Border Collie Pyrenees

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30-120 lbs
20-32"
Unknown
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Border Collie
Great Pyrenees
Collie Pyrenees

The history on the hybrid Border Collie Pyrenees is scant at best.  However, there is history available for the parent breeds, the Border Collie and the Great Pyrenees. The Border Collie is a breed originating in England which likely goes back to the first century when the invading Romans introduced larger shepherding breeds which were later modified when bred to the spitz-type dogs brought in when the Vikings invaded the British Empire.  They were bred to be strong and sturdy for the purpose of herding sheep and helping the English farmers in the highlands of Scotland, England and Wales, a purpose for which they are ideally suited.  Today, they may still be herders in some venues but are mostly kept for companionship and security.  This parent breed was recognized by the AKC in 1995. The Great Pyrenees history goes back into the 1400’s where it was bred for herding tasks in the Pyrenees Mountains of Northern Spain and Southern France.  This giant breed was utilized to guard sheep on the steep mountainous slopes and, eventually even became a favorite of the Grand Dauphin and the French aristocracy in the 1600’s.  It is related to several large European white livestock guardian dogs from Italy, Hungary, Turkey and Poland as well as to the St. Bernard and Newfoundland. This parent breed was recognized by the AKC in 1933.  Both parent breeds have dense, thick coats which required moderate maintenance.
Purpose
Companion, Guarding
Date of Origin
Unknown
Ancestry
Border Collie, Great Pyrenees

Border Collie Pyrenees Health

Average Size
Male Border Collie Pyrenees size stats
Height: 20-32 inches Weight: 30-120 lbs
Female Border Collie Pyrenees size stats
Height: 20-32 inches Weight: 30-120 lbs
Major Concerns
  • Deafness
  • Hip Dysplasia
  • Collie Eye Anomaly
Minor Concerns
  • Elbow Dysplasia
  • Cataracts
  • Cervical Vertebral Instability
Occasional Tests
  • Eye
  • Hip
  • Spine
  • X-Rays
  • Eye Examination

Border Collie Pyrenees Breed History

The Border Collie parent breed has a history that goes back to the first century when the invading Romans brought larger shepherd dog breeds to England to utilize them to herd livestock.  Later, when the Vikings invaded England, they brought smaller, spitz-like breeds which they bred with the existing shepherding dogs to create a breed more like the Border Collie we know today.  The Border Collie has become smaller and more agile than the larger breeds, making them perfect for the herding tasks in the climate and topography of the highlands of Scotland and Wales.  The Great Pyrenees parent breed is believed to have made an appearance in Europe somewhere between the 1800 and 1000 B.C.  It is believed that the breed probably originated in Central Asia or Siberia and then migrated to Europe with the Aryans.  Pyrenees fanciers and breeds seem to agree that the Great Pyrenees are descendants of mastiff-type dogs whose fossilized remains have been unearthed along the North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts.  These remains were found in the oldest strata that is believed to contain domesticated dog evidence.  The Pyrenees is closely related to the Italian Maremma Sheepdog and the Hungarian Kuvasz.  The Pyrenees has traditionally tasked to guard the flocks from wolves, bears and other predators that roamed the slopes of the isolated and frigid Pyrenees Mountains on the border between France and Spain.  Having an amazing sense of smell, hearing and vision coupled with their dense armor of fur and spiked collars, they were prized for their prowess as working dogs and companions.

Border Collie Pyrenees Breed Appearance

The Border Collie Pyrenees hybrid is a cross between the Border Collie and the Great Pyrenees and is a large dog whose weight is greater than 65 pounds and can have attributes from either or both of the parent breeds.  The hybrid will have a strong, sturdy and well-proportioned body with a coat that can be long and coarse or shorter and smooth, with dense undercoat which protects them from colder temperatures, making them weather resistant.  The color of the coat can range from white/grey/cream to black and red tricolor.  The eyes could be oval or almond shaped and either rich brown or blue, the ears of medium size and carried erect or semi-erect or carried close to the head.  The facial expression could be elegant, intelligent and contemplative or intelligent, alert, eager and full of interest.  The tail could be full and carried low or up over the back. The width and length of the skull are about equal and the muzzle is strong, with tight-fitting lips and a scissor bite. The feet are rounded, close-cupped, well-padded with toes well arched.

Border Collie Pyrenees Breed Maintenance

The Border Collie Pyrenees hybrid, just like its breed parents, requires moderate amounts of grooming maintenance with higher levels of maintenance required during normal seasonal shedding periods.  Brushing at least twice weekly will help keep the shedding under better control with one or two extra times weekly recommended during those seasonal shedding periods.  Thorough brushings, with attention given to the dense undercoat as well as the softer outer coat, is the recommended brushing technique to keep the longish and dense coat free of matting and debris.  Frequent brushings will not only reduce the amount of hair that needs to be vacuumed but will also keep the coat cleaner feeling.  Bathe and shampoo your pet only when necessary to preserve the oil in the coat which helps it to be weather and water resistant.  This hybrid is no different than most other canine breeds in that routine and regular eye and ear attention is recommended for ear cleanliness and reduced potential for infections and for the eyes to prevent or reduce periodontal disease which can lead to tooth loss.

Border Collie Pyrenees Temperament

The Border Collie Pyrenees can take on the temperament of either or both of the parent breeds, the Border Collie and the Great Pyrenees.  He can be alert, energetic, intelligent, loyal, protective, responsive, affectionate, gentle, independent and quiet.  Both parent breeds are great with kids and other animals and get along with strangers fairly well.  Both parent breeds are intelligent but the Great Pyrenees parent contributes independence into the mix, making training a challenge.  Both breeds are fairly energetic with the Border Collie breed parent contributing higher levels of energy to the biological mix.  The Great Pyrenees parent contributes higher degrees of wanderlust, barking and howling and prey drive to the bio mix.  Neither parent breed tolerates hot weather well, but both are well-suited to colder weather tolerance.  Neither parent breed does well when left alone for long periods of time, with boredom giving rise to destructive behaviors.

Border Collie Pyrenees Activity Requirements

Your Border Collie Pyrenees can be quite active and energetic.  The Border Collie breed parent contributes high energy to the gene pool while the Great Pyrenees breed parent is a little more calm.  That being said, the energy levels of your hybrid will be dependent upon which breed parent has the greater influence in the bio gene pool.  The higher the energy level, the more active your pet will be and the greater the pressure on the human family to keep him exercised and challenged, both mentally as well as physically.  Daily walks and runs, coupled with lots of fetch and frisbee type games, will help to discharge some of that natural physical energy.  Both breed parents bring high levels of intelligence into the hybrid mix, so it is incumbent upon the human owner to keep him challenged mentally to avoid some destructive behaviors which accompany boredom.  Because the energy levels are pretty high in this hybrid, it is not recommended that this large canine be submitted to apartment living.  He will do much better in a family home which has a fenced yard in which he can run, romp and play.  He can live in both urban as well as rural areas as long as appropriate exercise options are provided or readily available.  Both breed parents were developed for the colder elevations and, as such, have some difficulty tolerating hotter climates.  He will do fine, however, in more moderate temperatures as opposed to subtropical or tropical areas. 

Border Collie Pyrenees Owner Experiences

Remi
2 Years
3 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Running
Snugglin
"Keep away"/Tag
At first, when she was a puppy, she destroyed everything even when I ran her everyday - tennis shoes and my son's toys being her favorite with some trash-picking and hole-digging on the side - and not short runs either. Now, she's a lot more time with a 3 mile run and some aggressive cuddling. Even at 75 pounds, she loves to be snuggled and thinks she's a lap dog sometimes. She gets along with kids and loves other dogs/plays so well with them - even our in-laws pug. She never exercises her strength over the pug's, even though she could make a meal out of it. She will sometimes use my house as an agility course which is when I know she has gone too long without exercise. When we're home bound because of the weather, we will play "keep away" where she will have a toy and I'll chase her. She loves it. Eventually, I'm building her a small agility course in the back yard for her and my son to work on as it is one of her favorite things to do - it lets her exercise and be mentally stimulated. We never stop trying to teach her new things, but she's a little stubborn 😉. Her coat is a brown tricolor or "Sable" coat. When she was a puppy, she looked like she was wearing eye liner and her ears were soft and floppy - they still kind of are. Her hair is long, soft with a dense undercoat which makes grooming tedious, but I wouldn't have it any other way. She's a goofball, but we love her. I couldn't imagine life without her.
3 months ago
Toby
7 Months
3 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Rope tugging
Running.
He is very hyper and crazy, but after you get them tired he becomes more sleepy and calms down. He loves people and affection, but also gives it himself.
3 months ago
Lulu
10 Years
4 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Playing in the snow
I love her more than life itself
3 months, 2 weeks ago
Bacon
4 Months
2 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Bacon is our first dog. So far at his age he is quite stubborn yet very smart. He learned sit in two days that we had him. He definitely loves to cuddle. At night time he knows how to cuddle and how to wake us up when its time to go potty. I'm looking forward with his progress and how big he can be. He's only 4 months but he's already 45lbs. when it comes to meeting people he doesn't just cuddle he'll give you a big hug and rest on your shoulders!! completely adorable!
3 months, 2 weeks ago
DOZER
10 Months
3 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
When we got Dozer, we were told that he was a boarder collie...Well...after his visit to the vet, we were told that for how big he was he had to have Pyrenees in him...now ten months old...HE IS HUGE!! He is pushing 100 lbs. He is a love bug and thinks that he is a lap dog. He enjoys running and playing with our Boxers. High energy!! Very protective! The hair on his neck stands up if there is a knock on the door and he looks like a wolf. He is quick to learn..he picked up SIT, stay, come, lay down and he opens the door to come inside. He loves ice from the refrigerator so I taught him to push the ice dispenser lever...he gets his own ice!!
3 months, 2 weeks ago
Stevie
4 Years
2 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Cuddling
absolutely the sweetest dog I've ever met. as stated they do get destructive when bored so you must play with them.
3 months, 2 weeks ago
Chip
4 Months
4 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Running
Fetch
Chip loves playing with his older sister Frauke, a Great Dane. He doesn’t realize that he is roughly 100 pounds lighter than her, and is very zesty and fearless. He is highly intelligent, and knows how to sit, lay down, and stay at only 16 weeks old. He is also stubborn and feisty, and tests the limits frequently. He knows he shouldn’t go potty in the house, but does so when he feels like he hasn’t had enough attention. Chip is a brat sometimes, but is great with my 4 year old nephew that lives with us and he loves to cuddle.
3 months, 4 weeks ago
Jasper
2 Years
3 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
He sure was a rough pup. A little destructive and defiant but once he figured out his role in the house he is a PERFECT buddy and LOVES kids
4 months, 1 week ago
We have two, Mipha and her brother Daruk
11 Weeks
3 People
House
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Playing in the snow
Walks
Service Dog Training
Therapy dog
Service dog
Therapy Training
Tug-of-war
training
Playing
They're pretty sweet dogs, can be a bit destructive (especially since they're still puppies) VERY smart, very stubborn, but very happy puppies.
4 months, 2 weeks ago
Darla
4 Years
3 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
She is extremely intelligent and has lots of energy. She takes her “job” seriously and barks at everything. She is friendly and enjoys herding the neighborhood kids. She likes being groomed and wearing colorful bandanas. We love her so very much despite the barking.
5 months, 1 week ago
Spark
5 Months
2 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Run
Chasing,
Tug-of-war
She is 10 weeks when we take her home and very smart that she learnt to sit in the first day. She bark at every dog and friendly with most human beings before we take her to a training class. After the class, she know how to play with other dogs. Now, she want to play with every dog she met and will show her bully to people to let them pet her. Full of energy every day and always searching for food regardless of how much food we give her. Now she is 5 months and weights around 30 pounds. She is a very good guard dog.
5 months, 1 week ago
Pipes
1 Year
1 People
House
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Hide & Seek
Running
training
Fetch
Very territorial. Gets bored and then destructive. But very sweet and loving and cuddly.
5 months, 3 weeks ago
Marley
7 Months
4 People
House
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Marley has been a wonderful addition to our home she arrived with us at the age of 8 weeks she was crate and potty trained by 3 months only had two accidents in the home luckily I am an at-home mom and I was able to dedicate my days and nights to her we also DIY raw feed her and she has become a Powerhouse she is a very strong dog and can easily pull my hundred and 80 pound husband down the street
6 months, 1 week ago
Abbie
1 Year
3 People
Apartment
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Fetch
Run
Walk
Dog Parks
Abbie is 62.5% Pyr, 25% BC, and 12.5% unknown. She has a soft medium-long tricolor coat (red, white, black), has very long legs and floppy ears. She has loads of energy, loves all people and LOVES all dogs. She wants to wrestle and play chase until the end of time. She is also very intelligent, which makes training both necessary and fun! Abbie can be quite stubborn at times, which makes certain tasks difficult. We take her for several runs/walks every day and frequent the dog park in addition to regular training sessions at the apartment. At night, she is very calm and sweet and cuddles with us. We love her with all our hearts, and she loves us more. Having her in an apartment is a challenge, but it is definitely possible!
6 months, 2 weeks ago
Tumi
10 Months
3 People
House
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
He is super sweet and mellow. He looks at you deeply when he gets corrected. He pee marks (only not good trait -and we are working on that). We have had him three weeks and he is amazing. He can already run next to the bike on a pole attached to the bike. He loves his 9 yr old dog sister and plays really roughly with her. He is great in his crate. He can lie around for hours also like an older dog. He wants to lick a lot but we have worked on that and he knows not to lick. He is great with all people and all dogs as long as huge dogs arent charging him. Then he gets scared. He can play gently with small dogs or rough with dogs that want to play rough. He sits while I play volleyball for three hours and just waits and visits with those who want to pet him. On a leash, he may bump into me. Otherwise, he is very good at healing like he is an old soul. Sometimes, he pretends he doesn't know how to sit and looks at me like: I don't feel like it. That's his stubborn side! He is really good at sharing toys and bones and treats with our other dog who is a 9 yr old border collie mix who used to not allow any dogs in our house. They absolutely love eachother.
7 months, 2 weeks ago
Loki
4 Years
1 People
Apartment
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
swimming
Relaxing
Hiking
Jogging
He's actually 75% BC and 25% Our. However he acts very much like Our. Huge prey drive. Very mellow and independent at home. Barks at strangers in the hallways. I've been told they've heard him "warn" me more than 100 feet away. At daycare he finds a hugest spot and watches over the rest of the dogs. Specially the puppies. Very patient with my nieces a and nephews.
7 months, 3 weeks ago
Marley
6 Months
4 People
House
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
dog park
Running
Walking
Fetch
Marley joined our family at 7 weeks old she has been a joy and potty trained in less than 2 months. I was fortunate to be an at-home mom that I could dedicate all of my time to her. She is Crate trained and does well when left home alone she is not destructive she does bark for attention in the home but that is a behavior we are correcting when she's outside she's her watchful dog self. She does bark at every dog walking by whether they are down the street across the street in a car she also barks at every person these aren't vicious barks she just wants attention not too sure about the other dogs yet she seems to get extremely uncomfortable around them so we're working on that but this is a great breed of dog
7 months, 3 weeks ago
Coco and Primo
5 Months
5 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Our two pups are brothers. They do absolutely everything together. When walking they touch sides and will walk in unison as if they are one dog. They are wonderful with our children 9&11. We have a baby on the way and they intuitively know this and guard me. We love Coco and Primo. The down side... They love to chew on everything and need constant supervision for now. They are kenneled together at night. Training.. They appear to feel stupid receiving commands. Insulted perhaps? We're still working with them. They are only 5 months old and weigh around 60 pounds.
8 months, 2 weeks ago
Alfie
7 Years
2 People
House
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Walikng, playing in the garden
He is very protective of us. he is extremely affectionate, alert and watchful. Very aggressive toward other dogs and also toward strangers. He lunges at and wants to chase aggressively after cars, cyclists and other walkers so we have to be very careful when walking him. Over $1,000 worth of training hasn't helped much. They are just extremely good guard dogs and guard and protect their owners and family better than most dogs do. He is very calm and tolerant once he knows you. A rellay wonderful companion.
9 months, 2 weeks ago
Ralf
1 year
2 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Hike
I would say he's smart, sometimes to smart, as in hey you can't catch me so I'm going to do what I want. He's well behaved on leash. Once he's had his run/fun off lease he will stay close and "guard" by laying around and exploring within eye contact. Usually he's good with strangers but I can never relax because he will lounge & nip when they walk away. As in I'm not done with you yet, where are you going! He uses his front teeth to pinch so it hurts but doesn't draw blood. Definitely behavior we are working on to stop. I don't know how big he'll get, he's about 55 lbs now, I've heard it takes 2 years for a pyrenees to mature I'm hoping he doesn't get to much bigger. Daddy is a large Border Collie, mama is a moderate size pyrenees.
10 months, 1 week ago
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