# Mistaken for Great Pyrenees



## Bender (Dec 30, 2008)

Both my girls have been called Tollers, because there are a lot of byb's around with giant goldens that are pushing 27 at the shoulder. So my 21 inch goldens are 'too small'.

Having had two tricolour border collies, those are also a 'mixed breed' and/or berner mixes because border collies only come in black and white... oh and my old guy also got called an aussie with a tail, even by an obedience judge with his paperwork on her clipboard....


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## C's Mom (Dec 7, 2009)

He doesn't look like a GP to me and he sure looks super handsome - awesome face and great coat!


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

Unless they're familiar with the breed, people often mistake Goldens for Great Pryrenees, Irish Setters or "Golden" Labs or something mixed. I'm not very familiar with terriers and would probably get them wrong. I wouldn't take it personally.


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## iansgran (May 29, 2010)

Looks perfectly Golden to me.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Yep. 

The pic below is my Danny around the time we were getting the "pyr queries" most. He was reserved around people + fluffy + taller than most goldens (25" at the shoulder). 

Considering most pyrs I've ever seen are white and look more like bears, I'm just guessing these people just haven't seen a real pyr. 

Oh, in the pic he was lounging next to his Irish setter bro.


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## MidasMom (Jun 2, 2010)

Willow52 said:


> Unless they're familiar with the breed, people often mistake Goldens for Great Pryrenees, Irish Setters or "Golden" Labs or something mixed. I'm not very familiar with terriers and would probably get them wrong. I wouldn't take it personally.


Oh, totally didn't take it personally. Just thought it was funny on what other people see. Made me giggle.


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## sarahdove (Feb 27, 2011)

My friend has a big English Golden. He is sooooooooooo white that everyone swears he is a GP. Then on the other side, I had 2 red Goldens and everyone said "I like you Irish Setters". sheeeshhhhhhhhhhhhh LOL

I think your baby looks JUST like a Golden, no mistake there.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Willow52 said:


> Unless they're familiar with the breed, people often mistake Goldens for Great Pryrenees, Irish Setters or "Golden" Labs or something mixed. I'm not very familiar with terriers and would probably get them wrong. I wouldn't take it personally.


I completely agree. As dog enthusiasts, I think it's hard for us to imagine how little somebody might know about breeds. In fact, just yesterday, a woman walked up to me while the dogs were swimming after our run, and she said, "Are they Labs? I love Labs!"

I said, "Nope, they're Golden Retrievers, and they love water just like Labs do."

She said, "I love Golden Labs. What lovely Labs you have."

My dogs are not only GRs in proper, untrimmed coats, but they're dark dogs that are nothing like any of the allowable lab colors. She just didn't know the difference, even after I told her.

I also get "are those Setters?" sometimes. In fact, I think I probably hear more people incorrectly identify my dogs than people who correctly call them GRs without any help.

Lots of people just don't know dogs at all. It's like me and rabbits. All rabbits are rabbits, so far as I know. Brown, white, big, small, floppy, whatever. A rabbit enthusiast would probably be quite exasperated at me if I guessed their rabbit's breed.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

PS - the OP's dog looks like a pretty standard looking Golden to me. I think the Pyrenees comment comes out of ignorance, not out of the fact that the dog looks anything like one.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

I frequently had people ask me if my Great Pyreneeses were Goldens.

I have owned two Great Pyreneeses and now I own two Goldens.

Now that I am familiar with the Golden, there is something in their face that does have some similarities to a Great Pyr, which attracted me to the Golden - I see it in a lot of the conformation goldens, not the field ones.


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## Bell (Jan 23, 2010)

An yuong couple passed us by yesterday.The young man said:''A golden retriever''The girl corrected him:''No,it's a labrador.See how much hair he has?Labs are flufier than goldens..!!"


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## Jamm (Mar 28, 2010)

Bell said:


> An yuong couple passed us by yesterdat.The young man said:''A golden retriever''The girl corrected him:''No,it's a labrador.See how much hair he has?Labs are flufier than goldens..!!"


LOL! Some people.:doh:


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## 2goldens2love (Feb 8, 2011)

We get Irish Setter all the time :doh:


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## kwhit (Apr 7, 2008)

Chance gets Great Pyrenees ALL the time.


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## Kelley3204 (Apr 9, 2011)

When People See Libbie people confuse her as a Lab, Not a golden. when I say No shes not a lab shes a golden they give me a nasty look Lol


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## Kelley3204 (Apr 9, 2011)

MidasMom said:


> Anyone have their golden mistaken for a Great Pyrenees? I had my Graham at his obedience class last night and after class I had a woman come up to me and ask me what breed of dog Graham was. I told her that he was a golden retriever. She went on to tell me that she swore that he was a Great Pyrenees or mix because he has a "square head and really full coat". Guess I never really thought of him looking like anything but a golden. Here is a pic of him, I don't really see it, but I guess someone else does. LOL!


Your Dog is gorgeous by the way


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## Hali's Mom (Oct 5, 2006)

MidasMom said:


> Anyone have their golden mistaken for a Great Pyrenees? I had my Graham at his obedience class last night and after class I had a woman come up to me and ask me what breed of dog Graham was. I told her that he was a golden retriever. She went on to tell me that she swore that he was a Great Pyrenees or mix because he has a "square head and really full coat". Guess I never really thought of him looking like anything but a golden. Here is a pic of him, I don't really see it, but I guess someone else does. LOL!


Obviously the woman was not knowledgable about her breed identification.
:doh:


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## LauraJ (Mar 30, 2010)

People think Sami is a Samoyed because she is white, no way she can be a golden.. (granted she is golden/collie mix) but Graham looks like a full beautiful golden retriever to me..


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

He's a handsome golden if you ask me. When my 9 year olds were pups, I had BYB of goldens with an 80 lb bitch ask me if my pups were purebred goldens. Looking at their dog, I couldn't help myself and said,"Yes, they are SHOW goldens." It is so rude to ask if anything is purebred.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

I cannot tell you how many times our red headed boys were mistaken for Irish Setters, because they were red. :no: Uh, yes they were red, but not dark red and they certainly didn't have the build or the ears! I just laughed it off because they obviously weren't familiar with either breed.


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## GoldenCamper (Dec 21, 2009)

I could see how a light colored Golden could be mistaken for a young Kuvasz or  Great Pyrenees, but they are both much bigger as adults.

We met a Great Py someone rescued from down south a few months ago, she sweet as can be and the biggest dog on the block. I confess I mistook her for a Kuvasz, they are very similar.

Someone did ask me last month if Fiona was a Lab though :doh: She is really getting fluffed out with her feathers and mane since she blew her coat, how could anyone mistake her for a Lab, geez.


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## Karen2 (Jan 5, 2009)

I swear Lance was maybe a Great Pyrenees mix when I first saw him, he has such a weird coat, he had been shaved before so this coat not what I expected.
Now that he's grown out and looking more like a Golden, a Very Large Golden!
So I can't fault people, because I'm not always sure myself what I'm seeing!


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## golden_mom (Jan 13, 2013)

*i own a (white gold) golden retriever*

ur dog looks definatly like a golden. my english creme gets that all the time except most ppl dont even say gp they say "is that one of those shepard dogs." where i live most ppl have never sn an english creme so when they say "i had a lab or a dog just like that once" i almost say "i doubt it." i explain the difference goldens are fluffier and leave it at that


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## Sadie53 (Dec 27, 2012)

*Mistaken for a Great Pyrenees*

I have been asked if Sadie was an Irish Setter? It ticks me off as she is dark gold but come on silly people look at her lines etc. She is not even the red of an Irish Setter. I said excuse me she is a golden retriever. They replied oh, and left. :doh:


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## Jacey's boy (Feb 26, 2009)

I know some people that have a great pyrenees and it got away from them and ended up in my yard. I knew him so he came to me and I put him in the fence until they could come and get him. I let Jacey out to play with him and he just made Jacey look small.


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## Cricketfur (Oct 10, 2012)

I'll admit that my Pandora is still a little scraggly growing her fur back, but I had a groomer tell me she was an Irish Setter, no ifs, ands, or buts. She even left the dog she was grooming on the table to come over and pet our (then) mangy dog because she _loved_ setters. We just let her say whatever and made a note to not get grooming there ever again lest our dogs get left on the table for a reddish dog walking by.


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## dwiley (Aug 19, 2012)

This is our little guy, Tucker. He was adopted from the local GR rescue, and they had his brother and sister as well. I have spoken with his sister's owners and their vet seems to think they may be Golden/Pyrenees mixes. I can't decide!


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