PYRENEAN MOUNTAIN DOG - Pet or Guardian?

Can your Pyrenean Mountain Dog be a pet and an alpaca protector? In our experience...YES.

When we first brought our Great Pyrenees home, we weren't sure if he was going to be a livestock guardian dog or a pet. He had no livestock experience. We love big dogs and would have been happy with him had he become strickly a pet. But, we were hoping he'd work out for the alpacas.

We were told that we would ruin him as a guard dog if we made him a pet. "Put him out in the field and leave him there day and night or he won't be any good as a guard dog.", one alpaca owner warned us.

Well, the kids wanted the new puppy inside with them and we gave in to having this gentle guy in the house at night. Besides, we wanted to crate train him.

Our routine became putting the dog out during the day with the alpacas and bringing him in at night to be with the family.

At night, sometimes we could hear him patroling the house. We decided he wanted to be on duty at night, too.

Our routine changed. Now our Pyrenean Mountain Dog, Sam, comes into the house from 5:00 AM to 6:00 AM for breakfast then back on duty in the alpaca field.

He comes back into the house at 5:00 PM for dinner and makes the rounds to be pet and check out the house for visitors, any new smells, and to take a nap. Then he eagerly returns to the alpaca field around 8:00 PM to resume his guarding duties for the night.

Sam seems extremely happy with this routine. He enjoys guarding his alpaca herd, but he enjoys the human contact, too.

...And we enjoy his company. This schedule has not lessened his guarding instinct in any way. He lets the coyotes and everyone else know that he is on duty protecting his alpacas.

Your Pyrenean Mountain Dog can be a livestock guardian dog and a family pet. Don't let anyone tell you this gentle giant can't do both.

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