Leonberger Character | History of the Leonberger | Is the Leonberger right for You and Your Family? - Buying a Leonberger Puppy | I am your Puppy | Breed Standard

Leonberger Character

The Leonberger was originally breed to resemble a lion and it is indeed considered a lion among dogs. The Leonberger is known to be a faithful, intelligent, and a friendly dog who adores the company of children. The Leo dislikes being alone and thrives where they are loved and part of the family circle. It is their lively, fun-loving devotion to their family that makes them a true family dog. Also referred to as the "Gentle Giant", the Leonberger is considered man's best friend where ever they may be... land or water. Leos are known to excel in water work and work as enthusiastically as they play. At the same time, Leos are just as content in the living room surrounded by their family.

Their temperament is calm, loving, and friendly taking all situations in stride. The Leonberger often can be head strong which requires proper training and socialization as a puppy and well into adulthood. Although they are considered the "Gentle Giants", their power and size requires proper socialization and training as early as 8 weeks until they reach maturity. And this breed doesn't reach maturity until 3 years of age! Socialization with people, multiple environments, and other dogs is paramount for a Leonberger to live up to his full potential.

Yes, Leos shed especially in the spring! Don't be fooled by beautiful pictures of this magnificent breed with glistening groomed coats, because the Leo adores the mud. From his Newfoundland heritage, the Leonberger has inherited his webbed feet and love of water, but in the absence of a suitable body of water any mud puddle will suffice. Your home and yard can easily become a muddy mess!

The decision to bring a Leo into your home as a family member should not be made lightly. Research the breed and breeder before making such a commitment. They require patient, consistent love combined with positive reinforcement, as well as regular exercise and proper socialization. If all of these needs have been met, there is no doubt; the Leonberger can become an intricate member of your family.

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History of the Leonberger

The background of the Leonberger is a very clouded one, full of mysteries and turbulent tales. Many things have been written, sometimes accounts contradicted others, and little proof has been given for many of the stories. It was not until the early part of the 20th century that litters were registered and records were kept.

To start at the beginning, we go back to the early years of the 19th century. In Leonberg, a small rural town 20 km northwest of Stuttgart in Wurttemberg (Germany) Heinrich Essig was born in 1809. He turned out to be a very ambitious man, and he became a very prominent citizen, elected to the town council and possessing a strong talent for marketing and trading. His greatest passion was for all kinds of animals and his house (Schwyzerhaus) was more like a private little zoo, with all kinds of dogs, foxes, turkeys, peacocks and so on.

This account was written of Essig's creation of the Leonberger: "Amongst his dogs there was a black and white Newfoundland female (Landseer type). He crossed her with a longhaired Barry-dog (St. Bernard) he owned also. He crossed them for 4 generations, out crossed again with a Pyrenean Wolfhound (Pyrenean Mountain Dog) crossed again with a St. Bernard". There is, however, no proof that this is in fact what was done and that there were no other dogs involved. Essig started breeding in 1846, which is the date we now attribute to be the birth of the Leonberger.

In an article in the "Illustrierte Zeitung", dated November 1865, there is mention that Essig had 17 years of breeding experience. In another paper (Illustrierte Handwerkers Zeitung Nummer 10 Jahrgang 1870) Th. Haring writes a story of a dog breeder in Leonberg (Essig) where Essig claimed that he had been breeding dogs for about 20-24 years. In the same article, the dogs mentioned are Leonberger or Gotthard dog and a picture was published to show to readers what they looked like.

Large impressive dogs were very much in demand and there were years that Essig exported more than 300 dogs. The St. Bernard was very much in favor, but had become very rare. In fact, after a catastrophe in 1855, there was only one couple left at the St. Bernard pass. These dogs were crossed with Newfoundland females from Stuttgart, other local dogs, and English breeders crossed them with Mastiffs to obtain a more powerful head.

So, it is quite logic[al] that sometimes Leonbergers were announced as a new breed with the old St. Bernard blood. We see pictures of what appear to be Leonbergers under the names Berghund, Alpine Mastiff, St. Bernard, Leonhardiner and so on. However, to add more confusion, sometimes St. Bernards were presented with these same names. By the way, according to records by the Monastery at the St.Bernard pass it seems that the name St. Bernard was used for the first time at the Show in Birmingham in 1862. As member of the town-council Essig was not only able to promote the town of Leonberg but could also do a lot of marketing for his dogs. By donating Leonbergers to royalty and other celebrities like Garibaldi, the Prince of Wales, King Umberto of Italy, The Czar of Russia, and Empress Elisabeth of Austria, he became very well known and he could easily sell more of his dogs. At one time, Empress Elisabeth possessed 7 Leonbergers.

It was quite normal that a successful businessman was imitated. Since a written standard did not exist, and therefore one could call every dog a Leonberger, many more breeders or dog-merchants went into business. A well-known trader in Leonberg was Mr. Burger; Mr. Bergmann, in Waldheim, promoted his Casar in papers and magazines; and Mr. Otto Friedrich, in Zahna, publicized his Berghund Moulon.

As sales of Leonbergers flourished, the official cynologists tried to ban these breeders from shows because they believed it was unethical to produce dogs only for the money.

Sometimes things were very confusing. For example, Mr. Essig wrote in 1882, "My nephew will show three dogs in the Hanover dog show. If they are judged as St. Bernard, Leonberger or Newfoundland is of no importance to him."

A woodcut of a dog named Caesar was published in "Der Gartenlaube", 1885. It was probably this Ceasar that got a prize of honor at the 1880 Berlin Dog Show as "long-haired Alp Dog". At another dog show, an English judge found him a marvelous St. Bernard, while Dr. Kunzli, a St. Bernard-expert, thought him to be a beautiful Leonberger.

In a sales brochure from Mr. Friedrich in which he gives a description of all the breeds he sells we find under chapter 6: "Der Berghund (former St. Bernard)", a pompously ode on the Berghund and a nice drawing of Caesar.

In chapter 8 he describes in a few sentences "Der Leonberger or Boblinger Hund". Even in the 20th century (1908) we find a reference to the Leonberger or Boblinger Hund by the Italian cynologist F. Faelli.

Today we know that there must be more dogs involved than the ones with which Essig claims he started the breed. Modern genetics tells us that is impossible to create the Leonberger from the 3 breeds as described. In old photos we see black and white dogs, black dogs, red or yellow colored dogs--all said to be Leonbergers.

As said before Essig had his little private zoo. At the height of his career he was selling up to 300 puppies a year. Essig was helped a lot by his niece Marie, who practically did all the kennelwork. Later a relative, perhaps the nephew Essig mentioned once, took over the kennel. Essig died in 1889. It was in the early 1880's that some breeding rules were written by Kull (a painter from Stuttgart) and a Mr. Boppel from Cannstatt. He was a judge and also a breeder of St. Bernard. It was after Essig and Burger in Leonberg died that the first Leonberger Clubs were founded. The Leonberger Klub Berlin began in 1891 and Klub fur Leonberger, Heilbronn in1895. These two clubs probably did not exist for very long, because in 1895 the "Internationaler Klub fur Leonberger Hunde Stuttgart" was founded.

The International Club President was Albert Kull and he created the first standard for the Leonberger. In 1901 the "Nationaler Leonberger Klub, Apolda (Thuringen)" was also founded. These two clubs were still active in 1904 when they were mentioned in Count van Bylandt "Dogs Encyclopedia". If we look at the portraits from this era, we see that the type has improved as a result of the breeding rules and the written standard (or it may be just a bunch of well-selected pictures.) The type is more uniform and the almost white dogs are gone. Leonbergers were no longer a bunch of different dogs but an official breed and again quite popular. They did very well on shows and had their own specialized judges. They were not unknown in Holland, France, Austria and Bohemia.

Also in 1901, there was the "Internationaler Klub fur Rottweiler und Leonberger, Stuttgart", followed in 1907/1908 by the "Leonberger-Klub Heidelberg". Our guess is that the Heidelberg Club existed until perhaps after World War I. (1914-1918). WW I turned out to be a real catastrophe for the Leonberger. All written records were destroyed, not only from the Apolda club, but also from the International Klub.

Following the war, it is due to Stadelmann and Josenhans that we have our Leonbergers today. Stadelmann started from zero with his breeding records.

The two men tracked down Leonbergers, sometimes with unknown and sometimes partially known ancestors. They found approximately 30 dogs and with about 6 males and 6 females, they began breeding in 1922/1923. Following a lot of hard work, Leonberger number 342 was registered in 1927. They founded the "Leonberger Hunde Club Leonberg" in 1922 but the Club was renamed by the Reich in 1933 in "Fachschaft fur Leonberger Hunde" and kept that name until after WW II (1940-1945). During this war, breeding continued and even after the war there were some litters. In 1945, there were 22 puppies registered and in1947, 27 were registered.

After the war, rivalry struck. The "Fachschaft fur Leonberger Hunde" was renamed to "Verein fur Leonberger Hunde" and in 1947 the "Club fur Leonberger Hunde" was established. Both clubs considered the other an enemy, which was a pity. People on both sides had brought the Leonberger through the tough times of the war. In the fifties, the "Verein" no longer existed. The "Club fur Leonberger Hunde" added "Deutscher" to the front of its name in 1948 and is still going strong today.

After WW II the committee leaded by Hans Weigelschmidt as President and Albert Kienzle as Secretary worked very hard to rebuild the breed. One of the first things they did was to revise the German standard. The rather long (but well commented) standard of 1895 was shortened. The height of the dogs was brought down to at least 76 cm. for males and to 70 cm. for females. (It previously has been at least 80 cm for males and 70 cm. for females). In the 60s the standard was again revised and the heights were now changed to 72 cm.minimum, and 80 cm. maximum for males and 65 cm. minimum with 74 cm. maximum for females.

Unfortunately this revised standard was never taken to the FCI, so we had German judges that were judging according their standard, and the international judges who were using the FCI standard with the old heights. This caused some trouble between France and Germany, because France had always defended the standard of 1895.

After Weigelschmidt's death Dr. Herbstreith took over as President, and Otto Lehman became later secretary. In 1964 Robert Beutelspacher was in charge of the breeding records, and in 1968 introduced the first European breed-book. He became president Of the DCLH in 1974, but in the meantime had discovered that there were in fact 2 standards. One of the first things Robert Beutelspacher did, as President was to take the German standard to the FCI so at least every judge would be working with the same standard. After Robert Beutelspacher death in 1991 Gerhard Zerle became President of the DCLH.

Edited by Metha Stramer

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Is a Leo right for you and your family? Before Buying your Leonberger Puppy

As with any expensive purchase, buying a Leonberger puppy requires a great deal of forethought. You must consider the care, attention and exercise required, also the costs of feeding and medical care. Remember, like most things in life, that purchasing a pet has both an up side and a down side. Playing ball with your dog in the park is FUN; stopping and scooping poop is NOT.

Getting a pet is not a decision to be taken lightly. Some of the questions your entire family should first resolve include:

• Who will feed and walk your Leonberger everyday?
• Do you have the time and desire to train a dog?
• Can you afford the cost of food and vet bills?
• What happens to your Leonberger when you go on vacation?
• Can your home accommodate this giant breed? Will you share your home?
• Are you prepared for an 8-10 year commitment?

Dogs have feelings too. A visit to your local Humane Society will soon impress upon you what happens to man's best friend when they are acquired in haste. Please, for the dog’s sake, do not make this mistake!

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I am Your Puppy

I am your Puppy and I will love you until the end of the Earth, but please know a few things about me…..

I am a Puppy; I will chew EVERYTHING I can get my teeth on. This is how I explore and learn about the world. Even HUMAN children put things in their mouths. It's up to you to guide me.

I am a Puppy I cannot hold my bladder for longer than 1 - 2 hours. I cannot "feel" that I need to poop until it is actually beginning to come out. I cannot vocalize nor tell you that I need to go, and I cannot have "bladder and bowel control" until 6 - 9 months. Do not punish me if you have not let me out for 3 hours and I tinkle. It is your fault.

As a Puppy, it is wise to remember that I NEED to go potty after eating, sleeping, playing, and drinking and around every 2 - 3 hours. If you want me to sleep through the night, then do not give me water after 7 or 8 p.m. A crate will help me learn to housebreak easier, and will avoid you being mad at me.

I am a Puppy I like to play. I will run around, and chase imaginary monsters, and chase your feet and your toes and 'attack' you, chase other pets, and small kids. It is play; it's what I do best! Do not be mad at me or expect me to be sedate, mellow and sleep all day. If my high energy level is too much for you, maybe you could consider an older rescue from a shelter or Rescue group. My play is beneficial, use your wisdom to guide me in my play with appropriate toys, and activities like chasing a rolling ball, or gentle tug games, or plenty of chew toys for me. If I nip you too hard, talk to me in "doggie talk", by giving a loud YELP, I will usually get the message, as this is how dogs communicate with one another. If I get too rough, simply ignore me for a few moments, or calmly put me in my crate with an appropriate chew toy.

I am a Puppy hopefully you would not yell, hit, strike, kick or beat a 6-month-old human infant, so please do not do the same to me. I am delicate, and also very impressionable. If you treat me harshly now, I will grow up learning to fear being hit, spanked, kicked or beat. Instead, please guide me with encouragement and wisdom. For instance, if I am chewing something wrong, say, "No chew!" and hand me a toy I CAN chew. Better yet, pick up ANYTHING that you do not want me to get into. I can't tell the difference between your old sock and your new sock, or an old sneaker from your $200 Nikes.

I am a Puppy, and I am a creature with feelings much like you, but yet also very different. I truly DO want to please you, and be a part of your family, and your life. You got me because you want a loving partner and companion so do not relegate me to the backyard when I get bigger, do not judge me harshly but instead mold me with gentleness and guidelines and training into the kind of family member you want me to be.

I am a Puppy and I am not perfect, and I know you are not perfect either. I love you anyway. So please, learn all you can about training, and puppy behaviors and caring for me from your veterinarian, books on dog care and even researching on the computer! Learn about my particular breed and it's "characteristics", it will give you understanding and insight into WHY I do all the things I do. Please teach me with love, patience, the right way to behave and socialize me with training in a puppy class or obedience class, we will BOTH have a lot of fun together.

I am a Puppy and I want more than anything to love you, to be with you, and to please you. Won't you please take time to understand how I work? We are the same you and I, in that we both feel hunger, pain, thirst, discomfort, fear, but yet we are also very different and must work to understand one anther's language, body signals, wants and needs. Someday I will be a handsome dog, hopefully one you can be proud of and one that you will love as much as I love you.

I am a Puppy accidents WILL happen, please be patient with me! In time I will learn.

Love, Your Puppy Adapted from J Ellis 2000

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Breed Standard

The FCI Leonberger Standard

Leonbergers from all member nations of the Internationale Union für Leonberger Hunde are judged on the basis of the FCI Standard for Leonbergers dated April 1, 1996.

The FCI (Federation Cynologique International) is an international umbrella of national kennel clubs. The standard for breeds from countries, affiliated to FCI, is written by the country of origin.

Leonberger Standard: English

FCI-Standard N°145 / 20. 09. 2002 / GB

TRANSLATION : Mrs. C. Seidler, revised by Mrs E.Peper

ORIGIN : Germany.

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 04.01.1996.

UTILIZATION : Watch, Companion and Family Dog.

CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. : Group 2 Pinscher and Schnauzer, Molossoid breeds, Swiss Mountain and Cattle Dogs and other breeds,

Section 2.2 Molossoid breeds, Mountain type.

Without working trial.

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY : At the end of the thirties, beginning of the forties of the 19th century, Heinrich Essig, town Councillor in Leonberg near Stuttgart, crossed a black and white Newfoundland bitch with a so-called “Barry” male from the monastery hospice Grand St.Bernhard. Later a Pyrenean Mountain Dog was added. This resulted in very large dogs with predominantly long, white coats. Essig’s aim was for a lion-like dog. The lion is the heraldic animal of the city of Leonberg.

The first dogs really called “Leonbergers” were born in 1846. They combined the excellent qualities of the breeds from which they stemmed.

Only a short time later, many of these dogs were sold as status symbols from Leonberg all over the world. At the end of the 19th century, the Leonberger was kept in Baden-Württemberg as the preferred farm dog. His watch and draft abilities were much praised.

In both World Wars and the needy post war times, the numbers of breeding stock reduced dramatically. Today the Leonberger is an excellent family dog which fulfills all the demands of modern life.

GENERAL APPEARANCE : According to his original purpose, the Leonberger is a large, strong, muscular yet elegant dog. He is distinguished by his balanced build and confident calmness, yet with quite lively temperament. Males, in particular, are powerful and strong.

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS : Height at the withers to length of body : 9 to 10. The depth of chest is nearly 50% of the height at withers.

BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : As a family dog, the Leonberger is an agreeable partner for present day dwelling and living conditions, who can be taken anywhere without difficulty and is distinguished by his marked friendliness towards children. He is neither shy nor aggressive. As a companion, he is agreeable, obedient and fearless in all situations of life.

The following are particular requirements of steady temperament :

• Self assurance and superior composure
• Medium temperament (including playfulness)
• Willing to be submissive
• Good capacity for learning and remembering
• Insensitive to noise

HEAD : On the whole deeper than broad and elongated rather than stocky. Proportion of length of muzzle to length of skull: about 1 to 1. Skin close fitting all over, no wrinkles.
CRANIAL REGION :
Skull : In profile and seen from the front, slightly arched. In balance with body and limbs, it is strong but not heavy. The skull at its back part is not substantially broader than near the eyes.
Stop : Clearly recognisable but moderately defined.
FACIAL REGION :
Nose : Black.
Muzzle : Rather long, never running to a point; nasal bridge of even breadth, never dipped, rather slightly arched (roman nose).
Lips : Close fitting, black, corners of lips closed.
Jaws/Teeth : Strong jaws with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth without any gap, and teeth set square to the jaw with 42 sound teeth according to the dentition formula (missing M3 tolerated). Pincer bite is accepted; no constriction at the canines in the lower jaw.
Cheeks : Only slightly developed.
Eyes : Light brown to as dark brown as possible, medium size, oval, neither deep set, nor protruding, neither too close together nor too wide apart. Eyelids close fitting, not showing any conjunctiva. The white of the eye (the visible part of the sclera) not reddened.
Ears : Set on high and not far back, pendant, of medium size, hanging close to the head, fleshy.

NECK : Running in a slight curve without break to the withers. Somewhat long rather than stocky, without throatiness or dewlap.

BODY :
Withers : Pronounced, specially in males.
Back : Firm, straight, broad.
Loins : Broad, strong, well muscled.
Croup : Broad, relatively long, gently rounded, flowing to merge with tail set on; never overbuilt.
Chest : Broad, deep, reaching at least to the level of the elbows. Not too barrel shaped, more oval.
Underline and belly : Only slightly tucked up.

TAIL : Very well furnished; while standing, it hangs down straight; also in movement it is only slightly curved and if at all possible should not be carried above the prolongation of the topline.

LIMBS : Very strong, specially in males.
FOREQUARTERS : Forelegs straight, parallel and not too close.
Shoulders / Upper arm : Long, sloping, forming a not too blunt angle, well muscled.
Elbows : Close to the body.
Pastern : Strong, firm; seen from the front, straight; almost vertical, seen from the side.
Forefeet : Straight (turning neither in nor out), rounded, tight, toes well arched; black pads.
HINDQUARTERS : Seen from the rear, position of the hind legs not too close, parallel. Hocks and feet : turned neither in nor out.
Pelvis : Slanting.
Upper thigh : Rather long, slanting, strongly muscled. Upper and lower thigh form a distinct angle.
Hocks : Strong, distinct angle between lower thigh and rear pastern.
Hind feet : Standing straight, only slightly longish. Toes arched, pads black.

GAIT / MOVEMENT : Ground covering even movement in all gaits. Extending well in front with good drive from the hindquarters. Seen from front and behind the limbs move in a straight line when walking or trotting.

COAT
HAIR : Medium soft to coarse, profusely long, close fitting, never parted, with the shape of the whole body be visible despite the thick undercoat. Straight, slight wave still permitted; forming a mane on neck and chest, specially in males; distinct feathering on front legs and ample breeches on hind legs.
COLOUR : Lion yellow, red, reddish brown, also sandy (pale yellow, cream coloured) and all combinations in between, always with a black mask. Black hair tips are permitted; however, black must not determine the dog’s basic colour.
Lightening up of the basic colour on the underside of the tail, the mane, the feathering on the front legs and the breeches on the hind legs must not be so pronounced as to interfere with the harmony of the main colour. A small white patch or stripe on the chest and white hairs on the toes are tolerated.

SIZE :
Height at the withers :
Dogs 72 to 80 cm (recommended average 76 cm).
Bitches 65 to 75 cm (recommended average 70 cm).

FAULTS : Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

DISQUALIFYING FAULTS :

• Shy or aggressive dogs
• Severe anatomical faults (i.e. pronounced cow hocks, pronounced roach back, bad swayback; front feet turning out extremely. Totally insufficient angulation of shoulder, elbow, stifle or hock joints
• Brown nose leather
• Very strong lack of pigment in lips
• Absence of teeth (with the exception of M3). Over- or undershot or other faults in mouth
• Eyes without any brown
• Entropion, ectropion
• Distinct ring tail or too highly curled up tail
• Brown pads
• Cords or strong curls
• Faulty colours (brown with brown nose and brown pads; black and tan; black; silver; wild-coat colour)
• Complete lack of mask
• Too much white (reaching from toes onto pasterns), white on chest larger than palm of hand, white in other places).

* N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

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