Hand over age
Basically, the puppies are handed over by the age of 8 weeks; this is the perfect time for our race to the latest scientific findings of behavioral research. Nevertheless, the breeders will recourse on the individual maturity of the litter or individual puppy to decide whether he retains some puppies a little longer.

Agility
is a sport for men and dogs. When doing Agility the dog runs through an obstacle course, which claims high standards on his skills and trust between men and dog.

Due to its high agility and his eagerness to learn the Pyrenean Sheepdog is particularly predestined for this sport.

Walk
Dogs love and need daily walks. This applies especially to the untiring and temperamental Pyrenean sheepdog. Extensive endurance training, e.g. on the bike, should be operated, but only with the adult dog (s capacity). He is enthusiastically participating in almost all sporting activities, especially when certain tasks, such as if he can fulfill e.g.  The overcoming of obstacles.

Selection
There is a prejudice (which is unfortunately often encouraged, even in recent publications) that the first dog, which is coming to a visitor, will be the one with the best character. In fact, this is usually at the dog, which is the least tired, perhaps because he has rested, as the other puppies were playing in the litter. Therefore, the breeder selects the puppies from the best of his knowledge and belief. Because hardly any buyers can choose a puppy by them self, as it lacks the necessary experience to assess the nature and characteristics of a puppy in his relatively brief visits properly. The breeders observed the pups in all phases of development and can take into account the views and needs of future owner in his decision. Therefore, it is also important that breeders and prospective previously had sufficient opportunity to get to know each other.

Attendance through the cbp
With the little dog a new member comes into the family, and this means to step into a new world. To help you with the understanding of various phases of development and also to remind you of important appointments, the cbp has opted for a continuous monitoring during the first year of your dog So you get in advance, even before the little guy has moved in with you, detailed information on education and any necessary accessories, feeding aids, etc. . Then it follows the reminder of the important revaccination and later the urgent warning of an overload of the dog, what could be tempted through the natural urge to move. Time flies and already – at the age of approximately five months – the change of teeth begins. Now understanding is required.

As soon as the teeth are completed, puberty challenges all involved parties. If your dog has reached the age of twelve months, we ask you for your active support to our breeders by participating in the health care program for your dog.

Capacity

Due to its construction and its low ratio of height and weight the adult Pyrenean sheepdog is one of the breeds with the greatest endurance. He can easily spend the whole day on feet, whether you’re going by foot, by bicycle or for example on horseback… Assuming the pace is adapted to the speed of the dogs trot. Apart from the fact that only a trained dog has the capacity of such services, it is essential to ensure that a young Berger because of its still sensitive joints and ligament apparatus is not exposed to excessive loads, like for example high running efforts or overcoming of high barriers. So you must be patient until the time comes that the Pyrenean sheepdog accompanies the family on a bike ride or jump the Agility obstacles. Growth should be completed which will be not later than 12-15 months.

Chip
Microchip – see transponder

Worming
All breeders at the Club Berger des Pyrénées e.V. have a close eye on a carful and regular worming of their dogs and especially of the puppies. When you pick up your little friend, he was already wormed several times against hook- and roundworms. But it is essential that the treatment is continued consistently.

Feeding 
Each buyer receives a feeding plan by the breeder of his puppy with the information over the protein requirements and daily rations.  Usually Bergers need less food than the producer advertises. The Berger is a slim dog with little weight. About this each buyer will receive a lot of information by the cbp.

Education

Our breed is equipped with an instinctive intelligence, whereas the herding characteristics of the Pyrenean sheepdog take a central place, e.g. his hot temper, endurance and inexorability is done till a task is reached. Additionally the Berger des Pyrénées maintains a sophisticated intelligence to make plans and to solve – even self-imposed – problems. At the same time a highly social intelligence is inherited, which can be verified by a highly working and obedience intelligence and the desire to read his owners wishes from their eyes. The reverse side of these wonderful features – because of these characteristics we mainly breed this race – will be recognized, if such a talented dog meets a less talented owner, who is not able to adapt to the unique characteristics of this breed, or is not able to show him limitations, he has to respect in dealing with the family and other people. The Pyrenean-Sheepdog is a real challenge. He is a talented dog who needs to live with talented people.

Who – like our more than 1000 cbp-members has responded positively to this breed will be thrilled. But who believes, that it is a dog that runs in the family just so incidentally, would opt for the wrong breed. All family members have to deal with him. It is also important, that there be clear arrangements in the family, which clearly contains rules, what a Berger is allowed to do or not. If a prohibition or command is given once, then you have to insist on its observance and execution. The slightest sign of inconsistency mislead the young Berger only for testing the limits. Finally, it is important that the dog is accustomed to children and of their friends as well to traffic and those things. Problematic phases in development can, for example the particular sensitivity shortly before and during teething or occur in despite periods thereafter until the tenth month.

Conclusion: A Pyrenean sheepdog puppy cannot be educated anti-authoritarian. The book, edited by cbp on the Berger des Pyrenees treated in great detail all the issues of education. Those who have donated a friendship during childhood and youth of this Berger due to a consequent education will enjoy a great partnership for a long dog’s life.

Color
A color breeding does not take place; instead of this construction (meaning health) and character features (see education) determine the breeding. All colors beside of white are acceptable, meaning fauve, grey and black color can be seen. Furthermore there are brindled dogs, what is, because of the long coat for the longhaired dogs, mostly only visible at puppy’s age. Later on the different colored parts flow together in the long coat. They wash out, so these dogs look grey or fauve.

Grooming
It is essential to make the puppy get used that you examine him daily, scan his body from head to tip of the tail and check the teeth and put him on the back. This gives you an overview of the state in which your dog is; and it is also a message to your dog, what you can do with him, that you rule him and that it is worthwhile for him.

During the development of the coat you should intervene as little as possible. Less intervention means that the dogs loose less hair; lost hairs are vacuum cleaner friendly, because they are long. Special places (ears, elbows, and anus) should be combed regularly. At the beginning of the summer the undercoat should be combed out. Otherwise occasional cleaning brush of the outer coat is sufficient. The Pyrenean Shepherd will never be washed with shampoo, only showered with warm water.

Training
Also for breeders and dog owners is valid: who rest, rusts. Beside of the required courses for beginners and breeders, we offer an occasional series of information events for anyone interested. We support the VDH Training Academy, which provides trainings (day or weekend courses) for many topics around the dogs. Another forum for scientific contributions is our PyrenäenPost.

Sex
Individual differences in the formation of character are greater than gender. The harassment by the oestrous cycles of females I relatively minor because the heat of the breed is not particularly pronounced.

When determing a sex the milieu-based criterias have to be subordinated, e.g. is the attitude of a bitch in a big city generally preferable, because the can empty their bladder faster than a male.

Immunizations / vaccinations
It is not possible to immunize a puppy at the age of 8 weeks, compared to complete virus diseases by vaccination. Early administration of active vaccine is ineffective because the pups have a relatively high antibody status (prenatal as well as through breast milk). The breeders therefore let their puppies at the age of about 7 weeks for the first time vaccinate against distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis and parvovirus.

This basic immunization has to be repeated after 4 weeks to take effect. It is therefore the duty of the new owner to ensure compliance with the deadline. At the age of about 16 – 22 weeks (even the opinions of the veterinarians differ slightly here) the dog may be vaccinated with a single dose against rabies. Please bear in mind that most vaccinations have to be refreshed after 12 months.d

Urge to hunt
Herding drive is based on a minor existing urge to hunt. If you already keep the puppy consistently occurring from any perspective rush usually you shouldn’t have any problems with the adult dog, even not in areas with high incidence of wild.

Costs
The costs of a dog are compared to the costs which appear in the course of the dog’s life relatively low. They are considered: food, dog liability, tax, veterinarian and animal board may appear (unavoidable for some kind of travel).

Literature
The book “Shepherd Pyrenean • • Dogs” by Josef Müller, Udo Kopernik and Claudia Müller appeared self-published by the Club des Pyrénées Berger Association and is available in the direct sale of the club . 

Price
Our members are breeding Berger des Pyrénées, because they have fun and joy by doing this, so they are hobby breeders, who don’t earn any profits by doing this. The price for a puppy includes a lot of efforts of the breeder and the cbp, like for example the worming, the first primary immunization, the identification with a microchip and veterinary inspections. Furthermore you will be accompanied by the club during the first year of life of your dog by sending information letters and you will receive – after you have participated on one of our regional junior days a refund which mainly covers the cost of the veterinary studies (e. g. as HD-X-ray) and which are required for a breeding license. You hereby participate in an idealistic way to maintain the health of our race!

X-ray
Even for our small and agile herding dogs an x-ray for hip dysplasia (HD) has to be done before they get their breeding license. This is a part of the breeding regulations of the cbp.

The results of this examination will be a part of our estimation of breeding values. To receive as many information as possible we have established the so called Health refund (see price) – and the cbp takes over the costs for the analysis by the assessor. So it was possible to reach that over 60 % of the dogs breaded in the cbp had been examined and we received important knowledge for our breeding AND

Socialization
The puppies are already got used to a lot of amenities of civilization by our breeders. But if there will appear little problems in education, our breeders and the staff of the cbp will stand next to you and support you with advices. If you choose an imported dog, whereas the breeder you may not know personally, this might be difficult.

Transponder

All puppies in cbp are identified with a transponder before the final inspection of the litter. The 12-millimeter microchip is implanted by a veterinarian with a painless injection. This chip contains the unique code to identify the dog. This number is pasted into the pedigree and vaccination pass of your dog.

Worming
Since already the mothers of our dogs are thoroughly wormed by cbp-breeders, the worm infestation in our puppies is minimal. Anyhow the puppies will receive frequently worming till the hand over age is reached. The difficult to treat and relatively common infection with whipworms known in France is a foreign word for cbp-puppies.

Waiting time

If you decide to engage in a Pyrenean sheepdog in your family, your might recognize when you contact our puppy agency, that your whish can not be full filled at once by the club and our breeders.  This has primarily quite natural reasons, because young dogs are not in stock, so you can pick them of the shelf when need.  On the other side there aren’t so many Pyrenean sheepdogs living in Germany and even less breeders as well. So waiting times can’t be avoided in any case.  But Berger owners will confirm that it is worthwhile to wait.

Program for „estimation of breeding values“
In order to obtain as much information about our breeding dogs, the results of the examination and approval for  breeding as well as the HD-analysis are filed in program for „estimation of breeding values“. Here the collected data of all related animals are used to calculate the individual breed value with the help of IT. This special program is scientifically supervised by a population geneticist by an independent institute.