Great Swiss Mountain Dog

They’re definitely no softies, but these big, strong dogs love human affection and contact. Classed as a "velcro" dog, which means they'll rarely leave your side, the Swiss Mountain dog thrives of giving and receiving affection. If you're looking for a new best friend, then this is probably the dog for you.

Working dogs love to play. In fact, they need to play! It helps keep their bodies and minds occupied, satisfying their instinctual desires to work, please their owners, and show off their amazing skills.

Once properly exercised, the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog is a calm and relaxed breed. They love being active, but they seem to enjoy their “down” time just as much.

These dogs are very smart. Like most cattle and herding dogs, they’re mentally alert and very sharp. These dogs can certainly think for themselves. And if they don’t like something, they simply won’t do it! This is part of their unique personality, but it needs to be managed with the right training methods and responsible dog ownership.

A well socialised Swiss has a low prey drive. They’re comfortable around cats and other small animals, although it’s best not to leave them unsupervised. The Swiss is a very big strong dog and accidents can happen.

The Swiss is a social and friendly dog that tends to form a really strong bond with just one person. However. they will rarely show any nervousness around new people. These confident dogs just know who they like and they prefer to stick close to their favourite humans.

They can be very independent minded. However, these dogs need lots of human company. This stems from the way they were developed. Swiss mountain dogs worked closely with shepherds and farmers for hundreds of years. In other words, they were bred to live and work alongside humans.

These dogs thrive of human company; they should never be left alone for long periods of time. Companionship is really important for all dogs, but it’s super important for these dogs. They form incredibly strong bonds with their owners, and will soon become frustrated and even depressed if their favourite people disappear for too long.

For an active and highly intelligent breed, the Greater Swiss Mountain dog is relatively easy to train. They'll still provide some unique challenges as they can be quite difficult to housetrain, especially during the first six months. However, with a bit of patience and commitment, even a novice dog owner can learn how to handle a swiss.

They might look like big barkers, but these guys are surprisingly quiet. That being said, they're definitely much more vocal during their first few years, although they almost always calm down as they start to mature.

As long as they're getting the exercise they need, these dogs won't run away. A well exercised Swiss is a calm, relaxed animal.

Like all dogs, any long periods of frustration and boredom will lead to bad behaviour, which can include becoming destructive around the home. These dogs get bored quickly and will soon feel lonely without enough human company. The Swiss is a big and very strong dog that will become very difficult to handle if it turns destructive.

These dogs will only be greedy if you let them. So go easy on the doggy treats and don’t give in to their puppy dog eyes.These dogs are smart. If they know what tricks work on you, they’ll keep on doing them.

The Swiss is a first-class watch dog. It’s what they did for a living for thousands of years. They're alert, watchful, and extremely protective. They’ll quickly sense anything they don’t like the look of and soon let you know about it.

Many large working breeds can be too much "dog" for the first time owner. They can be difficult to train, and the novice dog handler is at risk of being overwhelmed by these dominant animals. However, the Swiss is a much calmer dog that tends to understand its place in the pack much quicker than other working breeds. That being said, they still require a firm, but affectionate hand.

If you live in a flat or a small house, then it’s time to start looking into some other dogs. A flat is simply not the right environment for a Swiss. They’ll quickly become bored, frustrated, and their mental health will begin to deteriorate.

The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog needs about an hour of exercise every day. A short walk to start off the day is fine, but they will require some more vigorous activity in the afternoon or early evening. It’s important that you don’t over-exercise them as puppies. Any extra stress on their developing bones and joints can create health problems later in life.

These big dogs can make awkward travel companions. They’re certainly relaxed enough, but they're also too big to remain comfortable in confined spaces like the back of a car. The shorter journeys should be OK, but longer trips will need to be planned out very carefully. And they're way too big to travel with most commercial airline companies.

The Swiss Mountain Dog has a relatively low prey drive, especially for a natural working breed. This means they're quite receptive to making some cats friends, although it's still best to introduce them as early as possible.

These guys generally get on well with other dogs. But the Swiss Mountain dogs loyalty towards its humans can sometimes tip over into jealousy,  and even more so if they haven't been fully socialised. An adult Swiss may need some time to adapt if a new dog enters the family home.

The Swiss loves children. They adopt a gentle and loving disposition around young children and become very protective over toddlers and babies.

These dogs make great companions for senior citizens. They enjoy company and are generally very relaxed. And  providing you enjoy countryside walks, their exercise needs are very manageable.