Golden Pyrenees

It is easy to see where the Golden Pyrenees got his great temperament by looking to the parent dog breed history. The Golden Retriever is one of the most popular dogs in the world. It was originally bred to retrieve game for the hunter, and it has been involved in many careers in its long history. They excel at guiding, detection work, tracking, and as an obedience competitor. The one thing they don’t do well is professional guard dog – they are way too friendly! It is accepted after much debate that the breed was developed by the first Lord Tweedmouth. Retrievers had existed for many years in the Border Country between England and Scotland, and as he really liked the golden or ‘yellow’ breeds he used them exclusively to develop the Golden Retriever. It was in 1920 that they officially took their present name (having been called Flatcoats previously). Then in 1925 the Golden Retriever became officially recognized by the American Kennel Club. Moving onto the Great Pyrenees, this substantial looking dog was once used as a guard dog to protect the flocks against wolves. The breed comes from the Pyrenean mountain range in France. Their history pre-dates back centuries even to the Bronze Age (1800 -1000 BC). The French nobility are said to have ‘discovered’ the breed before the revolution and resided in many of the great Chateaux. They were named the dog of France by Louis XIV. During the Second World War, these dogs were messenger dogs, carrying important documents and packs for the French troops. This noble dog was officially recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1933.