Mary Allen
Of the four Swiss Mountain Dog breeds, the Greater Swiss together with the long-haired Bernese Mountain Dog is the largest representative. The strong, tricolor-colored dogs still carry many of their original characteristics. These include a close bond with their family and their innate alertness. Not least because of these valued characteristics, the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog can also be found today as a family and companion dog.
#1 The ancestors of the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog are so-called “butcher dogs” – these powerful dogs were used by butchers in the 19th century to drive and guard their herds of cattle for slaughter.
Another task was the transport of goods: For this purpose, the strong animals were harnessed to a wooden cart and used by the butchers as draft dogs.
#2 At the beginning of the 20th century, in 1908, such a male attracted great attention at an exhibition of the Swiss Cynological Society, where he was presented as a short-haired variation of the Bernese Mountain Dog.
Professor Albert Heim, who was enthusiastic about mountain dogs, then created his own standard for this breed and tried to differentiate it from the long-haired Bernese and the slightly smaller Appenzeller Sennenhund by calling it the "Greater Swiss Mountain Dog".
#3 Even during the Second World War, the strong dogs were used successfully as draft dogs within the Swiss army, which is why the breed attracted attention again.
Today, the big dogs are also found as family and companion dogs, with the long-haired Bernese Mountain Dog being seen much more frequently.