Judging the Pyrenean Shepherd

The Pyrenean Shepherd was used primarily for moving large flocks of sheep through remote pastures, over extremely rugged terrain, but also made themselves useful for general farm chores and rodent control.

The essence of the breed is to be found in its type. Excellence of type in expression, conformation, and movement are to be valued much more highly than any specific structural perfection.

One Word sums up a Pyrenean Shepherd:

EXEMPLARY

Extraordinary intelligence
Xpression vibrant, sparkling
Eyes -very expressive, blue OK in all merles
Muzzle slightly short, triangular, windswept
Pyrenean gait –very flowing, “shaves the earth”
Lean, Long, Light-boned, Lively
Athletic in both varieties- Rough-Faced & Smooth-Faced
Rustic looking & reserved with strangers
Yet cheerful, vivacious, a quicksilver personality

The Pyr Shep is a small, lean, lively dog.

The size of the Pyr Shep differs between the two varieties. Rough-Faced males must measure between 15 ½ to 18 ½ inches at the withers; females are between 15 to 18 inches. The Smooth-Faced variety can be somewhat taller as those males measure 15 ½ to 21 inches tall; females are 15 ½ to 20 ½. Any entry that measures under the minimum height or exceeds the maximum by more that ½ inch must be disqualified. The Pyrenean Shepherd should always be examined on a table.

Their personality is reflected in the vibrant expression of his triangular head and wind-swept face.

Ears may be either cropped or uncropped. Both are equally acceptable. They are rather short and are set on top of the head. Ears that are cropped are cut straight across and stand erect. Those that are uncropped are semi-prick with one-third to one-half falling straight forward, or to the side in the case of a rose ear. A naturally erect ear is a serious fault.

The Pyrenean Shepherd’s athleticism can be seen in his flowing gate, best described by the French as “shaves the earth.” It is a very flowing, harmonious gait with excellent reach and drive, but no wasted motion— the feet barely leave the ground.

When the Pyr Shep moves at a trot, he carries his head rather high. As his speed increases, he will lower his head to the level of his backline and the legs will converge toward the centerline.

His coat is uncoiffed.

The parent club, The PSCA, asks that all ribbons be withheld from any dog whose coat has been scissored, especially on its face. The only trimming to be allowed is for minor neatening of the feet. The dog should appear distinctly rustic.

The quality of the Pyrenean Shepherd’s coat is more important than its abundance. The Rough-Faced dog’s coat can be made up of long or demi-long hair. It will lie almost flat or be slightly wavy.

Demi-long coated dogs have hair on the end of the muzzle and the chin that is naturally short and it lengthens as the muzzle widens toward the skull. The longer hair on the sides of the muzzle and cheeks is swept back giving a windblown look. Demi-long dogs have fringes on the elbows and culottes on the rump. They do not carry as much coat as the long-haired dogs do.

Longhaired dogs are often more heavily furnished with woollier hair. The texture is harsh with minimal undercoat. The facial hair should be short on the end of the muzzle, with progressively longer hair on the cheeks and sides of the muzzle giving a windblown look. The hair must not veil the eyes. Longhaired dogs may cord, especially on the elbows, croup, and thighs, but never on the head.

Rough-Faced: Long  Hair may cord, especially on elbows, croup and thighs, but never on the head

The Smooth-Faced muzzle is covered with short, fine hairs. The hair on the sides of the head becomes somewhat longer and blends into a modest ruff. Hair on the body attains a maximum length of three inches for the ruff and culottes, and two inches along the back. The fronts of the legs are covered with short, fine hairs and there is often some fringing on the elbows and thighs.

Smooth-Faced  Short, fine hair on muzzle & fronts of legs

Pyr Sheps come in a variety of colors, including various shades of Fawn, Brindle, Grey, Merles, including Blue Merle, Brindle Merle and Fawn Merle. It is not considered a fault for blue merles to be somewhat dingy, ruddy or rusty in this breed. Blue merles, Brindle Merles and Fawn Merles may have blue or part blue eyes. Most Fawn Merles look like light-colored Fawns with no black mask. Also black, and black with white markings that do not exceed 30% of the body. A little white is acceptable on the chest, head, and feet of all Pyr Sheps.

Any dog that exhibits white on 50% or more of its body must be disqualified.

The body should have a rather long, well-arched neck that flows smoothly into the shoulders. The tops of the rather long shoulder blades clearly project above the line of the back. The back is strong and level. There is a slight arch over the loin that is slightly higher than the tops of the shoulder blades. In the Rough-Faced variety, the coat accentuates the appearance of the arched loin. The topline appears much more level in the Smooth-Faced dogs. The croup in both varieties is rather short and oblique. On the underside of the dog, the chest descends only to the elbow and the flank is well tucked up. The shoulders are moderately angulated with rather long shoulder blades. The upper arm is somewhat shorter than the shoulder blade and leads down into the light-boned, finely made forelegs.

In the hindquarters, the stifle is well bent connecting a rather short upper thigh to a long lower thigh. Hocks are short, well angulated, and often close together. The foot of the Smooth-Faced dog is a little shorter and more cupped than the Rough-Face. The hind feet characteristically toe out slightly and this is not to be faulted. Both varieties can have double, single, or no dewclaws on their rear legs. All are acceptable. However, all things being equal, the dog possessing dewclaws must be preferred.

The tail may be docked, a natural bob, or naturally long; all are equally acceptable. The naturally long tail must not rise above the level of the back. It is set on rather low, has a crook at the end, and is well furred.

Left: Pup with faulty tail carriage, Right: Pup with correct long tail

The Pyrenean Shepherd is a very versatile herder who works from instinct to satisfy all of the shepherd’s needs. He has a tendency to become passionately attached to his owner, to the complete exclusion of all others.