Leonberger

The Leonberger has been described as a man-made dog and, as with many breeds today, is the result of crossing two or more breeds. The origins of the Leonberger go back to the 19th century. Leonbergers may have been in existence long before that, but stories tell of a man named Heinrich Essig, who was and still is considered to be the father of the breed. Essig was the mayor of the German city of Leonberg. He created his own ideal dog—the lion-like gentle giant—which he named after the town and saw it as a tribute to the lion that was part of the town’s crest.

Essig’s methods would appal the modern breeder—several breeds were housed in his commercial kennels and he sold 200–300 dogs a year. His estate must have resembled a menagerie with ducks, chickens, turkeys, pigeons, deer and foxes. His preference was for large dogs, and records show that he kept St. Bernards, Great Danes, Newfoundlands and Great Pyrenees in his kennels. His dream was to produce a handsome lion of a dog with a thick tawny golden coat, a dog that would be courageous and loyal to his master. He experimented with the dogs in his kennels and mated a Landseer Newfoundland bitch to a large long-coated St. Bernard dog, which he had acquired from the monks at the Grand St. Bernhard hospice in Switzerland. This mating resulted in black and white offspring with pleasant temperaments.

Herr Essig, the father of the Leonberger, favored large breeds; the Great Dane was among the breeds he kept in his kennels.

The St. Bernard was one of the original breeds used to produce the Leonberger.

After recrossing them for four generations, he then introduced a mountain dog and another St. Bernard male from the same hospice, which he exchanged for two of his puppies. The monks at the St. Bernhard hospice found Essig’s dogs to be equal to their St. Bernards in every respect. The result of the mountain dog/St. Bernard mating was a predominantly white dog with a black or gray head. The mayor felt that more work was needed, so he introduced the Great Pyrenees to the mix and, in 1846, produced the dog of his dreams. It wasn’t until some years later that the redcoated dogs we see today began to appear.

When the breed was officially introduced to the public at the Munich Oktoberfest some years later, its noble appearance made it an instant success. The beautiful gentle dog was sought after by royalty, and its fame spread throughout Europe. As well as being a very suitable family pet, it was also valued for its willingness to work on land and in water.

There were people at that time who were very critical of Essig’s work. They felt that the Leonberger would hinder the development of the St. Bernard, as it was so often mistaken for the St. Bernard. However, the Leonberger became extremely fashionable and was sold to many courts across Europe for vast amounts of money.

The addition of the Great Pyrenees into the breeding program resulted in success for Herr Essig’s attempts in producing the Leo.

PURE-BRED PURPOSE

Given the vast range of the world’s 400 or so pure breeds of dog, it’s fair to say that domestic dogs are the most versatile animal in the kingdom. From the tiny 1-pound lap dog to the 200-pound guard dog, dogs have adapted to every need and whim of their human masters. Humans have selectively bred dogs to alter physical attributes like size, color, leg length, mass and skull diameter in order to suit our own needs and fancies. Dogs serve humans not only as companions and guardians but also as hunters, exterminators, shepherds, rescuers, messengers, warriors, babysitters and more!

The Leo is no stranger to mountainous terrain and snowy climes, and still performs work in such regions today.

When Essig died in 1889, the popularity of the Leonberger dwindled. A small number of enthusiasts kept the breed going and, in 1895, the International Leonberger Club was founded in Stuttgart. As years passed, other clubs were established: Klub für Leonberger Hunde in 1901 in Apolda; the Leonberger Club of Heidelberg in 1908; and the Leonberger (Hunde) Club in 1922 in Leonberg.

The Leonberger suffered during both World Wars and, after World War II, there were fewer than 300 Leonbergers left in Germany in 1945. The harsh post-war conditions were not conducive to restoring old or starting new breeding programs. Fortunately, the breed eventually recovered from near-extinction and, in 1948, the Deutscher Klub für Leonberger Hunde e.V. was founded in Leonberg. Its founding members, the first president Hans Weigelschmidt, Albert Kienzle and Otto Lehmann, were responsible for establishing the breed as we know it today. During the 1950s, the city of Leonberg took the club under its guardianship and recognized the Leonberger as its mascot. The Deutscher Klub thrives today and is the center for many Leonberger activities. Since 1946, the number of Leonbergers has increased dramatically. During the 1960s, they were bred profusely all over Europe and today approximately 1,000 are registered there each year.

In 1975, the Internationale Union für Leonberger Hunde was formed, its seat being in Leonberg. Each year, representatives from breed clubs all over the world meet to discuss the future of the Leonberger. In 1996, the 150-year celebration for the Leonberger was held in Leonberg, including a grand dinner held for Leo enthusiasts from all over the world, with some of the best dogs being presented to the audience. The breed show was held on the club’s grounds the following day. Approximately 300 dogs had entered the show and, at the end of the day, Best in Show was awarded to a German bitch named Kiseirdi Nora. The breed continues to be strong in its homeland, with the Leo population well over 5,000.

SEARCH AND RESCUE

In some parts of Europe, Leonbergers are used in the mountainous regions for search and rescue, the same tasks for which St. Bernards have been used for generations.

A Landseer Newfoundland (shown here) was mated to a St. Bernard in the initial crosses used to create the Leonberger.

EARLY BREED HISTORY

According to Austrian historical findings taken from journals, letters and old paintings, the Leonberger had been in existence approximately 300 years before Herr Essig’s idea of breeding a lion-like dog was ever realized. The late Professor von Schulmuth researched various family journals and discovered that the breed was known as early as 1585, and probably even earlier. The family of Prince Metternich lived near Wolfberg and their private records dated 1601 state that a Leonberger-type dog was kept on the estate to ward off sheep and cattle thieves.

Carting was once the Leo’s occupation, but now he’s more likely to be seen carting in exhibitions or giving a ride to a young pal.

WAR HERO

During the two World Wars, Leonbergers were used to pull the ammunition carts, a service to the breed’s country that sadly resulted in the Leo’s near-destruction.

Among the other people recorded as having kept Leonbergers were the Empress Elizabeth of Austria, who kept seven dogs. (A statue of her with two of her dogs can be seen in the Volksgarten in Vienna.) King Umberto of Italy loved them, the Emperor Maximilian was constantly accompanied by his dog, and the Mikado of Japan kept them at his palaces. In the 16th century, the imperial family of Austria had kennels of Leonberger-type dogs, from which the Metternich family received their dogs.

During the 1800s, Leonbergers were frequently seen being used, singly or in pairs, pulling carts around Württemberg, Bavaria and Austrian villages, although this is now only seldom seen except in the most remote of villages.

After a trip to Austria, Marie Antoinette brought some dogs back with her. This ties in with further information from Mademoiselle de Gineste, of Courivause, Marne, France, whose ancestor, the Marquis de Pluival, was a page at the court of Marie Antoinette. He liked these dogs so much that the queen presented him with some, which he took to his home. The Gineste family can trace some of their dogs back to the Marquis’s first dogs.

In recent years, the experts have put forward less colorful theories of how the Leonberger developed. During the 19th century and probably earlier, there were many Alpine dogs in the regions of the Black Forest. They would come down from the hills with their owners to the market towns, and it has been suggested that on these occasions they may have been crossed with the long-coated, heavy-boned shepherds from the southern regions of Germany. This would account for the unique coloration of the Leonberger, as it would be genetically impossible to attain the breed’s coloring from the dogs that Heinrich Essig claims to have used.

THE LEONBERGER IN THE UNITED STATES

In the early 1980s, the Leonberger was barely in existence in the United States. There were 17 known dogs up until 1985. Then Mary and Reiner Decher’s bitch, Fiona, gave birth to 14 puppies, just about doubling the population! Selling puppies of an unknown breed was a difficult task at that time, and many of the pups had to be given away.

That same year, Reiner Decher instigated a meeting of Leonberger breeders and owners. Along with Reiner and Mary Decher, fanciers Sylvia and Manfred Kaufmann, Yves Parent, Waltraud Zieher, Kerry Campbell, Melanie Brown and Brian Peters met in Denver, Colorado to establish the Leonberger Club of America (LCA). At the same time, the club’s Code of Ethics, Rules and Regulations and Leo Letter (the club’s official publication) were established.

CANIS LUPUS

Grandma, what big teeth you have! The gray wolf, a familiar figure in fairy tales and legends, has had its reputation tarnished and its population pummeled over the centuries. Yet it is the descendants of this much-feared creature to which we open our homes and hearts. Our beloved dog, Canis domesticus, derives directly from the gray wolf, a highly social canine that lives in elaborately structured packs. In the wild, the gray wolf can range from 60 to 175 pounds, standing between 25 and 40 inches in height.

A handsome Leo trio from the Netherlands.

The next official meeting took place in Ontario, Canada at the club’s first national specialty show. The founding members and others crowded into a small trailer and talked until the early morning hours, discussing their plans and goals for the club. Together they worked out the guidelines for their new club, which included electing officers and establishing plans and responsibilities. The club’s aim was (and still is) to maintain the health and soundness of their beloved breed.

Since that day, the Leonberger Club of America has gone from strength to strength. As a result of the ever-increasing popularity of the Leonberger breed, regional clubs sanctioned by the LCA were formed. These clubs, such as the Northwest Leonberger Club, the Rocky Mountain Leonberger Club, the Northern and Southern California Leonberger Clubs and many more, all organize their own specialty shows each year with the emphasis on having fun with their Leos. Dogs and owners travel all around the country to attend these functions, meeting with friends, showing their Leos and taking pleasure in the sight of so many Leonbergers gathered together in one place!

THE LEONBERGER IN BRITAIN

The first Leonberger seen in Great Britain was at Crufts in 1948, imported by a gentleman named Mr. D. T. Gower. Other than the dog’s name, Golden Sunset, we know nothing more about it.

The Leonberger Club of America is the official registry for Leonbergers in the United States. The club is not affiliated with the American Kennel Club, as the breed is not AKC-recognized, the club is a member of the International Union für Leonberger Hunde (IULH). The IULH is the same club started in Leonberg in 1975; it now has member countries all over the world. The Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) breed standard, which is set forth by the national breed club of Germany, the Deutscher Klub für Leonberger Hunde, is the standard to which the LCA adheres, promoting careful breeding practices in accordance with the standard of the breed’s homeland.

Nabilah-Nerahsha von Welland the Stormchaser (Storm), a top-winning bitch in Great Britain, pictured at two years of age.

Int. Ch. Radjhivon Lowenkraft, a champion male from Belgium.

LEONBERGER CLUB OF AMERICA

The LCA can be found online at www.leonbergerclubofamerica.com. This site is very comprehensive, with information about the breed and the club itself and offering many resources for breeders, owners and fanciers as well as newcomers to the breed.

Two very impressive Leonberger kennels in the United States are the Kennel von Alpensee and the Kennel von Jagen. Both kennels have had substantial wins at many national shows. Alida Comtois and Susan Grosslight are both responsible breeders who spend time researching their potential studs and brood bitches in order to produce dogs of top quality. Thanks to dedicated breeders like these, and the efforts of all of the LCA’s various committees, the future of the breed in this country is on a strong footing.

Int. Ch. Kiseirdi Nora, pictured with handler Sabine Klippel, was Best in Show at the 1996 German Club Show, marking the breed’s 150-year celebration.