Great Pyrenees behaving very badly!!!!!!!

Training, training, training.

However, you have a Livestock Guardian Dog. Genetics will play a role to a greater or lesser extent in how "guardy" your dog is, but his instict IS to protect that which he believes is his. Added to that, it sounds like you have some pack order issues, and that possibly the Pyr doesn't realise his place in the pack is below you.

Telling a dog to "knock it off" does less than nothing. The dog doesn't understand what you want, and just makes him more confused.

LGD breeds are challenging to train. It's definitely possible, but you need to really, really work at making a pet out of a dog who is bred to watch over flocks of sheep. (Or other animals.)

Getting rid of the dog without training it is unfair to the dog.

Just my 2 cents.

Kate

^ What Kate said.

My friend raises Pyrs because she loves big, stubborn dogs.  She's a very assertive person and is great working with dogs that don't really care about humans and like to be dominant.  Her dogs are primarily pets, but they are from working stock and she has to work VERY hard from the time they arrive at 8 weeks to establish a strong relationship and steer them towards being a pet, not a flock guardian. 

Putting the dog in a pen and telling it "no" isn't really going to establish any form of leadership over the dog or respect from the dog.  I can't see the situation improving until someone is actively training the dog and the dog is given jobs to do.  He thinks the house is his and the more you push without direction, the more he's going to push back.  He's going to need a LOT of structure and plenty of formal training,

If you have more than one dog in the house, you need to keep the bones and toys carefully put away. Dogs will fight over these things, and the best way to avoid fights is to prevent conflicts-- dog only gets access to bone when he is isolated in some way, in a cage or a separate room, or taught to stay on a matt and chew there.
If he's peeing in the house he needs to be re-housebroken as if he were a puppy.

Ditto.

So, how do you suggest I get my mother to get him back into training? He's her dog, not mine. I really don't care what happens after I get out of here, but in the mean time I have to live with him too. She always complains that she doesn't have enough time to do things so I know she'll use that as an excuse. I work just like she does and I manage to get my dogs to training. I never even thought about it before, but I'm even going to try to get my Aussie a CD. Her instructor thinks she could get one and she'll be going back to class after my Shepherd mix's class is done as his is on the same night as the class she needs to go to.

My opinion is that she baby's him too much so he resents me because I don't, but she won't stop that. She got tough on her Staffordshire because she doesn't like strange dogs and goes after them, and she was taught by my Aussie's trainer how to handle her. Aside from when she gets upset at a strange dog, she gets babied which for her is fine as the only time she acts up is when she's out and there's a strange dog around. My mom never disciplines her dogs though, they do something wrong and it's just an exasperated saying of their name. My mom thinks her dogs are perfect angels. Though my dogs behave better truthfully. She doesn't think that only because her's are calmer than mine, but mine listen to me better than her and better than her's listen to her. The Shepherd mix is still a puppy so he's still learning, hence why he's back in class. I had been looking for one but when he decided he didn't like other dogs while on his leash I looked harder. When my mom's Staffy started hating other dogs, my mom blew it off not believeing me, until after she got bit by her while she was going after someones dog as she got her hands in the way.

The Pyr will growl at her if she corrects him but she doesn't do anything. I'm actively looking for a place to move to and even if I have to rent from my sister and her fiancee I will just to get out of here. I truely don't think she will do anything about him until he's destroyed her house, or until her sorta boyfriend starts coming around and mentions something. Cause you know she'll listen to him over me any day because I'm too young to know anything.

In the meantime, is there anything I could do outside of formal training as I'm not paying to train my mom's dog? Any little things that won't interfer with working with my dogs. Aside from the growling at me if I correct him, he listens to me better than her.

Ohh, and the bone issue is when we are around. My weirdo Shepherd mix likes to throw(pick them up and play with them) his things and every once in a while they end up by the Pyr and he won't let my dog take it back. How can we let them sort our their pack status when the Pyr scares the mix so bad he pees? We can't have him peeing all over the place because of the Pyr. Could it be partially due to the fact that my dog is still a puppy? He won't be 2 until next March.

I'm just extremely fed up with my mother and the way she treats her dogs. She had a German shepherd that she got damn lucky with. She never socialized him with other dogs after she got him, she never brought him to puppy class or obedience until he was maybe 5 or 6 and never actively brought him around people. That dog, aside from not obeying very well, loved other dogs and people. I now know how important all that is and my Shepherd mix got that and so will the next puppy I get. My mom also never got the Pyr to puppy class, he's only been to one obedience class and she hasn't worked with him since.

Shiva

On a side note, I never had a problem until now. My mom's Staffy never growled at me, my Doberman never once bit me or even tried, even while going after the husky.

Well, she really just needs to start caring for the Pyr as a dog.  It sounds like she's babying him, like you say, but he's a dog, not a baby.  Not only a dog, but a very large, dominant dog of a breed that is bred to work closely with livestock, not really as a house pet.  I don't really understand how/why she chose that breed to begin with.  It's OK to spoil them, but spoil them with what they need - actual training, structured activies, lots of exercise, NILF, brisk walks.  I'm not sure what we can suggest outside of formal training because it sounds like your mom is in over her head, she's bitten off more than she can chew and she won't come to terms with it.  Sure people are busy and have lives, but with any dog you have to assume that there's going to be a period where formal training is necessary, and for a Pyr you might as well double that.

I guess I would ask her, why did she chose him?  What did she really expect?  Does she think it will just go away on it's own?  Because what he's doing is pretty much what anyone could expect of a Pyr that is not being given a job or any sort of training, and being allowed to dominate the entire household.  I would just try to make her understand how serious this is, because if she ignores it, it will continue to escalate until he's trying to attack people that come over or biting her when she tries to correct but then doesn't follow through.  If her corrections aren't working, then she needs help from a professional or someone who has experience with this breed.

If she refuses to do nothing, I'd just avoid the dog and make sure you claim your space.  If she's going to let him dominate her and her space, whatever, but don't let him do it to you.

One is he does not like my German Shepherd mix when we're in the house. If we're at the dog park, he's fine.

 

You were not clear, do these dogs live together?  How old is the mix? 

What you need to do is establish your dominance over the Pyr.  From what you've explained, he's currently the dominant one in the house, meaning that he is dominant over you and your mom, as well as your other dogs.  By growling at you and your mom, marking the house, and "stealing" all the bones and toys, he's definitely showing dominance.  Basically, you need to put him in his place.  Take over feeding him, if you can.  Don't give him food until YOU are ready to give him the food, and make him sit (lying down would be even better), before you give him the food.  If you have time, take him on a walk now and then, and make sure YOU are the one that goes out the door first, and that he is never in front of you on the walk.  He should either be beside you or a little behind you.  Walks do a lot to establish who's who in a "pack."  Once you've established that you're the dominant one in the household, everything else should fall into place.  He should have no reason to "bully" your mixie if he is no longer the dominant one.  I know those tasks seem like a lot to do, but they may very well solve your problem!
 

ORIGINAL: Shiva

My mom has a 2 year old Great Pyrenees, will be 3 this summer. He has recently started having some behavior problems.

  This is the age when dogs start feeling Middle of the Pack (adolescents) and try to  establish their place in the hierarchy.  Remember, using any kind of force or muscle like yelling and grabbing his collar is counter productive and does not make you a "benevolent leader".  Defiantly enroll in an obedience class and I would suggest you start with NILIF (nothing in life is free) protocol with each and every dog in the home - Google it.  It will help each human in your home become higher ranking leaders and all dogs see they are subordiante in a simple way.

 One is he does not like my German Shepherd mix when we're in the house. If we're at the dog park, he's fine. But when we're at home if the mix is playing and throws his toy or bone(yes, he's a weirdo and throws his toys and rawhides) by the Pyr, even though he's not chewing on it or doesn't want it, if the mix tries to get it, the Pyr will go after him, mean. If he's lying by a bone and the mix wants it, the Pyr will get mean to him if he tries to take it. He'll go after him mean some of the time if he's just walking by him and literally scares the pee out of the mix. Both dogs are fixed, so this isn't the problem.

  This is normal for a dog who is trying to establish leadership.  You must control the resources, bones; toys etc from ALL dogs and manage the interaction when resources are around.  The prys doesn't do this because he is mad at the mix, he just want to possess all resources.

The mix doesn't do anything to the Pyr, doesn't even pick on him but yet my Aussie beats the crap out of the Pyr(not literally, just plays very rough) and he lets her.

If I were to guess the Aussie is older than them both and not as submissive as the mix therefore the Pyr feel subordinate to the Aussie.  But I wouldn't allow the Aussie to behave with no manner to the Prys either.

 My mom really doesn't do anything about it, except for a strict voice and saying his name, and when I try to correct the Pyr, he's started to growl at me.

Your Mom know nothing more on how to work thru this behavior that is why training to teach both you and her how to deal is important.  And when you say you try and correct him, what do you do?  Are you using an aggressive act right back at him?  Grabbing his collar perhaps, yelling and approaching?  If that is what you're doing you are challenging the dog and that is the WRONG thing to do.  You need to start by changing the mood, not inflating it with more anger than what's going on.  Try calling the Prys to you and having him sit and reward for following the command and then go and pick up the problem (bone , toy, etc) and remove it from everyone and stop the situation.  If you want your mix to have some peaceful play time put the Prys in his crate/pen BEFORE you bring out the toys and remember to give the Prys some playtime without the Mix too.

Right now he's in his pen because he  growled at my mix and I told him no. When I let him go he snapped at my mix, who just had surgery yesterday so if he hurts him I'm going to be very pissed at that dog. So I grabbed him again and told him to knock it off and he started to growl at me, he wouldn't stop so I put him in his pen.

  Meeting confrontation with confrontation is not the correct way to handle this.  Since you know the problems exist and the mix is vulnerable you must manage and supervise every interaction and don't be aggressive towards the already escalating situation.

And on top of that, he's started lifting his leg in the house. So, he's in his pen during the day.

Text book dog trying to establish leadership.  Hire a behaviorist or start obedience training and implement NILIF to all dogs in the home.  You have a pack, and you and Mom need to be the benevolent leaders to all dogs.

Now, before I tell my mom she has to get rid of that dog

  Humm.. since I have a daughter and I own a house, this statement makes me think?  Whose home is this anyway?  Yours or Moms?  Maybe you and your dogs should find new homes and then your Mom won't have this problem with her dog anymore huh?  Sorry, as a Mom this kind of statement makes me cringe - I couldn't resist that comment.

Ohh, and from everything I do know, it doesn't seem like the mix is challenging the Pyr. Every time the Pyr goes after him, the mix has his ears down and his tail down.

The mix sound very submissive and the Pry know he can move up over her in the hierarchy  It really has nothing to do with the mix challenging the dog.  Try reading up on dog behavior, some trainers even might suggest you help the submissive dog learn whose boss and support the dominate one.  But I think most agree that you need to allow them to establish their own pecking order in the pack.  Try reading Cesar Milians book he talk in dept on dog behavior and pack mentality.  Until you understand what is going on, you or your Mom are hard pressed to fix it on your own.

Before you try and tackle this situation you need to understand what is going on and you need a trainer to do this.  You can help by education yourself as well, there are many good books and stop trying to man handle the situation before you get a bite.

Shiva, first I would suggest that you try to persuade your mom to always have the Pyr drag a leash in the house.  That way no one has to grab the Pyr's collar and perhaps get bit.  I can't emphasize enough how great the possibility is that this dog will eventually bite if it continues to get away with growling at you and your mom. 
 
Second, put this dog on a very, very strict NILIF program (links below).  If this dog has no problems taking treats from your hand, handfeeding for a couple of weeks would be great.  The pack leader controls the resources!  Assuming that the dog eats kibble, feed a good portion of the dog's food during the day as rewards for obeying whatever commands the dog knows.
 
Third, get yourself and your mom some reading (library?).  The first two items below are booklets, so you may have better luck getting your mom to start with those.  Ruff Love would be next in learning to control the Pyr.  The Other End of the Leash describes how dogs differ from people in their relationships.
 
McConnell, Patricia
How to Be the Leader of the Pack …, 1/1996
[font="times new roman"][link>http://tinyurl.com/6qj2c]http://tinyurl.com/6qj2c[/link][/size][/font]

Ryan, Terry
Take the Lead: Leadership Education for Anyone With a Dog, 2000
[linkwww.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DTB337[/link]>http://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DTB337]www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DTB337[/link]

Garrett, Susan
[color=#000000]Ruff Love: A Relationship Building Program for You and Your Dog, 2002
[/color][linkhttp://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DTA228][font="times new roman"][size=1]www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DTA228[/link][/size][/font]

McConnell, Patricia
[font=verdana][size=3]The Other End of the Leash, 4/2003
[linkhttp://tinyurl.com/48vxj[/link][/size][/font]>http://tinyurl.com/48vxj]http://tinyurl.com/48vxj[/link][/size][/font]

Links on NILIF (Nothing In Life Is Free program):
[link>http://www.ozarkdogs.com/nilif.htm]http://www.ozarkdogs.com/nilif.htm[/link][/size]
[link>http://www.ozarkdogs.com/boot_camp.htm]http://www.ozarkdogs.com/boot_camp.htm[/link][/size]
[link>http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm]http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm[/link][/size]
[link>http://www.petresources.net/dogs/train/nilif.html]http://www.petresources.net/dogs/train/nilif.html[/link][/size]
[link>http://www.greyhoundlist.org/nothing_is_free.htm]http://www.greyhoundlist.org/nothing_is_free.htm[/link][/size]
[link>http://www.nomorehomelesspets.org/behavior/dog/nilif.htm]http://www.nomorehomelesspets.org/behavior/dog/nilif.htm[/link][/size]
[link>http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/nothingfree.htm]http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/nothingfree.htm[/link][/size]
[link>http://www.petpeoplesplace.com/resources/articles/dogs/002-01.htm]http://www.petpeoplesplace.com/resources/articles/dogs/002-01.htm[/link][/size]

Fourth, start clicker training.
         [link[/link]>http://forum.dog.com/asp/m.asp?m=310452]http://forum.dog.com/asp/m.asp?m=310452[/link]
 
More clicker sites:[/size]
[link>http://www.clickerlessons.com]http://www.clickerlessons.com[/link][/size]
[link>http://www.clickertrainusa.com/]http://www.clickertrainusa.com/[/link][/size]

ORIGINAL: luvmyswissy

ORIGINAL: Shiva

Now, before I tell my mom she has to get rid of that dog

  Humm.. since I have a daughter and I own a house, this statement makes me think?  Whose home is this anyway?  Yours or Moms?  Maybe you and your dogs should find new homes and then your Mom won't have this problem with her dog anymore huh?  Sorry, as a Mom this kind of statement makes me cringe - I couldn't resist that comment.

It is my mom's house, but she WILL NOT do anything to correct this problem. I am looking for a place I can afford, but I have to find one that will allow me to have my Shepherd mix as I'm not getting rid of him and I'm not leaving him with my mom. Like I said, maybe her sorta boyfriend will be able to talk her into doing something formal with the Pyr as she won't listen to me. I've asked my trainer how my mom can get my Aussie to stop jumping on her and I've told her what she said but she won't do it. She does whatever I've told her my trainer told me to have her do for maybe 1 day then doesn't do it anymore. As far as my mom not having this problem, it will still be a problem. He won't have the problem with my dog, but there will still be a problem.

Yes, the dogs live together. The mix is 1, won't be 2 until the end of next March.

Seeing as my mom does not think there is a problem, how do I get her to to do the NILF program? My dogs are usually made to sit or lay down before they get a treat, not all of the time but most of the time. The 2 girls are on medication and have to have it every day so all the dogs get the meat they get their pills in. When my mom is giving the treats(that's what we call it) the Pyr will get his head right up there by the meat and she won't do anything. When he does it to me I say his name and tell him to sit. Same with my mix when he does it.

Could the Pyr also be feeling threatened because the mix is basically the same size as him already?

So basically I should keep the Pyr out of my room? Make him do things for anything I give him?

So, yes I am looking for a place to live, but have to find one that will allow me to have both my dogs, that I also can afford. I know I can't convince my mom to do anything since I can't convince her there's a problem. She keeps thinking just because her friends Rott who didn't like strange dogs got better as she got older, that her Staffy will too. If she thinks that way, how do you think she feels about the Pyr? Yes, the Staffy may get better with other dogs as she gets older, but she may not and my mom won't even think of that possibility.

I'll just do what I can for myself and my dogs and if she gets herself bit, her problem.

Thanks again.

Shiva

Shiva,
 
I don't know how you get your Mom to open her eyes to a big dog that has the potential to bite people?  Do what you can and keep trying to show your mother that it is a problem and if not addressed now she will be sorry latter.  Will she read?  My mother loved to read so I could get her to read anything.  The booklet suggested are great, cheap and easy reads that may help your mom understand what is going on.
 
You are right the problem doesn#%92t go away, but in your mothers eyes it will.  Regardless your Mix is approaching adolescent too, put them all on NILIF - even if it#%92s just you who carries it out it is better than not at all.
 
At least you recognize there is an issue and I really am hopefully your living arrangements will pan out.
 
Good luck
 

She does like to read, but that won't work either as she'll use her "I don't have the time" excuse. The last time she read was when she was laid up after surgery on her feet. She was off work for a couple months and therefore was able to read.

I like to read, I don't have the time I'd like, but I still do it whether it's on lunch at work or before bed. I think my mom thinks all dogs are like her German Shepherd she had. You don't have to train them one bit and they are perfectly fine.

Just like the other night I was giving the dogs their treats and the Pyr was standing, I told him to sit and he sat but got up when I got the treat close. I pulled it back and told him to sit. My mother was there and instead of leaving it and letting me make him sit, she told him to sit too and then put her hands on his sides and and held him there. She doesn't get the fact that if the dog is told to sit and it doesn't, you don't hold it so it doesn't move, not in a dog that knows better. Granted she wasn't holding him down since he's too big, but she still had her hands on him. But still....

I will do what I can though and once I move out, whatever happens happens and it's her problem.

Shiva