meet the... Leonberger

Head

• General Appearance: Mesaticephalic skull type, moderately large in size and in proportion to the rest of the body. The head is fairly clean-cut and without excess skin or wrinkles, with skin being well-fitted but pliant. Wrinkles and loose skin, especially around the eyes, are incorrect on the head. Unlike most giant-breed dogs, the Leonberger’s head is broad (but not substantially broader at the ears than at the eyes), always deeper than broad, and substantial, yet it is also long and never appears heavy. The topskull is somewhat arched, both in profile and from the front. The head is well padded with powerful muscles in the cheeks and temporal area. The occiput is well developed and well concealed by the coat.
• Expression: Noble, gentle, soft, and kind.
• Stop: The stop is moderately defined, not abrupt.
• Skull: The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio is 1:1, with the topskull being equal to the muzzle.
  The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis may be just slightly convergent to parallel.
• Muzzle: The muzzle is fairly long, strong, full, deep, and broad throughout. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight or very slightly Roman-nosed (convexed). The upper and lower jaws are well developed, approximately equal in length, and have good bone substance, never appearing snipey or weak. The muzzle should appear squared rather than tapered or pointed.
• Lips or Flews: The lips are clean and well-fitted over the teeth and jaws. The lips and flews are tightly fitted and sufficient in length to reach the lower plane of the jaw, giving the muzzle its broad and deep appearance. The corners of the lips are closed, and lips should never be pendulous or “wet.”
• Nose: The nose is well-pigmented and black. The nostrils are well opened.
• Cheeks: The cheeks are slightly developed. They should gradually taper toward the muzzle.
• Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, and white teeth. Bite may be level, scissor, or reverse-scissor. Contact must be made between the top and bottom incisors. Missing or broken teeth due to routine work are not to be penalized.
• Eyes: Moderate in size, oval to almond in shape, and ranging from amber to dark brown in color. Set neither deep nor shallow, wide nor close. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. There should be no sign of looseness around the eyes. Exposed whites, haw, or pink membranes are incorrect and should be faulted. 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: Medium in size, set high, and neither far back nor low on the skull. The ears should line up approximately equal to or just above the level of the eyes. The ears are broad at the base, pendant, rounded to somewhat-rounded tips, with the inner edge and tips lying close to the head.

Body and Tail

• General Description: Substantial, deep, broad, and of good length, with moderately strong and solid bone substance and powerful muscle throughout. Powerful yet elegant, never heavy, cloddy, racy, or refined. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
• Neck: Moderate length allows for proud head carriage. It is strongly muscled with a good arch. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is relatively clean-cut, without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
• Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows.
• Topline: Level from pronounced withers to croup. The back is firm, broad, strongly muscled, and straight, yet supple. The loin is broad, taut, flat, level, or slightly arched, yet supportive. The back is never swayed or roached.
• Croup: Broad, fairly long, and gently sloped.
• Underline: A slight tuck-up is present for the underline, or it may run parallel to the topline. The underline is taut and firm without any indication of sagging or excess weight.
• Ribs: Long, well-sprung, well-laid-back, and oval-shaped, never barrel-chested or slab-sided.
• Tail: Set neither high nor low on the croup but as a natural extension of the topline. It is thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. The tail is carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, usually downward or just above/at the level of the topline, and never tucked or carried up over the back. The tail is of a moderately long length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. The tail may be straight, gently curved, or curved toward the end.

Forequarters and Hindquarters

• Forequarters: The forequarters are always balanced with the hindquarters and well-angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. The shoulder blades are long and approximately equal in length to the upper arm and forearm.
• Elbows: The elbows are close to the body. The distance from the withers to the brisket may be equal to, or just greater than, the distance from the elbows to the ground.
• Forelegs: Frontal View: Straight, of good muscle, of solid bone, and parallel to one another.
  Side View: The forelimbs appear straight with strong pasterns.
• Pasterns: Never weak or broken.
• Hindquarters: The upper and lower thighs are long, equal in length, strong, sturdy, solid bone, and 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.
• Stifle Joint: The angulation of the hindquarters is always in balance with the angulation of the forequarters.
• Feet: Oval to round and compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.

Coat

• Skin: Well fitted, yet supple. The skin should never obstruct the outline of the dog.
• Coat Type: The coat is short on the face, forehead, and front of the forelimbs and hindlimbs. The coat is longer on the neck, chest, and shoulders, forming a mane (more pronounced in males), and with distinct feathering on the back of the front legs and breeches on the hindlegs. The coat is of a medium-short length, ranging from straight to slightly wavy, and for the most part, it lies flat against the body. It may range from soft to coarse and is sufficiently weather-resistant. The undercoat is thick and soft. Minimal white permitted.
• Coat Color or Pattern: Lion yellow, red, red-brown, sandy, yellow, and cream, all with black mask, with or without black mask extension. Black shading or tipped hairs are permitted; however, the dog should not appear predominantly black.

Movement

Powerful yet athletic, energetic, efficient, effortless, and tireless, 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

Although imposing and grand in stature, the Leonberger breed is known as a gentle giant. They are renowned for their affectionate demeanor, temperament, patience, loyalty, serene nature, and courage. The breed is friendly toward other dogs, animals, and people, and they are especially fond of children. They are remarkably intelligent and get around quite well for a giant breed. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for these breeds.

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.