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The reason for their existanceThe Pyrenean Shepherd is a loose-eyed
herding and tending breed; he is a jack-of-all-trades. When
the farmer is out tending his flock, his little sheepdog is with him.
His purpose was to take the sheep, with the shepherd, back
and forth to the grazing pastures each day and to aid the farmer in
working with the flock management. These pastures are usually not fenced
so some tending is also required. He is also useful
as an alarm system as nothing escapes his gaze and he is quick to
bark a warning. He generally works close to the flock with little
direction given by the shepherd. At the barn the farmer
will also use his Pyr Shep to sort out individuals in the flock for
milking or other purposes. The Pyr Shep is a versatile all-purpose
farm dog. The
breed's focus is his master so when you walk away from the livestock,
your Pyr Shep will follow. When you are working with livestock
and he sees you need his assistance he is quick to try and help out. He uses every means within his
body; his liveliness, his bark & bite to control the sheep successfully
(unlike the Border Collies use of strong eye contact). The
herding instinct is still very strong in all Pyr Sheps. Some
shepherds would not have any other breed except the petit berger des
pyrenees while others complain the breed is too lively, barks too much
or bites too much. Much depends on their training but inherently
they are a useful, tireless worker for the farmer either at his farm
or on the transhumance.
The Pyr Shep
is very quick and reactive in his style, but also very biddable.We have now titled four of our females and three males competing at different levels of Canadian herding trials--often receiving "Reserve High in Trial" or "High In Trial" honors.
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CONFORMATION SHOW RING
The
Pyr Shep is a unique breed in the show ring. There are very few
being exhibited and this makes it difficult for judges to develop
a good feel for the breed. A pleasant dog exhibiting sound structure
and temperament with no major faults will catch the eye of any judge
and be remembered. The quality and temperament of the dog being
exhibited needs to be exemplary to ensure the breed develops a good reputation
in the show ring.
Raised properly, the pyr shep also makes an excellent dog for the Junior Handler. A small pyr shep at 15-16" weighing around 20 lbs is very manageable for a young Junior Handler for either manipulating the dog's position or lifting it onto a grooming table for examination (the breed is examined on the table in the United States only). At the same time, the characteristic devotion of the breed makes it such that the Junior Handler can easily keep the focus of his charge. The pyr shep is always aware of what is going on around him in the ring and this offers a little challenge for his handler but nothing that a tasty morsel doesn't rectify. Junior handlers are always asked questions about the dog they are exhibiting and information about the Pyr Shep is always interesting for youngsters to research and learn. For the show ring the pyr shep is easily trained and exhibited as a "natural" breed. His handler does not need to fuss with long periods of grooming nor is the dog stacked in an unnatural stance. The breed's natural alert behavior keeps his eyes on his handler, while its typical mischievous smile and expression will usually keep the judge's eye on the breed. The grooming requirements are very minimal. His nails should be trimmed and his teeth clean. The coat should be clean and free of tangles or debris. Often times a good brushing will be enough to tidy and clean a coat up for the show ring. The dog does not need to have a bath every time he is being exhibited in the show ring. There is no trimming or scissoring of his coat because a major part of his allure is his rustic appearance. The U.S. standard states that the breed's feet can be trimmed but I have not found this to be necessary. In fact, considering the amount of coat the breed can possess the lack of coifing and fussing tests the patience of many professional dog show exhibitors with fingers itching to get busy trimming this or that! If you have any questions regarding the grooming of your pyrenean shepherd then get in touch with your breeder. If you are hiring a professional handler to show your dog make certain that the handler is aware of how you want the breed to be presented in the show ring. If your Pyr Shep has the traditional cadenettes, a corded coat, then the cords can be split to keep their sizes even. I have several dogs with this type of coat and because they are working dogs the cords will pick up debris such as hay and vegetation seeds so I do spend some time picking these bits out of the cords before exhibiting the dog. I will also bath just the cords to get out any lingering odour of the barn. But, I have also gone straight from the barn into the show ring and placed with high honors. When entering the ring with your pyr shep he needs to be trained to "stand" and "stay" and keep his attention focused on you, the handler. Then the judge will usually ask you to trot your dog around the ring to examine his gait. Although the pyr shep sometimes likes to enhance his performance with a few jumps in the air I would suggest this behavior be kept to an absolute minimum. A lively trot on a loose leash will present the movement of the dog adequately. When coming to a stop it is handy to teach your dog to "stop" or give him a signal that you are slowing down. This prevents the dog from being pulled by the leash to a halt. When the judge is examining your dog tell the dog to "stand" and "stay" then squat down beside the dog all the while encouraging him to "stay" still. Do not allow your dog to jump at the judge or pull back from the judge. Keep your dog's focus on YOU! If your dog sits down then gently stand him up again. If your dog is being examined on a table place the dog on the table and align his feet squarely then tell the dog to "stand" and "stay". It is important not to rush through this process as that is often a signal to the dog that you are nervous and this results in the dog becoming nervous as well. Always be proud of your dog and what the breed should be representing. The breed was not developed to be a show dog. It is a working farm dog and whether or not the dog lives on a farm does not matter as long as the owner, as a steward of the breed, conveys to others the respect the breed and its' heritage deserve.
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| HOOPERS
This new sport called HOOPERS is a natural for the Pyrenean Shepherd and so much fun! This simple sport, that is very popular in Europe,
has blossumed from U.S. NADAC competitions to what is now a stand-alone
sport competition just using four pieces of equipment, Hoops, Barrels,
Gates and Tunnels. These pieces are used to form a route for
running a course. Ultimately, the challenge and difficulty for
the owner is training the dog to work at a distance from you. In the
beginning, the equipment is close and the training involved is teaching the
dog the concept of listening to your verbal cues and watching your body language
to determine the route that it is going to take and which obstacles it will
be using to follow the set out course.
Here is a radom example of the sport being practiced by all sizes of dogs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLClUyszh3c It is a very safe sport that is suitable for all people and dogs in excellent health or with limited movement disabilities or past injuries. The people can remain stationary and call out directions to their dog to follow a set path or encourage their dog by luring with motion, food and toys when training. The dogs can run at the speed they are most comfortable. All the equipment used does not require any jumping or direct contact as the sport is not about performing the equipment but, literally, about "the journey"--a set route. There is more information and lots of videos on YouTube or Facebook Group:The sport relies on the dog developing their natural propencity for working with their humans and the humans developing their communication skills with their dog and to trust their training and the dog. It is a partnership that devleops like no other and benefits the dog and owner in ALL aspects of daily life. https://www.facebook.com/groups/897088851567414/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT ************************* There is more information at this website dedicated to teaching the sport: International: http://www.hoopers-international.com/
amblecroft@gmail.com |
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AGILITY
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"Rally"
performed all over North America with Superdogs
and his freestyle routine is amazing to watch. Rally and his owner, Angela, were 2007 Skyhoundz Canadian Frisbee Champion |
FLYBALL
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TRACKING & SCENT
WORK
Pierre & Hiver learning to track The
Pyr Shep is used successfully as a Tracking, Scent Detection and
Search and Rescue dog. He has great drive and a natural
desire to please which makes training quick and fun. There
are many very successful Bergers des Pyrenees competing in high levels
of tracking competitions around the world.
"Jinn" and his owner Diana are the first Pyrenean Shepherd in North America to obtain the initial Scent Work title and are currently working toward higher qualifications in this field. |
| BARN HUNT
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Karen competes at the Masters Levels with Tango and Sami. Watch Tango searching in the video below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuKVJXeYsRQ |
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