All About Pyredoodles

What is a Pyredoodle?

Pyredoodles are an intentional cross between a standard Poodle and a Great Pyrenees. The puppies have the best qualities of both breeds.  They range in size from 60-100 pounds, though 80 pounds seems to be the maturing weight of the pups we produce.

Great Pyrenees are huge, majestic dogs. They are known for their unconditional love for family, guardian instincts against intruders, and elegant thick white coats. The Pyrenees are often used as livestock protectors and four-legged nannies. The Great Pyrenees are very friendly with their family and great with kids.

Why should I choose a Pyredoodle?

There are five main reasons many people consider a Pyredoodle a better fit for their family than a Purebred Pyrenees:

Hypoallergenic The Poodles’ non-shedding coat is hypo-allergenic. Because the poodle coat is the dominant gene, many poodle crosses (often called doodles) get the non-shedding coat. This is particularly the case with thick-coated dogs like the Great Pyrenees. Families who want an inside dog appreciate the low-to-non shedding coat that the Pyredoodle offers.

Trainable Great Pyrenees are not recommended for novice dog owners. Because of their stubborn streak, Pyrenees can be difficult to train. By contrast, Poodles are extremely easy to train. They are the most frequently used dog in circus acts or on shows like America’s Got Talent because they are extremely intelligent, eager to please, and easy to train. Pyredoodles are much easier to house train and teach other basic training commands than pure Great Pyrenees. Most Pyredoodle owners find their Pyredoodle puppy to be eager to please and pleasant to train. Owners of our puppies report quick training and many have gone on for training to become service dogs and companion dogs! Many easily fit in apartments because of their calm nature.

Healthy The Great Pyrenees’ lifespan is usually 10-11 years. On average, doodles live 4-5 years longer than that. Hybrid vigor (the added strength of combining different breeds) causes doodles to typically be healthy. Because Poodles are far less likely to develop Gastric Torsion (bloat), hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, Addison’s disease, or Entropian than Great Pyrenees, the Pyredoodle is much less likely to struggle with these health issues that are common in a purebred Pyrenees.

Quieter The Great Pyrenees are known for their incredible watchdog ability, which means that most of them bark quite a bit. We intentionally cross the Great Pyrenees with quieter poodles. Although most of the Pyredoodles will be good watchdogs, they typically bark a lot less than 100% Pyrenees.

Variety By combining the Great Pyrenees with the Poodle, reliable breeders can breed Pyredoodles in the typical white, the white/black badger look (with the mask), or other colors (poodles come in red, chocolate, apricot, merle, and parti-colors). Pyredoodles can be bred with a variety of color combinations much greater than that of a purebred AKC Great Pyrenees.

Pyredoodle Personality

Our desire in breeding top-quality Pyredoodles is to produce family dogs with amazing gentle temperaments. Our puppies have many of the Great Pyrenee’s wonderful traits without having drawbacks. With any mixed breed, it’s impossible to perfectly predict the outcome of the hybrid, but so far Pyredoodles have been met with an enthusiastic response. Pyredoodle owners love their devoted affectionate nature, low-to-non shedding coats, quiet temperaments, and outstanding intuition.

As large as a Newfiedoodle and Saint Berdoodle, Pyredoodles look more majectic, regal and statuesque than most other dog breeds. Pyredoodles are perhaps the best of all doodles for being like a “nanny”. They are entirely devoted to children and small animals. Our pups have been raised side by side with our five children and many farm animals. Pyredoodles love to protect small things. They are one of the only doodle breeds that can function as a watchdog. Most doodles are just as likely to lick intruders as to bark. Pyredoodles tend to be fine with “strangers” who are welcomed by the family, but anyone that is uninvited will be very suspect to a typical Pyredoodle. You may very well be asked everywhere about your huge, thick-coated, straight-standing, attentive nanny dog!

Since Poodles love to stay close to home, a Pyredoodle is much less likely to wander than a purebred Great Pyrenees, who are known to be wanderers. However, we still recommend that all Pyredoodle owners have a fence.