I have owned and shown gundogs all my life.  My partner has decided that in the future (we're talking a few years down the line) he would like a dog from a breed of his own choosing.  He has fallen head over heels with Leonbergers.  I have always admired them from the ringside but know very little about them.
Basically I'm curious about every thing!  What are their characters like?  What level of exercise do they need/can they cope with.  Drool?!?!  Are they good with other dogs?  Can they live with a breed thats only 15 inches?  Of course I will spend the next couple of years researching the breed in general and then different kennels, but I seem to remember some ppl on here own Leos.  I really want to know if we could offer a good home to a Leo, and that the breed would suit our lifestyle.

I absolutely love them and wouldn't change breeds now, but they aren't a breed for everyone. They do have drawbacks: (sorry if this sounds patronizing I've taken it from my website)

Leonbergers are big. Not the shock of the century as you are probably aware, but Leos don't realise just how big they are. Also, Leos are clumsy. They can clear a coffee table in one swoop of their tail and not know until they hear the breaking of cups, mugs, glasses etc, hitting the floor

Leos can knock grown men to the floor. Although this will not be intentional, one swing from their backside could easily push someone off their feet, so if you have small children or elderly relatives regularly visit, a Leo may not be the dog for you.

Leos have big feet. Combined with a clumsy 10st critter, these feet cause tremendous amount of pain when they stand on you. Also, a Leo will "slap you" to get your attention. This is cute as a puppy, but soon can become dangerous when they do this to a child and scratch their face

Leonbergers love water! They will lie, dig, and play in water all day long given the chance. This means ANY water. A Leo will drink for the sake of drinking, not necessarily because they are thirsty, but because they love to play with it. Expect your kitchen floors to be permanently wet. This is not an exaggeration! Even from raised bowls, a Leo WILL spill half the contents of its water on the floor!

Leonbergers always look clean. This is because all the mud they have brought in from the garden has dried to their coat. They then come in the house and the dust drops out all over your floors, walls, ceilings, you name it, it's covered in muddy dust. If you are house proud, a Leo may not be the breed for you. Also, Leos love to dig and chew, not a huge problem for a small dog, but a Leo is not small, meaning anything chewed or dug is going to be huge!

Leos attract attention. If you are the sort of person that doesn't like stopping to talk to strangers every time you leave the house with your dog then a Leo may not be the breed for you. Be prepared to answer the same questions over and over again about your Leo. What breed is that? What is your German Shepherd crossed with? You want to get a saddle for that! He looks like a lion, bear, donkey etc... These are some of the things you will hear every 10 minutes whilst out walking with your beloved best friend.

This is my experience with them, but I'm sure there are many stories to tell. :-)
Now the good bits. They have incredible characters, they are the joker of the pack, at 2 years old they are still very much puppified in their behaviour. Generally speaking if well socialized they are excellent with other dogs, occasionally adolescent males can be a little grumbly around other giant males, but its easy to snap them out of it if you know what you're doing, but I think this is the same for most breeds. I would think that they would be fine living with small dogs. Mine lives with a small border collie with no problems, but at training he is down on the floor playing with puppies of all kinds from paps, poms, pugs, bulldogs, chis... Naturally you have to teach them what's too much pressure with their mouths.

Like most breeds (especially giant breeds) exercise has to be limited as a puppy, but from about 12 months old an hours exercise with free running is usually enough. With that being said, they are a breed that will quite happily walk a marathon with there carer. They are very much people dogs and would rather run over to the people in a dog park for fuss than chase the other dogs.

Some leos can drool, the ones with the loose lips, but according to breed standard the lips should have closed corners, so most leos I come accross don't drool. this was one thing that appealed to me... I don't do drool lol.

Someone will no doubt come and add to this. As I said, this is only from my experience

Thanks for the info!
To give some back ground my family used to be heavily involved in Great Danes, so we're used to the general size/ clumsiness!  We have read up on this breed, and the character seems to suit us to the ground, but obviously I want to be sure and to hear about all experiences good and bad.  It will be my partners dog, so he will be responsible for it, but saying that of course I wont just leave him to it.  I walk my dogs off lead for an hour everyday so we are hoping the 'end product' will be able to fit in with that, with any extra the OH will provide.  I have told him that if this is the breed he chooses (which I think it will be) we will get a bitch with the intention to show her.  He's starting to get the bug coming to the odd show to watch my girl, so hopefully that will cut down on drool!  I guess the next year will involve pulling myself away from the gundog ring to try and find some Leo owners!

I can't add much to the above as my first Leo is still only 5months old. She is my first non-gundog too.
But I will say, for us, it's so far, so good! I've been quite impressed at how gentle she can be with small breed pups she meets. At one of her first puppy classes she was happily laying on her back with a tiny JRT pup laying in her open mouth!! This pup was only about the size of her head! But yes, very clumsy, it already hurts when she treads on you.

We were drawn to them as a breed that seem fairly relaxed about the house, but are playful and athletic when out and about and able to do good long walks when adults.  It is frustrating not being able to go for long walks whilst she's growing, but obviously worth the wait, to make sure those joints are protected.
Our girl is lots of fun atm and loves playing with the kids outside. I am working hard on on her training, as I'm well aware of how strong she's becoming and want to get as much in place before the teen stage arrives.
There are quite alot of Leos at my local training club, which has been great. We met lots of adults of both sexes before we started looking and they do seem to vary a bit in nature, some are more lively than others.
We found quite a few very helpful souls within the breed, let me know if you'd like some of the contacts we found.

(It is shocking how quickly they grow though :))

Thank you, and when the time gets closer I will definately chase you for contacts.  I just dont want to get too excited just yet as we have to wait until the time is right to bring a Leonberger into our lives.  As well as waiting for our job situation to change I have an elderly Cavalier with a bad heart murmur, it would be totally unfair on her to get a giant breed now.  Especially a puppy!
They really do sound like the breed for us.  If it was just me I dont think I would have considered them as I dont like driving estates, and after years of heavy grooming I'm quite happy to have a breed with limited grooming.  But as I say, the Leonberger will be the OH's responsibility even if it will be a family dog, so he will have to get the car to fit the dog and put in the time grooming!  They sound like the type of clown that would fit right in with us.

Hi

My first leo is now 8 months old and apart from a few issues with an allergy he has been an absolute dream! He was toilet trained within a week or so, is so laid back that he will take anything in his stride and is the friendliest dog I have ever met.  He is also intelligent and has figured out how to open the kitchen bin and eat the contents and how to open the door to his kennel. He does however have the inability to swallow the last mouthful of water he drinks and dribbles it everywhere!

We have been warned that the Kevin stage is just around the corner so we are enjoying the peace while we can!

We are hooked on leonbergers and now don't think we would have any other breed (apart from maybe a border collie or two). We would highly recommend them as a fantastic breed!

I have only ever had Leos so can not compare to other breeds having not had the same relationship with any other breed... Really, I was brought up by a Leo so might have slightly biased view :)!

They can be clumsy but I would not say they are any clumsier than other breeds of similar size/body shape.
My first Leo's best friend was dachshund, the dachshund was a boss and made it clear she needs to be respected!
All of mine have been good with small dogs, our neighbor has a yorkie x and it climbs on mine, she seems to naturally know to be gentle with smaller dogs...
She plays well with dogs of any size and seems to adapt her play style according to the friend.

After nearly 20 years,I am yet to meet a Leo that drools excessively... Some do drool a little, but nothing compared to the newfies I meet at the water rescue!
I always admire them but when they shake their heads I soon remember why I have not got one... I'm my mothers daughter and don't think I would like to live with the drool :)
The reason I actually got a Leo in the first place was that at that point the breed standard(fin) had "does not drool"in it and I believe that played a massive part on my mum agreeing to a Leo! I have not lived at home for 10 years now, my parents now have their own Leo and are looking to get a puppy soon...
I have my own and am waiting for my next girl to join us next summer so the whole family is hooked :).

I'm so used to the hair I hardly notice it but there can be lots of hair floating around when Leo is molting. you will soon stop wearing black... and pick sofas that go with the colour of your dog :)
Grooming wise if you don't end up with a fluff monster (e.g. incorrect, excessive soft coat), there will not be excessive grooming to do.
I brush mine every few weeks or so (little more often when molting) and they stay tangle free with that... Of course they do get twicks, sand, mud, water, small animals stuck to their coat when out and about, getting rid of those is part of everyday life with a Leo. Again, I'm used to doing this but some of my friends (who have different breeds) have said they would not like to do that after every walk... I would not live without a blaster, worth every penny.

As a part of keeping them fit I have cycled with all of my Leos, with my current one we do 45 minute rides in trotting speed, she really gets to the running mode(as long as weather is not too hot)...
She will happily go for hours with my friends retrievers and she is not the first one to drop! Especially if there is an opportunity to recharge herself in some water...

Some Leos can be hard work when they are young, or should I say harder work than many people expect them to be.
But if you are familiar with Danes, I would say some "behavior periods" youngsters go through are very similar (based on my very limited experience of young Danes) so you are probably aware of them e.g. they can be pretty sensitive at certain ages, silly fear periods, adolescence issues...
Or course there is also the responsibility of bringing up a giant breed, so little more effort to make sure they grow straight...

Over the years I have done agility, obedience( winning classes past the more traditional breeds) water rescue and search work with mine so they can be very versatile - unless you get a lazy slob of a Leo, there are some of those around as well... But generally I would say they are willing to learn and given a chance can excel in many areas.
I come from Finland and over there we have qualified search&rescue Leos, dogs competing in obedience, water rescue, agility, tracking...

We used to have 2 Leos and did not have an estate. Our girls sat on the back seat wearing seat belts!
I also took them to training in the bus, I did not have driving license as I was too young...
But in all honesty, I think you will need an estate, especially when you are hooked and realise your 1 Leo has become 2 Leos....
They really do have tendency to multiply, people are not joking when they say that.

> This is my experience with them, but I'm sure there are many stories to tell

Tanya, talking of stories, you have just brought one to mind!

It must have been 5-6 years ago that I took a male friend with me to Cruft's.  Totally forgetting that men can be big kids.  He just had to have a go at winning a big stuffed dog on one of the stands.  I did notice that Cruft's seemed to be full of grown men carrying round these oversized toys.

Well, eventually back to the shuttle bus, and it was packed solid.  Everyone overloaded with their doggie buys.  Standing room only, and we were all packed tight and cosy.  Two Leos lying flat out on the floor of the bus, as good as gold.  Until one of them saw my friends stuffed dog! 

He immediately grabbed it, and the stupid man wouldn't let go.  With both dog and man trying to tug even harder, backward and forward this bloody stuffed toy went.  The dog wasn't getting nasty, he just wanted the toy!  :-)

By the time we reached south car park, I think everyone on the bus was cracked up at this grown man that wouldn't let go of his toy.  Thank you for bringing the incident back to mind.  :-)

>  Of course they do get ........ small animals stuck to their coat when out and about..... getting rid of those is part of everyday life with a Leo.

Thanks Noora for your very honest view of living with a Leo.
But I am now going to have a permanent image of a very large dog with a lot of mice, rats, voles, moles & gerbils all tangled up in its hair!!!!

Little Leo story that involves mice, but not stuck to the coat.
My girl was outside in the garden and I was watching her laying down and intensively picking something up, moving, laying down, picking it up.....
I though she might have found a plum of something... so after a while went outside and asked her to bring it to me.
She came to me and dropped a baby mouse in my hand! Alive and well, little wet but unharmed(I put it in a box to dry and make sure it is not in shock and off it went little later).

So now you can add a little mouse peeking out of the mouth of the dog with selection of small animals hanging off its coat :)! You also need to add frogs to the image....

Hi,

Have loved reading the replies, mine is two in July and the first of many.  I have found the most essential thing you need for owning a Leo is a sense of humour!

A sense of humour for when :

*They move the mixer tap to the draining board and turn the tap on full - the previous water comment is no exageration they are more like elephants they way they throw water around!
*You are ready to go out and they jump up covering you in mud
*They eat all of your wooden spoons
*When they eat all the knobs off the cooker and washing machine
*When they go through a terrible phase of getting you up in the night just to say Hi

They are definately worth the effort.

Hi Kerry, Nice to meet you!

> When they go through a terrible phase of getting you up in the night just to say Hi

OMG this is so true. I've been sleeping on the settee for the past 6 months as an accident has stopped me from getting up the stairs. The dogs sleep down stairs with me. About 3 o'clock in the morning I get hit round the chest with a big furry foot, just to say hello. A quick pat on the head and we both go back to sleep. This happens every night.

Hi Tanya,

Summer went through her waking up 'phase' at about 14 months FOR several months!  She got me up on the hour every hour, I was exhausted.  If it wasn't for my Mum and Sister reminding me she would eventually stop this I might have moved downstairs with her!

The funniest part was I couldnt get mad with her cause she was so pleased to see me, bounced around, wagger her tail and off she went back to sleep with a sigh!

I hope yours dont get too used to you being there when you finally get back upstairs!

I don't think it will be a problem with the ones I have as they are used to me going away for a couple of weeks at a time. But I am looking at getting another soon, so I think I may have to start shutting them in the other room at night time to get new puppy used to it.

> The funniest part was I couldnt get mad with her cause she was so pleased to see me, bounced around, wagger her tail and off she went back to sleep with a sigh!

They are so funny aren't they, you can't get mad with them. They do stay puppies forever

They are so funny aren't they, you can't get mad with them. They do stay puppies forever

I took her home for a visit last year and her Mum came bouncing down the hallway and jumped on me ---> She was 7 at the time!

Definately the breed for me.

When I lost my last St Bernard I wanted a giant breed that didn't drool, and as Noora said, that was the breed standard for Leos.  I now have 2 Leos and don't believe I will ever have another breed (also have a GSD).

My older Leo does agility, obedience, water rescue, carting, he's a PAT dog, and I show him (my youngster has all this to come!)................he's equally happy doing an eight mile hike as he is crashed out on the sofa with me. 
I've found as long as they're with you, they're happy!

As has already been said you need a sense of humour.  They don't realise how big they are, and even at 60kg are convinced they can fit on your knee!  They like getting wet and muddy, and doing circuits of the house!  Their vets bills can be extortionate.  Teenagers can be challenging!  They can take things off worktops without even having to stretch!  They need early training and socialisation.  You have to be prepared for answering the same questions a million times a day, and for every walk taking at least 3 hours!  They have an amazing ability to hold a gallon of water in their mouths for ages before unloading it on your knee!

BUT there's something about a Leo that captures your heart : )

My Leo is 6 this year and thats 6 years of mayhem but i want more!!!!!!

If you really want one then these are the musts for Leo's owning humans.....

you must have a good sense of humour

you must own shares in a cleaning company.....we do like to make our den look like an explosion in a mattress factory, especially twice a year, but to get you used to it we chuck some about every day:)
Mud is essential and water is just awsome, but if you dont supply the latter for us, as in paddling pools, lakes etc. we will use the next best thing..........the water bowl!

We do know that everything is on this planet for us to say hello to, so dont expect us to repond to your funny ways to call us, but we will 'in our good time'.

You must stop wearing Black.

You must provide a lap when I want a hug.

You must expect us to answer you when you talk to us. Do you understand Wookie?

You must stand still when we need to lean on you.

These are just a few more to add to the list.

They are a great breed and VERY addictive, so be warned :)

Brilliant, standing up waving their legs around makes them more than passable for a part in Star Wars!  My cousin has a Shitzu that looks like a Ewok and I have the Wookie!

I dont think there is much more to add except...... although most leos dont drool you must expect to get a mouthful of water deposited in your lap at least once a day. Its part of the fun of being owned by leos.

Barbara

They kangaroo hop when they are excited.

Oh, and if you don't like  lady or gentleman bits waved at you when they sleep, you won't like a Leo

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

Typical Leo Pose

I'm in love!!!!!!!!!!! they are gorgeous! One day...........

I'm already bored with hearing myself saying "She's a Leonberger" a million times a day!!
.........I'm considering telling people, she's a Corgi x Afghan ;) just to amuse myself...

You can choose from the list of breeds I have received so far.....

Is that a.....Afghan, mix up dog, gone wrong German Shepard (yes she used the words gone wrong!), Bernese, Pyrenean or St Bernard.

I almost high five the few who get it right!

When they grow up its always GSD cross or newfoundland

I forgot Newfoundland! She is one of those too!  Maybe she they could be a different breed each day of the week :)

our best one so far is... Is that floppy eared long haired GSD? quite big for a GSD isn't HE(my girl was wearing a pink collar with flowers on it too)...
Well done for spotting some major differences but still insisting it must be GSD :)!

I think people go through a little list:
It is not a terrier...not a labrador...It's not a poodle....
Must be GSD!

After GSD/alsatian, Beethoven dog is the most common one here or burmese dog...

Ha ha!  I own a Kooikerhondje so well used to those comments.  She also lacks the ability to swallow her last mouthful of water and spits it everywhere, and just this weekend I had to pull her out of the shower I was running for myself!  Sounds like a Leo is going to fit right in with us!  When it gets closer to the time I think I will try and find an owner close by and spend a day in their life so he really understands what state they can get in on a walk.  Love the small animals comment!  I have a Cav with a coat explosion following pyometra so used to pulling slugs out her coat (disgusting!) but shes some what smaller than a Leo!
So happy about the lack of drooling, not sure I could deal with that!

Yes the slugs bit doesn't sound good....
...I think I might have to have her frisked at the door in the summer!!

I got used to bringing my Setter home with small branches attached to her, but didn't often find wildlife! :)

Another thing just thought of talking about coat.... a blaster is an invaluable tool

Do you have any recommendations? I'm looking into getting one.
I'd like a portable model, as I'd probably use it outside. Had a look on ebay and the Aerolus models seem to vary in price from £30 - £120. Not quite sure what I'm looking for.

They are brilliant ones. Ideal for doing 2 or 3 leo type dogs. My friend is a groomer, she uses it in her salon to do the dogs, so they are very good for the price she paid (about £80). I believe they are a german copy of one of the more expensive ones. Very powerful and not very noisy compared to some of them

Thanks for that, I'll have to get on ebay ;)

Your only round the corner from me so if you want to have a go on mine your more than welcome!!1 Try befor eyou buy is always a good thing :-)

That would be useful Suejaw. We'll have to organise something :)
Thanks

Hey guys, I just found this great site through google, what an awesome resource! 

My girlfriend and I have had our little Leo named Bear for about 5 weeks now(he is 13 weeks) and something we werent told by the breeders but have discovered now is that he shouldn't be exercised a lot?  This is a complete shock to us as we have been taking him out a lot and now we are both feeling quite upset about this and really hope we havent hurt him for the future!  Can someone tell us how much exercise is to much?  The moment we brought him home at 8 weeks we started taking him out 2x a day for 20-30 minutes each time, with most of that being off leash.  He learned how to heel by 10 weeks and now is a near perfect heeler but about 2 weeks ago, just before he turned 3 months we have started bringing him fishing with us which can last a few hours of him running and playing around with my buddy's dog which is a Boxer...should we not be taking him out for this long?  Also the Boxer I was just mentioning him is a bit older (7 months) but they are both the same size at about 24kg now so they play pretty evenly except the Boxer is much stronger and frequently pushes Bear to the ground, sometimes a bit hard....can it be really bad for a developing Leo to be playing rough like this?  Also, Bears dad is from a champion line and is huge at 84kg so we know Bear is going to be growing super quickly, should that make us exercise him even less than normal for a Leo?  This is our first dog and we really don't want to mess up his joints or have him hurting in the future so please any responses from knowledgeable people is gladly accepted!  Oh one other thing, at this age 13 weeks do they all bite so much?!?  Everything he does involves biting and we are firm with him and he gets it sometimes but always seems to go back to the biting, sometimes quite hard and has nipped at both our faces a few times, any tips?  And sorry, one last thing, he has also started humping a lot...other dogs, pillows, my girlfriends little sisters boyfriend and today when we were out walking a young girl that was maybe 8 years old...have a lot of you Leo owners gone through this...any tips for that?  Thanks for any and all advice!

Donnie and Emmy

mmm...welcome to puppyhood! I guess he is your first puppy from what you say. No doubt a breed expert will be along shortly, but your puppy shouldn't have more than 5 minutes of exercise for each of his months--so a maximum of 15 minutes per session is about right for now. Too much exercise means that bones, joints, and ligaments become over-stressed and potentially permanently damaged. Your puppy needs to sleep, so if you have a crate, get him to love it, and if you don't have one think about getting hold of one as a priority. The good news is that you can wear your puppy out with games that use up brain power :)

Nipping and biting is something he'll be doing for a while, he has to experience the world and a lot of that is through his mouth. Train him fast to know the difference between your face and a chewy toy. He can live without learning to heel for now, so use that time to show him how to teethe safely. You don't need me to tell you how this can otherwise develop into a major problem--just imagine your little nephew or the neighbour's kids come to visit the puppy and suddenly someone gets bitten. Bear is a baby and will be for a long time to come, so be precise and consistent with him to help him learn all the good manners he needs. That goes for the humping too. Most dogs get over it, but he will have to learn he can't jump up on people.

Don't take this as a criticism, but how much did you read about training your dog before you got him? If the answer is "not much" then start making up for it now. You can take him to socialisation and obedience classes which will be much better for him than being charged by a boxer, you can learn from watching and listening to other owners and Bear will be tired out at the end of his class...result!

Have fun and take a break when you feel like you aren't making progress--you have to set your baby up to win!

My Leo is coming up for 6mths now and she gets walks of around 30mins or so a day. I think another really important thing to watch is that your pup isn't stressing his joints with too much jumping about, ie; in and out of the car (I still lift out) jumping off furniture and down steps or stairs. And I avoid ball games that tend to result in sharp 'braking' as well.
I also take my girl swimming which is great for developing muscle that will help support joints. I go to a local dog pool and have recently started taking her to nearby rivers and lakes, now she can walk a bit further and the weather is warming up.

At 3mths she was getting a couple of very short walks a day, one somewhere she could run about and meet lots of other dogs and one lead walk, to do a bit a of lead training practice etc. Training always tires out a pup more than plain walking.
I'm also careful not to let her play too rough with other dogs. My Mum has a Lab that's built like a tank and I've only just started to let them play outside together.

I would imagine a day out fishing with you would be OK if there's not a long walk involved and both dogs get time to rest. I've got a few friends with young dogs and we often get together. Every so often we stop play and put the dogs on leads for a bit. I find this helps them to learn to settle on command and stops play getting too ott.

As for the biting, all pups bite, but he'll grow out of it eventually. Ours has stopped biting everyone apart from my Dad whenever he visits, who will insist on waving his arms about to fend her off!?!
Do you take him to training classes? It's worth it, not just for the guidance on training and socialisation, but for reassurance with other doggy matters that may arise.

Welcome to the world of Leos!
Best exercise for a baby puppy is playing in the garden and few exploring walks, e.g. slow walking and sniffing and seeing new things, playing with other dogs... 

As others have already stated, you do need to be careful with not over doing the exercise. Exercise is important to have muscle to support the growing body but with a puppy it really is off lead walking & play, no road walking and all in moderation.
Non slippery surfaces(if you have laminate or similar you need some rugs down)& not jumping down from car/sofa etc...

It is important to let them do off lead exercise as this lets them use their muscles properly and adds to balance, co-ordination etc which is very important part of healthy growth. I would be little careful of too rough play with his boxer friend, not only because he could hurt himself but also because you do not want him to learn to play too rough! As he will grow to be a big dog, play friends are limited anyway but even more so if he plays really rough. You will need to stop the ply if it starts getting too rough, let the puppies calm down and they can then continue.

Did his breeder advise you on importance on following his growth?
As he potentially could become big Leo you need to be extra careful on making sure he does not grow too quickly, slower the growth better.
For first months, weight him every week and make sure he is not topping 2kg a week weight gain. Different lines grow differently so your breeder is best in giving advice but max 2kg/week is general advice I have heard many breeders give out in different countries(so different lines).

Make sure his legs stay as straight as possible if they are not,it is one of the first signs he is growing too fast for his joints and ligaments to keep up with the growth.
I would not cut down the exercise because of his "potential to be big", he will need muscle to support his body, especially if he will be a big heavy boy.
You will also want to make sure he is not "roly-poly" puppy as this is very bad for his joints, you want a growing puppy to be slim and fit, the mass will come naturally when he matures.

Regarding the biting: My last one was called the alligator the others have not been biters.
She was awful when it came to biting, especially when she got tired.
Just like over tired children, she would really start pushing it and go loopy.
Time outs was the only way to calm her down when the alligator came out as she too would just lash at your hands/face anything. If you managed to get her to calm down eating a bone etc she would be snoring away in few minutes! She has of course grown out of it but there were times our arms were covered in bruises&scratches...
*Bite stops here* will give you good advise regarding biting, I'm sure somebody will have a link to post you...

I have only had girls so no advise on humping.