Dog Breed Information, Description, Origin, History, Temperament, Height, Weight, Exercise, Life, Group, Articles, Health, Books, Photos, Posters,
Wallpapers, Training, Dog names, Links and more.
The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, or Großer Schweizer Sennenhund, is the largest of the traditional Swiss herding breeds, the Sennenhunds, a grouping in which the Bernese Mountain Dog is also included. They are believed descended from large dogs brought to Switzerland by the Romans in the first century B.C., although another theory states that they arrived many centuries earlier with Phoenician traders. In any case, they are almost certainly the result of the mating of indigenous dogs with large mastiff-type dogs brought to Switzerland by foreign settlers. Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs are believed to be in the ancestry of both the Saint Bernard Dog and the Rottweiler.
Appearance: The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog is a large,
muscular, tricolour (black, rust, and white; typically with a
white blaze) dog. Males should weigh around 110 - 140 pounds
the height is 25.5 - 28.5 inches at the shoulders. The females
weigh 85 - 115 pounds and are 23.5 - 27 inches heigh at the
shoulders.
The length to height ratio is around 10 to 9. This breed
must have a double coat to be considered show quality. There
is black on top of the dogs back, ears, tail, and the majority
of the legs. There should be rust on the cheaks a thumb print
above the eyes, and also rust should appear on the legs
in-between the white and black.
There should be white on the muzzle, the feet, the tip of
the tail, on the chest down, and have some white that comes up
from the muzzle to past imbetween the eyes. The furs is a
double coat, the top coat is around two 2 inches long, and the
bottom coat is thich and is a type of gray and must be on the
neck, but can be all over the body.
Temperament: The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog has a
reputation of combining protectiveness with a gentle nature,
particularly with respect to its love of its family,
especially children.
These dogs are strong, active, and remarkably agile for
their size. A Swissy can be trained for weight-pulling
competitions and/or to pull carts behind them carrying goods
or even a person. Prospective owners need to be prepared to
give them lots of time and attention. Owners will often note
that, despite their large stature, they will often behave as
if they are a lap dog.
History: The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, a dog of
great strength, was originally a herding dog, but was later
used for draft. It may have been the advent of mechanized
vehicles, combined with the rise in popularity of the Saint
Bernard Dog (the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog Helped produce the
Saint Bernard Dog), that led to the decline in popularity of
the GSMD. However it happened, the breed was believed to be
extinct, or nearly so, by the turn of the 20th Century.
In 1908, an owner named Franz Schertenlieb entered his
mountain dogs in the Swiss Kennel Club (SKG) jubilee
conformation dog show, knowing that they would be seen by an
expert in native Swiss dogs, Dr. Albert Heim. Dr. Heim, an
avid fancier, was apparently delighted to find a living
example of the Großer Schweizer Sennenhund, and exhorted the
members of the Kennel Club to do all that they could to
safeguard the breed, including scour farms and villages for
healthy specimens for a breeding program.
His suggestion was acted upon, and a careful breeding
program was begun. Due to the meticulous nature of the
selection process, the lack of worthy brood bitches, and the
requirement that all puppies be reexamined as adults for
conformation and temperament before being certified as
suitable for breeding, breed numbers grew slowly.
All-breed club recognition: The Greater Swiss
Mountain Dog, now often known as the GSMD or ‘Swissy’, is
an example of an ancient, well-documented and established pure
breed that was nevertheless not recognized by large all-breed
kennel clubs around the world. The first GSMDs were introduced
to the United States in 1968, and were recognized
provisionally by the AKC in 1985 and received full recognition
in 1995, an ironically late date for such an old breed of dog.
It was recognized by the UKC in 1992.
HeyDogs is an easy to use site that keeps both dog professionals and dog enthusiasts up to date on the latest information on dogs. You can find the best in dog training, behavior, natural health, agility, clicker training, and other dog related topics
Looking for the perfect
Dog name? Dogs names for your new Puppy.
Browse thousands of Dog names, names for both male
and female dogs, Start looking by clicking on a
letter!
Hi Cats is a website you can find extensive information on all Cat Breeds, Articles, Health, Books, Photos, Desktop Wallpapers, Posters, Training, Cats names, Links and more.
HeyDogs.com Dog Breeds Information
Guide menu 
