Did you know that mixed breed dogs actually top the most popular dogs list in America and the UK according to Rover’s databases (The Dog People) 2021? It appears that more and more dog owners are buying the research-backed fact that mixed breed dogs are healthier and live longer. But does that apply to all mixed dog breeds, including the Great Pyrenees Lab mix?
The Great Pyrenees Lab mix is a large hybrid dog created by crossbreeding a purebred Labrador Retriever and a purebred Great Pyrenees dog. Easy to train, it can be either calm or playful. Crossbreeding a Lab and a Pyr brings out the positive qualities of two dogs originally bred as working dogs.
To help you better understand the Great Pyrenees Lab mix, this article gives you a detailed description of the dog’s history and origin, size, temperament, cost, and care requirements.
So, if you want to know all about the Great Pyrenees Lab Mix, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s get started!
- 1. Use Positive Reward-Based Training
- 2. Be Overly Patient
- 3. Let Your Pyrador Know That You Are in Charge
- 4. Create a Strong Bond With Your Pyrador
- 5. Control Your Pyrador's Environment
Origin and History
Below is a brief description of the origin and history behind the Great Pyrenees Lab Mix. But, if you’re in a rush, here’s a quick look at the breed:
| Great Pyrenees Lab Mix | Breed Characteristics |
|---|---|
| Type | Working / Companion |
| Other Names | Pyrador, Lab Great Pyrenees Mix, Labreenes |
| Breed Size | Large |
| Height | 22.5-32 inches (Males) 21.5-29 inches (Females) |
| Weight | Between 65 and ≥100lbs (Males) Between 55lbs and ≥85lbs (Females) |
| Temperament | Patient, Calm, Outgoing, Playful, Brave, Protective, Guard-dog, Eager to Please, Easy To Train, Loyal, Intelligent, Good Family Pet, High-energy |
| Appearance | Broad Head, Wide and Deep Muzzle, Black Nose, Brown or Hazel Eyes, Long and Thick Tail, Long, Triangle and Floppy Ears |
| Lifespan | 10-12 years |
| Health Issues | Bloat (GDV), Hip and Elbow Dysplasia, Progressive Retinal Atrophy, Allergies |
| Coat Colors | Black, White, Yellow, Chocolate, (or a mixture of these coat colors). |
| 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 |
What Is a Great Pyrenees Lab Mix?
A Great Pyrenees Lab mix, also called a Pyrador, a Lab Great Pyrenees Mix, or a Labreenes is a crossbreed between a purebred Labrador Retriever and a purebred Great Pyrenees. It is one of the more recent mixed breed dogs growing in popularity among lovers of the parent breeds.
As with all hybrid crossbreeds, a Great Pyrenees Lab mix bears the best of the genetic, temperament, and physical traits of the parent breeds. However, a Pyrador may also inherit some health and temperament issues from either parent.
Today, the Lab Great Pyrenees mix is bred as a family pet, but the parent dogs were originally bred for two completely different purposes. Let’s take a quick look at each of the Pyrador’s parent breeds to get a broad picture of where the Great Pyrenees Lab Cross comes from.
The Great Pyrenees
The Great Pyrenees, also called Pyrenean Mountain dog or simply Pyr, is a working dog originally bred to guard sheep against wolves and other human and wildlife predators.
The breed’s name comes from their origin, the Pyrenees Mountains, which separate France and Spain. The Pyrs are said to originate from the French side, while their counterparts, the Pyrenean Mastiff dog, originated from the Spanish side of the Mountains.
The first Great Pyrenees dogs can be traced back to around 3000 BC. Pyrs were recognized as Royal dogs of France in the 17th century because they proved useful in protecting the castle at King Louis XIV’s court.
Regarding the temperament of this longtime guard dog, the Pyrs’ courage and great patience while guarding sheep in freezing mountain temperatures made them the renowned guard dogs they are still known as today.
Do you want to know why Pyrs are great dogs? Check out this article, 11 Reasons Why Great Pyrenees Are Good Dogs.
With time, livestock predators decreased, and Pyrs became less common. Later, the arrival of Pyrs in North America helped in the efforts to preserve the Great Pyrenees dogs. The AKC registered Pyrs as a breed in 1933.
See also: Is a Great Pyrenees Right for You? Weighing the Pros and Cons
Today (2021), Great Pyrenees rank 70th on the ACK’s list of most popular dogs.
The Labrador Retriever
Labrador Retriever is a household name in the world of dog ownership. Discovered by English nobles in the easterly province of Newfoundland in Canada, these dogs were brought to the UK in the early 1800s for their impressive fowl retrieving skills.
It remains unclear why the breed bears the name Labrador, a western city of Newfoundland and Labrador province of Canada.
As they are commonly known today, Labs were refined and standardized through breeding in the UK and registered by the English Kennel Club in 1903. Their retrieval skills were used to recover game, not just in water but even on land.
The AKC registered Labrador Retrievers as a breed in 1917. Since then, Labs have won the hearts of Americans for their signature sweet and eager-to-please temperament, remaining America’s No.1 dog breed from 1991 to date.
If you want to know more about the gorgeous Labrador, check out this post, Are Labradors Good Family Dogs: 17 Things to Know.
Like all other hybrid dogs, the Pyrador is not officially recognized as a breed by the AKC. However, you can register your Pyrador as a mixed breed with the Dog Registry of America. Being a mixed breed also means an AKC or English Kennel Club breed standard for the Pyrador does not exist.
If you love the Lab Great Pyrenees mix, we’ll tell you what to expect from crossbreeding these two great working dogs in the rest of the article. But first…
Check Out This Gorgeous Pyrador In This Video…
Size and Appearance
Let’s explore the Pyrador’s size and appearance.
What Does a Great Pyrenees Lab Mix Look Like?
The Great Pyrenees Lab mix has physical features inherited from both parents: a broad head, black nose, brown or hazel eyes, long and thick tail, and black, white, yellow, chocolate, or a mixture of these coat colors.
These features can vary from one Pyrador to another depending on how much of each feature the Great Pyrenees Lab cross inherits from each parent. It could be a fifty-fifty inheritance from each parent or a higher percentage from either the sire or dam.
Here’s a quick focus on these Pyrador features.
- Head: A Pyrador has a fairly broad skull with a somewhat wedge shape, borrowing from both parents. The head is proportionate to the dog’s size, and the muzzle is wide and deep, blending smoothly with the skull.
- Eyes, nose, and ears: Labreenes have a face and eyes that are somewhere between the extremely happy and kind eyes of the Lab and the somewhat serious look of the Pyr. The eyes are medium size with a brown or hazel color. The nose is generally black, but it could be brown if the Labrador parent is chocolate. The ears are long, triangular, and floppy.
- Tail: Considering the long tails of both parents, the Lab Great Pyrenees mix bears a long and thick tail with medium to long hairs. The tail is typically carried low, but the dog may curve the tail over his back when aroused.
- Coat type and color: Labs and Pyrs both have double coats, with Great Pyrenees having long coats while Labradors have medium-length coats. As such, Pyradors will come with double coats but may show variation in coat hair length depending on which dog parent they inherit from most.
As for coat color, your Lab Great Pyrenees mix can come in one of the parent dogs’ coat colors or a mixture of those: black, yellow, and chocolate from the Lab or solid white and white with markings from the Pyr.
How Big Do Great Pyrenees Lab Mix Get?
The Great Pyrenees Lab mix are large dogs. Considering both their parent breeds are large, a male Pyrador will weigh around 65lbs to ≥100lbs (29.48 to 45.35 kg) while a female will weigh about 55lbs to ≥85lbs (24.94 to 38.55 kg).
Female Pyradors are approximately 21.5-29 inches (54.61-73.66 cm) in height while males can grow to about 22.5-32 inches (57.15-81.28 cm).
See a summary of these Pyrador size estimates in the table below:
| Labrador Retriever | Pyrador | Great Pyrenees | |
| Male Height | 22.5-24.5 inches (57.15-62.23 cm) | Between 22.5-32 inches (57.15-81.28 cm) | 27-32 inches (68.58-81.28 cm) |
| Female Height | 21.5-23.5 inches (54.61-59.69 cm) | Between 21.5-29 inches (54.61-73.66 cm) | 25-29 inches (63.5-73.66 cm) |
| Male Weight | 65-80lbs (29.48-36.28 kg) | Between 65 and ≥100lbs (29.48 to 45.35 kg) | 100lbs (45.35 kg) or more |
| Female Weight | 55-70lbs (24.94-31.75 kg) | Between 55lbs and ≥85lbs (24.94-38.55 kg) | 85lbs (38.55 kg) or more |
The minimum height and weight apply for Pyradors at 12 months, as younger dogs can weigh and measure less.
Great Pyrenees Lab Mix Temperament
Next is a look at the Pyrador’s temperament.
Are Pyradors Good Dogs?
Pyradors are good dogs and will inherit a bit of the patient and calm qualities of the Great Pyrenees and a bit of the outgoing and playful nature of the Labrador Retriever. How much of the parent temperaments a Pyrador inherits will vary with each dog.
Depending on how much your Pyrador inherits from each parent, your dog can be:
- Mostly calm and quiet with pronounced protective and guarding instincts of the Great Pyrenees parent and probably a bit self-willed and not easy to train.
- Friendly and playful with the distinctive pleasant personality of the Labrador, willing to please and, therefore, easy to train.
- Fifty-fifty of each parent and typically friendly with the family, a fair balance for friendliness with strangers, mainly trainable, or protective and loyal like both parents.
Pyrador breeders and prospective owners can only guess what traits their puppies will inherit from their parents despite these temperament estimations. Whichever combination your puppy arrives with, early and proper training is paramount.
How To Train a Great Pyrenees Lab Mix
Did you know that mixed breeds are easier to train, according to a study on owner-perceived differences between mixed-bred and purebred dogs? This is because they inherit trainability traits from a diverse pool of genes than would a purebred dog.
Higher trainability also means your mixed-breed dog is not just an average-intelligence dog, as many may tend to think. In other words, your Pyrador can be trained with the same techniques you would use with a purebred Lab or Pyr, and probably with quicker and better results.
Here are 5 tips on how to train your Great Pyrenees mix:
1. Use Positive Reward-Based Training
It’s a universally known fact that positive reward-based training works best with any dog breed. Dogs learn behavior associated with good outcomes (rewards) and eventually repeat the behavior naturally without needing the reward.
For a Pyrador, reward-based training will be effective due to two key reasons:
- It will inherit a bit of the Lab’s eager-to-please disposition and love for food, which means you can use that to convince your Pyrador to heed commands.
- Pyrs have a sense of independence and stubbornness and do not find obeying commands exciting. As such, using a training method that can tap into their preferences (like a favorite treat or a praise cue) will make training easier.
Of course, you’ll need to study your Pyrador to discover what they consider a reward and use it for training.
2. Be Overly Patient
I purposely used the term “overly patient” because you’ll need that to counter any Pyr stubbornness passed on to your Great Pyrenees Lab cross.
If your Pyrador is more like their Pyr parent in stubbornness, it will take you quite a few repetitions before the dog obeys your command. Simply avoid saying the command several times in a given instance and, instead, wait a few seconds before doing so.
If your Pyrador takes more after the Lab parent, your commands will find a receptive pet, as long as you give some good treats.
3. Let Your Pyrador Know That You Are in Charge
Letting your Pyrador know you are in charge has nothing to do with being the alpha or using aversive training methods. Rather, it is about being confident and consistent with what you ask of your Pyrador.
If your dog has more of the Great Pyrenees’ independence, he will test you to see if he can get away with being the autonomous sheep guard who acts independently.
Even if your dog has more of the Lab’s temperament, letting him have his way can make the Great Pyrenees Lab Cross harder to train. The best rule is to stick to what you ask of your Pyrador.
4. Create a Strong Bond With Your Pyrador
Any dog that knows its owner loves them will want to keep things that way. That’s also true with a Pyrador. If your Great Pyrenees Lab mix has a strong relationship with you, he’ll want to preserve it with obedience. You can strengthen this bond with daily walks, a visit to the park, a vacation together, or simply spending some bonding time in the house.
5. Control Your Pyrador’s Environment
Controlling a Pyrador’s environment is a core training element for a dog whose parent has a tendency to extreme barking and escape while the other is food-motivated.
It means limiting your dog’s exposure to situations that trigger extreme barking. These include access to windows facing roads or pathways and ensuring the fence is firm enough to preempt an escape.
Controlling your dog’s environment also implies feeding your Pyrador on a schedule instead of leaving food around all day long and letting your dog eat at will. Remember that both Labs and Pyrs are prone to being overweight for different breed-related reasons, and your Pyrador could have this problem.
Great Pyrenees Lab Mix Health and Lifespan
Here is a look at health problems faced by Pyradors.
Common Health Problems
Just like its Labrador Retriever and Great Pyrenees parents, a Great Pyrenees Lab mix is generally healthy. However, the Pyrador could inherit a susceptibility to diseases that are common to either of its parents, as shown:
| From the Labrador Parent | From the Great Pyrenees Parent |
|---|---|
| Hip and elbow dysplasia | Bloat |
| Eye disease | Hypoadrenocorticism (Addison’s disease) |
| Centronuclear Myopathy | Bone and joint issues |
| Exercise-induced collapse (EIC) | Dental Infections |
| The dilute gene | Eye problems |
| Thyroid disease | Cancer |
Nonetheless, Pyradors may show greater resistance to these diseases due to their hybrid genetic status that comes with a broader pool of genes from two purebred parent dogs.
To support your Great Pyrenees Lab cross’s predisposition to better health, a study found that:
- Certain diseases are more common in purebred dogs than in mixed breed dogs. These diseases include some of those common in Labs and Pyrs like Elbow dysplasia, eye problems, hypoadrenocorticism, and bloat.
- Mixed breed dogs only showed prevalence for ruptured cranial cruciate ligament, which is not a common condition in either Labs or Pyrs.
- Both purebred and mixed breed dogs have equal susceptibility to certain diseases. The only disease that Labs and Pyrs are prone to is hip and elbow dysplasia.
How Long Do Great Pyrenees Lab Mix Live?
Great Pyrenees Lab mix will live for approximately 10-12 years, just like their Pyr and Lab parents. However, your Pyrador has greater chances of living longer, considering the broader pool of genes that the dog inherits from crossbreeding a Lab and a Pyr.
FAQ About Great Pyrenees Lab Mix
Final Thoughts
Is a Great Pyrenees Lab Mix right for you? While the Pyrador makes a great pet, it might not suit everyone.
The Pyrador is right for you if you:
It is not right for you if you:
Do you want to know whether mixed breeds are bad dogs? Check out this article, Are Mixed Breeds Bad? 5 Reasons NOT to Get a Mixed Breed.
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