The Lab Great Pyrenees mix is a great cross breed between two great dog breeds. This dog breed is extremely interesting due to their characteristics and temperament co-joining. The Great Pyrenees is known for being aloof and protective, while the Labrador is known to be loving and gentle.
The Lab Great Pyrenees mix will be a large, loving, family oriented, loyal, and can be protective dog breed. Unlike the Rottweiler Great Pyrenees mix this mixed breed is for beginners, the Labrador often times mellows out the protective side of the Pyrenees.
As long as you get your puppy trained, socialized, and exercised and keep up with this regiment through out his/her life. So in this article we will dive into the parent breeds, and after that we will be diving into the Lab Great Pyrenees mix.
The Labrador
- Weight – 55 – 80 pounds
- Height – 22 – 24 inches
- Lifespan – 10 – 12 years
- Major Health Concerns – hip & elbow dysplasia, retinal atrophy, obesity, & cold tail
- Grooming – 4x weekly during shedding season 2x weekly during non-shedding season
- Fur or Hair? – fur
- Coat Colors – black, tan, white, yellow, & chocolate
- Eye Color – brown
- Exercise – they need long walks and runs and playtime in the yard several times a day.
- Training – Labrador is very easy and very eager to train
- Socialization – positive exposure to other people and dogs daily for best socialization.
- Temperament – playful, loyal, even-tempered, outgoing, agile, trusting, gentle & smart
- Good in apartments? – no they need a house with a fenced in yard
America’s most popular dog breed, is the Labrador Retriever, they are an agreeable and friendly companion. This breed holds the crown as the ever-popular choice for the family pets award.
The Labrador was created and bred in Canada. They worked to help fishermen and hunters retrieve their catches. The hunters needed a friendly dog that loved fetching and being in the water at any temperature all day if necessary. They also needed the dog to be very soft in the mouth when retrieving a catch.
The Labrador was sent over to England in the 1800s by some English noblemen who had discovered the breed while visiting Canada. Those breeds began the line that is now the English Labrador Retriever, bred more for show, companionship, and conformation.
The English Labrador is shorter, stockier, thicker necked, and more mellow than their American cousins. We have an article about the difference if you would like to know more about the American Labrador VS the English Labrador.
The Great Pyrenees
- Weight – 80 – 110 pounds
- Height – 26 – 33 inches
- Lifespan – 10 – 12 years
- Health Issues – cataracts, hip dysplasia, bloat, ocd, & skin issues
- Grooming – 2x Brush Weekly 4-6x weekly during shedding season
- Colors – White
- Eye Color – Brown
- Exercise – 30 – 45 minutes daily
- Training – 30 – 40 minutes
- Socialization – Take he/she everywhere you go
- Temperament – Aloof, confident, protective, playful, loving, silly
- Good in an apartment? – The Great Pyrenees needs a house with a fenced in yard.
The Pyrenees dog was created in the Pyrenees mountains they are strong-bodied, willed, brave of heart, and powerful will to work. The people of the Pyrenees mountains needed a dog that was brave of heart, and one that could think for its self when left alone with a flock or herd.
The Pyrenees dog was needed to fight off wolves, and other snowy predators that lurked on the mountains and who wait for the perfect opportunity to strike. Well, the people of the Pyrenees mountains got really tired of replacing their herds/flocks. And decided to create their own guard dog, and so a long process of breeding and rebreeding came and went until!
They finally bred the Pyrenees guard dog, and they set it loose, and it was a (drum roll please!…) They were a smashing success! Their bravery and patients set them far apart from all other guard dogs of that time! With their reputation for fighting off wolves, bears, and occasional rustlers, the French king adopted them into his very own royal chateaux.
Some Pyrenees dogs today are strong, protective, and slightly aloof, my neighbor has a Pyrenees dog. And while he comes from a great lineage of strong and confident dogs, he him self will run away and lay down.
If a stranger approaches him in his own property, he still does this to me when on occasion I am talking with the owner. So sometimes you will get a head strong Pyrenees while other times you will get one that hates confrontation.
The Labrador Great Pyrenees mix
- Weight: 85 – 115 pounds
- Height: 22 – 32 inches
- Lifespan: 9 – 12 years
- Health Issues: Common health concerns include cataracts, hip dysplasia, arthritis, bloat.
Grooming: Daily grooming sessions of 10-15 minutes are recommended during non-shedding seasons, while shedding seasons may require grooming sessions of 30-45 minutes.
Colors: Coat colors may vary and include black and white, black and tan, yellow, fawn, or tricolor combinations.
Eye Color: Typically brown.
Exercise: Aim for 45 – 50 minutes of daily exercise to maintain their physical and mental well-being.
Training: Training sessions should be consistent and structured, lasting 30 – 40 minutes, focusing on positive reinforcement techniques.
Socialization: Early and ongoing socialization is essential to ensure they develop into well-behaved and well-adjusted adults.
Temperament: Loving, Caring, Protective, Playful - Good in an apartment? No, due to their size and exercise needs, Lab Great Pyrenees mixes are better suited to homes with yards where they can roam and play freely.
The Great Pyrenees mixed with Lab is a sweet, loving, caring, loyal, playful, active dog! This dog breed can be for those who are just starting off in the dog world. Though you will need to train them like all dog breeds from the day you get s/he until they no longer are alive.
This dog breed is a mix of two different working dogs, one is a herd protection the other is a hunting dog. Both are used to being out all day working, and will not act well if only given a 10 minute walk or are in a small enclosure. They thrive on family bonding, along with being active in a house with a large fenced in area with plenty of toys to keep them busy.
In this last part of the article we will go through what the Lab Great Pyrenees needs from you as the owner to be an outstanding dog.
Training of the Great Pyrenees Lab Mix
Training should be on the top of your list, even though this breed can be docile, they can become rambunctious and hard to wrangle in when excited. Remember this breed can weigh as much as 115 lbs, and sometimes more, so training is very important.
The Lab Great Pyrenees is naturally very smart and can be eager if you make the training fun and use positive reinforcement training. Always make them work for their treat and the longer and harder you work them the more enjoyment they will have because it make them use their very agile mind.
Socialization of the Labrador Great Pyrenees Mix
Exercise, training, and socialization are key to have a loving relationship with your dog. Socialization is very much needed for all dogs especially large dogs to learn what they can and cannot do. Dogs need to get out and see, smell, hear, and most importantly experience different things.
So always socialize your beloved four legged one, and you most likely will be able to live life with a few harsh woofs and not much else.
The consequences for not actively socializing your new dog can be serious at best with your dog getting into a nipping competition. To at worst a dog fight or your dog bitting a human, so if you cannot put forth the effort and the drive to make sure your dog never does that then get a hamster.
Even the most docile dog breed can become aggressive or territorial if not socialized at any age.
The Temperament of the Lab Great Pyrenees Mix
- Aloof
- Loving
- Playful
- Quiet
- Eager to please
- Very gentle to the family
The Great Pyrenees Labrador mix can be a powerful, muscle bound dog when he/she feels threatened. At the same time! They can be sweeter than sweet tea, playful and gentle to the owner and or the family!
The Great Pyrenees Lab Mix is a brilliant dog! It only takes them one or two tries before they become comfortable doing something. They can quickly pick up either a good behavior and or a bad one, so be very quick and decisive in what type of behavior you wish to have in your family dog! Nip the bad buds as quickly as you can while your dog is still a puppy to obtain a well trained and socialized dog.
Exercise of the Lab Great Pyrenees Mix
This breed needs about 50 minutes of brisk exercise each day, and probably a bit more. After all the parent breeds are and were breed for hunting and protection. So if you think a simple walk to your or your neighbors mail box will cut it then think again please.
I am afraid I will have to tell you that they need a very large amount of blood pumping exercise. If your dog regularly gets into trouble by: regularly tearing the house apart, dig plants up, digging holes underneath the fence and escaping, becoming territorial, and or aggressive.
These are all mostly signs that you are not giving your dog more physical and or mental stimulation. And there for you have been fired from your job as being the pack leader.
If a dog feels as if they can become the better leader they will make a power move that is intended for help the rest of the pack survive. Its just a survival thing, the more you give attention to your dog and its needs, the better chances of not ever having any of those signs.
Health Issues of the Great Pyrenees Lab Mix
The healthiness of your dog is just as important, and you want to have a heads up of what you may have to watch for. So we added in all of the health issues this breed is known to have:
- Hip Dysplasia – Large dog breeds will often develop hip dysplasia due to over breed.
- Knee issues – Knee issues can happen make sure to keep an eye out
- Bloat – Bloat happens when a dog eats to fast and or eats and then goes out for exercise. Bloat is deadly, bloat means that the intestines twist around trapping gasses. If your dog has bloat take your dog immediately to an animal hospital.
- Cataracts – like humans with age a dogs eyes will become cloudy with age.
Conclusion of the Lab Great Pyrenees Mix
Thanks for reading about the Great Pyrenees Lab mix! This breed is for people who have owned an alpha dog breed and is most definitely not for beginners. We here at Labrottie give the Labrador Great Pyrenees mix a four-star rating!
So I hope I have convinced you to get this beautiful Great Pyrenees mixed with Labrador! If, however, you think that this dog is good but over all not what you are thinking of try the half brother the Rottweiler Great Pyrenees mix.
Have a Lab Great Pyrenees or Other Dog Breed and Want To Share It?
If you have a dog/s and you wish to share it with our Mixed dog breed photo gallery. All we would need is a back story on the puppy and a photo! Also, if you have any questions or comments, please email us!
Happy Tails!
The Labrottie Team