Pyrenean Sheepdog
The Pyrenean Sheepdog is a medium-small breed of dog. It comes from the South of France, in the Pyrenees Mountains. The Pyrenean Shepherd is a herding dog. The breed in the northern part of the mountains, where the climate is colder, was originally long-haired and all white. In the Basque area of Spain, the smaller breed of the dog was primarily used to protect the sheep from bear and wolf attacks.
| Pyrenean Sheepdog | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Smooth-faced Pyrenean Sheepdog | |||||||||||||||||||||||
 Pyrenean Sheepdog Long-Haired | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other names | French: Chien de Berger des Pyrénées Berger des Pyrénées Labrit Labri Pyrenees Sheepdog | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Common nicknames | Petit Berger (Little Shepherd) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Origin | France | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Dog (domestic dog) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
History
change
They may have been a companion of Cro-Magnon man.[1] Pictographs of a similar looking dog were found at Lascaux.[1] They are an ancient and intelligent breed and the Phrenean Shepherd is one of the oldest existing dog breeds.[2][3][4] They have been used since the middle ages to help with livestock.
The breed became popular for a time with French royalty.[5] This is when the son of XIV was in Barèges, France and became fond of a Pyrenees. He took it back to live with him in Louvre in Paris.[5]
In the 1880s, Queen Victoria owned one of the great white dogs. It was at that time that the British Kennel Club recognized the Pyrenean Mountain Dog as a breed. In the 1930s two puppies were brought to Needham, Massachusetts and bred which helped to save the species.[5] The Pyrenean Shepherds were used to carry packs during World War I.[5]
Appearance
changeThe Pyrenean Shepherd has many different looks. The breed is either smooth-faced or rough-faced. One type, common today, is said to look like a cross between a Collie and a teddy bear.[6]
References
change- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Pyrenean Shepherd". VerticalScope Inc. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
- ↑ Phrenean Shephards: A Complete Anthology of the Dog
- ↑ The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia® (NY:Columbia University Press,Copyright © 2013).[1]
- ↑ Pyrenean Shepherd
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Joan Hustace Walker, Great Pyrenees, (Hauppauge, N.Y. : Barron's, ©1999) p. 6 [2]
- ↑ CSMonitor.com, Westminster Dog Show 2010