From: mjohnson@stake.DaytonOH.NCR.COM (Marget Johnson)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs
Subject: Re: What about Leonbergers?
Date: 31 Aug 92 17:35:07 GMT
Reply-To: mjohnson@stake.DaytonOH.NCR.COM (Marget Johnson)
Organization: Stakeholder Relations, NCR Corp in Dayton,OH

In article <laird.715060458@stable.ecn.purdue.edu> laird@stable.ecn.purdue.edu
(Kyler Laird) writes:
>I read an article about this breed in Dog Fancy or Dog World.  Seems
>like a neat dog; big, beautiful, and doesn't drool.
>So...can anyone else relate more info on the breed?  Also, there
>appears to be only one breeder carrying them in the States.  How hard
>is it to get one, and how much should I plan to spend?  (Yes, I plan
>to call the breeder some day when I know more about the dogs.)

Leonbergers are lovely dogs: large, powerful, a dark reddish golden color with
medium-long coat, intelligent, very loyal, protective (but not aggressive),
calm, easily trained, and relatively dry-mouthed. 
A good friend of mine raised these dogs in Zurich before moving to Dayton 5 or
6 (or more?) years ago. She has had two litters since moving here, and became
a Board member of the Leonberger club. The breed has become more popular in
the last 5 years, and I believe the Leonberger club has over 100 members. My
friend just moved back to Europe (Netherlands), so the only breeders I know of
are listed below: Kerilyn Campbell & M Brown, Lake View Terrace CA
818/896-0654; Brian & Karen Peters, Allegan MI 616/67-2814; Ellen Domnitz,
River Hills, WI 414/351-5823.
>
>(Just to tie this in, the Leonberger descends from the St. Bernard,
>Great Pyranees(sp?) and Newfoundland, so...) are Newfies stupid?  

ARE NEWFIES STUPID?????
I'm sure you'll get lots of irate responses to THAT question! Actually, the
Leonberger is decended from the Landseer, a black & white variety of
Newfoundland that is a separate breed from the black Newfoundland.
In Europe, the Landseer cannot be interbred with the Newfoundland, and still
maintain a "purebred" status. The Landseer is smaller, with less bone, a
narrower head with a snipey muzzle and high ear set (level with the top of the
skull), than the (black) Newfoundland. 

But, to answer your queston, Newfoundlands are not stupid. They are, however,
pretty laid back (or should be) as adults. Nothing worse than a hyperactive
150 lb dog, I always say! Newfs are easily trained, especially doing useful
things like pulling carts, rescuing "drowning" victims, retrieving items from
the water, abd basic obedience work. Ther have been a number of High-In Trial
(obedience) Newfs from Open B and Utility classes, but   because of their size
and somewhat lower activity level (than say a Border Collie or Golden
Retriever) it is fairly unusual to see Newfs in the tops levels of obedience
competition. 

>I thought I'd like to have one, but a friend who investigated them said
>they weren't to bright, and then I saw someones .sig that mentioned
>something about "the idiot Newfs"...just wondering...

Just like we can call our own kids "idiots", we react strongly when a stranger
does! Newfs, like all dogs, do silly things sometimes. Of course, the Newf
probably didn't think it was silly...

Anyway, the Leonberger appears to be a very nice dog....but has a " harder"
temperament than a Newf. The Leonberger was
developed in Germany in the last century, and the desired attitude of the
breed is probably more protective then you might expect. A Leonberger MUST be
obedince trained, as I'm sure you know. A leonberger makes a better "watch
dog"  than a Newf, IMHO. They are good swimmers, too, having inherited
webbed feet from the Landseer. Because they aren't AKC registered, they cannot
compete in AKC shows for conformation or obedience titles.

I suggest you contact the Michigan breeder listed above. They have been in the
breed for over 10 years, and aren't too far from you. There is a rare breed
show planned in Detroit later this year. I'll find out the date and post this
week. Should be "lots" of Leonbergers there!

Good hunting....

Marget Johnson, Windwagon Newfoundlands, Tipp City, OH


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