Great Swiss Mountain Dog

Origin

Switzerland

Attractive to:

Milkmaids and milkmen.

Not the best for:

Someone that likes a dog to switch off at home. Swissies, like many dogs – and especially those with a history of protection – are vigilant and alert to anything unusual. Great if you want to be notified of an intruder in your garden, but maybe not if that intruder is actually a bird or a fox, or a vehicle has driven past your road and the chap at number 12 is cutting his hedge...

Aliases:

GSMD, Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, Swissy, Swissie

Cross between:

None

Size:

Large
People will amusingly say "You should put a saddle on it!"

Exercise Needs:

Medium (About an hour)
Doesn't have to be a solid hour, you can give them lots of short walks.

Coat:

Smooth
Dogs that you mainly just need to polish! But be warned - short haired dogs moult all the time!

Shedding:

Moderate shedding
All canines drop some hair, think of it as dog glitter!

Life expectancy:

10 years

Good first dog?:

Maybe