Life With a Great Pyrenees During the Summer
For any new readers: hello, my name is Hannah, and I am blessed to have two four-year-old Great Pyrenees (and a 13-year-old Chihuahua). My Pyrs' names are Luna and Argos, and they are the loves my life.
Now, I get tons of questions about having Pyrenees because one, giant white fluff balls attract a lot of attention, and two, they require a little extra work, since there's so much extra of them. I've written about what you should know about Pyrs and what life with these babies is like, and you can read those posts here. But in honor of this blisteringly hot June and July weather, I decided to give you a glimpse into specifically what my summers look like with my giant fur babies.
1. A/C to the max.
Great Pyrenees like it cold. They were originally bred to guard livestock from wolves and bears on snowy mountaintops, hence their thick white coats. Now, you might think: you should just shave those massive fluffy coats to cool them off! This is actually one of the biggest mistakes you can make with Great Pyrenees and many other giant dog breeds, like Newfoundlands and St. Bernards. These breeds have double coats, meaning they have two layers of fur with different textures and functions. This double coat actually serves to keep your dog cool in the summer and warm in the winter. If you shave a dog with a double coat, not only will their double coat not grow back properly, but you will also be risking giving your fur baby a sunburn or heat stroke. Don't shave your puppies!
During the summer, we try to limit how much Luna and Argos are outside, as it gets into the upper-90's in Kentucky. We keep the house cool, and they love sprawling out on the hardwood or tile.
(Photos: Trying to hike with the dogs always turns into them drooling and panting all over the backseat of my car.)
2. Did it snow inside?
Pyrs are about 90% fluff, and during the summer, they like to de-poof by blowing their coat. This means that when it starts getting hot, usually in early to mid May, they start to shed their thick undercoat. So yes, if you come to my house at any point during the summer, you will see tumbleweeds of white hair in every corner. If I wanted to keep the house looking spotless, I'd have to vacuum twice a week, at least. Alas, I don't have that kind of time on my hands, so instead, I sweep throughout the week and try to brush them with a large slicker brush with angled bristles to preemptively collect some of that about-to-be-shed hair. It's usually pretty hilarious to brush them out because you end up with hair piles as big as a whole other dog!
3. The Dreaded "boom boom" Day.
Just last week was the most dreaded week of the year in our household: July 4th. Pyrenees are natural livestock guardians, which means if they aren't working farm dogs, they will protect their family just like they would protect their livestock. Pyrs use their large size and intimidating bark to scare away predators. There aren't exactly wolves or bears in Fayette County, but Luna and Argos have expanded the predator definition to birds in the backyard, rabbits, other dogs, the garbage truck, rain falling the wrong way, myself or Alan dropping something loudly upstairs, my fiance pretending to howl—and, you guessed it, fireworks.
During the couple of days before the 4th, Luna and Argos were angry at the neighbors shooting off tiny store-bought fireworks, barking into the night with no way to stop them. But on the actual 4th, the fireworks were large, loud, and frequent enough to probably convince them that it was either thunder or their world was ending. For me, that means I spent the night with Argos crushing me, his head on my chest, and Luna sleeping on the floor right beside my bed, periodically waking up to check if I was still there and pant for a few minutes.
4. Perfecting the Outdoor bath.
If you own a giant-breed dog that you keep inside, you probably know the struggle of where to bathe them during the winter-time. With a long-haired breed like a Great Pyrenees, you can't just wash them in the tub without the risk of making your entire bathroom smell of wet dog, courtesy of them shaking all the water off in the middle of the process, or clogging the drain with all that hair. During the winter, we usually settle for getting them professionally groomed.
However, summer weather allows you to make the great outdoors your bathtub, and I've really perfected the outdoor bath this year. Since we don't have a fenced-in yard, and I don't feel like chasing them with the hose anyway, I use a play-pen (like one for toddlers or puppies) to keep them close and under control. Then, you can just spray them down with the water hose and lather them up with your preferred dog shampoo. Enjoy seeing all the birds' nests in the area being lined with tufts of white fur!
(Photo: They'd just had a bath and weren't allowed in the living room. Look at those sad faces!)
5. The guilty vacationer.
This is my favorite and least favorite part of summer all wrapped up into one: going on vacation, and having to leave Luna, Argos, and Tinkerbell behind. Luna and Argos are smart enough to know that we're going to be leaving for vacation days in advance, and as soon as they know, they start acting like the most pathetic, love-deprived dogs you've ever seen. Every time you try to go out the door, Luna will sit in front of it, gazing up at you mournfully. Argos will block your way no matter where you're going--to work, or just to the fridge--and demand to be pet. While packing, Luna will lay on top of your feet to hinder your progress. With the sounds these dogs make when we get back home from our trip, you'd think we'd been gone 5 years.
Give your fur babies some extra love today!
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