The Great Pyrenees is the Gentle Giant of country living. They are fierce in defending their livestock, home and any creature they deem themselves protector of.
 
The Pyr can ward off everything from skunks and 'coons in the chicken coop to coyotes and wolves from the sheep and cattle. Bear would rather avoid rummaging your trash bin than face the ever alert Pyrenees pulling guard duty in the wee hours of the night.

Nocturnal, Calm, Independent and Deliberate - this worker is always on point and ready for action when the demand exists.

The Black and White Great Pyrenees is unlike any other Livestock Guardian I've had the pleasure of dwelling with. Even among Great Pyrenees, these lines are something to take note of. And to be quite honest I never cared much for the Great Pyrenees I had been around until I encountered these Color Bred Lines. 
 
My original aversion to the Pyr, I later discovered, was due to the lack of instinct I assumed the dog was supposed to have and of course none of the Pyrs I had encountered in the field really looked big enough to actually do what I understood the breed was developed to do. Never mind the fact you never actually train a pyr, they are much to clever for that. Rather your pyr will train you and I've discovered this is a fine arrangement so long as you're not to hard headed, you'll get along just fine.
 
I was at a Spring Festival in Missouri when I spied my first Giant Black Great Pyrenees. He was magnificent! I asked the couple what he was and was astonished when they said he was a purebred Pyr. I did not know they could be anything but white. He had been neutered and they did not know how to reach his breeder but he was the only black in the litter. I was in love and wanted to learn more.
 
I began digging and turned up very little regarding the black coloration even active breeders would not mention or even admit to its existence despite some brief mention of it here and there in the standards of the breed. I began to question whether this nearly solid black "pyr" I encountered was truly a purebred or not.

However, my research turned up that color/pigment in the Pyrenees breeding line is not only necessary but the primary contributor to preserving the large size and instinctual working ability in the breed. This led me to consider then, how much color is possible?
 
I learned that continuous breeding of white on white, over time, leads to an inferior dog that tends to lack natural working instinct and devolves into expressing a diminished stature.
 
Color breeding seemed to be the key that created the dog that immediately caught my eye and gave me reason to rethink my opinion of the breed. I remain puzzled however as to why the black coloration would be considered so taboo. You can try this exercise yourself, just give it a few days in the forums or a single post in a Pyrenees Facebook group, mention the color black and the word Pyrenees in the same post and you can literally watch the thread blow up before your eyes!
 
I found only one breeder in the states who was not shy about black however they only produced Pyrs with some black markings. But their lines were phenomenal and not associated in any way with AKC (a stance which I admire when it comes to the Pyrenees). That did not change the fact I still longed for a mostly black dog. I was assured by the breeder that this was highly improbable but I believed if color was possible at all then breeding for it could result in it what I was looking for.