Bred to guard livestock alone through the night, a Great Pyrenees will bark for hours at anything that moves after dark — that's the working trait doing its job, not a behavior problem, and it makes the breed a poor fit for close neighbors or apartment walls.
10.9years, median
1.6 years below the all-dog median of 12.5.
Measured, not estimated: the middle age at death across 584,734 UK dogs, 284,734 of them deceased. Based on 388 dogs of this breed. 95% confidence interval 10.5 to 11.3 years. Half lived longer than this, half did not. UK dogs, so treat it as the best available figure rather than a promise about yours.
In the same study, large breeds as a group had a median of 11.9 years and medium-muzzled breeds 12.8. This breed is large and medium-muzzled.
McMillan et al. 2024, Scientific Reports 14:531 — open access · CC BY 4.0No VetCompass paper of its own yet, but the breed was one of 29 in a 2026 giant-breeds study.
In 2019, 267 Great Pyrenees were among 28,345 giant-breed dogs under veterinary care in the UK, 0.94% of that group. Median age at death for the breed was 11 years, from 11 deaths.
Across all 29 breeds pooled, 73.8% of the 4,316 dogs reviewed had at least one disorder recorded that year. The most common were Ear infection (otitis externa) 8.16%, Overweight or obese 8.02%, Aggression 5.56%. Pooled median age at death was 8.94 years (middle half 6.96 to 10.9). The paper gives no disorder figures for this breed on its own.
Health tests to ask the breeder for
Great Pyrenees Club of America sets the tests a Great Pyrenees needs for a CHIC number in the OFA's open database. A CHIC number means the tests were done and the results are public. It does not mean the dog passed them: ask for the results for both parents, or look them up yourself on ofa.org.
- Hip Dysplasia (OFA, PennHIP, FCI or AVA Evaluation)
- Patellar Luxation (OFA Evaluation)
- ONE additional test from: Elbow Dysplasia (OFA); Cardiac Evaluation (OFA); Thyroid Panel (OFA); Eye Examination by a boarded ACVO Ophthalmologist; Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia (GT) DNA test; Shoulder OCD Evaluation (OFA); Canine Multifocal Retinopathy (CMR) DNA test; BAER Testing (OFA)
When to spay or neuter: the guidelines split at 45 pounds grown, five to six months under it and after growth is complete over it, and the UC Davis study gives a guideline by breed for 35 breeds. The spay and neuter page has both, and the two weeks after.
- Elbow Dysplasia (OFA)
- Cardiac Evaluation (OFA)
- Thyroid Panel (OFA)
- Eye Examination by a boarded ACVO Ophthalmologist
- Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia (GT) DNA test
- Shoulder OCD Evaluation (OFA)
- Canine Multifocal Retinopathy (CMR) DNA test
- BAER Testing (OFA)
- Neuronal Degeneration (NDG) DNA test (strongly recommended, not yet CHIC-eligible)
- Dwarfism DNA test (strongly recommended, not yet CHIC-eligible)
Test names as the club lists them; checked September 2026. OFA CHIC breed page. How to use this at the breeder: check a breeder.
Adopt a Great Pyrenees near you
Shelters and rescues list Great Pyreneess and Great Pyrenees mixes on Petfinder. Enter a ZIP code to see who is waiting within 100 miles.
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Living with a Great Pyrenees
Pyrs are calm and slow-moving indoors, not jogging partners, but they were bred to patrol and will do it at 3 a.m. whether or not there's a flock to guard — expect nightly barking unless you're on acreage away from neighbors. They shed enormous amounts of undercoat twice a year, drool, and track in dirt, and training goes slowly because an independent guardian mindset means they were never bred to take orders on command the way a retriever was.
Health you should know about
- Hip and elbow dysplasia — malformed joints that cause pain and arthritis; as a giant breed, OFA screening of breeding stock is recommended before producing puppies.
- Gastric dilatation-volvulus (bloat) — a life-threatening stomach twist common to large, deep-chested breeds; it is a surgical emergency.
- Patellar luxation — the kneecap slips out of place, often linked to underlying hip dysplasia.
- Entropion and cataracts — eyelid and lens defects that can affect vision and warrant eye screening in breeding lines.
Read the full Dog Care Guide first — costs, daily time, and everything a dog needs before you choose a breed.
Naming a Great Pyrenees? French dog and cat names, 89 of them, with what they mean.
Sources — 5 references
Last reviewed October 2026. 5 sources listed below. Written and maintained by Petdeals.io. General care information, not veterinary advice — for a sick animal, call a vet.