See Common Pyr Problems here.
My Dog Is Counter-Surfing!
Most of our big dogs grow to be eye level with our counters, so everything left there is an immediate temptation. Your “stuff” is literally “right in front of their eyes”. Don’t wait until your dog has his mouth on your ham sandwich to stop counter-surfing. If you see him look towards or approach the counter, say NO! firmly and move your body toward him with a serious look. Or, call him over to distract him. If he walks away or stops, praise him. (This is a time when clicker training can come in very handy.) If he grabs something that won’t harm him, and goes into guard mode, don’t take a chance of getting bitten. (Never grab a dog by the collar.) Some dogs will respond to “the trade,” i.e., you offer a tasty treat a distance away and are able to separate him from the forbidden item. Again, don’t take a stand that results in anyone getting hurt. And if he walks past the counter without being interested, praise him. Other options that people have tried include putting a “yucky” sandwich (lemon juice on bread or other distasteful item) on the counter, hoping he doesn’t love it. Or, a can full of pennies when knocked over will made a loud scary crash and stop counter-surfing.
Remember that for a dog, seeking food is a primary activity, a basic survival drive. Think about how your dog learns: repetition and reinforcement. In other words, when you feed him treats directly from the table or while standing at the counter, you are telling him that food is often given at these locations. A dog’s mind doesn’t discriminate as well as we’d like; you’ve taught him to pay close attention to these places as sources of food. Put food and treats in the dog’s dish, don’t hand them directly from the counter or table. Sometimes, we unknowingly place a lot of temptation in front of our dogs; control the environment by keeping food and especially, medications, off of the countertops, and make sure garbage cans are locked or impossible to open (and don’t think these dogs can’t learn to step on the foot lever to open the top!). You may have to keep a pressure gate on the kitchen entryway in order to keep him away from temptation when you’re not home.
Obedience training (including clicker training and “target” training) can be a big help, including teaching commands like “Wait!” and “Leave it!” Teach your dog to go to his “place” while you’re eating or preparing food. Tips for this can be found at:
www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/common-dog-behavior-issues/food-guarding
how-to-put-an-end-to-counter-surfing
www.patriciamcconnell.com/resource-guarding/
www.dog-obedience-training-review.com/dog-food-aggression.html
My Dog is Aggressive/Dominant/Thinks He’s the Boss!!!
Great Pyrenees are a dominant breed that must be independent thinkers in order to do the job of a guardian breed. They are true guardians and you must not underestimate their instinct. If children are roughhousing with friends or family, the dog does not understand that this is not a real threat to his or her “flock.” The dog should be in the other room. Children must ALWAYS be monitored around dogs, especially giant breeds who can easily knock down a small child without meaning to harm them. Giant breeds can also look down on small children as lower members of the pack, which is why we stress the need for a strong leader and encourage all family members to participate in obedience training with the dog.
Great Pyrenees look to you as their “pack leader” and like all pack animals, they find comfort and reassurance in knowing the rules, who makes them and the one who controls the resources. This humorous video above demonstrates the importance of keeping dogs off the furniture especially in the early days of ownership. Great Pyrenees look to you as their “pack leader” and like all pack animals, they find comfort and reassurance in knowing the rules, who makes them and the one who controls the resources. We strongly urge adopters to do the following to establish themselves as the “pack leader”.
