Hello,

I have a purebreed Great Pyrenees, Bogus, and he is the best dog ever! He is 8 months, and still a puppy, so he is still a handful. They are the cutest puppies ever...and turn into the most beautiful dogs. This breed is extremely smart and actually don't eat as much as you would think. They get very large, like a St. Bernard. One of the dogs at the ranch where we picked up Bogus was 180 pounds! (We are hoping Bogus doesn't grow that large!) They are quite athletic and don't have the health problems that are associated with many purebreeds. The breeder said his have all lived 14-16 years.

There are many Pyrs that are returned because people fall in love with them as a puppy becuase they are big fluffballs, but they soon grow into mammoth active puppies and are quite a challenge if you've never delt with it before. Going from training a labrador to a Pyr was quite the shock! They know exactly what you are asking them to do, but many times will just stand there and look at you. Once we realized that was something in the breed, we didn't take it so personally. I've read that this stubborness comes from their background of spending days herding sheep out in the pastures. However, they will eventually slow down, and become very calm, beautiful, loving adults. So I wouldn't recommend getting one as a puppy unless you have a LOT of patience.

Bogus is very beautiful. It is good that you are stating the positive sides of him, but also the things one needs to pay attention to in the breed. There are many people that do fall in love with large dogs when they're puppies and abandon them when they grow. I think it's so sad. Everyone should do their homework before getting a pet.

Bogus sounds very smart. It must be hard work but very rewarding to train him. He is going to be a beauty as an adult.