The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog or Grosser Schweizer Sennenhund or Grand Bouvier Suisse is a breed of dog, the largest of the traditional Swiss Sennenhunds, a dog type that includes four regional breeds. The name Sennenhund refers to people called Senn or Senner, dairymen and herders in the Swiss Alps.
Appearance
The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog is a large, muscular dog with a tricolour coat. Males should weigh around 110 – 140 lbs and females 90 – 120 lbs. Height at the withers is 66.8 – 74.4 cm (26.3 – 29.3 in) for males and 64.6 – 70.6 cm (24.6 – 27.8 in) for females. The length to height ratio is around ten to nine. There is black on top of the dog’s back, ears, tail and the majority of the legs. There should be rust on the cheeks, a thumb print above the eyes and also rust should appear on the legs between the white and black. There should be white on the muzzle, the feet, the tip of the tail, on the chest down and some that comes up from the muzzle to pass between the eyes. The fur is a double coat, the top coat being around 5 cm long, the bottom coat being thick and a type of grey which must be on the neck, but can be all over the body; with such an thick coat, most Sennenhund moult twice a year.
Similar breeds
The St. Bernard Dog was the first breed of dog to be documented and differentiated from other large farm dogs of the area. Except for colour and historical documentation, the St. Bernard is very similar to the largest Sennenhund, and shares the same ancient history. Official documents from the hospice in St. Bernard Pass concerning the St. Bernard dogs date back to 1707, with paintings and drawings of the dog even earlier. The breed was the very first breed entered into the Swiss Stud Book in 1884, and the breed standard was finally approved in 1887. The Sennenhund did not begin to be formally divided into breeds until 1908.
Another butcher’s dog, the Rottweiler from Germany, is similar in shape and history to the Sennenhunds, and may be related.
Temperament
As with all large, very active working dogs, this breed should be well socialised early in life with other dogs and people, and be provided with regular activity and training if they are to be safely kept as a pet. The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog “is basically even tempered” and “a good family dog”.
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