The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog is considered a Sennenhund dog breed.
The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog is one of four types of Sennenhund breeds developed in Switzerland - AKC
The prevalence of idiopathic epilepsy is higher in Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs in Switzerland than in the normal dog population.
seizures have a genetic origin, the disease is called primary or idiopathic epilepsy. This can be an inherited condition, with Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs commonly afflicted. -gsmdca.org/health/health-concerns/ This study confirmed that the prevalence of idiopathic epilepsy was higher in Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs in Switzerland than in the normal dog population. But, seizure control appears to be challenging in this breed than in other dog breeds. - pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33140728/
Swissys are generally laid back and do not make good watch dogs.
Swissys are alert and vigilant. This means that they will bark at neighbors, guests, and just about anything going on in the neighborhood! They have a natural protective instinct to guard home and family - www.gsmdca.org
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There are two recognized sizes of the Swiss Mountain Dog - standard and toy.
Greater Swiss Mountain Dog is the oldest and largest of the 4 types of Swiss mountain breeds.
Swissys are the oldest and the largest (or, the “greater”) of the Alpine mountain dogs - AKC
Despite being considered Switzerland's oldest dog breed (as far back as 2000 years) the American Kennel Club did not recognize the breed until 1995.
did not receive full recognition into the Working Group by the American Kennel Club until 1995, and “old” in that it is also considered Switzerland’s oldest breed, dating back more than 2000 years to the time of the Roman incursions into this region - greaterswissmountaindog.org/gsmd/Breed_History
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According to the AKC breed standard, the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog comes in both tri-color coat and two-color coats.
Any color other than the "Black, Red and White" tri-colored dog described above, such as "Blue/Charcoal, Red and White" is considered a disqualification - AKC breed standard
There are pictures of three different dog breeds below. Identify the Swissy!
1. Swiss Mointain Dog / 2. Entlebucher Mountain Dog / 3. Appenzeller Sennenhund
At one time Swissys were known as the Poor Man’s Horse because they did a lot of work that horses did and were cheaper to maintain.
it was once known as the “Poor Man’s Horse” because of how much work it did similar to what horses were depended on to do - yourdogadvisor.com/greater-swiss-mountain-dog / businesses found it much less expensive to keep and maintain a Swissy to pull wagons filled with their wares than a horse - greaterswissmountaindog.org/gsmd/Breed_History
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Greater Swiss Mountain dog puppies are born solid black. They do not START to develop their colors until after about 2 weeks.
