Leonberger

The breed takes its name from Leonberg, a town near Stuttgart in Baden-Württemberg. In the 1830s Heinrich Essig, a town councillor and prolific dog dealer, set out to create a dog resembling the lion on the town's coat of arms, crossing Newfoundlands with Saint Bernards from the hospice at Great St Bernard and later adding a Pyrenean Mountain Dog.

Essig was an energetic promoter and Leonbergers were presented to royalty and celebrities across Europe, but the working population that mattered was on farms, where the dogs pulled carts, guarded property and worked stock. A breed standard was drawn up in 1895, some years after Essig's death.

Both world wars nearly finished the breed. Dogs were requisitioned, food was scarce, and by 1945 only a handful of usable animals remained. Karl Stadelmann and Otto Josenhans are credited with the post-war rescue; every modern Leonberger descends from a small group of survivors, which explains the breed's limited genetic diversity today.

Recognition followed the recovery. The Fédération Cynologique Internationale places the Leonberger in Group 2, and the American Kennel Club admitted the breed to its Working Group in 2010. Water rescue remains part of its working identity, particularly in Italy and Germany, where Leonbergers are trained alongside Newfoundlands for lifesaving work.

Leonbergers are among the largest of all breeds. Males stand about 28 to 31 inches at the withers and typically weigh 120 to 170 pounds; females stand about 26 to 30 inches and weigh roughly 100 to 135 pounds. The build is powerful and muscular yet balanced, with a level topline and a long, easy stride that covers ground economically.

The double coat is long, water-resistant and reasonably weather-hardy, lying flat over a dense undercoat, with a pronounced mane on the neck and chest, especially in males, feathering on the legs and a heavily furnished tail. The skin between the toes is webbed, a legacy of the Newfoundland behind the breed and part of what makes these dogs strong swimmers.

Accepted colours are lion-yellow, golden to red, red-brown and sand, in any combination, always with a black mask, and black tipping to the coat is desirable. The nose leather and pads are black, and the eyes are dark brown with a calm, intelligent expression. A small white patch on the chest and a few white hairs on the toes are tolerated.

The breed standard calls for a self-assured dog of composure and steady nerve, and that is the heart of the Leonberger. A correct one is neither shy nor aggressive; it observes a commotion, decides it is nothing to do with it, and lies down again. That solidity is why the breed is often described first as a family dog.

They are affectionate and people-oriented to the point of dependency, and they follow their families from room to room, frequently leaning on them. Leonbergers do not cope well with being isolated in a yard or kennel, and separation problems are common in dogs that are left alone for long days.

With children they are famously patient, and many are gentle with toddlers, but sheer mass is the risk rather than temperament: a happy Leonberger's tail and shoulder can knock a small child over without any ill intent. Interaction between giant dogs and small children always needs supervision.

They are watchful and will bark at something genuinely unusual, which makes them a real deterrent, but they are not sharp guard dogs and should not be encouraged in that direction. With other dogs and household animals they are generally tolerant when properly socialised, and prey drive is usually low.

Historically the Leonberger was a farm dog that pulled milk and produce carts, watched the yard and worked as a general-purpose animal, and draught work is still practised: many clubs run carting and drafting tests, and pulling a cart is a natural, satisfying job for a fit adult. The breed's swimming ability also brought it into water rescue, and Leonbergers continue to train in lifesaving alongside Newfoundlands in Europe.

Modern owners also take the breed into obedience, rally, tracking, scent work and even agility at a sedate pace, and its size and composure make it one of the better giant breeds for therapy visiting in hospitals and care homes. Whatever the activity, it should be low-impact for the joints and built on the dog's willingness rather than on speed.