Have you ever heard of....

A Leonberger?

This very large, muscular working dog was established in Leonberg, Germany in 1846. Their original breeder, Heinrich Essing, is believed to have crossed a Newfoundland, St.Bernard and the Great Pyrenees Mountain Dog. The result, the Leonberger, a dog that he wanted to resemble the look of a lion. Over the years, the Leonberger was owned by many royal families and were imported to Russia in the 19^th century. Like it did for many breeds, World War II almost brought extinction with only a few dogs left. A number of German’s came together in 1945 and were able to re establish the breed.

They can now be found all over the world and are easily noticed, with their huge body and thick coat the resemblance to a lion is noticeable. The main feature on this giant dog though, is their thick main. With males, their mane can take up to 4 years to fully develop and in females is less obvious. Males can get up to 80cm tall and around 77kgs, females around 74cm tall and weight around 59kgs. They are quite a smart breed who likes responsibility and a role to play.