New Inexperienced owner here: Breed; Great Pyrenees- Mountain Cur (biting, training, teeth)

[Regina14]

Originally Posted by Maila

Thank you so much for the insight Regina. It helps me. Please see my comments in red below.
By the way, no one talks about the problems lol; as soon as I returned home, she jumped on me, which I expected I, however didnt expect that her nails would rip my lace dress! arrgggrr. Note to self: Dont buy lace dress anymore.

Also make notes to yourself to (1)teach the puppy not to jump up on people - very important with small children in the home. Dogs jump up because that is the way they learned to greet their mothers when they were little puppies; it's an expression of friendship; they don't know that it's inappropriate. It may take time to teach her, but don't give up. Start out by teaching her to sit on command (always praise and reward her when she does it right); and then, when she comes at you and prepares to jump, tell her to sit instead. (2)start trimming her toenails, or take her to a groomer who will do it.

As for the housebreaking problems, as I understand it, you don't know how well housebroken she was in her former home. You should be able to housebreak her, but it might take time; she's going through a great adjustment. When she defecates and urinates outside, praise her and possibly give her a treat; don't say anything when she has an accident indoors, give her minimal attention, just clean it up ASAP.

As for the puppy seeming 'hyper' now and maybe that will change in a few months; don't count on it; she is at a hyper age, and won't be out of puppyhood/adolesence until she is two years old. And some breeds/mixes are more high-energy than others. The trick is to find a regimen of play, activity (mental and physical) and leashed walks that will use up her energy; and that might take awhile.

Have patience; this is a brand new experience for you and for your puppy.

[Annie53]

I would just like to add......ask your vet if he/she can recommend a training class.....your vet can be a great resource for things other than just medical care.

Same goes if you ever need to find another dog walker or sitter.

[Maila]

Originally Posted by JONOV

g inside.

Your biggest challenge on this dog is going to be the size. If it leans toward Great Pyr, it will be big, and powerful, and you will have to work on teaching it manners around people and manners on a leash.

The good thing about this is that they are gentle with people and kids and protective of their flock.

Mountain Curs are hound type dogs.

Thank you. I called a couple of places and asked for price quotes on obedience training. 1 class every week for 6 weeks they say. One is charging $120 and the other is charging $255 +HST.
I will book one of them.

Originally Posted by mjaynes288

It is never too late to vaccinate. Since she is an older puppy she is no longer protected by her mother's antibodies so she should develop immunity to most things after 1 dose. Some vaccines for bacteria require 2 doses.
Great Pyrenese are giant dogs and can easily knock people over. They need to be taught that knocking people over is not acceptable. It is dangerous and could easily get you sued.
She knocked my 2 year old over. He fell down and cried a lot.

Another thing you may be running into is the debate about feeding a giant breed puppy. Small breed puppies need more nutrients to sustain their fast growth hense puppy food. With giant breeds you need to be careful as growing too fast can increase the chances of health problems from the painful but self limiting panosteistis (growing pains) to the life altering including hip dysplasia.
There is so much conflicting information about feeding her I say! I have been raeding so much about what else I can feed her that is home cooked and nutitionally balanced but with so much info, I just feel lost. Kibble it is for now.
No I do not leave a light on for my dog. Dogs have better night vision than humans and vision is way down on the list of senses dogs rely on, after scent and hearing.
You are right. My general rule is the dog can only be left in a crate for 4 hour stretches during the day, especially a puppy. Leaving any dog without a potty option for 11 hours is asking for the dog to develop the habit of going in the crate and sitting in it for hours or holding it so long they develop a UTI.
This seems to be another controversial topic on how long a dog can be left alone in a medium sized crate. I have had people tell me that 2 hours is too long; I have also been told they can go up to even 11 hours with food and water inside the crate (they say in airline industry, doctors etc routinely do this and pups get used to the schedule. I am thinking somewhere in between.

Thank you. Please see above in red

[Maila]

Originally Posted by historyfan

We've had Great Pyrenees for more than 25 years. PM me questions & I will do my best. They mature slowly & are/act like pups until 2 - 2 1/2 years old. Get dog walker, they need tons of exercise. You have a goofy pup for next 2 years. They will really dig if left in a fenced yard unattended.


They are clean animals in that they will not foul their area, unless they absolutely have to go. 11 hours is way too long for a pup to be crated.

I may actually take up your offer on answering through PM
Yes, I also feel 11 hours is too long. Once in a while it might be OK but not 20 days a month.
Great tip about getting her to sit before she gets a treat. i will start it right away.

Originally Posted by Annie53

THIS^^^^.

Once she is out of her chewing stage, definitely give this a try. Try and if there are problems, wait a month or two and try again. Such a better quality of life for her in the long run.

Thank you Annie. Yes! this was what I was telling hubby. We will make at least one area in the house "safe" for her and that way, she can be let out of the crate. It surely will improve her quality of life and my guilt feeling of leaving her in crate for any amount of time. Basement sounds like a great idea to me. I dont have much happening the basement anyway. That or even the family room with child locks on for the kitchen cabinets that she can easily reach.

[Maila]

Originally Posted by JrzDefector

DO NOT leave a Pyr unattended in a yard. They are roamers. If they get out they will take off. Mountain curs are also a breed bred to be loose on a farm and to hunt. They will probably roam too. so that's a pretty roam-y mix. My advice would be to never leave her unsupervised. I also think obedience classes are a really good idea.

Thank you, yes, I am enquiring for prices and where its best to take my pup for training. i left her today with a long cable this morning for 10 mins. I hid behind the curtains inside to see what sh is up to. She was upto no good. She was trying to dig through the lawn. I hope she stops it.

Originally Posted by hiero2

And please read on, because the breed characteristics, ESPECIALLY of the Great Pyrenees, is going to affect how you train this puppy.
I will. thank you
But the Great Pyrenees / mountain cur thing. Wow. Don't think you could get two more opposite sets of instincts to combine. However, mind that your information about who the parents were may be wrong. That happens a lot.

A normal work day is about 9 hours. 11 hours is too long to be alone for MOST breeds of dogs, but it may be doable, because EACH individual dog is different. Dogs aren't like, say cars - you can't take the tires off and put them on another car. Dogs are very much individuals. So breed characteristics TEND to be true - but can vary.
This si exactly what hubby is saying. In a month, both our schedules are such that there will be a 11 hour gap. For the first few months, we are appointing a dog walker and she is charging $25 for 30 mins now. That also, if its 5 consecutive days. Else I am looking at $30 for 30 mins. Hubby is saying (in his industry) people routinely leave dogs up to 10-11 hours. Not 30 days a month of course, 8-10 days a month, spread over here and there. While I am not comfortable with that idea at all, I am hoping soon I will be able to dog-proof my family room so she is safe and yet, improve her quality of life.

However, from the sounds of it, your pup has inherited some GP size genes. And rambunctiousness, too. The Great Pyr I've known haven't been overly sensitive to correction. And hounds (like the mountain cur) are typically also not overly sensitive in their emotions. {My current two are herding collies, farm collies, and are very sensitive to negative training methods. Permanently so, meaning negative is a real no-no for me.} But focus on positive training methods first. Don't ask here for the difference - go read up and study before you come back. Actually I always believed that positive positive reinforcement works so much better and faster than negative methods. I am not leaning towards it what so ever, unless and until I try every positive thing out there.

Exercise and mental stimulation. Personally, I don't think your dog is likely to be satisfied by a daily walk, or even two. If you said a daily RUN - that should be ok for a mountain cur. But a Great Pyr needs something different. They will benefit from a run, but likely need it less than the cur. However, the GP need for mental stimulation and social contact will likely be higher than the cur - and higher than most dogs.
Good point. I have another appointment with the vet. I will consult and see what can be done. running...I dont even know where I can take her. Right now, she is barking bloody murder at the squirrel, bunny, man and a child that is not her family (hubby, I and 2 kids).
I would also recommend you find breed-specific forums and lurk there - reading up on what people who OWN such dogs have to say. When you recognize the instinct patterns YOUR dog has, you can start planning your training and activities to work WITH rather than AGAINST, those instinct patterns.

Good luck.

Thank you very much. Please see in red

[Maila]

Thank you so much. I am feeling so overwhelmed. i sometimes wonder if I did the right thing to bring her home. Anyway, we are trying our very best to make sure she is off the crate as much as possible. I am really aiming (I still will get a professional advise on this from a vet) to make my family room dog-safe

kids are very good with dogs. they have been going to daycare since my maternity leave ended (which is 14 months here in canada). daycare has 2 dogs...so they know how to treat a pup and they are really good with dogs. my dog on the other had is knocking my lil one repeatedly. i am thinking the training will help.

trust me when I say this (i have nothing to show proof), I really am trying to give her as much attention as I can.

Originally Posted by OpinionInOcala

• Your dog's breed-mix is a duality of working-breeds that require above-average outdoors exposure, mental stimulation, and family hierarchy training - especially with respect to the young children in your home. At 7-months old (or more) this dog should already be used to the random poking, prodding, and handling of inexperienced children. Hopefully the mentality of the dog favors the Pyr in this respect, as they tend to form better bonds and possess more patience with young humans within the nuclear family than Curs.
• You're starting this relationship noticeably behind the proverbial 8-ball.

Other recommendations:

• Radically increase socialization with nuclear family, extended family, acquaintances, and potentially even other animals in a safe and controlled manner.
• Double to quadruple the amount of exercise and specific-task performance training of your dog, and train your children to assist in such in conjunction.
• Teach the children that the dog is only to be pet or worked with rather than plopped upon or unknowingly tormented, and begin the process with the praise-and-reward system of following your children's basic obedience commands under the direct supervision of yourself and your spouse.
• Find a way to acclimate the dog to having as much non-crated freedom as possible (this should be done in conjunction with the aforementioned exercise/mental stimulation increase).

[Maila]

Originally Posted by bookspage

Thank you for adopting and thank you for hiring a dog walker to come in the middle of the day!!!! A 30-45 minute walk and break in the middle of the day will make such a difference in your dog's life

You have a good heart!

Thank you. i am worried about those 8 days when hubby and I work long hours. Other days, I am ok.

Originally Posted by OttoR

It sounds like you really are a newby! This is definitely not a dog I would have recommended for a first-time dog owner with young children. You are going to have to really put in a lot of effort to have a well-mannered, safe, family pet. Not that it can't be done. My friend has raised several Great Pyrenees dogs and her babies and toddlers grew up with them - they were gentle giants.

!

That's a lot of information and I greatly appreciate your inputs. I am looking at every video over and over.
the circumstances in which she was brought home is different. If i had thought this through and knew about the breed fully, I probably wouldnt have gotten her. But then, we felt right when we saw her. We will do everything in our power to make this work.

[Annie53]

Try to relax and let the experts, your vet and obedience trainer, guide you.

As I said before, I would ask your vet to recommend an obedience trainer. Through feedback from his hundreds of clients, he will know which one will fit your needs best so you don't waste your money on the wrong trainer.

Start making a list of questions and concerns to take with you to the vet and the trainer.

I learned a long time ago to make a list as it would never fail, I would get home and then remember I forgot to ask about something.

In fact, sometimes my vet will ask me, "Can I see your list?" LOL

[Windwalker2]

I remember that when I was a teenager, my parents got a Golden Retriever. When he was past the puppy stage, they left him in the family room they had recently enclosed and furnished, during the work day when we were all gone. He totally trashed all the furniture, ripped the drapes down and tore them up, shredded furniture coverings, even chewed on the floor. He was too bored. My father walked him twice a day, rain, sleet, snow or hot weather. It wasn't enough. He was with us in the house when we were home.

At some point you might consider daycare for the dog on your long days, if you can find a good one that's open the hours you need.

[Annie53]

That is not the norm. The vast majority of dogs can be left alone with full run of the house all day long with no damage done once they age out of their "childhood", usually around 2 years of age.

I took in a stray that looked a lot like the OP's dog, same size, blond, part lab, part shepherd and who knows what else. The vet said he was about a year old.

I never crated him and he tore up an ottoman, a padded kitchen chair, a set of curtains, tore the carpet off a cat pole, chewed the corners on the kitchen cupboard doors.

My solution was to start leaving cardboard boxes lying around for him to tear up. Empty tissue boxes, empty cereal boxes, any kind of box I had. I brought boxes home from work that were nearly as big as he was.

He had a ball tearing them up while I was at work and left everything else alone. When I got home from work I would collect the small pieces and throw them away and save that larger pieces for the next day. Worked like a charm but not something a professional trainer would ever recommend.

And then one day he just stopped, just like that. He had reached adulthood.

All of the other strays I have picked up never chewed anything other than their toys and they were all about a year old.

The dog I have now, Lucy, was about one year old when I found her and she has never torn anything up other than her toys. In fact, she has never touched the stuffed cat toys but will chew on her stuffed toys.....which kind of amazes me, she is such a good girl.

No matter the breed, you just can't predict what you are going to get.

Hopefully the OP's dog is one of those that matures sooner rather than later, but one day she will and odds are she will be just fine being left alone with access to the whole house.