Name : Greater Swiss Mountain Dog Origin : Switzerland Size : 68cm (27in) Weight : 59kg (130lbs) Life Span : 12 years Group : Sennenhund
- Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs are large sized dogs, that are native to Switzerland.
- They belong to the Sennehund family of dogs and are one of the oldest Sennenhund breeds.
- They were initially used for pulling carts, general farm work and also as mountain rescue dogs.
- The modern day Greater Swiss Mountain Dog can be trained for weight pulling competitions and pack hikes.
- They have exceptionally strong pack instincts and are known to get distressed if a member of the pack wanders off.
- They need to be trained to learn their place their extreme protectiveness towards the family can get difficult.
- They are very gentle with their family, especially children and they need a lot of their time and attention.
- Surprisingly, for a mountain dog, they do not drool much.
- They are large dogs often growing to be around 70 cm tall and weighing around 59 kg.
- On an average, they live to be around 12 years old.
- They have a short thick coat and interesting markings in Black, white and tan color.
- Interestingly, they were almost extinct at the start of the 20th century but the breed was saved.
- They are believed to be very closely related to the St. Bernard and are known to have lot of similarities with them.