If the sublime and kind leonberger can be seen as a succesful dog, it is surely not through the past of it. There is no dog race with a more subtle and cloudy history like loenberger.

It can be recognized promptly, that leonberger is a relative of famous European dogs, neither the Asian origin of it can be debated. The only question is, if it is really an ancient race, or it has been selected only in the middle of the XIX. Century. The misterious origin of leonberger is connected to an interesting person, who was mistaken and misunderstood by the people, through his intrigues, schemings and oddish declarations. He was Heinrich Essig (1808 – 1889), a member of the town council of Leonberg (Germany). Leonberg is about 15 kilometres far from Stuttgart, and belonged at that time to the Württemberg Kingdom.

Heinrich Essig was the man, who has let the world come know leonberger, among others that way, that he presented puppies to the famous and important persons of that age (for instance to Napoleon the third). Essig regarded himself as the creator of the leonberger race, and he gave informations with pleasure about that, the entities of which races he has used. He even had an own stock-farm, that produced yearly 2 – 300 entities for about 40 years. We can size up Essig’s reliability and immodesty through the fact, that during his dwellings in abroad he promoted himself as "baron of Leonberg". It seems also a little bit bizarre, that after his death the stock-farm sinked without trace, and no entity for breeding could be found for taking on the race selected by him.

Essig declared at that time, that he started the breeding process with the hybridizing of landseer and st. bernard, then he improved this result with the pyrenean hill-dog, so issued leonberger at last. Meanwhile his aim was, to breed a fully white coloured entity. Anyway, accordingly the rules of genetics, it is very difficult, as good as impossible to reach monocolour dull-ruddy or dull-ruddy breezy-ruddy spotted entities through hybridizing black-white spotted dogs with dull-ruddy white, or white badger-coloured ones.

Leonberger – a trade mark

Through the many contradictions, we cannot declare surely, that Heinrich Essig is the creator of leonberger. It seems, his real aim was to hide the real nature of his activity; in fact he breeded dogs -through unpurposed and disbelieving hybridizing and selection of different big-size dogs- and sold them. What he created in effect, was just a label, a trademark: The leonberger. Essig’s process and declarations irritated mainly the dog-friendly people, and made leonberger disbelieving for them.

In 1878, Schmie-Deberger from Germany wrote not without grounds: "The clubs dooes not take the leonberger seriously any more, and we send these degenerated bastards to such classes, in which the to them mostly similar races belong, like new foundland, st. bernard, and mostly the long-furred st. bernard." In 1905, Strebel seemed not to be humane any more: "The leonberger was a swindle, but the St. bernard strengthened nicely, and the request transcended the supply."

The moment had came, when the breeding of leonberger have been rolled back drastically, because it was seen only as a bad imitation of st. bernard. "At last, which entity could not be defined, was regarded as a leonberger." On the grounds of this citation can be supposed, that in fact, a well-planned swindle was hided behind Essig’s hanky-panky. Strebel talked about the "recreation" of st. bernard. Namely, the big dog-asylums for st. bernards were decimated by a serious epidemic in about 1820. It happened a bit later, than the race was already weakened through the excessive blood-relative origin. The monastics should choose another race -the new foundland-, to strengthen their own st. bernard entities. From this hybridizing issued the long-furred st. bernard, and through the hybridizing of the fully black coloured entities, the st. bernards not showing classic colours have disappeared.

We know through Heinrich Schumacher contemporary expert, that these entities were presented to such persons, who supoorted dog-asylums; lots of this people lived in England and Switzerland, mainly in Löwenberg. What if Essig simply capitalized the mutations issued during the "renewal" of the st. bernard, and the similarity between the name of the Swiss town and his one? To the truthfullness of this risky train of thought, a contact between Essig and Switzerland is missing.

Permeation of the race

The first standard of the race was founded by Albert Kull in 1895. At the same time, the owners of leonberger dogs founded a club in Apolda (Thuringia); this club -with a headquarters in Heidelberg, Gemany- took the name Leonberger Club at the beginning of the XX. century. During the World War I. the whole race seemed to disappear. But thanks to Stadelmann and Josenhans, new entities appeared in 1922.

The members of a new organization called Leonberger Dog Stock-Breeder Group had a livestock of 350 dogs under control in four years, based on the selection of five race-typical entities. Stadelmann opened the first book of origin at that time. But the misery of leonberger race has not came to the end yet, because the World War II. decimated the livestock again. The Federation Cynologique Intarnational (FCI) acknowledged the race officially in 1949. Thanks to Albert Kienzie and Otto Lehmann, in 1958 the entities reached the number, that was typical to them between the two World Wars.

After this, leonberger permeated in whole Germany, in Austria, and also in other german-speaking countries. Before the acknowledgement of leonberger we have to mention the long lasting reluctance of Northern Germany; an explanation for this incident was given by Dr. Luquet: The North-Germans feared, that leonberger underplays their other big-sized dog, the German Dog. At the end of the XIX. century, leonberger became the subject of vehement debates of dog-experts (Vero Shaw, Hugh DalzielL, Idstone) in England, and through this, the race could not be really naturalized in Great Britain.

But in France have been living leonbergers since 1896. The entites of a Parisian kennel won the prizes of the dog exhibitions for a long time. Dr. Pierre Mégnin studied the entities of the race substantially; he also translated Kull’s standard into French language, and made through this the leonberger well-known in France, too. Accordingly the first standard -included also in Bylandt’s famous book Dog Races- the leonberger was a dog of very big size, the males should have reach a chest-height of minimum 80 centimetres. Later the German stock-breeders ignored the minimum chest-height of 80 cm as race-parameter; accordingly the new standard, the 80 cm means the maximum chest-height.

This practice explains the difference between the French stock-breeding (which stayed more or less faithful to Mégnin’s legacy, who was on the mind, that the leonberger is the biggest European hill-dog) and the German stock-breeding (which had to fight a lot of difficulties in the last century). But at last, the debates between the experts did not concern the fans of the race; this latter gives an explanation only for the multiplicity of types inside the race, and for the difference of outside characteristics, which are not obvious for laymen.

It must be clarified, that by means of the clubs belonging to International Leonberger Union and the stock-farms interacting with each other, an even more uniform level of outside characteristics (also required by the standard) seemed to evolve. For this latter is Germany responsible in the rates of the FCI. Leonbergers got into Italy about 25 years ago, by the import of some fans. For today, similarly to the Netherlands, Austria, France and Switzerland, also the Italian private owners and stock-breeders clubbed together, in behalf of protection of the race.

Perfect for the family

The leonberger must be equipped with special properties in all conscience, when it was able to survive the subtle happenings of it’s history. It is undeniable, that it is worthy for admiration already for all this. By the way, who would not dream of a majestic, brave and kind dog, which is nor a lethargic, lumpish, neither an agressive, disorderly animal? About the character of the leonberger can be talked only in superlatives. The nobility of it can be recognized at the first sight; this dog is elagant despite it’s rusticism, but the deepest impression is made by the kind nature of it. Leonbergers have a friendly visage, which represents their effort for avoiding any sudden power-demonstration and brutality. Of course, when the owner comes home, the dog does not keep it’s emotions back, and falls upon his/her neck, while licking the face. Usually, the dog pays attention for the furniture in the living-room. The moving of it perfectly reflects the limits caused by it’s big size.

The dog usually duplicates it’s caution when contacting with living beings, that are weaker than itself; as a real guard-dog it verifies it’s patience toward children’s fun. Leonbergers -and not only female ones- are suited to the role of a nursemaid beyond doubt; they even suspend all other activities in behalf of this. The owner of the dog can put his/her little child calmly between the huge paws of the dog; it will join all games, what the child likes.

The fashion and trend of leonberger, that can be recognized nowadays, was generated by it’s specially discreet and attentive behaviour. This dog is suited for cohabitation even better, than lots of other and less-sized ones. It is able to abide other kind of dogs easy, so we can take it everywhere with us without hesitating. It is not going to slubber, and will not suffer from heat or cold. Only extremely stormy weather or extremely hot tempeature can mean a problem for a leonberger. Warning: The great social behaviour of the animal does not mean, that even the least place suits for it. The dog tries to adapt the best way, so it is possible, that it is no problem for it, living in a small flat on the 12th floor. But it must be mentioned, that such an environment is not the most ideal for evolving the dog’s nature. It is definitely more advantageous, to keep this kind of dog in such a place, where it can move free and easy. The most leonbergers are liable to depression, so the owners have to do their best, to offer a lot of occasions for their dogs to set the energies free, in behalf of optimum development of the muscles.

Engagement of the leonberger

Related to the education of this race there are no special problems. Different situations of life shall be acquainted to the dog, that helps in the development of it’s cognitive abilities. Furthermore, we shall take care, that the dog can stretch it’s body and legs well. No doubt, the leonberger has special talents in the area of instant reactions and perception; it would be a pity, not to capitalize such abilities, through which even the dog itself finds more pleasure in life. In the education of male entities we must be more dogmatic, because males partly preserved the independent instincts of hill-dogs.

All professional dog-trainers, who had any possibility to deal with such dogs, confess, that between the huge-sized dogs probably the leonberger has the most feeling for training and protecting jobs. The great poise of mind means also a valuable help by this kind of work. This dog doesn’t even need a spacial training for protection, because it’s deterrent external is naturally connected with a guarding instinct. Essentially, it is a family-dog, a faithful partner and guard. Even a property of higher value can be protected by it. It’s abilities in rescue are not notorious, but leonbergers were tried out succesfully as avalanche rescue dogs. A lot of entities like water; thanks to the well-developed swimming-web between the fingers, leonbergers are good swimmers. Their skin is water-resistant.

Pictures: International Leonberger Union and Independent Leo Gazette
Text: Big Encyclopedia of Dogs