Greater Swiss Mountain Dog

Grosser Schweizer Sennenhund

This large, robust and hardy dog is a magnificent canine specimen as much for his appearance as for his fine qualities. The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog has all the necessary qualifications to make his master happy, whether he is single or not, lives in the city or the countryside, sedentary or athletic. He only needs a large space to run and voila. As he adores children, families love him and all possible situations are compatible with this large dog who stands out from others by his great qualities.

Height 60 to 72 cm
Weight 50 to 70 kg
Life expectancy 10 to 11 years
Home country Switzerland

Quick Overview of the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog

Temperament

  • Kind, calm and gentle
  • Attentive and vigilant
  • Devoted to his family
  • Excellent guardian

Appearance

  • Strong and solid build
  • Massive silhouette, but without heaviness
  • Short and harsh coat
  • Heavy and drooping tail

Health

  • Robust and very hardy
  • Hardly ever sick
  • Excellent health

Temperament of the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog

Kind, calm, gentle, attentive, vigilant and very devoted to his family, the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog is an excellent guardian who can even become aggressive if necessary.

This great protector adores children and all their games and has exemplary patience in their presence. He is nevertheless suspicious of strangers.

Endowed with an average but well-established temperament, this dog is sometimes slightly stubborn and his education must be precocious and firm, but must be done very gently.

His patience and gentleness make him an excellent companion dog and he is perfect for therapeutic programs used in animal therapy.

Very devoted, the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog is an excellent family dog. He loves children and is very devoted to them.

Even if he is slightly stubborn, a good education allows him to master this stubbornness and makes him an excellent life companion for all kinds of owners.

If the guardian function is not part of his exercises, this great dog is everyone's friend without exception.

grand bouvier suisse personnalité

Breed Appearance

grand bouvier suisse

This large dog has a robust physique, endowed with a well-developed musculature, and a strong and solid frame.

The massive silhouette, without heaviness, of the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog is impressive and very well proportioned.

Height

Between 65 and 72 cm (25.59 to 28.35 inches) for the male
Between 60 and 68 cm (23.62 to 26.77 inches) for the female

Weight

Between 60 and 70 kg (132.28 to 154.32 pounds) for the male
Between 50 and 60 kg (110.23 to 132.28 pounds) for the female

Color

His coat is dark black, with red markings and white spots on the feet, head and chest.

Hair

His short coat is harsh and does not exceed 5 cm (2 inches).

Morphology

The head of the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog is massive and wide and its stop is not very marked.

His almond eyes are medium size and color can range from hazelnut to brown shade.

His triangle shaped ears are also medium size and set flat against the cheeks. His truffle is black. The tail of the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog is quite heavy and falls naturally, thus extending to the rump.

According to the FCI breeds nomenclature, this breed belongs to group , section and is #

Price and monthly budget

Price you can expect to pay for a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog puppy: between and
These prices are indicative and may vary from breeder to breeder

Tips About this breed

This magnificent specimen can be used in various functions.

Formerly used as a draft and herd keeper dog, he is nowadays greatly appreciated as a companion, guard, guide, research dog as well as a companion dog for animal therapy and of course, a protection dog.

He is distinguished by his great qualities and can live almost anywhere.

His large size still requires a minimum of space allowing him to exercise without endangering people or property, but daily walks where he can run is more than enough for his happiness.

The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog can thus easily live indoors with his family.

Health of the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog

Exceptionally robust and very hardy, he hardly ever gets sick.

The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog enjoys excellent health and good life expectancy for such a large dog.

GROOMING

His hair is very short, brushing from time to time is sufficient to ensure a beautiful and very healthy coat. No other special maintenance is necessary.

History of this breed

His distant origins are linked to all Bouvier dogs and would date back at least 2000 years.

The Tibetan Hound, his ancestor, would have developed thereafter into a heavy dog ​​called "shelter dog", which would be at the origin of today's Bouviers.

Very widespread in the 15th century, the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog was used to create the breed as we know it today.

It was in 1908 that, on the occasion of the 25 years of existence of the SCS (Swiss Cynological Society), two Bernese Mountain Dogs with short hair were presented to Albert Heim, a great specialist of the breed, who recognized these dogs as the survivors of the great butchers' dogs of the 15th century, used to the best of their ability, as draft, guard or protection dogs.

Endangered, he was thus recognized in 1909 as a distinct breed by the SCS and registered in the LOS or Livre des origines suisse (the Swiss Book of Origins), in volume # 12.

The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog Swiss Club was created in 1912 to promote purebred breeding, but the standard was not published until 1939 by the FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale).

From a draft and protection dog, the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog has become today a wonderful companion dog very appreciated by all types of owners. Despite everything, he remains an excellent guard and protection dog, but his great qualities also make him a dog that can perform various functions, each as useful as the next.

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