Rough-Faced
UNDERSTANDING THE
Pyrenean Shepherd
HEAD
BY KIM RICE AND PATRICIA PRINCEHOUSE FOR THE PYRENEAN SHEPHERD CLUB OF AMERICA
T he secret to the headpiece of the Pyrenean Shepherd is to understand that it is not just beautiful but also highly functional. Type is not arbitrary here, it’s not a matter of taste or artistic license. Type relates directly to the job the Pyr Shep performed in its natural working environ- ment. This is a wilderness herding dog, living out in the high mountain wilds for months at a time with only the dogs’ anatomy to protect them and allow them to do their job. Our goal is to introduce the reader to the Pyrenean Shepherd through the words of the Breed Standard. To begin, the first line of the Standard speaks of the “vibrant expression of his unique triangular head and windswept face” and emphasizes that the dog’s appearance is “characteristic of no other breed.” The Standard says he is a “superb athlete,” but how does that relate to the head? Doesn’t the soundness of the dog matter more than type, more than appearance? What about the function of the dog? Isn’t head type largely window dressing? The head should be triangular with a windswept appearance? Why on Earth would that matter to the dog’s working ability? Why do we harp on about how the coat should be rustic and “uncoiffed?” Where’s the harm if a show dog is a little bit fancy? Why does the Standard state in bold capital letters, “ NO RIB- BON SHALL BE AWARDED TO A DOG WHOSE COAT HAS BEEN SCISSORED, ESPECIALLY ON THE FACE, EXCEPT FOR NEATENING OF THE FEET? ” The Coat sec- tion doesn’t just say they shouldn’t be scissored. It says, “no ribbon shall be awarded” to a scissored dog. Isn’t that a bit over the top?
236 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, MARCH 2024
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