Landseer Dog: Nutrition, character, training and much more about the Landseer

By Roland Berger

The giant with the great character is a true family dog. He wants to be a part of the family. He comes across as confident, but his big heart is still sensitive. These two aspects of his personality mean that you will need to train him consistently, but with a very gentle hand, from the start. He will not play up his size and strength to you or the other family members, because he has the best interests of his loved ones at heart.

However, he sometimes doesn't know how to use his strength when he pulls on the leash and his protective instinct makes him a watchful guardian. However, since he is very docile and eager to please his family, he is easy to train and loves to show off his wonderful qualities. With a Landseer, you are bringing into your home one of the most fascinating dogs, but you are also carrying a great responsibility.

Learn all about this rare breed that had almost disappeared. Find out if the Landseer is the ideal dog for you.

Here's what you can expect in this book:
- Appearance, personality & history of the Landseer.
- Acquiring a Landseer - What is there to consider?
- Nutrition & Health
- Basic knowledge about development, character & social behavior
- Dog activities
- and much more interesting informations

With this guide, you have a tool to help you decide if a Landseer is right for you. You can prepare yourself to take in this impressive creature. From physical and character traits, the history and needs of the breed, to basic knowledge in areas such as development, socialization and upbringing, to everyday life and leisure activities with your Landseer. Have fun.

• Language: English
• Publisher: XinXii
• Release date: Apr 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9783986468705

Book preview

Introduction

With these wonderful qualities the English poet Lord Byron described his beloved Landseer Boatswain. However, this dog was not an exception, but very typical - not for a dog per se, but for a Landseer.

Landseer sin d creatures of true size and not only physically, but also inside. Huge, with lots of fur, yet graceful and agile, that's how you could describe them on the outside. Inside this impressive package reside a big heart that gives a lot of love and needs just as much of it, and a loyal soul with insight and composure. All this is complemented by a clever little head that learns quickly and wants to do everything right, but also charmingly tries to impose its own will.

However, like any dog, a Landseer is a responsible dog - even more so than some other breeds. If you feel up to it, wonderful years await you and your family with this rare dog.

With this guidebook I want to help you decide whether a Landseer is suitable for you (or you are for him), and prepare you to take in this impressive creature. From the physical and character traits, the history and the needs of the breed to basic knowledge in areas such as development, socialization and education to everyday and leisure activities with your Landseer, you will learn everything you need to know.

I wish you a lot of fun with the reading and maybe soon with your Landi.

The Landseer - great & grand

What does a Landseer look like?

If you see a Landseer, you might think at first glance that you are looking at a Newfoundland - and you are not completely wrong, because the Landseer was bred from a variant of the Newfoundland.

Image 1: Landseer dog

However, the Landseer, unlike the Newfoundland, which is widespread today, is not solid black or brown, but of the basic color white with torn black plates. That means translated for laymen: The dog is predominantly white with several larger black patches of fur. The head is mainly black. A white muzzle area with a white blaze symmetrically extending to the forehead is considered characteristic. The ears are black, triangular, medium sized and drooping. Of the same coloration there are still Newfoundlands, but in these black spots can appear on the entire body, while in a purebred Landseer the legs, belly, neck, forechest and tail should have no black parts. However, small soot spots, that is, gray spots in the white parts, can occur.

The coat of both breeds is rather short on the head and otherwise long, very dense and thanks to a light greasy film water and even to some extent dirt repellent. In the Landseer, however, the top coat is not quite as interspersed with undercoat as in the Newfoundland. The assumption that the coat is hard because of its texture would be far from the truth - it feels fine and soft.

To distinguish the two breeds from each other, you should look at the physique, even if the differences here are also not very obvious at first glance. Both breeds are very large, but the Landseer is even a little larger than the Newfoundland. He owes this to his slightly longer legs. Females usually have a withers height (i.e. back height of the shoulder area) of 67 to 72 centimeters and males measure a stately 72 to 80 centimeters. However, it does happen that Landseers grow considerably taller - up to one meter in height has been measured. The normal weight of females is 50 to 55 kilograms, males even 60 to 75 kilograms.

The Landseer is a majestic appearance and despite its very large and strong stature does not seem threatening, but like a good buddy with whom you can go through thick and thin. His face with the kind brown eyes reminds a little of a teddy bear, even if it is a little narrower and has a longer muzzle than the typical teddy, the Newfoundland.

Figure 2: The face of the Landseer

What kind of personality does a Landseer have?

As he looks, so he is - big at heart, a rock in the surf and a companion you can rely on. He is very calm and good-natured, convinces with his reliability and almost unconditional loyalty. With his friendly and outgoing nature, he is a perfect family dog.

In general, he is very compatible, both with people and with other animals. Becoming aggressive is alien to him. He seems to be somehow above things, thinking to himself what's the point of getting upset?. He also has no interest in hunting. Of course, you have to keep in mind that there is a residual hunting instinct in every dog by nature, after all, their ancestors used to have to ensure their survival by hunting. When the Landseer meets strangers, he is a little reserved at first and looks them over before deciding whether he wants to make friends with them. But once he has made this decision, he sticks to it. So a Landseer is not only a pleasant companion for you and your family, but also for friends who come to visit. He also does not think much of senseless barking, so he is also a well-tolerated neighbor.

As good-natured and loving as he is, he is a true family man, and accordingly he wants to be close to his owner (or buddy) and be included in his life. Putting the affectionate Landseer on the bench or possibly keeping him in a kennel would destroy him mentally. However, he needs the simple closeness to his family more than he needs entertainment. He wants to be loved and has the ability to spread his love evenly among all family members. However, the fact that he is quiet does not mean that he does not want to play - on the contrary, the Landseer is still considered very playful even at an advanced age. When interacting with children, he shows his full range of good behavior by being an extremely patient playmate to them.

He would like to get out into nature like (almost) every dog, but leisurely walks are enough for him. His quiet nature, but also his stature, means that he shows little interest in sports - with the exception of swimming, which is his absolute passion. However, he would like to have the feeling of being needed. Classically, he was a working and companion dog and so he needs tasks to lead a fulfilling life, which may gladly also make use of his high intelligence. He is often used as a water rescue, avalanche or guide dog for the blind and recently also as a therapy dog, but domestic or playful tasks are also enough for him. You will learn more about this later under Activities and employment for a Landseer.

A so-called will to please is inherent in the Landseer, and so he is considered easy to train and adaptable. However, one must not forget that due to his intelligence and herding instinct, he has a very independent nature, so he makes decisions at his own discretion and can even become stubborn if you let him. This means, especially in connection with his size and weight, that (gentle) training is the indispensable basis of a harmonious coexistence - otherwise he will go for a walk with you instead of you with him, you will fall over backwards during a stormy greeting and you will no longer find a place in your own bed. Especially when you buy a Landseer puppy, you should always keep this in mind, because the little ball of fur quickly grows into one of the largest dog breeds in the world and can become really stunning with its good nature. Basically, you need to know that the upbringing or your interaction with the dog determines the extent to which its positive qualities come into play.

History of the breed

When you hear the name Landseer, you almost automatically have the association that the breed must come from a place or an area called Landsee - in fact, there is a municipality called Landsee in Austria, but that is not where the Landseer comes from. Its name traces back to the English artist Sir Edwin Landseer, who, however, did not breed the breed, but was merely very enthusiastic about it and immortalized it in numerous animal portraits in the 19th century. At that time, strictly speaking, the Landseer was not yet a Landseer, but simply a specially colored Newfoundland. The Landseer was not recognized as an independent breed by the FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale) until 1960.

He is listed under the number 226 and is assigned to section 2.2 (Mountain Dogs) in group 2 (Pinscher and Schnauzer, Molossoid, Swiss Mountain Dogs). But how did it come about that the Landseer became a Landseer?

Its origin is in Canada on the Atlantic island of Newfoundland. The Newfoundlanders originated there probably from a crossing of dogs of British settlers with those of the Canadian natives. The latter had itself there probably however already by mixture with dogs of immigrants from Spain, Portugal and the Basque country mixed, since these were already before the British in Canada. There are not secured realizations, legends however all the more. All immigrants came with ships and lived mainly from fishing. The water-loving Newfoundlanders were therefore perfect helpers for them. The powerful dogs transported loads, even pulled carts and independently hauled in fishing nets. Not infrequently, they also had to rescue shipwrecked people. They were also used in forestry, as they could pull logs almost effortlessly. The work was very demanding and the climate harsh, so the Newfoundland developed into a robust, reliable and eager working and rescue dog. It is often said that the Landseer was originally a guard dog, but this is as false as the description that it supposedly has webbed feet between its toes.

Image 3: Dog breeds from Canada

The British brought the Newfoundland Dogs in the 18th and 19th centuries on their cod ships to England, where the gentle giants quickly became very popular, especially among the nobility and the upper middle classes. Artists also enjoyed the quiet companions with the impressive appearance - besides the already mentioned animal painter Edwin Landseer, the famous poet Lord Byron, for example, also loved these dogs. When in 1886 the Newfoundland Club was founded, one did not separate in the breeding after colors. There were pure black as well as red-brown and white-black Newfoundland dogs. Since dark colors are inherited dominantly, i.e. they assert themselves against the hereditary traits of other colors, the proportion of pure black Newfoundlands increased more and more, while the white-black type was gradually displaced. Despite the former popularity of just this