Aggressive/Non-responsive Great Pyr Mix - out of options?!? Help!

No, a shock collar isn't going to solve this problem.  If I recall correctly, last time I advised you consult a qualified behaviorist.   What does taking her to "basic behavioral training" entail?  What did you learn and what was advised?

Sounds like you need much more help than you'll get on the internet.  Find a qualified veterinary behaviorist.  You've got a lot to lose if you don't get the right help and the dog has even more to lose, her life.

You've given some clues that this dog does not handle aversive training well and continuing along that path isn't going to do much good, in my opinion.

jkdavis0507

As soon as she hears a firm tone of voice, she freezes

 The problem you have going on, from what I gather out of your post, is lack of trust and a lack of bond. You don't build trust through firm/forceful behavior. You build trust and a bond through positive reinforcement. Take your job, for instance, if your boss yelled at you or talked to you in a firm voice and so forth, would you enjoy your job and want to stick around? What if the boss never paid you? We stay with our jobs because we get positive reinforcement (a paycheck). This is what your dog needs - positive reinforcement. So, you need to start with the basics - Positive Training 101. You can try to do these things yourself, but it is extremely helpful to have a trainer who is experienced to help you along the way. Ultimately, you are not only training the dog but you are training yourself and the family on how to communicate with the dog in order to get what you want.

When you say the dog is aggressive what do you mean? You didn't give any examples. Does the dog growl, snap, bite? In what situations?

How much exercise and mental stimulation is the dog getting? If the dog does not get enough to do and is bored, it is going to find a way to entertain itself - like digging under the fence and running away. That is a heck of a lot more fun than sitting in the back yard all by itself, right?

Others here will post good books to read, I forget good book titles like I forget people's names lol. However, google search nothing in life is free and read up on it. You will want to start with some of that to build a bond between you and the dog as well as creating some dependence on you from the dog. 

To answer your question about shock collars - No. A shock collar is not the way to go in this situation. Shock collars can be a useful tool in the right situation, but this is not it. Positive based training will get you what you want out of the dog in a much easier and less stressful way.

The others are way more qualified than I am but I'm going to insert just a couple of things *I* had to learn as "Wow -- DUH!" kind of moments to get a grasp on something.

A.  You can't let her screw up.  That means -- you can't just treat it as "what do I do to get her in after she's been loose" -- you back around to "She must NOT be allowed to get out".  Containment -- crating, kennelling, whatever. 

Even in the house -- if you can't get a dog to come TO you, you're screwed.  So ... you don't let them get AWAY from you.  Let them drag a leash or even a ribbon tied to the collar that is long enough for you to walk up and stand on it without having to reach out to the dog. 

When you have a problem like "what do I do when ...." you have to back up far enough in your own mind/behavior so that the scenario just plain doesn't have an opportunity to happen.  THEN you can make changes in a positive manner.

B.  Pyrs are almost more "livestock guardians" than just "herders" -- that means they make decisions. 

What Jewillee says about "nothing in life is free" is huge.  AGAIN - you may say "in the house she's sweet and ok".  BUT if she was truly as 'trained' as you think she'd be able to make better decisions when she's away from you because of the trust and bond.  So you can't let them have more freedom than they can reliably respond correctly to. 

 So you can't let her be "loose" if she doesn't come to you 100% of the time (particularly since this is a point of contention). 

You can't "teach" a dog if the dog is far enough away from you that they can stand there and ignore you.  You've lost control.  And bottom line -- you can't even **THINK** about control outside until you have 100% success with her inside in a zillion different scenarios. 

Dogs are VERY situational.  She may come to you 99 times out of 100 in the living room with a hand with a treat.  But if you move to the bedroom or the kitchen ???  She may look at you like "what does THAT mean?" because to her it only had veracity in the living room.

so -- even more so -- when she's "outside" the rules are ALLLLLLLL different for her.  She's in charge and she thinks you don't know squat about THAT part of her life so she doesn't need to listen to you!

Honestly you have to think like the dog (cos they don't think like us)

The only way a zap will help here...is if you put hot wire down along your fenceline to prevent the digging. I am being serious...some dogs are bad enough that they CANNOT be in any yard unsupervised for even 15 minutes because they can dig that quickly. Since this is a large dog the usual suggestion I would have of putting 12" x 12" cement pavers along the fenceline is no bueno. That works...but only if the dog is small enough to NOT be able to move them. Not the case here. Hot wire is easy to install, and commonly used for livestock. Since Pyrs often work with/alongside livestock many of them are familiar with the concept of hot fencing...and respect it. That will quickly solve your escaping issue and leave the rest of it.

I agree with the others, bring the dog inside when you are not home or not able to stand out in the yard with the dog. Keep the dog on a line or leash AT ALL TIMES when you are there...this removes you having to touch the dog directly and gives you a means to control and direct that is not requiring that you get into the dogs space. Use treats and kind words...kill the firm voice, it isn't working so try honey ;) I would actually...seek the help of a PYRENEES RESCUE GROUP to get trainer suggestions because the breed has "things" that they do that are HEAVILY ingrained, working dog behaviors (wandering, guarding, and barking for exaple) that occur FREQUENTLY. They have experience...ask them for help. They do not want your dog back in rescue if it has a chance to stay with you. Let me know your locale and I can see if I know anyone in the area.

I actually have a friend who has a Pyr with VERY similar behaviors as to good days and bad days...and she is seeking help from a Pyr mentor because it is a Pyr thing. I think he is about the same age, actually.

first,  no to a shock collar.

second, i like beagles idea of a hot wire on the bottom of the fence.

i also want to know what you mean by aggressive behavior. not listening to you is not aggression.

long ago i had a anatolian shepard, a relative of the great pyr. they're bred to defend sheep/goats from predators like wolves. they are left out with the livestock to live and be independent of humans. as a adolescent, my dog was very independent, escaped at every oppurtunity, rarely came when called, loved to lie in a hole under the porch but was never ever aggressive. by the time she was 4 she had outgrown (these type of dogs have a long puppyhood) most of her rebel behavior and became a home loving dog. independence is their nature. so is protection, mine was very protective of my newborn daughter. for you, i'm not so sure. your devotion to her doesn't seem to be there. sorry, sometimes that happens, you may be better off rehoming her now, before children and consider something easier, more family oriented like a golden or lab.

To me this doesn't sound all that extreme (I would not consider putting the dog down or sending her away) especially for a Pyr.  A friend of mine owns Pyrs (and other LGDs) and this type of stubbornness and desire to be outside sounds pretty normal from what I gather of the breed.

I would not use an e-collar, not because I'm against them or don't think it could work here (not the case) but if you don't have experience using it and setting up the foundation so the dog *understands* how the training works and how to succeed, I don't think it's going to help.  I would not use one on a young Pyr as the first experience using one.  JMHO

I think if you want to make any progress with her, you need to start limiting her options. If the yard is not proofed so that she can't escape, she should not be out there unsupervised.  I have a large dog possibly Pyr mix and he has the same desire to leave the yard and roam.  He's six years old and only very recently has he been free in a fully 6' fenced yard without also being on a tie-out.  With these dogs that like to roam and range, the schedule of reinforcement only needs to be miniscule and they will still try to leave.  If my dog only successfully escapes twice a year even if immediately caught, he will still try to leave every time he's outside. 

I agree with the others that you also need to be more engaged with her in general, not just trying to fix the behaviors that you don't like.  I would be more involved in training (even if it's repeating stuff she already knows) so that it is fun and rewarding for her.  Give her reasons to listen to you rather than blow you off.

Can you describe more of what you mean by "aggressive"?  From what I understand, the Pyr breed is usually aggressive towards other dogs and animals and can be extremely protective of their people and property and are supposed to be this way, so depending on what you mean, this might just be the way she is and something that should be managed (containing her).

I think it's obvious that you have more dog than you are capable of handling right now.  You need to get much more intensive training FOR YOURSELF.  Pyrs are not bred to go out and make friends with wolves stalking the herd.  They are bred to kill those wolves.  This breed is very strong both physically and mentally.  They are bred to analyze situations before making decisions on what course of action is called for. These are not dogs for beginning dog owners nor are they easy to live with. If you think she gets aggressive when you talk firmly to her, just try a shock collar and you will see what real aggression really looks like.

 On a positive note, you are right.  New place, new rules, new way of life is a great opportunity to start over with a dog like this.  The real bummer is that I don't think you have the ability to do that.  You need to learn how to NOT be the dog's trainer, rather you need to learn how to be the dog's teacher, mentor, leader, and guide through life.  You need to TEACH (not train) him how to exist in the human world.  You need to learn how to communicate to him in ways he understands.  If you can't learn how to do that before the baby arrives, you won't learn it in this dog's lifetime because the baby will then become the center of your world and dog time will be greatly minimized.

I think it's time for you and husband to sit down and have a frank discussion as to whether you and him are dedicated enough to this project to spend the time and energy (and it will be a lot of both) to learn how to do these things and have the dog a good ways towards becoming a good family member before the baby arrives.  If the answer is "no" then its time to start searching for a GOOD rescue group. (not a shelter)

Good luck. :)