How to Care for a Great Pyrenees

Exercise your Great Pyrenees daily, keeping him on a leash when not in a completely fenced-in yard. A dog of this breed tends to wander off to establish a large territory and patrol it, which is part of his instinctual behavior. He will do this when not kept on a leash or confined by a tall enough fence to prevent his escape. A Great Pyrenees enjoys a brisk walk or short hike and does not require strenuous exercise.

Brush your Great Pyrenees' fur one to two times each week with a wire bristle brush to prevent the coat from matting. The coat has two layers, a thick undercoat and coarse overcoat; brush through both coats, lifting the overcoat, to remove excess fur from the undercoat. Brushing also prevents the shedding of the dog's hair around your home. During the time that your dog sheds his winter coat in the spring, you may need to brush your Great Pyrenees daily because of the amount of hair that he loses.

Bathe a Great Pyrenees only as necessary to keep his coat bright and white; you can also use a dry shampoo to clean the coat. Use a gentle, non-soap dog shampoo to remove dirt and stains; follow the shampooing with a conditioner. Dry his coat with a hair dryer to fluff the coat, especially for show purposes.

Great Pyrenees dogs enjoy digging outdoors and can become dirty and soiled. Bathing removes this dirt and keeps him looking his best.

Wipe your dog's face with a washcloth daily to remove excess drool from his mouth, as these dogs tend to drool and are messy drinkers. Daily wiping also prevents stains from forming around his mouth from food.

Socialize your Great Pyrenees with other dogs and people from a young age. Without proper socialization, this breed can become territorial and possessive of his family, leading to aggression. This breed tends to bond only with his family and be wary of strangers, something that early socialization, from 7 to 8 weeks on, helps to prevent.

Teach your Great Pyrenees basic obedience commands. This independent breed can be stubborn and harder to train than other breeds, but training is necessary to control these large, intimidating dogs. Use positive training methods and vary the commands you teach to keep the dog interested. An important verbal cue to teach is the "quiet" command to hush your dog; this breed tends to bark excessively if not trained to stay quiet early in life.

Feed your Great Pyrenees a few small meals each day because dogs of this breed can develop bloat from eating a large amount of food too rapidly. In terms of the amount of food to feed your dog, a mature Great Pyrenees requires less caloric intake than other dogs of a similar size because of his low metabolism. He usually only requires an amount equal to that of an Irish setter or collie, according to the Great Pyrenees Rescue of Greater Chicago.

Clean your Great Pyrenees' ears weekly with a dog ear cleaning solution, found in pet supply stores. Pour the cleaner on a cotton pad and use it to wipe around the inside of the ears. This breed is susceptible to ear infections, and regular cleaning helps to prevent these from forming.

Bring your dog to a veterinarian for regular examinations of his hips, knees and eyes to check for health issues. The Great Pyrenees can suffer from health conditions that affect his body, including hip dysplasia, patellar luxation, spinal muscular atrophy and elbow dysplasia. Eye conditions including cataracts and entropion can also affect this breed.