Hi and Wellcome to my page. I'm Cassandra's Barbazan and my friends call me Kassu. I'm a Berger de Pyrennees a.k.a. PyrShep.

Here is how I am (or supposed to be)

The Berger des Pyrénées, or Pyr Shep for short, looks as mischievous and lively as his personality.
Always at the ready, he is continually alert with his ears moving independent of one another, in this direction and that, so as not to miss a single thing going on around him. Averaging 42 cm tall (16-17") at the shoulder, he is light of frame and should only weigh approximately 12 kilo. (25 pounds).

The Pyrenean Shepherd is seen in two coat varieties; the rough-faced (museau normal) and smooth-faced (face-rase), with minimal physical characteristics distinguishing the two. Both can be born within the same litter. The rough-faced variety has a long or semi-long coat covering the body and legs, and should look as though he is always facing into the wind. Sometimes this coat will be of the texture to naturally cord. The smooth-faced should have no traces of long hair on his face at all. The body coat is shorter with fringes on the back of the legs.
Both varieties generally have double dewclaws on their back legs. This anomaly is seen though out many of the French breeds. Their tails are usually docked and ears cropped, but that is a personal preference. A good natural ear should not appear any different than a cropped ear and a undocked tail should not unbalance the appearance of the dog by being carried too high.

The Pyr Shep is an unusual little dog. His ancient roots in the isolation of the Pyrénées Mountains have truly created a unique character. He is still used today as a sheep herder and displays the same devotion to his master as most herding breeds. He wants to please you and be with you above all else. This has its drawbacks though. If not properly socialized, he tends to become introverted as he sees no need to involve the rest of the world in his family's affairs.
Proper socialization does not just involve occasionally taking him out; he must learn to interact with people, pets and the goings on of society. The need for this type of socialization cannot be stressed enough. A properly socialized Pyr Shep will come to enjoy meeting other people and will be a pleasure to take along with you wherever you go. It is not unusual to see them turn their heads the other way to ignore the advances of a stranger as if to say, "if I don't look , it will go away". On the other hand, when ignored, they will often approach on their terms and nudge the hand for a pat.

Although some Pyr Sheps can do well when left alone during the day, I would not recommend it. Only an experienced dog owner willing to spend his limited evening hours socializing his young Pyr Shep should tackle this type of situation and the breed requires a good amount of physical exercise as well.

Although their barking makes them good watch dogs, they are not guard dogs by nature and, if pressed, will usually run in the other direction. Nature has instilled a strong flight reflex which was needed for survival in the mountains. On the other hand, if someone or something runs away from them their herding instinct kicks in and they take chase. Their larger companions, the Great Pyrenees dogs, were the guardians of the herd and the Pyr Shep relied on their expertise in this field to be the protector.

Playful and impish by nature, he gets along well with children if raised with them, as well as with other family pets, although he often sees the need to take control and be a little bossy. Again, this stems from his background as a herder. He needs to be kept busy and feel he has a job and purpose. His world is focused on his family and to be left out is distressing for him. He excels in obedience and agility trialing and is renowned for holding many working and performance titles in France and other countries.

copyright Chapparal Kennels

Discussion lists tie into your email account, so that a message posted to the list is automatically distributed to all list members. The list is a valuable source of information, support, and contacts regarding the Pyrenean Shepherd breed. The Pyr Shep list is low-volume.
To subscribe to the Pyrenean Shepherd Internet Club mailing list, you must send a message to pyrshep-l-request@math.concordia.ab.ca
The body of the message should look like this:

subscribe pyrshep-l

You will get an immediate response indicating that your request has been forwarded to the list administrators, and you should be added to the list within 24 hours. When you are added, you will receive an introductory message from the list administrators.

Once you're added to the list, please post a short introduction to the list, letting us know a bit about you, your dogs, and anything else you feel like sharing. Should you have any problems with this process, you can request assistance by sending email to pyrshep-l@math.concordia.ab.ca

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