Pyrenean Shepherds are among the oldest herding dogs and have existed as an indigenous breed for hundreds and likely thousands of years.  Unlike their livestock guardian companion, the Great Pyrenees (which is believed to have evolved from mastiffs which accompanied marauding invaders over the Alps), Pyrenean Shepherds have existed largely unspoiled from the earliest days of canine domestication.  Each valley had their "type" and unlike many modern breeds of dogs, often "created" in the past 150 years by the outcrossing of different breeds, Pyrenean Shepherds in their country of origin and elsewhere in the world are prized for their intrinsic charm and relatively unspoiled working character.