Re: [PyrNet-L] Drool in Oz, etc

["Donna Coffman" <dcoffman@erols.com>]

In response to the drool question, IMHO females (generally) tend to drool
less than males.  Check out the dam of the pups  to get an idea of what
kind of a mouth she has.  Pet her under the chin and see if its wet or dry.
 Try to buy a pup from a sanitary environment.
All pups are cute so don't buy from the first place you visit.  Check other
breeders in Australia.  Long drives will be worthwhile in the end as you
have your dog for a long time.  Investigate before you invest.
Your yard seems well suited for a Pyr and you are wise to be asking
questions now.  Also, make sure you get a contract and medical information
from the breeder and it helps if the parents have been x-rayed to determine
they are free of hip dysplasia.

 Donna
  

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> From: MJB <Agarthan@one.net.au>
> To: PyrNet Mailing List <pyrnet-l@gamerz.net>
> Subject: [PyrNet-L] Drool in Oz, etc
> Date: Sunday, March 22, 1998 10:13 AM
> 
> Hi!
> 
> I live in Australia and have only one or two questions about 
> Pyreneans, besides, we don't own any as yet.
> 
> There is only one Pyr breeder (that I know of) at Greenbank in the
> state of Queensland, where I live; I've had feedback on these
> queries from them, but I am cautious on going with an isolated
> opinion.
> 
> [ ONE: Do Pyreneans typically live for 8 years? 10 years? 12? (the 
>   breeder we saw said theirs live for up to 10 years, and that most 
>   other breeders - all in the south of Australia, around and in the
>   state of Victoria - only breed dogs that live to 8 years, max?) ]
> Recent Pyr-L posts have pretty much answered this one! Thanks to all
> who have contributed!
> 
> TWO: We have a fully fenced (6 ft wooden) suburban yard. The property
> is 455m2 in area, the house occupying 138m2. This leaves 317m2 (380
> square yards, or 0.078 acres) for the yard itself. A Pyrenean living 
> with us would be sharing with a Silky Australian Terrier, a petite 
> Sealpoint Siamese and a moggy [cat]). Is our yard be of sufficient
> area to keep a pet Pyr comfortably?
> 
> THREE: I took my [rather diminutive (5'1")] wife to the above-
> mentioned breeder to see their dogs firsthand, and while she handled
> their size OK, what really put her off - sufficient for her to 
> claim not to want a Pyr: they DROOLED. Thick as poured honey, if
> the breeder's animals are anything to judge by. The sliding glass
> door to the back yard of their house (the house itself was pretty
> grubby indoors as well) was *coated* with a dried veneer of
> accumulated Pyr-drool (Note: Most of their dogs were at least 7 
> years old - only one 3-year old was in evidence, and he looked OK
> from what I could tell).
> 
> Now, I gathered from our visit that the breeders are not too 
> worried about having a reasonably clean home (frankly the whole 
> place was a bit grubby at the time, and not just due to their 
> big dogs). This made it difficult to seperate the owners' 
> cleanliness from how clean the *dogs* are themselves.
> 
> So, how *bad* does this drool thing really get? How on earth 
> do other suburban Pyrenean owners handle the doggy drool thing?
> 
> 
> This last question is really the critical one: I myself DO want a
> Pyrenean, and their (apparently) being a drool factory is the one
> feature that my spouse sees as good enough reason to never have 
> one.
> 
> Any feedback on these three points? I hope I can get some answers 
> - especially to the "drool" thing - as I am somewhat despondent that, 
> left unsolved, they spell the death of any ambition I may have of
> eventually owning [being owned by?] one of these beautiful animals.
> 
> Thanks
> Michael Bishop
> Agarthan@one.net.au