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| Ottavia |
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| Ocean and Olinda |
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| Oxford and Odell |
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Puppy Teaser!
Seriously, are any words really necessary at this point? The "O" puppies! Coming to the great Northwest soon!
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Meet and Greet
Don't forget!
This Sunday, February 25, 2018 from 11 am to 2 pm volunteers and rescue dogs will be at the Sellwood Pet Supply in Portland! The address is 8334 SE 17th Ave, Portland, OR 97202
Talk to the volunteers about the Great Pyrenees breed, adopting, and volunteering! We hope to see you there!
This Sunday, February 25, 2018 from 11 am to 2 pm volunteers and rescue dogs will be at the Sellwood Pet Supply in Portland! The address is 8334 SE 17th Ave, Portland, OR 97202
Talk to the volunteers about the Great Pyrenees breed, adopting, and volunteering! We hope to see you there!
Thursday, February 15, 2018
Tips for New Adopters
So you're considering adopting a Great Pyrenees? Great news!
Certainly if you are an experienced Pyr owner you probably familiar with this term:
ad-dic-tive/ǝ'diktiv/causing or likely to cause someone to become addicted to it.
I've heard a saying recently, "Pyrs are like potato chips, you can't have just one". Equally true, although you may have had one or even two Great Pyrenees dogs in your lifetime, chances are the next one will be completely different! Their dog personalities can range from being goofy and playful to serious and stoic. What is it about some of us who are completely devoted to this breed while some others folks relinquish their dogs into rescue due to Pyr characteristics they can't or won't embrace? For me it's a deep understanding of this breed and being accepting of all their unique characteristics, but I would invite other readers to weigh in below in the comments. It's true that Great Pyrenees as puppies are very difficult to resist...fluffy butted, sweet faces, with wondering eyes that watch their owners intently.
But these angelic beings grow up to be extremely intelligent adult dogs with an essential job to perform-guarding. As some people get a negative picture in their head from the word "guard" it's utilized in this post as this:
guard/gärd/watch over in order to protect
What should one know prior to adopting a Great Pyrenees?
1. Great Pyrenees are bred to be GUARDIAN DOGS.
Okay, let's unpack that as there are probably many perspectives about guard dogs depending on what type of dog you are used to- so what does that mean exactly?
I see that the American Kennel Club has changed their website so the first descriptions you see initially of the Great Pyrenees is "majestic, Zen-like calm, and graceful". Okay, sure, absolutely! And typically Pyrs are instinctively guardians, meaning guarding is natural. They are bonded to a herd (goats, sheep, chickens, cats, little people, big people, various things they see as a herd...). But the guarding...what does that look in behaviors? Their mere presence is enough to ward off predators due to their barking and displaying very aggressive behavior. While it's important to know the rescue adopts out dogs as companion dogs only, they still have the characteristics of livestock guarding dogs.
2. Okay, so they have INSTINCTIVE GUARDING characteristics. Instinct is nothing you can teach nor can you entirely remove it. Great Pyrenees are one of the oldest of the livestock guarding breeds and they are bred to be independent thinkers (National Pyr Rescue website). This means they don't need to consult with you for any decision they make. I've described "training" a Great Pyrenees as being able to get them to do what I want and make them think it's their decision. Luckily for me, Whitman would much rather choose to be in the house with a yummy treat versus barking out in the yard. GPRS does have certified trainers who are experienced in training these dogs and they are an integral part of of this rescue and contributors to this blog. To read about ideas of how to train your Pyr check here.
Certainly if you are an experienced Pyr owner you probably familiar with this term:
ad-dic-tive/ǝ'diktiv/causing or likely to cause someone to become addicted to it.
I've heard a saying recently, "Pyrs are like potato chips, you can't have just one". Equally true, although you may have had one or even two Great Pyrenees dogs in your lifetime, chances are the next one will be completely different! Their dog personalities can range from being goofy and playful to serious and stoic. What is it about some of us who are completely devoted to this breed while some others folks relinquish their dogs into rescue due to Pyr characteristics they can't or won't embrace? For me it's a deep understanding of this breed and being accepting of all their unique characteristics, but I would invite other readers to weigh in below in the comments. It's true that Great Pyrenees as puppies are very difficult to resist...fluffy butted, sweet faces, with wondering eyes that watch their owners intently.
guard/gärd/watch over in order to protect
What should one know prior to adopting a Great Pyrenees?
1. Great Pyrenees are bred to be GUARDIAN DOGS.
Okay, let's unpack that as there are probably many perspectives about guard dogs depending on what type of dog you are used to- so what does that mean exactly?
I see that the American Kennel Club has changed their website so the first descriptions you see initially of the Great Pyrenees is "majestic, Zen-like calm, and graceful". Okay, sure, absolutely! And typically Pyrs are instinctively guardians, meaning guarding is natural. They are bonded to a herd (goats, sheep, chickens, cats, little people, big people, various things they see as a herd...). But the guarding...what does that look in behaviors? Their mere presence is enough to ward off predators due to their barking and displaying very aggressive behavior. While it's important to know the rescue adopts out dogs as companion dogs only, they still have the characteristics of livestock guarding dogs.
2. Okay, so they have INSTINCTIVE GUARDING characteristics. Instinct is nothing you can teach nor can you entirely remove it. Great Pyrenees are one of the oldest of the livestock guarding breeds and they are bred to be independent thinkers (National Pyr Rescue website). This means they don't need to consult with you for any decision they make. I've described "training" a Great Pyrenees as being able to get them to do what I want and make them think it's their decision. Luckily for me, Whitman would much rather choose to be in the house with a yummy treat versus barking out in the yard. GPRS does have certified trainers who are experienced in training these dogs and they are an integral part of of this rescue and contributors to this blog. To read about ideas of how to train your Pyr check here.
Monday, February 5, 2018
Training your Pyr
How to Train a Monster
"He had already been nicknamed "monster puppy" before he even arrived at my house. 7 months old and 80 pounds he was a puppy of monstrous proportion. It was shortly after coming to me as a foster that I realized the name "Monster" might stick because he was also behaving like one.
I'm fairly sure I rolled my eyes during my conversation with his surrendering owner-mouthing, chewing, relentless play. Our rescue had heard it all before. Big, cute, fluffy Pyrenees puppy becomes adolescent and no one can be bothered anymore. 'Don't worry' I said. 'I'm a trainer, we'll be fine.' You know what they say about Karma and how pride comes before the fall; it was my first of many lessons in humility that Monster would teach me. Within days of his arrival I was made keenly aware of my arrogance.
As a trainer, there are some things I do really well. I know how to manage a situation and environment to help a dog be successful. Consistency, routine, clear expectations, positive reinforcement, mental and physical exercise are my strengths. And none of it was working. On our walks he would get easily worried or overstimulated. Grass was a trigger. Try walking through a neighborhood avoiding grass! For Monster, overstimulated meant running across the lawn, diving onto it head first, then turning around with a glimmer in his eye and flying at me, grabbing my arms and growling. My only recourse was to drag him, still attached to my arms, to the nearest tree, wrap the leash around it, extract myself, step back and wait for him to calm down. Until the next lawn. I came home in tears every time with bruised arms and torn clothes. Play time in the yard wasn't much better and he was a terror in the house. I have never used a prong collar, choke chain or shock collar on a dog, and I certainly wasn't going to, but I finally understood the impulse, because things were unbearable. Lesson two in humility and a fair amount of shame.
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| Rufus aka "Monster" |
I'm fairly sure I rolled my eyes during my conversation with his surrendering owner-mouthing, chewing, relentless play. Our rescue had heard it all before. Big, cute, fluffy Pyrenees puppy becomes adolescent and no one can be bothered anymore. 'Don't worry' I said. 'I'm a trainer, we'll be fine.' You know what they say about Karma and how pride comes before the fall; it was my first of many lessons in humility that Monster would teach me. Within days of his arrival I was made keenly aware of my arrogance.
As a trainer, there are some things I do really well. I know how to manage a situation and environment to help a dog be successful. Consistency, routine, clear expectations, positive reinforcement, mental and physical exercise are my strengths. And none of it was working. On our walks he would get easily worried or overstimulated. Grass was a trigger. Try walking through a neighborhood avoiding grass! For Monster, overstimulated meant running across the lawn, diving onto it head first, then turning around with a glimmer in his eye and flying at me, grabbing my arms and growling. My only recourse was to drag him, still attached to my arms, to the nearest tree, wrap the leash around it, extract myself, step back and wait for him to calm down. Until the next lawn. I came home in tears every time with bruised arms and torn clothes. Play time in the yard wasn't much better and he was a terror in the house. I have never used a prong collar, choke chain or shock collar on a dog, and I certainly wasn't going to, but I finally understood the impulse, because things were unbearable. Lesson two in humility and a fair amount of shame.
Saturday, February 3, 2018
January Adoptions!
Our first adoption month of the new year and here's Juliette:
WOW-It is already FEBRUARY!! January just FLEW BY and we are moving steadily into 2018! We had a GREAT START to the new year with 34 adoptions in January! Unfortunately, the Pyrs in Texas are still flowing into the rescue like water-but our amazing team of volunteers, fosters and screeners are working SO HARD to rehabilitate and make a difference for as many as we can and we are just so thankful for every single one of our rescue members! We could not do as much as we do without our amazing volunteers!!!
We want to give a BIG PYR PAW of congratulations to the following Pyrs that found their forever homes in January: Charley, Divinity (S), Tori, Sadie, Harmony, Gigi, Cole, Cayman, Annette (S), Brazos, Griswold, Max, Nanny, Kris, Mark, Daphne, Rosalynn, Luanna, Miguel, Cleopatra, Dean, Shadow, Tito, Camille, Nora, Bandera (S), Daisy, Cameron, Brutus, Melissa, Russell, Rufus, Nevan, and Norton!!
If you would like to volunteer for Great Pyrenees Rescue Society click here and go to "How to Help" or if you are ready to adopt we have many great dogs, including puppies, awaiting their forever homes! As Juliette mentioned, the rescue has quite of few dogs in foster waiting to be adopted and more homeless dogs coming in who need foster homes.
WOW-It is already FEBRUARY!! January just FLEW BY and we are moving steadily into 2018! We had a GREAT START to the new year with 34 adoptions in January! Unfortunately, the Pyrs in Texas are still flowing into the rescue like water-but our amazing team of volunteers, fosters and screeners are working SO HARD to rehabilitate and make a difference for as many as we can and we are just so thankful for every single one of our rescue members! We could not do as much as we do without our amazing volunteers!!!We want to give a BIG PYR PAW of congratulations to the following Pyrs that found their forever homes in January: Charley, Divinity (S), Tori, Sadie, Harmony, Gigi, Cole, Cayman, Annette (S), Brazos, Griswold, Max, Nanny, Kris, Mark, Daphne, Rosalynn, Luanna, Miguel, Cleopatra, Dean, Shadow, Tito, Camille, Nora, Bandera (S), Daisy, Cameron, Brutus, Melissa, Russell, Rufus, Nevan, and Norton!!
If you would like to volunteer for Great Pyrenees Rescue Society click here and go to "How to Help" or if you are ready to adopt we have many great dogs, including puppies, awaiting their forever homes! As Juliette mentioned, the rescue has quite of few dogs in foster waiting to be adopted and more homeless dogs coming in who need foster homes.
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| Bling relaxing in her foster home |
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| Mark and Miguel |
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| Trudy feeling safe in her foster home |
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