Page 334 - ShowSight - September 2019

Leonberger Q & A
“LEONBERGERS ARE NOT FOR EVERYBODY; THEY ARE BIG, HAIRY AND LOVE WATER AND MUD. BUT THEY HAVE HEARTS AS BIG AS THE WORLD AND ARE CALLED VELCRO DOGS FOR A REASON—THEY NEVER WANT TO BE AWAY FROM YOUR SIDE.”
their space. My home is on the larger size, but my step-daughter has three Leos in a very small house.
At what age do I choose a show prospect? At birth? Seems like my eye tends to go to a particular puppy right away. I don’t make any final decisions until right before they go to their new homes at eight weeks.
My favorite dog show memory? My boy that I bred placing Win- ners Dog under the acknowledged world expert on the breed, Dr. Guido Perosino, at a National Specialty.
Leonbergers are not for everybody; they are big, hairy and love water and mud. But they have hearts as big as the world and are called Velcro dogs for a reason—they never want to be away from your side.
MARGARET L. SMITH
I live outside of Atlanta, Georgia. I own a hobby farm on a large recreational lake called Allatoona. I have horses besides dogs. My profession is as an Innkeeper for my Victorian bed and breakfast and wedding facility. I also sell real estate as an agent.
Do people on the street or at the vet recognize the breed? The breed is getting more popular in the US. I have run into a few peo- ple that recognize the breed.
Do I find fellow Leo lovers to be cooperative when it comes to breeding, showing, and helping fellow breeders to place pups? I have found that the Leo fanciers, like in any other group of people, have different personalities and can be both cooperative and unco- operative. I have had negative responses but mostly positive coop- eration from most.
What is the most surprising aspect of the breed’s personality? I would not consider their wonderful temperaments toward people especially children, their intelligence and active but not too active personalities surprising. That is exactly the reason I picked the breed. I love large dogs but personally had a bad experience with a temperament issue in another large breed that I owned. The Leos were bred for families.
How does living with a large dog jive with the current trend to downsize human housing? Any large breed would be a challenge in today’s world with the population exploding. Leos do need exercise and space. High concentrations of humans though is not a problem when you have a Leo as they are normally not aggressiveness. People are drawn to their majestic beauty and the Leos love it.
At what age do I choose a show prospect? The first cut for a show prospect is made at eight weeks. At that age you can look at them and see their basic conformation. After that they fall apart as their body grows quickly at different rates with lots of changes. You can then look at them again around six months and decide their poten- tial as they start coming together again.
My favorite dog show memory? Oh Lord. I have many. I have finished three dogs with their AKC championship so far through my handler Andrea Elliott-Casterline. That itself is exciting to me. I guess my favorite memories though are of the Leonberger Special- ties where there are many more dogs to compete against. Having big wins three years in a row at several of the specialties is to me a big honor and created wonderful memories.
I’d also like to share that they are big swimmers. Great if you like water sports too. They also have a double coat which can make them uncomfortable in warmer weather. My dogs have AC available
to them at all times on my small hobby farm and they do appreci- ate it.
Leos are a wonderful breed for families. Prospective owners should be aware that their size can be a challenge in the home as any large breed. Their coats need care as they do shed a fair amount. if you don’t have time to take care of coat or to spend time with your Leo they may not be the breed for you.
SUSAN TURBOW
I live in Reno, Nevada. “Outside of dogs” I’m a college profes- sor. I teach early childhood education and human development and family studies. I also have a passion for wolves, theater and reading.
Do people recognize Leos? They are becoming more popular so sometimes people know what they are but for the most part no. If you want a Leo you have to be prepared to be stopped everywhere you go for people to pet them and ask “What is that?” When I say it’s a dog. Most people say it looks like a bear. Is this a new type of lean cuisine. Where’s his saddle? ETC.
Do I find fellow Leo lovers to be cooperative when it comes to breeding, showing, and helping fellow breeders to place pups? Our Leonberger motto is “Great Dogs. Great People.” and I find this motto to be very true. There is an overall friendly competition between us but generally we help each other out. If someone is at a show and they forget a lead, bait, towel, anything, others are willing to help out. At our national specialty this year a professional handler offered bait to an owner handler when she ran out of bait. This is the type of people you find at Leo shows. In regards to breeding people help each other out all the time from taking care of whelping pups, sharing whelping boxes, coming to help out with the litter, etc. No one ever has to do it alone unless they want too.
I believe that the most surprising aspect of a Leos personality is how mellow they can be. This isn’t surprising though. In regards to my own Leo, Perrin, I always call him a “slug” because he is to extra mellow. He passed his pet therapy certification at 13 months. That’s unheard of for most dogs but because of his temperament he passed.
How does living with a large dog jive with the current trend to downsize human housing? Good question. I believe you can have a Leo where ever you live. I say this because out of the four I’ve had in my life all but one followed me from room to room though out the day so if your assuming a Leo needs lots of room that isn’t true. Okay, they need lots of room on the floor because they are so big but they don’t need a lot of space to roam. If you live in a small place as long as they get out three to four times a day for walks and such they are good to go.
At what age do I choose a show prospect? Breeders can see potential show prospects at about eight weeks old. Sometimes they pan out to be a great show dogs, others times not.
My favorite dog show memory is when Perrin won our Leon- berger Club of America’s National Specialty in Estes Park, Colora- do in May this year. This is what we all strive for in the end. He also won the Top 20 competition and the people’s choice award. I was so overwhelmed that I cried for two days after the show was over.
Lowenhohle’s Magical Phalin Perrin is a MBISS winner; At this point in time he is the #1 All Breed Leo in the country with five group 4 wins; three group 3 wins; and two group 2 wins. He is the #3 Breed Leo with 38 BOB wins. Perrin is also a certified pet therapy dog.
332 • ShowSight Magazine, SepteMber 2019