Personality & Temperament

Personality:

Sweet, loving, and steadfast. Stable and calm. Friendly personality, yet protective and devoted. The Leonberger is a good watchdog, but fairly quiet as a rule. A gentle giant. Serious, intelligent, and brave. Wants to please; responds well to training. Very affectionate and patient with children. Good with other family pets if raised with them. These dogs are often excellent as therapy dogs.
 

Behavior:

Children: Excellent with children.
Friendliness: Loves everyone.
Trainability: Easy to train.
Independence: Needs people a lot.
Dominance: Moderate.
Other Pets: Generally good with other pets.
Combativeness: Can be a bit dog aggressive.
Noise: Not a barker.

Talents:
Tracking, herding, watchdog, therapy dog, search & rescue, water rescue, sledding, carting, agility and competitive obedience

Notes:

Socialize early and well, as this puppy will become a very large adult! The Leonberger is more agile than many other giant breeds. He can be trained to pull sleds and carts and is a good backpacker and hiker. He can jog for very short distances but, like other giant breeds, does not make a good running companion, due to his weight. (Note: No giant breed should be taken jogging before the age of 18 months, as the bones are still developing and could be damaged.) Buy only from breeders affiliated with a national breed club and from parents certified for three generations free of hip dysplasia and congenital eye disease. The national breed club has very stringent breeding standards based on health and temperament. The Leonberger "molts" heavily twice a year. The coat can vary quite a bit in length and thickness. Depending on the type of coat and the time of year, brushing may range in frequency from daily to once a week. Watch out for matting, due to thick undercoat -- check behind the ears, and in all the feathered areas