How Do Great Pyrenees Show Affection and Love?

How Do Great Pyrenees Show Affection?

If you are the lucky owner of a Great Pyrenees, you know how special their personalities are.  These dogs are known to be loving, affectionate, and thoughtful. Because they are so independent, it can sometimes be hard to tell when they love you.

So, how do Great Pyrenees show affection?

There are a few ways these gentle giants show affection.  They will lean on you, wag their tail, look at you with soft eyes, watch you, and ask for physical attention.  Great Pyrenees are also known to carry your things around in their mouth, as a way of showing love and excitement!

Let’s look at why Great Pyrenees do these things and how we know that they mean, “I love you.”

Great Pyrenees Are Independent By Nature

Great Pyrenees are an ancient dog breed with an interesting history.  Knowing more about these dogs in the past helps us to understand their behavior today.

Great Pyrenees are mountain dogs that were bred to protect flocks of sheep.  They lived at a high altitude all year long, which helps to explain their fluffy, white coats and why they shed so much!  But, their history even teaches us why these dogs are independent by nature.

Great Pyrenees would often spend all day and night in solitude, with their flocks.  They took their job as a guardian very seriously.  Being the only dog around made them independent and less social than some other dog breeds. Eventually, this guardian mentality started to expand to the families they lived with as well.

Today, these dogs are known as loving members of the family but can sometimes be described as aloof, calm, and relaxed.  This can lead some people to wonder whether their furry friend is happy or not!

With such a solemn dog, how do you know if your Great Pyrenees likes you?

Don’t worry, Great Pyrenees are very affectionate, and here are 5 ways they show their affection towards their human families!

6 Ways Your Great Pyrenees Might Show Affection

Every dog is different.  So, even if you don’t find your Great Pyrenees doing all of these things, that doesn’t mean they don’t love you!

Some Great Pyrenees are serious, while others can be goofy!  Of course, they will all express themselves in different ways.  But, in general, if your dog is doing one of these things around you, you can rest assured that they love you!

1. They Lean On You or Sit By You

One way that dogs show affection is by leaning on you or by sitting right next to you!

This is because being in contact with someone they care about is comforting to them.  As puppies, dogs are known to sleep literally right on top of one another.  This is a phenomenon called a “puppy pile.”  If you’ve never seen one of these, check out this video to see what we mean:

Puppies show affection and trust by being close enough to touch.  Great Danes probably won’t sleep right on top of you.  But, they will definitely show their trust and affection for you by leaning on you and sitting very very close.  And don’t worry, even though their size may make this seem intimidating, it’s not meant to be.

If your Great Pyrenees is sitting a little too close for comfort, there are some other reasons why this could be happening.  But, it is one way they tell you that they feel comfortable and loved.

2. They Look At You With Soft, Sleepy Eyes

We think that Great Pyrenees have some of the kindest and most understanding eyes.  Sometimes, when they look at you, it feels like they know everything, even things that we don’t know!

When a Great Pyrenees’ eyes are calm and soft, you know that they feel comfortable.  In the wild, an animal won’t let their eyes close at all when they’re alert.  Only when they are home and safe with their families will they let their eyes get sleepy.

A slow blink and closing eyes might just mean your dog is tired.  But, if they always look at you this way, it’s because you feel like home to them!  You are safe, you don’t scare them, and they are telling you they trust you, just with their eyes!

3. They Pay Attention To You, Especially When Out

On the opposite side of the soft lazy eyes that you will see from a Great Pyrenees at home, are the alert eyes they have when you leave the house!

Because of their background, Great Pyrenees are always on the lookout and alert.  Their guard dog tendencies ensure that they keep their eyes open to any threats.

You can tell your furry friend is affectionate towards you when they pay you special attention in the outside world.   They might do this by responding to their name better than they do at home.  Or, they might just keep an eye on you at all times!  You can tell that your dog is always paying attention to you if you try to leave and they notice immediately.

Keeping an eye on you is one way your Great Pyrenees might be showing you affection, that you never even thought about!

4. They Seek Physical Attention From You

This could be an obvious way that your Great Pyrenees shows affection, by demanding attention from you!

There are two common ways that Great Pyrenees will ask you for attention and both them can lead to you covered in fur!

They Nuzzle You

If you furry friend neuzzles you, you’re in luck!  A nuzzle or a cuddle from your dog is a sure sign of love and affection.  Puppies will actually nuzzles their mothers when they’re looking for comfort.

Give a nudge or a nuzzle is also a dog’s way of offering you comfort.  Dogs are sensitive to the emotions of their human owners.  If you’re having a bad day and your dog is being extra clngy, they are trying to support you the best way that they can!

They Place Their Paw On You

Just like with bulldogs, and many other dog breeds, when a Great Pyrenees places their paw on you they’re asking for attention.

Even though this might seem playful, and a little aggressive coming from such a big dog, it’s not.  By placing their paw on you, your dog is just trying to communicate with you.  Often that communicating is “I need something” and that something is more petting!

If you Great Pyrenees places their paw on you, they want more from you, because they love you!

5. They Carry Your Things In Their Mouth

If you’re a dog lover, I think you’ve seen a video of a Goden Retreiver carrying a shoe or a sock around the house!

Well some Great Pyrenees will do this too!

And, even though it might be annoying to constantly have your things moved around the house, your dogs means it as a compliment!

Think about it, your things smell like you.  If your dogs is carrying your things around the house, it’s because they want you with them!  They might take your shoes and put them in their bed, or take them outside with them.  Your smell is something they want around, all of the time!

This behavior is extremely affectionate, but if you have trouble with your dog always carrying your stuff around, try to make it harder for them to get to your things!  Put laundry away, put shoes in a closet, and make sure dirty clothes go in the washer!

6. They Wag Their Tail When They See You

We know, we know, this isn’t revolutionary!

However, it’s important to remember that every time your dog wags their tail, they’re expressing happiness and affection towards you!

If you happen to have a lazy Great Pyrenees, they might not go to great lengths to show their affection.  A wag of a tail communicates so much in dogs!  A wagging tail means comfort and happiness.  So, even if your dog stays on the ground while getting you, if you see their tale wagging, you can know that they love you and they’re happy to see you!

Things Your Great Pyrenees Might Do That Are Not Affectionate

By now, I hope you’re convinced that you own a super loving and affectionate Great Pyrenees.

However, there are a few things that these dogs might do, that might not always be so affectionate!

They Jump On Your Shoulders

This one can really go either way.  While it has been established that dogs putting their paws on your shoulders isn’t a sign of dominance, they also might not be doing this to show affection.

If your dog jumps onto your shoulders in a frenzy, they might be excited, or, they might be trying to communicate something important to you!  If they nearly knock you over there is some sense of urgency here that means more than just affection.

However, if your dogs just puts their paws on your shoulders to cuddle you, it is possible that they are just trying to show you love, on your level!

They Herd You

As cute as it might appear, you don’t want your Great Pyrenees herding you!

Even though Great Pyrenees aren’t natural herding dogs, it is something that they will do from time to time!  If your dog is herding you, its not a great sign!  For the most part, dogs won’t herd their owners.  Actually what dogs will most often herd is small children.  This video shows an example of a Border Collie herding a group of kids.

Kids are a natural choice for herding because they are small and usually dogs don’t see them the same way they see their owners.  When dogs herd something, they see it as work.  They see the things that they are herding as a job!

So, if your dog is herding you, it might not be coming from a loving place, no matter how cute it is!

Final Thoughts

If you came here not sure whether or not Great Pyrenees are affectionate, we hope you can see that they are!  Although they aren’t the most active of all the dog breeds, they still show their love to their owners.

These dogs will sit close to you, wag their tail, watch you, and look at you with soft eyes to show how comfortable they are around you.  They might nuzzle you, or put a paw on you to show you that they want more attention.  We hope your Great Pyrenees shows you so much affection, you won’t need to question it ever again!

2 thoughts on “How Do Great Pyrenees Show Affection and Love?”

  1. I well know that SOFT Gentle Look!as I have Pyreneans most of my Life! And trying to Sit on my Lap,and Much Much More Shows of Love! Twirling with Pleasure when I have been gone from the house a couppe of Hours to Long!

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