meet the...Greater Swiss Mountain Dog
Breed Summary
Breed Group Group 9: Large Guardian Pastoral/Mountain Dogs
Sub-group :
Origin Country Switzerland
Weight Males: 132-155 pounds. Females: 110-133 pounds.
Height Males: 25-29 inches. Females: 23-27 inches.
Other Name(s) Gran Boyero Suizo, Grand Bouvier Suisse, Great Swiss Mountain Dog, Grosser Schweizer Sennenhund
Breed Type Pure
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Origins
The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog is a descendant of the Mastiff-type dogs used in Roman armies, dating back 2000 years. They are the oldest and the largest of the four Swiss Mountain Dog breeds, which include the Bernese Mountain Dog, the Entlebucher Mountain Dog, and the Appenzeller Sennenhund. They were bred to be guardians, draft dogs, and drive cattle. This breed almost became extinct in the late 1900s until two specimens were presented to Dr. Albert Heim, who recognized the breed and had it entered into the Swiss Cynological Society (Schweizerischen Kynologischen Gesellschaft) in 1909. The first standard was published by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale in 1939. Today, these dogs are bred mostly for companionship because of their reliable, calm temperament, but they were also respected for their guarding abilities.Breed Characteristics
Head: Somewhat mesaticephalic skull-type, moderate in size, slightly wedge-shaped, and in proportion to the rest of the body. The topskull is rather flat whether viewed in profile or from the front. It is broad, being broadest between the ears and slightly tapering towards the muzzle. The head, overall, tapers from the broad backskull toward the eyes and again toward the end of the muzzle. The occiput is barely visible. A median furrow starts at the stop and disappears toward the occiput. The head is clean-cut without excess skin or wrinkles.
Eyes: Somewhat medium in size, almond in shape, hazel to brown, darker pigment preferred. Outer corners may be set slightly oblique. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. The eyes are never bulging or deep set. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes. Any signs of entropion or ectropion are incorrect for this breed.
Ears: Somewhat moderate in size. Set fairly high on the skull, level with the plane of the skull, and fairly well apart on the outer edge of the topskull. Triangular in shape with tips slightly rounded. The ears are dropped, hanging with the inner edges and tips close to the head when resting. They are held slightly forward when alert. The ears are never long, overly large, or fully erect.
Muzzle: The muzzle is straight, blunt, and longer than its depth. Set off from slightly pronounced cheeks. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight and level. It tapers slightly from the broad base toward the nose but is not pointed. The upper and lower jaws are well developed, approximately equal in length, and have good bone substance, never appearing snipey or weak.
Nose: The nose is well-pigmented and black. The nostrils are well-opened.
Neck: Moderate in length to allow for good head carriage. It is strongly muscled and rather thick. The neck tapers just slightly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut and without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows. Rather well-developed forechest, but not overly prominent. The depth of the chest to the height of the dog at the withers is about 1:2.
Body: Slightly elongated, but never excessively so. Solid and of good substance, the body is never heavy and cloddy. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
Feet: Feet are round with well-arched toes and coarse pads. Dewclaws may or may not be present.
Tail: Continuation of the croup, reaching the hocks, and fairly heavy. It is thick from root to tip but slightly tapers at the end. The tail is carried straight or gently curved in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, but it is never tucked. The tail is of a moderate length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. When in movement, the tail is carried elevated, with a slight curve, but never over the topline.
Movement: The movement of the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog breed is a powerful drive from hindquarters with a good reach in forequarters. As the pace increases, a single tracking may be seen. Limbs move in a straight line while trotting. The movement is energetic, efficient, and effortless. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the centerline of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.
Temperament: Being neither shy nor aggressive, the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog breed is confident with an active, lively, determined demeanor. They are good-natured and loyal to familiar people while also being generally friendly towards welcomed strangers. They are very intelligent and capable of learning many commands and tricks with proper motivation. However, they are the most responsive to their owner. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.
Breed Standard
BREED GROUP 9: Large Guardian Pastoral/Mountain Dogs
Proportions: Somewhat rectangular with the length of the body, measured from the point of the forechest to the point of the rump, being slightly greater than the height at the withers. The ideal body-height-to-length ratio is 9:10. The body is well put together and strongly muscled, with sturdy substance and moderate yet sturdy bone. The weight of males and females is always proportionate to height.
Head
General Appearance: Somewhat mesaticephalic skull-type, moderate in size, slightly wedge-shaped, and in proportion to the rest of the body. The topskull is rather flat whether viewed in profile or from the front. It is broad, being broadest between the ears and slightly tapering towards the muzzle. The head, overall, tapers from the broad backskull toward the eyes and again toward the end of the muzzle. The occiput is barely visible. A median furrow starts at the stop and disappears toward the occiput. The head is clean-cut without excess skin or wrinkles.
Expression: Animated and gentle but alert.
Stop: The stop is slight, never exaggerated or abrupt.
Skull: The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio is approximately 1:1, with the topskull being equal to the muzzle.
The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis is more or less parallel.
Muzzle: The muzzle is straight, blunt, and longer than its depth. Set off from slightly pronounced cheeks. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight and level. It tapers slightly from the broad base toward the nose but is not pointed. The upper and lower jaws are well developed, approximately equal in length, and have good bone substance, never appearing snipey or weak.
Lips or Flews: The lips are clean and fit rather tightly over the teeth and jaws. They are well-pigmented and should never extend beyond the lower plane of the bottom jawline. The corners of the lips should not appear “wet” or loose.
Nose: The nose is well-pigmented and black. The nostrils are well-opened.
Cheeks: The cheeks are smoothly muscled, with slight padding, and they are barely/slightly pronounced. The cheeks should not appear chiseled or coarse.
Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, and white teeth. The upper and lower teeth meet in a scissor bite. Contact must be made between the top and bottom incisors. Missing or broken teeth due to routine work is not to be penalized.
Eyes: Somewhat medium in size, almond in shape, hazel to brown, darker pigment preferred. Outer corners may be set slightly oblique. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. The eyes are never bulging or deep set. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes. Any signs of entropion or ectropion are incorrect for this breed.
Ears: Somewhat moderate in size. Set fairly high on the skull, level with the plane of the skull, and fairly well apart on the outer edge of the topskull. Triangular in shape with tips slightly rounded. The ears are dropped, hanging with the inner edges and tips close to the head when resting. They are held slightly forward when alert. The ears are never long, overly large, or fully erect.
Body and Tail
General Description: Slightly elongated, but never excessively so. Solid and of good substance, the body is never heavy and cloddy. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
Neck: Moderate in length to allow for good head carriage. It is strongly muscled and rather thick. The neck tapers just slightly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut and without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows. Rather well-developed forechest, but not overly prominent. The depth of the chest to the height of the dog at the withers is about 1:2.
Topline: Sturdy and level from withers to croup. The back is of a good length, broad, strongly muscled, and straight,
yet supple. The loin is well-muscled and broad. The back is never swayed or roached.
Croup: Slightly sloping and relatively long and broad.
Underline: A rather slight tuck-up is present. The underline is taut and firm, without any indication of sagging or excess weight.
Ribs: Well-sprung, well-laid-back, and moderately round-shaped, never barrel-chested or slab-sided.
Tail: Continuation of the croup, reaching the hocks, and fairly heavy. It is thick from root to tip but slightly tapers at the end. The tail is carried straight or gently curved in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, but it is never tucked. The tail is of a moderate length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. When in movement, the tail is carried elevated, with a slight curve, but never over the topline.
Forequarters and Hindquarters
Forequarters: The forequarters are always balanced with the hindquarters, strongly muscled but not in excess, and never loose and moderately angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. The shoulder blades are fairly long and sloping, approximately equal in length or slightly shorter, to the upper arm and forearm.
Elbows: The elbows are close to the body, with the angle of the shoulder blades forming a right angle, or as much as possible. They do not turn in or out.
Forelegs: The forelegs are straight, sturdy, parallel, and placed well under the body. They should not be too wide or too close.
Frontal View: Straight, of good muscle, of moderate yet strong bone, and parallel to one another.
Side View: The forelimbs appear straight with strong pasterns.
Pasterns: Pasterns are never weak or broken. They are seen in the frontal view as a continuation of the forearm. From a side view, they are relatively flat and slightly angulated.
Hindquarters: The upper thigh is fairly long and broad. The lower thigh is approximately equal in length, features strong bones, and is well-muscled.
Rear View: When viewed from the rear, the rear pasterns are parallel to one another.
Side View: Good angulation will allow the rear toes to align with the point of the rump or within one to two paw-lengths behind the point of the rump, with the rear pasterns remaining perpendicular to the ground and parallel to one another.
Stifle Joint: Well-angulated with a good bend to well-let-down rear pasterns, turns neither in nor out.
Angulations: The angulation of the hindquarters is always in balance with the angulation of the forequarters.
Feet: Feet are round with well-arched toes and coarse pads. Dewclaws may or may not be present.
Coat
Skin: Well-fitted, yet supple. The skin should never obstruct the outline of the dog.
Coat Type: The double coat is close-fitting and firm. The topcoat is relatively short to medium in length, harsh, and shiny; the undercoat is thick and short. The coat should never be abundantly thick, abundantly long, or silky. A slight wave is acceptable.
Coat Color or Pattern: CKC recognizes two color varieties of the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog: the standard and nonstandard.
Standard coat color variety: tricolor, black, or Havana brown with as symmetrical as possible tan/rust points on the chest, cheeks, over eyes, on the lower legs, vent, and underside of the tail, all with a distinct white blaze from the bridge of the nose or muzzle running up to the skull. White markings should also be on all four feet, tip of tail, from chin to chest without a break, white on the nape of the neck, or in half collar, or full white collar permissible.
Nonstandard coat color variety: Anything other than tricolor, white extending beyond standard color parameters, or insufficient white.
Movement
The movement of the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog breed is a powerful drive from hindquarters with a good reach in forequarters. As the pace increases, a single tracking may be seen. Limbs move in a straight line while trotting. The movement is energetic, efficient, and effortless. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the centerline of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.
Temperament
Being neither shy nor aggressive, the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog breed is confident with an active, lively, determined demeanor. They are good-natured and loyal to familiar people while also being generally friendly towards welcomed strangers. They are very intelligent and capable of learning many commands and tricks with proper motivation. However, they are the most responsive to their owner. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.
Faults
All dogs should be in proper, healthy condition, free from disease or defect. Any departure from this description is considered a fault. Unless altered, all male dogs should have two fully descended testicles.
