Leonberger

The Leonberger is a giant breed of dog. The breeds name derives from the city of Leonberg in south-west Germany. Due to this breed's large size, its love of muddy water, and the amount of attention and exercise it needs, the Leonberger is not commonly seen in large cities or towns.

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Appearance

The female Leonberger weighs up to 60 kg and the male up to 80 kg (176 lbs), although males of 59 kg (130 lbs) and females of 45 kg (99 lbs) are acceptable in show ring. The Leonberger sheds very heavily. Unlike most large breeds, they have a dry mouth and do not drool.

Temperament

The Leonberger can make an excellent companion with a loving temperament. They are good with children and are happy to play ball with the whole family. They get along well with other pets if they are taught from an early age how to behave around them. They are sociable dogs that love other dogs and water. This breed should be walked daily, starting with about 20 minutes a day as a puppy and working up as the dog grows. They are not good apartment dogs; they at least need a big back yard where they can run around.

History

Heinrich Essig, a dog breeder and seller from Leonberg in southwestern Germany, originally bred the Leonberger from the Newfoundland, Saint Bernard, and Pyrenean Mountain Dog in the early 1800s. The popular legend is that it was bred to resemble the coat-of-arms animal of Leonberg, the lion, but in fact the earliest Leonbergers were predominantly white and the coloring of today's Leonbergers, brown with a black mask, was developed during the 19th century, probably by introducing other breeds into the mix.

Leonbergers were seriously affected by the privations of the two world wars and all Leonbergers today trace their ancestry back to five dogs that survived World War I.