Have you ever wondered what happens when you combine the steadfast loyalty of the German Shepherd with the majestic grace of the Great Pyrenees?
The result is nothing short of extraordinary – the German Shepherd Great Pyrenees Mix, a breed that’s as unique as it is captivating.
Affectionately known as the “Shepnees” or “Germanees,” this mix inherits the best of both worlds – the protective instincts and intelligence of the German Shepherd blended seamlessly with the gentle, calm demeanor of the Great Pyrenees.
In this blog, we dive deep into the heart of this remarkable hybrid, exploring everything from its distinctive personality traits to its care needs, training tips, and health considerations.
Join us as we unravel the mysteries of the German Shepherd Great Pyrenees Mix, a breed that’s not just a pet but a loyal companion, a vigilant guardian, and a loving family member.
From their fluffy coats to their heartwarming loyalty, get ready to fall in love with one of the most intriguing canine hybrids out there!
Breed Profile
Below is a brief description of the origin and history behind the German Shepherd Great Pyrenees Mix. But if you’re in a hurry, here’s a quick look at the breed:
| German Shepherd Great Pyrenees Mix | Breed Characteristics |
|---|---|
| Type | Working / Companion |
| Other Names | Germaneese, Shepnees |
| Breed Size | Large |
| Height | 24-32 inches (Males) 22-29 inches (Females) |
| Weight | Between 65 and ≥100lbs (Males) Between 55lbs and ≥85lbs (Females) |
| Temperament | Outgoing, Playful, Courageous, Protective, Guard-dog, Eager to Please, Easy To Train, Loyal, Intelligent, Affectionate, Good Family Pet, High-energy |
| Appearance | Majestic, Muscular, Agile, Well-balanced, Broad Head, Wide and Deep Muzzle, Black Nose, Dark Almond-shaped Eyes, Long and Thick Tail, Pointy or Floppy Ears |
| Lifespan | 7-12 years |
| Health Issues | Bloat (GDV), Hip and Elbow Dysplasia, Degenerative Myelopathy, Eye Problems, Cancer |
| Coat Colors | Black and Tan, Black, White, Gray, Liver, Blue, (with or without white markings) |
| Coat Type | Double-coated, Medium to Long |
| Shedding | Heavy |
| Grooming | Moderate |
| Easy to Train | Yes |
| Exercise Needs | Medium-High |
| Hypoallergenic | No |
| Child Friendly | Yes |
| Pet Friendly | Yes |
| Good for new owners | Yes |
| Cost | $500 – $1,000 |
Meet The German Shepherd Great Pyrenees Mix
A German Shepherd Great Pyrenees mix is a dog produced by mating a purebred German Shepherd and a purebred Great Pyrenees dog. These crossbreeds are also commonly called by other names like Germanees and Shepnees.
The German Shepherd Great Pyrenees mix is a relatively recent crossbreed. As such, they have not gone through the required three generations of documented breeding used to recognize a crossbreed as a pedigree (or designer dog breed).
The lack of a breed standard is why our best bet in understanding a is to learn about its parent breeds.
German Shepherd
The German Shepherd dog is a descendant of several German herding dogs. Captain Max von Stephanitz and other pioneer creators crossbred these herding dogs in the late 1800s to produce the original parent of today’s German Shepherd.
The pioneer creators of the mighty German Shepherd spent more than a quarter of a century refining the breed. Von Stephanitz also co-founded the global GSD club.
While the original German Shepherd was bred to herd sheep, today’s German Shepherd is famous as a K-9 dog in military and police units, thanks to its intelligence, agility, and speed.
I’m proud to say I had the pleasure of working with the brave and loyal police GSDs in my 30 years as a Police Officer.
Because they are originally a German breed, these beloved shepherds suffered anti-German sentiments in the World War era, which saw the breed change its name to Alsatian in Britain.
In the US, German Shepherds were registered as a breed by the AKC in 1908. The dogs rapidly rose to fame in the 1900s, especially for their use in movies like Rin-Tin-Tin.
For years, German Shepherds have remained among the top 5 breeds on the AKC’s most popular dog breeds list. They are overall good family dogs that form an unbreakable bond with their owners.
Great Pyrenees
Like the German Shepherd, the original breeders of the Great Pyrenees created it as a herding dog. Their purpose as a shepherd was to deter wolves and other sheep predators in the France side of the Pyrenees Mountains.
Pyrs have a long history dating back to 3000 BC. To become the renowned guard dogs they are today, their guarding skills were refined under the frigid temperatures of the Pyrenees Mountains.
In the 17th century, their guarding skills while protecting the King’s castle won them the title of the Royal dogs of France.
Do you want to learn more about the Pyr? Check out this article, 11 Reasons Why the Great Pyrenees Are Good Dogs.
The reduction in sheep predators caused a significant decrease in Pyrs numbers. However, their arrival in the US aided in the revival of this breed. They were registered with the AKC in 1933.
Even though they do not take the top ranks on the ACK’s list of the most popular dogs, Great Pyrenees are well known as guard dogs for their protective and loyal nature.
See also: Is a Great Pyrenees Right for You?
Watch This Gorgeous, Well-Trained Shepnees…
Distinctive Size and Look: Appearance, Coat, and Colors
The appearance of a German Shepherd Great Pyrenees cross is unpredictable. This is because the puppy can inherit half of each parent or be more of one parent in physical features.
A balanced combination is rare, so your Shepnees will tend more towards the German Shepherd’s looks or Great Pyrenees’ features.
General Appearance
In its general appearance, a German Shepherd Great Pyrenees mix will likely take the majestic elegance of its Pyr parent and the strong, well-muscled, and agile nature of its German Shepherd parent.
In addition, your Germanees will bear the proportioned, well-muscled body of both parents.
As with both parents, your Germanees is likely to be longer than tall. However, the dog will be balanced in its front and hindquarters.
Coat Type and Colors
The coat of a Shepnees mix can vary in both type and color. Your Shepnees puppy can come with a medium-length coat if it takes more from the medium-length coat of the German Shepherd.
But if your dog takes more from the Great Pyrenees’ weather-resistant double coat, it will have long and thick outer hair and a dense but fine undercoat.
As for the coat color, a Germanees puppy can come in one of the many German Shepherd coat colors, including solid black, white, liver, or even blue.
A Shepnees puppy could also inherit the white coat of the Great Pyrenees or have a more varied range of markings on the white coat. These markings could include the gray, tan, and badger markings of the German Shepherd.
Other Features
Other elements of your German Shepherd Great Pyrenees appearance that you should expect include:
- A proportionate head with the noble and smooth aspects of the German Shepherd or the wedge-shaped skull and rounded crow of the Great Pyrenees.
- A long muzzle that takes more from the wolf-like face of the German Shepherd or the well-balanced muzzle length and head skull like that of the Pyr.
- A black nose inherited from both parents.
- Almond-shaped, medium-sized eyes are slightly oblique, just like the parent breeds. The eye color may be dark or rich dark brown.
- Pointed or v-shaped ears that may be carried erect and open to the front as those of the German Shepherd or floppy like the ones of the Pyr.
- A long tail that extends to the hock and is typically carried low or curved over the back when the dog is aroused. The tail could be bushy and hang with a slight curve if your Germanees inherits primarily from the German Shepherd. If the puppy is more of their Great Pyrenees parent, the tail will be well-plumed with a more accentuated plume at the end.
Commanding Size
A German Shepherd Great Pyrenees mix will grow to approximately 22-32 inches (55.8-73.7cm) in height and 50 lbs to ≥ 100 lbs (22.7 to ≥45.4kg) in weight.
The weight and height of an individual Shepnees will vary within this range depending on their age and gender.
Younger than 12-month-old Shepnees are smaller in size. Also, female dogs typically weigh and measure less than their male counterparts.
Here are the tabled details I used to determine how big a German Shepherd Great Pyrenees mix will get:
| German Shepherd | Germanees | Great Pyrenees | |
| Male Height | 24-26 inches (61.0-66.0 cm) | 24-32 inches (61.0-81.2cm) | 27-32 inches (68.58-81.28 cm) |
| Female Height | 22-24 inches (55.8-61.0cm) | 22-29 inches (55.8-73.7cm) | 25-29 inches (63.5-73.66 cm) |
| Male Weight | 65-90lbs (29.5-40.8kg) | 65 to ≥100lbs (29.5 to ≥45.4kg) | 100lbs (45.35 kg) or more |
| Female Weight | 50-70lbs (22.7-31.8kg) | 50 to ≥85lbs (22.7 to ≥38.6kg) | 85lbs (38.55 kg) or more |
German Shepherd Great Pyrenees Mix Temperament
Germanees dogs inherit other positive traits from their parents. Here’s a list of qualities that make these crossbreeds good dogs and how much of each trait they inherit from each parent dog.
| German Shepherd Great Pyrenees Mix | German Shepherd | Great Pyrenees |
| They are affectionate with family | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| They are good with children | 5/5 | 3/5 |
| They are good with other dogs | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| They are highly trainable | 5/5 | 3/5 |
| They are playful | 4/5 | 3/5 |
| They are protective in nature | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| They are highly adaptable | 5/5 | 3/5 |
| They are friendly with strangers | 3/5 | 3/5 |
Despite these inherited good qualities of the German Shepherd Great Pyrenees cross, there are a few limitations that your Germanees could also get from either one or both of the parents.
- Tendency to bark a lot (Great Pyrenees parent).
- Heavy shedding (Both parents).
- Stubbornness (Great Pyrenees parent).
- Tendency to aggression (Both parents).
How to Care for a Germanees
If you’re considering this crossbreed, you’ll need to know how to care for it properly.
Shedding and Grooming
A German Shepherd Great Pyrenees is a heavy shedder, considering both parents shed a lot all year. Also, like their parents, Germanees dogs will blow their coats in fall and spring to adapt to the extreme temperatures of the hot and cold seasons.
Because of their heavy shedding, the Great Pyrenees German Shepherd mix will require frequent brushing. Coat brushing should be done at least twice every week or more frequently, especially in the high-shedding seasons.
Health and Lifespan
Like the GSD and the Pyrs, a Shepnees will generally be a healthy dog.
From the life expectancy of the parent breeds (7-10 for the German Shepherd and 10-12 for the Great Pyrenees), you can expect your German Shepherd Great Pyrenees cross to live for 7 to 12 years.
However, research suggests that mixed-breed dogs have better health and longer lives due to a broader gene pool inherited from the two breeds.
As such, Germanees dogs may have a lifespan with a higher than 7 years lower limit and a higher than 12 years maximum longevity.
To enjoy a longer life, however, your German Shepherd Great Pyrenees cross will require proper care in nutrition and health.
In this regard, while your Shepnees may be genetically advantaged in longevity, your crossbreed pet could still inherit proneness to diseases common among GSDs and Pyrs.
From the Great Pyrenees, a Germanees could inherit a susceptibility to:
- Bloat
- Bone and joint issues
- Cancer
- Hypoadrenocorticism (Addison’s disease)
- Eye problems
- Dental infections
From the German Shepherd, a Germanees could inherit proneness to:
- Bloat
- Degenerative Myelopathy
- Hip and elbow dysplasia
- von Willebrand disease
- Osteochondritis Dissecans
- Pancreatic Acinar Atrophy
- Multifocal renal cystadenocarcinoma
German Shepherd Great Pyrenees Mix Cost
A German Shepherd Great Pyrenees mix costs approximately $500 to $1,000 because they are currently an uncommon crossbreed that’s not in high demand.
This cross is also not purebred, so a Germanees puppy will not likely be too pricey.
You can also consider adopting an adult Germanees for a lower price. A site like PuppyFinder.com has numerous German Shepherd Great Pyrenees dogs listed for low-cost adoption.
FAQs
Are German Shepherd Great Pyrenees Good Dogs?
German Shepherds Great Pyrenees mix are good dogs because they inherit the German Shepherd’s intelligence, confidence, and courage and the gentle, confident, and affectionate nature of the Great Pyrenees.
How big does a German Shepherd Great Pyrenees mix get?
A German Shepherd Great Pyrenees mix can grow quite large, reaching heights between 22-32 inches and weights of 50-150 pounds. Their size will depend on which parent’s traits they take after most.
Is the German Shepherd Great Pyrenees mix a good family pet?
With proper training and socialization, the German Shepherd Great Pyrenees mix generally makes a wonderful family pet. Their gentle and loyal nature means they’ll protect your home while getting along great with children and other animals. Early exposure is key to developing their patient temperament.
Is This Breed Right For You?
A German Shepherd Great Pyrenees mix is a rare crossbreed that combines the best qualities of the parent dogs.
However, the crossbreed can also present some limitations, and it’s essential to know the pros and cons of a Germanees to decide if it’s right for you.
Overall, you’ll love a German Shepherd Great Pyrenees if you seek the best GSD and Pyr qualities in a crossbreed puppy. You can also check out this post to learn about more German Shepherd mixes: 21 Best German Shepherd Mixes.
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