Greater Swiss Mountain Dog

The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog is a descendant of large mastiff type war dogs that Roman soldiers left behind in Switzerland. The "Swissy" is a large dog that weighs between 80 and 135 pounds. This breed usually measures around 23 to 29 inches at the withers. They have a short, dense coat that is easy to groom and keep clean. The topcoat is shiny and the undercoat is thick. Their coats are mostly black with tan and white markings. The toes, chest, blaze, and tip of the tail are white. Tan areas of the coat are located between the black and white markings.

This breed was almost extinct at the beginning of the twentieth century. Dr. Wilcox and Chris Walkowicz report in their Atlas of Dog Breeds that Franz Schertenleib found a specimen of the breed on an isolated farm in Switzerland. He entered that dog in a show in 1908. Franz wanted the opinion of an experienced judge named Dr. Albert Heim. When Dr. Heim saw the dog, he liked what he saw and convinced dog fanciers to search for more specimens on farms to start a breeding program. The breed was saved from extinction.

In 1910, the Swiss dog registry accepted the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. In the beginning of the twentieth century, smooth coated Saint Bernards were likely crossbred with Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs to increase the gene pool and size of the breed. In 1968, specimens of the breed were brought to the United States. The American Kennel Club recognized the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog in 1985.

The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog is happiest when working and spending time with their owners. They make excellent farm dogs. This breed will gladly help you do whatever work needs to be done. These powerful dogs are capable of holding or moving livestock. They are naturally protective and make excellent watchdogs. They are not aggressive towards strangers or other animals, but will let you know when something does not seem right by barking and holding their ground. This dog is confident and friendly. They are not shy or afraid of strangers.

Pulling comes naturally to the Swissy. They love to pull carts and sleds. This is a powerful breed that is often entered in pulling contests. They can pull as much as 3000 pounds. Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs need to be taught what the word “pull” means and not to pull when they are being walked around the neighborhood on a leash.

Obedience training and socializing the Swissy at an early age will help eliminate unwanted behavior, like pulling or chasing small animals. The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog is slow to mature and takes a while to housetrain. They are not completely mature until they are about 4 or 5 years old. Providing a doggy door will help speed up the house training process and protect your floors from accidents.

Although the Swissy has a sweet disposition and loves children, this breed is very strong and should be owned by someone who has the time and energy to train and exercise their dog. They do not tolerate heat and need to have shelter and a way to keep cool on hot days. This breed needs to be with people and does not enjoy being left alone in a yard all day with nothing to do.

If you are considering adding a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog to your family and want to find out if this breed is right for you, contact the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog Club of America. They will be able to tell you where you can go to meet the breed and give you a list of responsible breeders.

Chinese Shar-Pei

The Chinese Shar-pei is a distinct looking dog with deep wrinkles and a blue-black tongue. This is a medium size dog that stands 18 to 20 inches at the shoulder and weighs between 40 and 60 pounds. They are quiet, intelligent, and brave. This breed is used as a guard dog and needs to by trained and socialized.

The Sharpei is sensitive to heat and must have shade and water at all times. The wrinkled coat requires care to avoid skin infections between the wrinkles. This breed may do well in an apartment if given regular exercise.

Nova Scotia Duck-Tolling Retreiver (Tollers)

The Nova Scotia Duck-Tolling Retriever is a medium size hunting dog. They are 17 to 21 inches at the withers and about 35 to 50 pounds. Tollers lure ducks and geese close to hunters and retrieve birds from water. This breed requires regular exercise and loves to retrieve. Tollers are intelligent and gentle.

Clumber Spaniel

The Clumber Spaniel is a long, low dog with great strength and endurance. This breed stands bewtween 17 and 20 inches at the shoulders and weighs between 55 and 85 pounds. The white weather resistant coat makes this spaniel visible to hunters while working the gun range. The Clumber Spaniel is loyal, affectionate, and gentle.

Saint Bernard

The Saint Bernard is a giant dog that has been used to find avalanche victims and travelers lost in the snow. Traveling in packs, these dogs find lost people. Part of the pack stays with the lost travelers to hydrate them and keep them warm, while other dogs return home to bring back human rescuers. The Saint Bernard can smell an avalanche victim a mile away buried under snow. These powerful dogs can quickly dig through snow to free people. Like most search and rescue dogs, this breed likes people and enjoys working.

Bull Mastiff

The bull mastiff was created by crossing mastiffs with bull dogs. They are a powerful breed that must be socialized and obedience trained. This breed requires an experienced handler. The bull mastiff is a guard dog that was bred to knock down poachers and hold them. They are a breed that tends to bloat and should be fed 2 or 3 small meals a day.

Bloodhound

The bloodhound is famous for being able to follow even the faintest scent. A bloodhound tracked a missing child for 12 miles by picking up the child's scent inside of a kidnapper's vehicle. The bloodhound refused to leave the child's trail until the child was rescued. This is a powerful dog that weighs between 80 and 120 pounds. The bloodhound is wise, noble, and sensitive. Bloodhounds are affectionate and get along well with other dogs.