Avalanche is a Great Pyrenees mix who was adopted out as a baby a few months ago. He has certainly grown over this short period and is now around 90 lbs. and still growing ! At maturity he will probably reach something like 150 lbs.His adopters have reluctantly returned Avi to NCCR because he was too much for their children. As Avi is still just a
youngster himself he still has a lot to learn, therefore a thorough program of training will need to be continued if he is to become a fully socialised adult dog.
Currently in foster care, Avi is getting along well with 3 adult dogs of various ages and breed type as well as 4 cats. He is, of course, just a huge toddler really, despite looking so grown up, but in general is good around the house. He is crate trained but currently does not spend much time in his crate - at night he just crashes somewhere cool !This dog has a great temperament, is house trained, fully vaccinated, neutered and microchipped. He plays well with other dogs and is generally one big happy chappie !Avi needs a home where any children are over the age of 12 yrs and with an owner experienced in large breeds and their management. Just look at how he's grown ! Here he is at present (6 months) next to his baby picture showing him at 9 weeks old. Awwwww.......... Below these pictures are some notes on this breed type :
A GREAT PYRENEES PUPPY – Do you REALLY want one ? Please read through this information carefully and assess
whether or not this pup is suitable for your household and lifestyle. Remember – you are taking on a commitment for the
whole life of this dog.
ADULT WEIGHT – Males 100 – 150 lbs
POSITIVES
• Is very large and rugged, resembling a majestic white bear
• Will protect your horses, llamas, sheep, goats, or chickens
• Can be found with a strong protective temperament, or a more easygoing mellow temperament
• Tends to be serious and steady, rather than playful and silly
• Is quiet indoors and content with moderate exercise
NEGATIVES
• A very large dog who takes up a lot of space in your house and car
• A heavy dog who wants to sit on your feet, lie on your lap, and lean his weight against your leg
• Destructiveness when bored or left alone too much
• Aggression or fearfulness when not socialized enough
• Aggression toward animals who don't belong to his family
• Strong-willed mind of his own, requiring a confident owner who can take charge
• Providing six-foot fences and lots of supervision to prevent wandering
• Deep booming barks, especially at night when he hears a sound
• Heavy shedding
Major concerns would be:
1. Providing the proper balance of exercise. Young Great Pyrenees need enough exercise to keep them lean and healthy, but not so much that their soft growing bones, joints, and ligaments become over-stressed and damaged. Adult Great Pyrenees need more exercise to keep them in shape, but not in hot or humid weather for fear of overheating. The
proper amount of exercise can be difficult to regulate in giant breeds. Since you have to minimize their exercise, young Great Pyrenees can be very rambunctious. They will romp with uncoordinated gawkiness all over your house. You need to substitute extra quantities of companionship and supervision. Otherwise, left alone, young Great Pyrenees become bored and destructive -- and their powerful jaws can literally destroy your living room.
Great Pyrenees are most satisfied when guarding livestock. You can substitute pulling a cart or sled, or backpacking, or a similar canine activity, but if you simply want a pet for your family, I do not recommend this breed. Great Pyrenees were never intended to be simply household pets
2. Providing enough socialization. Great Pyrenees need extensive exposure to friendly people so they learn to recognize the normal behaviors of "good guys." Then they can recognize the difference when someone acts abnormally. Without careful socialization, they may be suspicious of everyone, which could lead to biting. Some Great Pyrenees go in the opposite direction -- without enough socialization, they become fearful of strangers, which can lead to defensive biting.
3. If you have small children, I do not recommend a Great Pyrenees puppy. Young Great Pyrenees (up to about three years old) romp and jump with great vigor, and things can go flying, including people. There can also be problems if a Great Pyrenees tries to protect his own children from other children, which could lead to tragedy if kids are
simply roughhousing and the Pyr decides to stop it. With such a massive dog, you can see the potential risk.
4. Animal aggression. Most Great Pyrenees will treat the pets in their own family as members of their flock. But they have strong instincts to drive away animals who do not belong to their family. Many Great Pyrenees are dominant or aggressive toward dogs they don't know. Many do not get along with cats. If anything goes wrong in the breeding, socializing, training, handling, or management of this breed, it is capable of seriously injuring or killing other animals.
5. To keep your Great Pyrenees in, and to keep other animals out, fences should be high, with wire sunk into the ground along the fence line to thwart digging. Gates should have the highest quality locks.
6. Heavy shedding. Great Pyrenees shed a LOT. You'll find hair and fur all over your clothing, upholstery, carpeting, under your furniture, on your countertops -- even in your food. Frequent vacuuming will become a way of life. Make sure you're REALLY up for this.
7. The strong temperament. Great Pyrenees are not Golden Retrievers. They have an independent mind of their own and are not pushovers to raise and train. They can be manipulative, and some are willful, obstinate, and dominant (they want to be the boss) and will make you prove that you can make them do things. You must show them, through absolute consistency, that you mean what you say.
8. Noise. Unless you live on a farm or ranch away from close neighbors, Great Pyrenees should never be left outside in your yard, unsupervised. Their booming barks will have your neighbors calling the cops to report the nuisance -- or perhaps letting your Great Pyrenees out of his yard so he'll wander away.
Frankly, most Great Pyrenees are "too much dog" for the average household. This is a serious working dog with tremendous strength. Very few people really have the knowledge or skills necessary to manage this breed, or to provide the activities that keep him most satisfied.
If you think you might be interested in adopting, your first step should be to complete an adoption application. This avoids the disappointment of someone else has "beating you to it" because they were pre-approved. Processing an application does not take us very long but we do insist that all potential adopters are approved before placing a dog. Applying is very simple. Just log on to our website at
Northern Chautauqua Canine Rescue and select Adopt a Dog from the menu on the left side of the homepage. Just above the photo gallery you will see Adoption Application giving you a choice of 2 formats. Select one of these and complete the information requested, then save it as a file and e mail it to us. If you do not get a response within 24 hours of sending your application, please call us at 716/326-PAWS. And be sure to check out all the dogs and puppies eagerly awaiting homes.
