Surprisingly enough, there are dog breeds out there that require nearly no grooming whatsoever. While they generally have a shorter coat, others will have longer ones as well. So, when you have just adopted your Pyr, you may wonder, “Should I groom my Great Pyrenees?”

Yes, you should still groom your Great Pyrenees. While it is true that Great Pyrenees need minimal grooming, this breed is not one of the breeds that requires essentially no grooming at all, and most Great Pyrenees owners will at least groom their Pyr on occasion. If you want more information on this subject, I suggest you keep reading this article.

Basic Grooming Requirements For Pyrs

Now, we know that these dogs require grooming as minimal as it may be, but what are their basic grooming requirements? That’s a great question.

Let’s find out!

Bathing Your Great Pyrenees

It is said that a Great Pyrenees’ coat is fairly matted, tangled, and dirt resistant, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that they don’t have to be bathed.

So, consider bathing your Pyr once a month at least, or every time he gets into a mess. This way, whether you have company or not, you can be sure he’s clean.

Brushing Your Pyrs Coat

As I just mentioned, Pyrs are fairly matt, tangle, and dirt free, though it never hurts to give your Pyr a brushing on occasion. Their coat can still get matts and tangles.

Consider brushing your Pyr once every 1-2 weeks to make sure the tangles and mats are brushed out.

While most people only groom their dog when they go somewhere or have company, it’s best if you groom (including brush) your Great Pyrenees whether or not there will be a lot of people around.

Trimming Your Great Pyrenees’ Nails

Trimming your Great Pyrenees’ nails is a must for two reasons: 1) if you leave them don’t cut them for too long, they can scratch people, and 2) if they get too long, they will eventually grow into their paw pads.

Of course, having their nails pushed into their paws is very uncomfortable for your Pyr, so, needless to say, make sure you trim your dog’s nails!

But, when is the best time to do so? When your dog is scratching a lot of people or is becoming uncomfortable.

Brushing Your Pyr’s Teeth

Lastly, you need to brush your Great Pyrenees’ teeth regularly. While it may seem stupid to clean your dog’s teeth, it has its benefits.

Even though a dog’s teeth won’t rot right away if you don’t brush them, they will decay over time if they aren’t cleaned that much.

So, it’s recommended that you clean your dog’s teeth regularly. Consider brushing them at least weekly. You may also consider supplementing your dog’s diet with dental treats to make sure your Pyr’s teeth are well cleaned.

Should I Trim My Great Pyrenees’ Coat?

Many shave their Great Pyrenees’ coat for a couple of reasons; 1) they think it will help him stay cool in the summer, and 2) it helps reduce the amount of shedding. But, the question is, is it good for the dog?

The thing is, there are a lot of mixed answers. Some are okay with it, while others aren’t. People on the opposing side believe that if you were to shave their coat, it would cause a few problems.

For one, they think that it can actually make the dog hotter in the summer and colder in the winter. This makes sense as the coat acts like a radiator for the dog to help keep the body temperature where it needs to be.

They also say that there is always a possibility that their coat won’t grow back, which may sound fine and dandy, though if it does keep their body temperature where it needs to be, this is horrible for the dog.

We are talking about trimming, not shaving, however. These are two different things. Shaving is when you cut all or nearly all the hair off of their body, while trimming is simply shortening their hair a bit.

There are many Pyr owners who trim (not shave) their dog’s hair and have minimal problems, yet again, others speak against even trimming a Great Pyrenees’ coat.

Here are some answers I got when I asked Great Pyrenees owners on Facebook if they trim their dogs’ coats.

Yes, we brush and trim them often!

Cindy Harper Richardson

After I asked Cindy about her thoughts about shaving the Great Pyrenees and whether or not she had any problems trimming her dog’s coat, she said, “We never shave them, except for a wound area when needed, and that did grow back after some time.” “But we have had no issues with brushing and trimming on a regular basis.”

Here are the rest of the answers:

Mine goes to the groomer regularly. He is indoors and outdoors, so it keeps him comfortable.

Valeria Young

I work at a groomer, and mine goes to work with me weekly for a bath, nails, brush, blowout, and trimming the stray hairs. They look fantastic with the breed cut.

Ashley Midgette

I do not ever shave mine. It’s horrible for their coat and their hot/cold insulation. However, my groomer does trim the feathery part off, shaves her a potty trail & evens her coat up.

Nancy Stanton

No. Their undercoat is protection against heat and cold. It does not grow back If cut. If you shave or cut a Pyrenees’ hair, be prepared to keep them in the house.

Lisa Spurgeon

That’s a big no no!

Jeri Brownfield Neas

So, unfortunately, there are mixed answers.

What You Will Need To Groom Your Pyr

Now, we know that Great Pyrenees still need to be groomed regardless of how dirt, tangle, or mat-resistant they are, as all animals will get dirty from time to time. But if you’re still new to grooming, you may be asking, “What are some tools that I will need to groom my Great Pyrenees?”

That’s a great question!

What You Need For Bathing

First off, you’re going to need a good, dog-friendly shampoo and conditioner.

Now, you ask, what makes a good dog-friendly shampoo, and what’s the difference between human shampoo and dog shampoo?

Dogs have more alkaline skin than we do. While humans have a pH of about  5.5-5.6, dogs have a skin pH of 6.2-7.4.

When you take a bath or shower, it removes the acid mantle (the skin layer that protects the top layer of skin, the stratum corneum, from viruses and bacteria).

To counteract this, shampoos have ingredients that protect the skin until the acid mantle renews again. But, in order to do this, the shampoo must have the correct pH balance.

So, the reason you can’t just use human shampoo on a dog is that the pH balance is not right for the dog because the acid mantle may not renew properly without the proper balance.

Also, your dog’s skin is also more sensitive than ours, so when you get a shampoo, you need to be extra sure that all the ingredients are okay for his skin. All this is the same for conditioner.

Other supplies you may need include tethers (a hook to attach your dog’s leash to so he can’t escape), a handheld sprayer (to wash places that would be hard to reach with a faucet), a dog pool (when you’re dealing with larger dogs like the Great Pyrenees), and towels.

What You Will Need For Trimming Their Nails

Of course, the first thing you will need when you’re trimming your dog’s nails are dog-friendly clippers and grinders.

While you’re training your dog to accept you handling their feet, you may also need a silicone wall mat so you can put peanut butter or his favorite spreadable treat on it on it for your dog to lick while you’re doing so.

What You Will For Brushing Their Coat

First off, you will obviously need a comb or a brush, as you won’t be able to brush your Great Pyrenees’ coat in the first place without one.

You will also need a pin brush, scissors (to be more precise), a slicker brush (for more sensitive parts of the body), and a deshedder (to get rid of dead hair).

What You Will Need For Brushing Their Teeth

When it comes to the supplies you will need for brushing your dog’s teeth, it’s actually fairly simple.

You will only need two items: a dog toothbrush and dog toothpaste.

The reason why you need a dog toothbrush is that they are specifically designed for dogs and are curled to make it easier to get to his back teeth.

Dog-friendly toothpaste is also specifically made for dogs. You see, human toothpaste typically contains chemicals that can cause them to have stomach issues.

Those ingredients include fluoride, sodium lauryl sulfate, and xylitol, all of which are toxic to dogs.

Do Great Pyrenees Shed A Lot?

The Great Pyrenees shed a ton, and expect to find even more in the shedding season, which is in the spring.

You can expect to find his hair just about anywhere because he stays around a lot. Of course, this is horrible for people with dander allergies, so if you or someone else who is coming to your house has them, consider taking your Pyr somewhere else or even not adopting one at all.

Conclusion

So, do you have to groom a Great Pyrenees? While it is true they are fairly dirt, mat, and tangle-free they still need to be groomed.

Do you have a Great Pyrenees? If so, how often do you groom him?

The Dinosaur Bichir is a strange fish —  or should I say sea serpent? If you ever saw a Dinosaur Bichir, you would most likely see yourself wondering it. These fish are an interesting animal to have and closely resemble an underwater dinosaur (although the Bible doesn’t consider reptiles like the Plesiosaur a real dinosaur).  Although they do look like one, the Dinosaur Bichir isn’t a dinosaur, nor a reptile.

Appearance

The appearance of this creature may really think that it’s a sea monster of some kind. This may be kind of a cool, yet terrifying feature that they have. But, as you may know, Dinosaur Bichirs aren’t sea monsters, they’re just fish. Don’t be fooled, the “spikes” aren’t actually spikes, they’re just the dorsal fin.

Tank size

Because of how long they are, it’s recommended to use larger tanks. The complete minimum would be 20 gallons, but it’s extremely recommended to use 55-100 gallons for one.

Lifespan

These fish live pretty long. To be exact, about 10-20 years if they are cared for properly. Although they aren’t reptiles, they do still live a very long time, at least for a fish.

Tank environment

Dinosaur Bichirs aren’t really that picky. Any set up would do, as long as there’s sand at the bottom as they are bottom dwellers.

Diet

It is recommended to feed Dinosaur Bichirs a variety of foods. Live foods, freeze dried foods and sometimes pellets. Some foods you can feed your Dinosaur Bichirs could be ..

• Live, freeze dried or frozen bloodworms
• Nightcrawlers
• Weather Loaches
• Mussels
• Occasionally pellets for supplementing

Dinosaur bichirs will also eat other live food.

What kind of pellets should I use?

You should use pellets that are high in protein and are made for bottom-dwellers. If you can, try to get something that has natural ingredients and has a large amount of protein (preferably animal based protein).

Size

Dinosaur Bichirs can grow very long, at least for aquarium fish. To be exact, they can grow up to 2 feet long! This is why it’s recommended to keep these fish in large tanks.

Temperature

When it comes to water parameters, they are decently hardy. The recommended temperature is 74-84F or 24-28C.

pH

The recommended pH, just like when it comes to temperature, is decently wide. To be exact it’s 6.2-7.8.

Are you ready to care for a Dinosaur Bichir? Comment down below!

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Think Outside The Tank has a newsletter every month. The date may vary. Here are a few things you may need to know.

Featured Pets

When you open one of our monthly newsletters, you will most likely always find the section Featured Pet. This section is about a specific animal that has been kept as pets. We’ll try to feature exotic dog breeds or animals that most haven’t heard of or doesn’t know a lot about it. This section is made generally for entertainment purposing, while it may come in handy for some.

Featured Articles

Every newsletter features one of our or another’s articles. This could come in handy if you are looking for an article like the featured one. It can also be used simply as extra reading material after you looked at everything we offered in the newsletter.

Fact of the Month

Every newsletter will have a fact of the month. We will try to keep it animal, but also pet based. It could be the use of cat’s whiskers for an example.

Featured Poles/Surveys

Every month we will feature a pole or survey only for newsletter subscribers. To cause no one who isn’t subscribed to get into the pole, we have a password for each pole and provide it in the section for the pole or survey.

Featured Photos

Every month we feature some photos. We make sure they are pet related. We ask the public (on facebook) to share pet-related photos. Have a photo? If you have a featured photo you would like us to feature please contact us through live chat on the right of your screen. To share photos, please click the button on the bottom of the chat.  See image below.

Announcements

Every time we have an announcement we will make sure you know. If we decide it’s important or we decide to, we will make a separate email for the announcement. If we decide not to, we will announce it on that month’s newsletter. If so, we will simply add a new section to the newsletter. If you do not see the “Announcements” section, we do not have any announcements or decide to announce it later.

Have questions about this newsletter? Contact the owner by email ([email protected]) OR by using live support chat on the right of your screen.  [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]