Everything You Should Know About The Great Pyrenees Lab Mix

The Great Pyrenees Labrador mix, also very commonly referred to by the name Pyrador, is a dog that comes to life when one Great Pyrenees parent is cross bred with one Labrador Retriever parent.

Because this dog is a cross breed and not a purebred dog, it’s not officially recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC).

However, it is officially recognized by the Dog Registry of America (DRA) as a designer dog breed.

Other Common Names

The following list covers some of the other most common names that the Labrador Great Pyrenees mix is also known by:

– Labrenees

– Lapyrenees

– Pyrelab

Physical Appearance

Size, Height & Weight

Being the offspring of two large breed dogs themselves, it’s only normal that this dog is considered to fall under the category of large sized canines as well.

The Great Pyrenees Lab tends to weigh anywhere between 70 lbs to 100 lbs on average, and tends to stand at a height of anywhere between 20 to 25 inches tall.

Of course, female Pyradors are often a little bit smaller in size and lighter in weight than their male counterparts, but that’s the general size and weight range that this dog tends to hover around, for both males and females alike.

Coat Color

The following is a list of some of the most common colors that the Pyrador is known to be available in:

– Yellow & white spots

– Grey

– Beige

– Brown

– Black

Temperament

Exercise & Physical Activity

In order for the Pyrenees Labrador mix to live a healthy and happy life, it must be regularly exercised on a daily basis.

Long walks for about 60 to 90 minutes a day are usually enough to keep this dog content for the most part.

However, one issue you should also be careful not to neglect in addition to their daily exercise is adequate playtime with them as well.

This canine is originally a companion, so you have to know that it thrives on spending time with people it loves most, the first of which being you (its owner).

When taking them outside the house for a long walk, you should know that this cross breed has a tendency to pull on their leash because they’re always distracted by their surroundings and want to follow people or objects around them.

For that reason, you may want to consider using a harness on them instead of a leash, as a harness is a much safer option for avoiding neck injuries due to sudden pulls.

Of course, you could also consider getting a specifically designed no-pull leash to put to use while outside the house, the choice is up to you to make.

Besides taking them outside the house for long walks, they also enjoy frequent trips to the dog park.

Again, just remember to keep control of their movement with something like a leash or harness because if left able to roam free in the park wherever they want to, there’s a big chance their aggressive side gets to them and they cause problems with other dogs there, which is obviously not something you want happening.

One issue you have to be very careful about when it comes to exercising the Pyrador, though, is not do to so right after mealtime.

This canine is specifically prone to experience bloating more than other breeds, which means they must be given enough time after eating to properly digest everything before they do any physical activity.

Watchdog Ability

As far as being a watchdog/guard dog is concerned, they aren’t the absolute best breed in the world for this job, but it most certainly isn’t the worst either – it’s somewhere in the middle.

First off, and to start with why the Pyrenees Lab mix has the potential to be a good watchdog, and that’s because they tend to take their protective side from their Great Pyrenees parent – a trait you always want to see in a guard dog.

If a canine doesn’t have a protective side to them, then that directly disqualifies them from being a good guard dog as they won’t feel the urge to keep you and your family safe at all times.

This breed is also notorious for its high alertness levels to its surroundings, another very important criteria by which watchdogs are judged.

Moving on to why the Pyrador is often not the most qualified breed out there to excel as a guard dog, this is because they almost always tend to have a sweet-heart personality to them which they take from their Labrador Retriever parent.

When it comes to a watchdog doing its job best, you’re going to want a canine that’s wary of strangers and doesn’t let its guard down.

The Pyrador, in reality, doesn’t fit these requirements very well and tends to make friends with strangers pretty fast because of its sweet side that it takes after its Labrador Retriever parent from.

Training

Very similarly to their watchdog ability, how easy it is to train the Pyrador is also often going to be hit or miss.

On one side of the spectrum, you have the fact that they take their sweet personality and eagerness to please their owner from their Labrador Retriever parent, which obviously means that you’ll get an easier time training a pooch with such characteristics.

However, on the other side you have the fact that they take their strong and independent personality from their Great Pyrenees parent’s side, which means they may prove to be stubborn at times and you may find it hard to convince them to do what you want them to do.

It’s very often been found that Pyradors trained from a very young age tend to be the most receptive to training when they grow up and the least stubborn, so make sure that you properly train your Lab Pyrenees puppy from a very young age to avoid any potential difficulties in the future.

Training dogs from a very young age is a highly recommended practice for all large breeds, and this canine is definitely no exception to that rule.

If this is your first ever time and experience as a pet owner, it may be best if you hire a professional trainer to take care of this aspect for you and teach you all you need to know while at it so that you can consider doing it yourself with any other pooch you wish to add to your household from there on.

Health

On average, the Pyrador is expected to live a lifespan that lasts anywhere between 10 to 12 years.

When it comes to your Pyrador’s health, you should pay very good attention to their diet and make sure that you’re on top of that at all times, as large sized canines such as this one have the tendency to get overweight much easier and faster than smaller sized dogs.

Also, and if they get overweight with time, they’re bound to experience a whole world of joint problems and difficulties moving around the same way they used to easily before.

This cross breed is especially prone to develop hip and elbow dysplasia in its lifetime, so it’s your duty as a responsible owner to do all you can to help prevent this from happening.

So, always keep in mind that a proper dietary plan coupled with the necessary amount of exercise this pooch requires on a daily basis is key to avoid all of these potential problems and many more.

Careful not to overexercise your Great Pyrenees Lab mix, however, as excessive exercise will also make them prone to developing the physical problems we made note of above.

Always strive for moderation, be that with their diet or their physical activity and exercise schedule.

Living Conditions

Family & Young Children

The Pyrador often proves to be an excellent addition to families and households with young kids, as the two sides make excellent playmates with their compatible playful personalities, energy levels and enthusiasm.

Other Household Pets

When it comes to having other household pets at home and having your Pyrador interact and play with them, you must make sure that they’ve been properly trained and socialized from a very young age if that’s something you plan to do.

There’s two reasons for that, which we’ll be explaining in this section.

First of all, canines as large as this cross breed have a lot of physical power to them and could easily injure other household pets you have at home that they may play around with, whether willingly or unwillingly.

It’s our duty as responsible pet owners, though, to remove the “willingly” part from that equation in order to stay as safe as possible.

The second reason is that this cross breed tends to take much after its Great Pyrenees’s herding characteristics, which means they may be aggressive with other pets you have at home unless taught otherwise.

As we always recommend with just about any large breed dog out there, socialization from a young age when they’re still young and growing puppies will help instill all the right values in them and form the positive habits we all strive to see in our adult dogs.

Indoors Compared To Outdoors

The Pyrador generally does best living in a house with a spacious backyard where they can roam around freely and keep themselves occupied, and not so much in an indoors apartment where they don’t have the same luxury.

After all, you could imagine how an animal that can weigh up to 100+ lbs would be miserable moving around small spaces indoors.

However, make sure that any backyard you give them free-roam access to is properly fenced in order to prevent them from getting into trouble by going places they’re not supposed to.

The Pyrador is an intelligent breed that also has a side to it that likes to discover new things, something that can get them into trouble sometimes.

Temperature

Because of the fact that they tend to have a thick and dense coat to it, it’s not recommended for individuals who live in areas where the temperature tends to get too hot.

Very high temperatures coupled with dense coats on canines is a recipe for overheating, unless of course you’re able to ensure that they spend the majority of their time in a cool temperature area where they also have unlimited access to water in order to stay properly hydrated.

On the other hand, and again because of their thick coat, this cross breed can live just fine in areas where it tends to get a little bit cold.

Care

Grooming

As far as grooming this dog is concerned, you’re going to have to regularly brush their coat to keep it in good condition, especially given the fact that they do have the predisposition to shed excessively if not properly taken care of.

Plus, the Pyrador’s coat easily mats together when not brushed on a regular basis, and you definitely don’t want that happening.

Brushing their coat properly around 3 to 4 times a week is enough for most people to stay on top of the situation.

Watch this video to learn some brushing techniques and what brush to use:

Of course, if 3 or 4 times a week doesn’t seem to do the trick just fine for your Pyrador, you can always increase that a bit, but be sure not to over-brush their coat as that would be counterproductive and lead to damage with time.

This dog’s coat is usually a soft one when properly maintained, so once you begin to notice that it’s becoming otherwise, that’s a sign that it’s not being properly taken care of the way it should be.