ORIGIN
The Pyrenean Shepherd
seems to be a very old breed with roots in the Pyrenees Mountains since at
least the Bronze Age. Selection on workability and adaptation to the wild environment of the
mountains make this breed to what it is now. They have always helped the shepherds with
their cattle and farmers with all kind of work in the high mountains. These
little Shepherds have always been dogs for the lower classes and
therefore never in the neighborhood of painters or writers. Because of
this there exist almost
no historical
paintings or old written references about Pyrenean Shepherds and so their origin will never be really known…
The
breed was not officially recognized in France until 1926 when Bernard
Senac-Lagrange and the RACP succeeded in gaining full recognition,
due in part to the little dog's renown as a courier and search &
rescue dog in World War I. Since the 1960s, the breed has grown in
popularity and is now among the 20 most popular breeds in France. In the
rest of the world, it is still a rare breed and maybe it should stay that
way: a Pyr Shep is not the easiest dog to own, despite it's small size
and cute exterior...
GENERAL
APPEARANCE
A
Pyr Shep is a lean and lively dog of minimal height (38-50cm) and weight
(8-15kg) with a
great deal of energy and an intelligent attitude and expression. They're
always on alert, suspicious and ready for action. This attitude and
their great vivacity of movement gives this little dog a highly singular
gait and appearance, characteristic of no other breed.
Note
that there are 2 varieties of Pyrenean Shepherd: Rough Faced (museau
normal/poil long) and Smooth Faced (face rase). Pups of excellent type
of both varieties can occur in the same litters.
Simply
the Best de Loubajac, Smooth Faced Pyr Shep 
A
rustic appearance is called for, not the extreme show grooming common in
many breeds. The head is triangular, with the muzzle shorter than most
herding breeds. The
eyes must not be obscured by hair. The expression is striking &
intelligent. In proportion, the Smooth-Faced variety is more square than
her Rough-Faced counterpart, though still slightly longer than tall. The
Smooth-Faced dog is slightly higher on hock than the Rough-Faced. The
gait is effortless, covering remarkable ground for such a small dog.
TEMPERAMENT
The
Pyrenean Shepherd is a herder to his very soul and has the intelligent
initiative to adapt to all manner of changing circumstances in order to
fulfill the human shepherd's every need with unequalled prowess. The
powerful herding instinct is so strong in him that from the very youngest
age he knows how to manage the flock even without the example of an older
dog. He is dominated by his love for his work.
He has
also the tendency to become passionately attached to his
owner; to the complete exclusion of all others and is astonishingly
sensitive to his owner's moods. As a companion, he is very active and
enthusiastic and insists upon being involved in the day's activities
whatever they may be. He is very affectionate with the members of his
immediate family but is distrustful to strangers. Only through
considerable effort at socialization does this dog become friendly with
strangers.
The
smooth-faced variety is not as high-strung as the rough-faced variety and
tends to be more tractable. He is more outgoing with strangers and has a
very lively, cheerful disposition.
This
little active shepherd excels at all performance events like herding,
agility, tracking, flyball, obedience...
