Great Swiss Mountain Dog

History of origin

The Swiss have many things to be proud of: banks, watches, resorts, cheese and… dogs, the famous Swiss Mountain Dogs, handsome tricolors that invariably attract admiring glances.

The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog is a breed so old that today it is difficult to accurately determine its ancestors. It is believed that these are the descendants of large Molossians brought to Europe by the Romans, who liked the local population for their strength, courage and ability to work. There is also a version that Phoenician large service dogs are among the ancestors of the Mountain Dogs. As a result of crossing with local breeds that already existed at that time, a large mountain dog was obtained, which became the ancestor of a whole breed group.

For quite a long time, the breed was formed in isolation, since the remote mountainous regions of Switzerland had practically no contact with the outside world, and this helped to consolidate the originality of the appearance of dogs.

They were used very widely: they grazed cattle in alpine meadows, which are called zenne (hence the name), guarded houses, they were even harnessed to carts – mighty dogs carried cans of milk along mountain roads from village to village. And during the Second World War, the sennenhunds helped the shooters, bringing up carts with ammunition and taking out the wounded from the battlefield.

Today, all four varieties of sennenhunds are very popular all over the world, due to their beauty and good disposition. They are bred as family friends, although in some places in Switzerland these dogs still work on farms.

Breed description

Powerful large and very beautiful dog. The head is massive with a wide forehead and small eyes with a calm and friendly look. The ears are small triangular, hanging. The general appearance of the dog gives the impression of strength, but not friability. Strong bones, thick paws, impressive muscles – such is the great Swiss Mountain Dog. The back is straight, the tail is thick, set low and usually carried loose.

The coat is rather short (about 3 – 4 cm long), dense, glossy shiny. The color is always tricolor: the body of the dog is black with red tan marks, while there are white spots on the chest and on the muzzle (the strip between the eyes and the entire nose). White socks and the tip of the tail are also allowed. In general, the color of the dog looks very elegant and attractive.

Photos

Character

A true friend, reliable as a rock – such is the great Swiss Mountain Dog. A powerful protector of the family and a reverent nanny for small children, an eternal puppy and a formidable guard, this dog will become just an ideal companion for both a young large family and elderly spouses.

Historically living and working side by side with people, the Mountain Dog is completely owner-oriented, he is very happy to learn something new and gets upset if the owner is dissatisfied with his behavior. This dog can run around in nature all day long, playing with children, and will lie with you on the couch with pleasure – the main thing is that they do not forget about him and love him. Remember the hefty Duke from The Secret Life of Pets? The Sennenhund is similar to him in character (although far from being as shaggy).

Sometimes sennenhunds are distrustful of strangers, but this is solely due to the lack of early socialization.

Care and maintenance

The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog is a very unpretentious breed, because it was bred not as a palace sissy, but to help the working people. Therefore, the only difficulty for those who decide to have this handsome man can be his dimensions. However, this does not mean that the dog is completely unadapted to life in an apartment. The Swiss feel quite good on the carpet in the room, provided, of course, that they definitely take a longer walk with them.

And the most important condition for the happiness of a four-legged handsome man is a friendly family. He simply does not have a soul in his household and is very worried if they quarrel. This giant is ready to sacrifice himself so that his loved ones make peace, and this is always written on his expressive muzzle. Therefore, where the Mountain Dog lives, peace usually reigns – not everyone can endure the silent reproach of a dog’s gaze.

Despite the fact that their coat is rather short, you still need to go through it with a furminator from time to time, removing dead undercoat.

Education and training

Working with sennenhunds is a pleasure. They grasp everything literally on the fly and execute commands with pleasure. But still, do not forget that any dog ​​needs early socialization, so in no case do not lock the puppy within your yard, but walk more with him in crowded places, let’s communicate with other dogs and even cats. Let the children treat the fluffy baby with treats – thanks to this, the dog will forever love not only big, but also small people, especially since this is inherent in him by nature.

Sometimes sennenhunds show stubbornness, but in no case should one move to raised tones and violence in this case. Be patient and stay calm, and then your four-legged friend will quickly stop being stubborn – he will simply become uninteresting.

But in no case should you spoil a puppy. By doing this, you will show that you are weaker than him, and he will simply sit on your head: he will stop obeying and generally taking into account your opinion.

Health and disease

In general, the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog has no health problems, at least not related to its breed. Often these dogs have pathologies of the musculoskeletal system, which is due to their large size and weight, eye diseases, epilepsy, or oncological diseases. But all this happens no more often than in other breeds. But their life expectancy, of course, is less than that of little ones, like a pygmy poodle – only about 10 years. But there’s nothing to be done – such is the fate of most large breeds.

Mountain Dogs have a tendency to obesity, so you need to carefully monitor their diet: do not feed excessively fatty foods and strictly dose it. With their dimensions, obesity is especially dangerous, because it is an additional burden on the joints and heart. However, you can’t underfeed either, otherwise, instead of a massive handsome man, you will grow a frail goner.

Word to the breeder

Oleg Prokopets, breeder of Comme Il Faut kennel says:

The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog is a rather rare breed of dog. He has a balanced character, is distinguished by friendliness and sociability. He is VERY observant and caring, will always be your companion in all matters. We can say that Gross (abbreviated name of the breed) is domineering, but gentle, shy, but grateful, and at the same time, the instincts of the protector of this breed are extremely strong, and he will never offend any of his family members, as he loves everyone equally . Gross will never cross the line of aggression, but will only warn a suspicious stranger with a menacing bark.

Popular questions and answers

We asked animal engineer, veterinarian Anastasia Kalinina to answer questions about the maintenance of the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog.