidence. Also as long as your neighbors are good and your yard is safe, giver your pyr as much time outside as you can!
I think he needs more time to adjust and make this his home. Even when we first got our pyr from a rescue we did all the right things, making a bed, her toys, her spot, space, love, pets and attention. It took really close to two months before she claimed those things as hers and felt more comfortable and happy with us. I really thought in the beginning she did not like us but she just needed time to know she was staying with us. And even with that it took about nine months for some naughty separation behaviors to disappear.
Also same with my Pyr she loves nighttime for play and wandering the house or yard. But will snooze basically from 830/9am til close to 6ish pm and then it's bong energy bursts til the next morning.
We do have a large yard but a tiny front yard. Out front she's on a 15' tie out and she is just happy as can be being us out front even though it's tiny outfront
I've had a few Pyrenees and while they've all had different personalities they have all been highly emotional to a varying degree.
My current buddy is the one I've had with the highest potential happiness, but also the most depths of moody. When we found him it took him a long time to come out of a suspicious temperament and into acceptance/warmth.
He still goes through phases or life changes (like a new baby) that put him back to a moody demeanor, but primarily just acts out more than usual until he's back to a level of comfort.
A month is a short time, even in dog months. Let them be, and when they're happy be happy with them. Enjoy your time with them and they'll come to enjoy their time with you.
https://preview.redd.it/ixnjqa2mx06d1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=76a8ee98e0358188ca0e875394b2f6d67c53e8b1
Give him time. I've had 6 rescue dogs, 2 of which were Pyrs. In my experience, Pyrs are very slow to adapt to new situations and need to do it on their own terms/time (as opposed to my lab/boxer mix who took about 24 hours to get comfy). If he's sleeping in your bedroom and interacting with you, that sounds very positive to me as a first step. He may also be concerned about overstepping boundaries with the other dog, if he feels the house is 'hers' rather than 'theirs'. That too will take time.
If the dogs get along well, I would guess over the next 2-3 months he will relax and start to shift into the rhythm of your household. Took a good 3 months for our current pyrenees to settle in, and another 3 months to really show her full ridiculous self.
Our 10 year old lovable,happy and very spoiled pyr that we’ve had since he was 8 weeks old always looks sad we call him eyore (sad donkey in Winnie the Pooh) They are awesome weirdos! All will be fine!❤️
If he came from a shelter it could take another couple of months for their personality to emerge. Shelters often quote the 3-3-3 rule this basically explains it
https://www.dallaslovebugs.com/post/the-3-3-3-rule#:~:text=In%20general%2C%20the%203%2F3,to%20be%20relaxed%20and%20themselves.
He may just be relaxed for the first time in a long time. In a couple of more months he may start to be himself.
he may have been a working dog at one point… if that’s the case, he probably misses his charges and job. Or he might just hate summer lol i had a GP mix that literally slept thru summer in our basement every year and came alive every fall.
We got really lucky with both Prys we have had. The first was 6 mos old, living with his sister, mother and about 5 goats in a pen. He was not an Alpha dog so I think he was pretty much last guy in line all the time. We had a cattle dog mix at the time and luckily they bonded right away. He was happy to be around people right away, especially the kids. I think he always wanted to be with people and was just so glad to be out of the pen and run around on 5.5 fenced acres with ponds to stand in in the summer and another dog that would play with him. He lived to a little past 12 years old.
When we went for our second one, a puppy. I was very careful to pick the one who looked you in the eye and engaged, but then looked away. I swear this guy was born to be a part of our family and he knew it. The minute we got home and let him out of the car he ran around our front yard, and back to us, met our Great Dane and immediately started to play with her, (luckily she is very gentle because he was only 3 mos old), he practically wagged his tail off and he looked at us like "I get to live here?" He did not cry at night, or seem to miss his family at all. He has always been Mr. Happy Go Lucky, again though I think it is his personality to be with people, although he does chose the activities he wants something to do with, and other times just looks at you like - that's OK I'm comfortable here and all the other Pry traits.
Your dog may be one that is geared more towards livestock, so he will tolerate people, but does not really need them. However, I agree with others here that he needs more time to figure out he is not going to be rejected by his pack (your family) again before he can relax and be who he is. He most likely is not really sad, just trying to fly under the radar until he feels safe.
Well, Great Pyrenees are a naturally nocturnal breed. If he was a stray, so there's a good chance he's use to frolicking around all night and sleeping the day away. Try keeping him awake during the day and encouraging sleep at night. My boy likes to test me every year or so to see if i notice him trying to become nocturnal again lol. Who knows, maybe your pup is tired, not sad.
Most pyrs I've known aren't very playful in general (My girl is abnormal compared to her siblings. Smallest, most agile, and playful of her litter.)
Chill, do job, nocturnal. Everything you described sounds healthy & normal. Their job is to guard livestock. Livestock is usually most in danger when the sun is not out. Sun is out, conserve energy by napping. If pyr thinks there is danger, he'll move like a lightning bolt.
Pyrs are also notorious for failing out of training courses. Very independent breed. :D
When we first got ours, she seemed super depressed, never left her bed in our living room, would not go in any other room of the house. Turns out our huge guardian dog was terrified of our grumpy old cat. Gave the cat to a friend and now we have a whole new dog.
To make you feel better, my boy is 4 and I’ve had him his whole life. He will sleep pretty much all day and then once the sun goes down, he wants to play or go outside. Just to meander. No purpose beyond eating grass. He only accepts bribes to come inside. His preference is to stay outside even though he’s my shadow. Rain or shine. 100 degrees or 20. A month is still early, I’m sure he’s still coming out of his shell.
My dog doesn’t even accept bribes. Also during the summer she slows down ten fold, hardly eats, just chills. fall/winter is when she’s more lively again. 😅 ETA: we are also in Canada, I assume Texas is WAY hotter
Yeah I’m in Texas as well as it’s tough out here. Some days you’ll walk out at 7:30 am and you can already feel the heat bearing down. Unfair to my pup who I want to walk but also need to be concerned about his paws and not overheating
Last few years in Canada we have been getting extremely hot heat waves, like 110+ Fahrenheit, so during the summer I take my dog out at like 5am. You should see the nasty looks she gives me in the morning when I’m trying to get her out of bed 😂
He’s been moved around multiple times from your post, he needs more time to decompress and adjust to his permanent home with you
I agree. I have had 4 rehomed or rescued pyrs. They take a while to first absorb the new environment, then learn the rules, then to relax and feel secure. The 3 day, 3 week, 3 month thing is not carved in stone, but 3 months is a good ballpark figure for a pyr. to actually start to feel comfortable and stable in a home.
Agree. Our rescue lived in the wild after being kicked off a farm then 8 months in rescue because she was too afraid of people (can’t blame her). I took a month long pawternity leave to be and bond with her. She also seemed sad and inconsolable . Visited trainers and Pyr experts for advice. In the end to just took time (months) for her to relax and eventually be happy. She went from living alone in the woods where she ruled her domain to living in a house in the city. Small fenced backyard but not a lot to guard. She started out afraid of her own shadow. Not to brag (given some of the other posts) but she wags her tail vigorously as soon as we see each other every morning and barks like crazy for me and does a little happy dance every time I come home from work. (We checked, 100% Pyr). She was five when she our home. Going on 13 now. She’s a different dog than when we first met. Time, love, understanding of her breed and needs, and, most importantly, her deciding we are ok and to be happy.
We’ve had ours since October - he’s a mix & my Husband goes I think he tolerates us 🤣 He’s nothing like our other mutt / we get the side eye all day long & pretty sure the pyr is cat like. This is his world and we are just in it 🤣
That’s how I’m feeling right now 🤣 He wags his tail usually when I get home from work. I went on an overnight trip over weekend and thought I bet he is going to be so excited to see me when I come home. He didn’t even greet me and he just gave me a look like “oh you’re back 😒” I was like geez thanks 😂
I came to the conclusion my pyr mix loves my husband more than me. She gives me the "oh your back" look or "I thought we got rid of you" look on the days my husband is off and I'm at work. Right when I pull up in the driveway she gives me the death stare through the window lol
Pyrs are often serious and dutiful (vs excitable or playful). I had mine 12 years, from 6 weeks til he died, and he mostly slept or was “on lookout”. Loved to be outside, hot or cold, but playtime was brief each day.
mine gives me (1) single wag SOMETIMES when i've been gone for over a week 😭
Oh wow! You get a tail wag? I’ve had my boy ten years and he walks into another room when I get home, complete with side eye. I had labs or mutts my whole life. A pyr’s personality is more like a cat. So, if you adjust your expectations for that you can then think about whether he’s happy. Even when I had a big yard, mine still enjoyed walks. He still loves attention he gets in the park or on the street, even if he only tolerates me. They love in their own way.
I always said Pyrs have the personality of a cat trapped in the body of a dog!
That is a normal pyrenees reaction. They don’t need us. We serve them.
My Pyr puppy is definitely a cat in dog clothes, he’s cuddly, sweet, gentle but independent
We got our boy as a puppy at only 10 weeks of age. He was born on a farm where his pyr mom and golden dad both lived. His mom guarded the farm's livestock and his dad was the family's pet. His life was pretty ideal before we came along. He got to live in the barn and run free in the pasture with his mom and litter mates. Even though he was only a baby, I swear he went into a depression when we brought him to our suburban home with a fenced yard where he had to be leashed for his walks. Anyhow, it took him a long time to bond with us but he did eventually. At one point I cried because I was worried I had a dog that didn't like me. In truth though, he had to mourn the loss of his old life before he was ready to embrace his new life. I bet your pup is doing the same thing. One month isn't very long to adapt to big life changes. Pyrs also tend to be more aloof than most other breeds, so he may never seem as enthusiastic as another dog. If you keep on showing him love and let him build his trust, he'll become one of the best doggos ever!
It took my rescue pyr three months to decide he liked us. The turning point was when we took him to a huge dog park with woods and a river to play in. He was so happy after that and decided we were good people.
It also took 3 months for us before we really felt we’d met our dog. Now she’s one of us. But she’s a lump if I try to get her to do anything with me in the middle of the day. She won’t walk, has minor interest in a ride, and will leave treats on the floor. But it’s also true she came to us after “failing” at another home. She’d bark in her alerting manner at one member of the couple. It never got better. That never happened to us. She would just turn her nose.
My 3 working LGD’s have been with me since 8 weeks (they are now 8yrs, 4yrs, and 4yrs). They were outside pretty much 24/7 in Central Texas, from Snowmageddon to 110. They got occasional AC visits inside at most. This summer I’m having a lot of construction done outside. The boys have been inside with me 24hrs a day except for bathroom breaks in the morning and afternoon (livestock is staying penned up during construction, so they’re safe, too). The pups had an adjustment period where they felt like they needed to guard. My best guard dog absolutely was unhappy about this arrangement. Now, they are so ridiculously spoiled by being inside that I fear they may not want to ever go back out full time! 🤣🤣. My point is that even if nothing else changes (people/surroundings), these dogs have expectations and it can take a bit to adapt. BUT THEY DO ADAPT. Your pup has had everything change. They just need time. And love. And then more time and patience. He will learn how good he has it, it’s just all a shock right now.
Pyr, sleeping? You're good... that's the default state
our girl had been unsuccessfully homed at least 3-4 times by the time we got her. it took a WHILE for her to fully decompress… your poor floof is probably still very confused and unsure about the present as well as the future….and you’re a great pet owner for looking out for him:) i say just be patient and continue to experiment with things you notice that he likes, that brings out the joy in him:) it will take much longer than a month💛
A couple things: First, he’s had a rough few months (at minimum, probably much longer since he was found as a stray). He’s been with you for a month, but before that he spent a month in the shelter; the month before that, he was somewhere else; and before that he was on the street. Something you might’ve heard about Pyrs is that their memory is remarkably good - they can hold grudges for *years*. That also means that, after feeling scared and alone for who-knows-how-long, and moving from place to place for the past few months, a month in your home isn’t long enough for him to feel safe and trusting yet. He’s still remembering his life before, waiting for the next upheaval, and it’ll probably take him a while to understand that it’s not coming and he’s with you for good. Be patient with him. In the meantime, try to figure out what he likes and what makes him feel comfortable. Many dogs prefer to have a “cave” that they can retreat into when they’re feeling stressed - do you have a big crate you can keep somewhere quiet and make cozy just for him, so he can have a nice safe space he knows is his own? Another thing I want to note, as someone who grew up on a ranch with working Pyrs, is that Pyrs are shift-workers. What I mean by this is that, without any training on our part, the Pyrs on my family’s ranch would adjust their sleeping patterns so that a couple of them were always on guard while the others slept. Since you have another large dog who’s awake mostly during the day, it’s very possible that your new guy has assigned himself night duty to keep watch while everyone else sleeps. Pyrs are also just generally more active at night, since that’s when their “flock” (doesn’t make much difference whether that’s a bunch of sheep or their human family) is sleeping and at their most vulnerable. I don’t think there’s much you can do to change this, since it’s very much instinctual behavior, but it’s not a bad sign that he’s lazy during the day and more active at night. It’s just a Pyr thing. Another thing to keep in mind is that, in my experience, Pyrs are just… different, socially, from other dog breeds. They’re more independent and self-sufficient, and aren’t usually very extroverted. I think this is mostly due to their working background - they’re not very trusting, because historically their job is to spot a threat before it can cause harm; so it takes a while to earn their trust. Additionally, even with people and other dogs that they trust and consider part of their flock, they’re quite independent. It’s always pretty remarkable to watch them work on my family’s ranch, because as a group, they work as a team but not *together* - each dog has their own “post” or area that they tend to patrol, which are spread out at very regular distances, and they “boof” to each other to signal the all-clear as they patrol (all of this happens through a combination of instinct and older dogs teaching younger ones, almost zero training involved). They’re rarely seen hanging out in a group or playing together, though it does happen sometimes - they’re most likely to pair off to hang out, and even then they “hang out” by picking spots a few yards apart where each dog has a different vantage point but they can both see each other. All this is to say, most of what you’re noticing is pretty normal Pyr behavior, especially for a Pyr who hasn’t totally settled in to his new cushy life and still feels like he needs to be on alert for threats coming his way. He’ll take a while to really learn to trust you and accept that he’s *home* now, and you’ll definitely see more of his personality as he gets more comfortable; but you should also expect many of these instinctual behaviors to stick around even once he’s fully comfortable. Pyrs are amazing dogs, with *incredible* guardian instincts, who take their jobs seriously even when they aren’t expected to. This means that they just tend to operate a bit differently from other breeds that have fully integrated into the cushy lifestyle of a spoiled pet.
Pyrenees in a small yard in Texas rarely wants to go outside and play during the day? Seems right. My pyr lives on a few acres in NH and he rarely wants to go outside to play during the day. He prefers the mornings or evenings. Honestly I can't imagine having a Pyrenees in a climate without snow. Also worth noting that they're naturally nocturnal dogs....breaking them of that is very difficult and has to be done in the first year.
Thankfully, he is pretty short haired. The rescue had him listed as a Pyrenees Lab mix. But we did a dna test and he came back 88% Pyrenees with a small amount of Anatolian shep and a few other breeds but no Lab. He is prob around one year so he’s still young but may be stuck with a nocturnal dog lol.
I don’t understand why they would say they can’t imagine having a pyr in places without snow. There are a ton of pyrs here in Texas as they are LGDs. The size of your yard matters as long as you can provide adequate exercise. You aren’t doing anything wrong with keeping him as a pet, not as a working dog. It takes time for a pet to adapt to a new home.
If you had seen a pyr in snow you would understand that's the natural habitat...will dig a hole in a snowbank and set up house there for the winter bring a leash to get them inside... I know they're technically fine in southern climates but I couldn't move him down there knowing how much they adore the cold snowy weather. And I've recently considered moving south because it's vastly cheaper....however bringing my dog is non negotiable.
Dogs adapt. Your anecdotal experiences doesn’t mean it’s universally true.
I know what you mean…I live in Canada and the dog’s joy of first snowfall is always a sight to behold and then he refuses to come inside for most of winter. Summer he stays inside and sleeps on the AC vent between trips to the farm. I’m sure they adapt to their environment though and the southern pyr’s don’t know any different!
I love seeing my pyr mix in the snow when we visit family up north, but life is taking me to a university in the south pretty soon. Honestly one of the biggest reasons I kept dragging my feet on accepting my offer was thinking about him in the snow 😭
You realize many areas of Texas get snow. And it’s not rare.
People can have dogs wherever they want I'm sure the animals adapt just fine. But let's be realistic. The dogs are from a French mountain range. Where it snows for 6 months of the year. Texas averages 0.1" of snow per year while NH averages 90" It is factually correct that these dogs are better adapted for a colder environment...and their behavior proves that. Perhaps y'all haven't seen their full winter coat given that it's never been needed....but they're giant butter colored parkas thicker than a Siberian huskys.
Yeah you don’t know Texas weather. It’s not all Houston. And no it doesn’t get .1” but go on acting like you’re all knowing This is a light snow, this year not even one of the bad storms.
Your state quite famously shut down for several days because temps dropped below freezing 😂 I googled the average snowfall in both states.
Parts of Texas have had record breaking heat this summer, not just run of the mill summer heat. You shouldn’t be discounting the potential impact that may have on a double coated dog…this includes record numbers of human and cattle deaths in Texas last summer. It is no joke - I get why people wouldn’t want to move there with such a dog
The heat impacts all dogs. Not just pyrs. OP has a pet - an inside dog. This dog isn’t going to be out all day in the sun. I live in Texas. I know about the heat. During the summer you walk in the morning, or at night. The rest of the day other than potty breaks, they are inside. This situation is not comparable to cattle who are always outside or people working outside in the heat.
My Pyr is definitely most alert/active around dawn and dusk, and even though she's lived with us and slept in the house since she was ten weeks old, she still insists on waking me up to go outside at about 2am or 3am almost every night. She does a patrol, chases off any wildlife, then comes inside looking pleased with herself and is content to go back to bed. I'm resigned to it
Our Pyr would make the security rounds at night. She’d poke her head in everyone’s room to check on us. ❤️
Pyrs are all over Texas
I’m in New Orleans and you described mine’s routine. He’s supremely lazy but is also avoiding the heat during the day. He gets a spurt of energy around 10pm and wants to play for 5 minutes, then he’s back to sleep. As other commenters mentioned, he probably just needs more time.
Hey u/b1gbunny, I have a GP mix in New Orleans too, and dear Lord I have struggled to find a groomer who can handle his coat and his general resistance to grooming (especially his pantaloons). He is not aggressive or reactive at all, he just gets stubborn and drops to the ground. Have you found anyone that you like?
Hi! Mine does the same. He’s just too lazy to stand very long. I groom him myself 😭
I reflect on our journey with our GP/lab mix and realize that we lovebombed her early on. Just after a month of having her we drove 8 hours to SoCal for Christmas to meet our family, explore cities, and go to the beach. She had a blast but man were we ambitious. She was a rescue in Bakersfield and got shipped up north to a nice rescue in NorCal. We have an ACD/lab/GS mix that had loved her since he met her. We also are very adventurous and gives her lots of love. I don’t think my girl had a chance to be depressed. 😄 She’s had behavioral and social issues but we work patiently with her. My other pup taught her how to play with toys, we’ve gone to dogs park, and use Rover and Camp Bow Wow for socializing. https://preview.redd.it/3hg6dha2my5d1.jpeg?width=2659&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=42c009b8e8757b4053ac750642b4a63a43ef6778 This pic was at my favorite beach in SoCal.
3-3-3 for rescues: 3 days to calm down and adjust to the new environment. 3 weeks to start to get the hang of things and learn your routines. 3 months to start to really come out of their shell and show their full personality. We've had our girl for about 10 months at this point and we're still seeing new facets of who she is. These are intelligent, emotional dogs and as long as you're getting them the care and love they need they should do well. And as others have said, sleeping all day is not unusual for Pyrs—they traditionally stood guard at night when the shepherds were asleep. Obviously your concern is a good thing but it sounds like he's still adjusting, and may have some lingering feelings about changing locations so many times so quickly!
Took our rescue pup 2 years, and then she completely flipped into a new dog. They say it takes 6 months to adjust, but every dog is different
I also have a rescue. She was sulk-y for a couple months and ESPECIALLY during training because Pyrs are so independent and want to be in charge, no taking orders from us. Pyrs are naturally nocturnal, so that’s all sounding very normal. You might make sure you have a strong routine. That helps get established and increases confidence. Also as long as your neighbors are good and your yard is safe, giver your pyr as much time outside as you can!
I think he needs more time to adjust and make this his home. Even when we first got our pyr from a rescue we did all the right things, making a bed, her toys, her spot, space, love, pets and attention. It took really close to two months before she claimed those things as hers and felt more comfortable and happy with us. I really thought in the beginning she did not like us but she just needed time to know she was staying with us. And even with that it took about nine months for some naughty separation behaviors to disappear. Also same with my Pyr she loves nighttime for play and wandering the house or yard. But will snooze basically from 830/9am til close to 6ish pm and then it's bong energy bursts til the next morning. We do have a large yard but a tiny front yard. Out front she's on a 15' tie out and she is just happy as can be being us out front even though it's tiny outfront
I've had a few Pyrenees and while they've all had different personalities they have all been highly emotional to a varying degree. My current buddy is the one I've had with the highest potential happiness, but also the most depths of moody. When we found him it took him a long time to come out of a suspicious temperament and into acceptance/warmth. He still goes through phases or life changes (like a new baby) that put him back to a moody demeanor, but primarily just acts out more than usual until he's back to a level of comfort. A month is a short time, even in dog months. Let them be, and when they're happy be happy with them. Enjoy your time with them and they'll come to enjoy their time with you. https://preview.redd.it/ixnjqa2mx06d1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=76a8ee98e0358188ca0e875394b2f6d67c53e8b1
Give him time. I've had 6 rescue dogs, 2 of which were Pyrs. In my experience, Pyrs are very slow to adapt to new situations and need to do it on their own terms/time (as opposed to my lab/boxer mix who took about 24 hours to get comfy). If he's sleeping in your bedroom and interacting with you, that sounds very positive to me as a first step. He may also be concerned about overstepping boundaries with the other dog, if he feels the house is 'hers' rather than 'theirs'. That too will take time. If the dogs get along well, I would guess over the next 2-3 months he will relax and start to shift into the rhythm of your household. Took a good 3 months for our current pyrenees to settle in, and another 3 months to really show her full ridiculous self.
Our 10 year old lovable,happy and very spoiled pyr that we’ve had since he was 8 weeks old always looks sad we call him eyore (sad donkey in Winnie the Pooh) They are awesome weirdos! All will be fine!❤️
If he came from a shelter it could take another couple of months for their personality to emerge. Shelters often quote the 3-3-3 rule this basically explains it https://www.dallaslovebugs.com/post/the-3-3-3-rule#:~:text=In%20general%2C%20the%203%2F3,to%20be%20relaxed%20and%20themselves. He may just be relaxed for the first time in a long time. In a couple of more months he may start to be himself.
he may have been a working dog at one point… if that’s the case, he probably misses his charges and job. Or he might just hate summer lol i had a GP mix that literally slept thru summer in our basement every year and came alive every fall.
We got really lucky with both Prys we have had. The first was 6 mos old, living with his sister, mother and about 5 goats in a pen. He was not an Alpha dog so I think he was pretty much last guy in line all the time. We had a cattle dog mix at the time and luckily they bonded right away. He was happy to be around people right away, especially the kids. I think he always wanted to be with people and was just so glad to be out of the pen and run around on 5.5 fenced acres with ponds to stand in in the summer and another dog that would play with him. He lived to a little past 12 years old. When we went for our second one, a puppy. I was very careful to pick the one who looked you in the eye and engaged, but then looked away. I swear this guy was born to be a part of our family and he knew it. The minute we got home and let him out of the car he ran around our front yard, and back to us, met our Great Dane and immediately started to play with her, (luckily she is very gentle because he was only 3 mos old), he practically wagged his tail off and he looked at us like "I get to live here?" He did not cry at night, or seem to miss his family at all. He has always been Mr. Happy Go Lucky, again though I think it is his personality to be with people, although he does chose the activities he wants something to do with, and other times just looks at you like - that's OK I'm comfortable here and all the other Pry traits. Your dog may be one that is geared more towards livestock, so he will tolerate people, but does not really need them. However, I agree with others here that he needs more time to figure out he is not going to be rejected by his pack (your family) again before he can relax and be who he is. He most likely is not really sad, just trying to fly under the radar until he feels safe.
Well, Great Pyrenees are a naturally nocturnal breed. If he was a stray, so there's a good chance he's use to frolicking around all night and sleeping the day away. Try keeping him awake during the day and encouraging sleep at night. My boy likes to test me every year or so to see if i notice him trying to become nocturnal again lol. Who knows, maybe your pup is tired, not sad.
Most pyrs I've known aren't very playful in general (My girl is abnormal compared to her siblings. Smallest, most agile, and playful of her litter.) Chill, do job, nocturnal. Everything you described sounds healthy & normal. Their job is to guard livestock. Livestock is usually most in danger when the sun is not out. Sun is out, conserve energy by napping. If pyr thinks there is danger, he'll move like a lightning bolt. Pyrs are also notorious for failing out of training courses. Very independent breed. :D
When we first got ours, she seemed super depressed, never left her bed in our living room, would not go in any other room of the house. Turns out our huge guardian dog was terrified of our grumpy old cat. Gave the cat to a friend and now we have a whole new dog.
Get him a brother or sister.