Mary Allen
In the middle of the 19th century Heinrich Essig, a city councilor in Leonberg, crossed a black and white Newfoundland bitch with a dog from the Great St. Bernhard monastery hospice and a Pyrenean mountain dog. Find out everything about the behavior, character, activity and exercise needs, education, and care of Leonberger dogs in the profile.
Origin of the Leonbergers
He wanted to create a lion-like dog because the big cat was already the heraldic animal of the city of Leonberg. He showed the first dogs that were supposed to be real “Leonbergers” in 1846. The dog not only looked good but also had an excellent character so that it found worldwide distribution from Leonberg.
Everything about the size, coat, and colors of the Leonberger
The Leonberger is a very large, strong, muscular yet elegant dog. The male in particular is powerful and powerfully built. The Leonberger has a very characteristic coat: it is lush with a lot of undercoats and forms a real “lion’s mane” on the neck. The hair is always brownish in different tones (from sandy to reddish-brown), the face is always black – this is called a “mask” in technical jargon.
Temperament and essence
Many a Leonberger is not even aware of his size when he would like to be a lap dog again, because cuddling hours and cuddles are more important to him. The giant dog is considered a very pleasant family dog that is easy to keep, a soul in a lion’s robe, but by no means boring: the “Leos” are quite lively and self-confident in everyday life. That’s why he will never feel comfortable in a small city apartment, but it should be in a little house in the country with a large garden.
Feeding, training, and occupation of the Leonberger
Leonberger dogs are well suited for endurance sports such as Nordic walking, cross-country skiing, or jogging. In addition, they also like to be enthusiastic about tournament dog sports – but only if it is fun for them. If you have great ambition and little sense of humor, you shouldn’t dare to go to sporting competitions with Leo – it could be that he’s suddenly all alone. But if Leonberger enjoys something, he is in top form. So these dogs are real water rats, no body of water is safe from them.
Aggressive Leonbergers are rarely found, despite being related to the Pyrenees mountain dog, this four-legged friend is a very friendly dog that is easy to train. He is smart and loves his people and goes out of his way to please them.
Maintenance
Leonberger owners should not be fanatics about cleanliness: the long coat brings a lot of dirt into the house, especially in wet weather, and the change of coat also has a major impact (on the carpet). The coat also needs to be brushed thoroughly several times a week, and even daily during molting. So you have to invest a lot of time in the care – that of the dog and the house.
Disease Susceptibility / Common Diseases
Like many large breeds, Leonbergers are prone to hip dysplasia and gastric torsion. It is strongly discouraged to purchase Leonbergers from dubious sources: in mass breeding, dogs are also used that are not healthy in terms of character and physical health.
Some breeders are listed in this club, where you can be sure that it is reputable breeding. The cost of a Leonberger puppy is around €2000. Because of its size, before you buy a Leonberger, you should check carefully whether you meet its standard of living and have all the requirements to enable it to have a good life. Because then this giant is one of the warmest companions you could wish for.
Did you know?
Empress Sissi was an enthusiastic Leonberger dog friend. At times it held up to seven. At that time, the cost per puppy was 1,400 gold coins.