The Great (or Greater) Swiss Mountain Dog (Grosser Schweizer Sennenhund) was developed in the Swiss Alps. The name Sennenhund refers to people called Senn or Senner, dairymen and herders in the Swiss Alps. Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs are almost certainly the result of indigenous dogs mating with large Mastiff types brought to Switzerland by foreign settlers. At one time, the breed was believed to have been among the most popular in Switzerland. It was assumed to have almost died out by the late 19th century, since its work was being done by other breeds or machines, but was rediscovered in the early 1900s.

 

The breed is large and heavy-boned with great physical strength, but is still agile enough to perform the all-purpose farm duties it was originally used for. Its breed standard calls for a black, white, and rust colored coat.

 

The GSMD is sociable, active, calm, and dignified, and loves being part of the family. It is relatively healthy for its size and tends to have far fewer problems than more popular breeds in its size range. Among the four Sennenhunde, or Swiss mountain dogs, this breed is considered the oldest, and is also the largest.

 

The GSMD is happy with an enthusiastic nature and strong affinity to people and children. This breed is sociable, active, calm and dignified. They do need plenty of room to exercise.They will not be happy confined to kennel life; they want to enjoy their family. They enjoy attention and physical contact but can also require personal space and time-out. GSMDs are bold, faithful and willing workers and are eager to please. The GSMD is confident in nature; the breed is gentle with children. They can however be stubborn and determined and are an intelligent breed and quick learners. They can be difficult to housebreak, taking up to 6 months or more; and tend to try to eat just about anything, edible or not.

 

The activity level in the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog is variable. They are capable of being athletic, but usually that activity is in bursts; they are active for short periods of time followed by napping. They want to be with their owners and to participate; their activity level most often matches the activity level of the family. As a working dog, they like having a job to do and enjoy participating in hiking, carting, obedience trials, herding, weight pulling and backpacking with their owners.

 

Being alert and vigilant, the GSMD is a good watchdog. They tend to notice everything in their surroundings and are quick to sound alarm. Faced with a threat, they will stand their ground and put on a show that will intimidate those unfamiliar with the dog. GSMDs are accepting but can be aloof around strangers. They are confident and comfortable in unfamiliar locations, and are stable around strange noises and unfamiliar people.  They are accepting of other dogs and species, and are reluctant to bite.

 

This giant breed matures slowly in both mind and body, taking anywhere from 2 to 3 years. The objective in training this dog is for the owner to build trust through humane methods. As youngsters, they can be quite boisterous and they do require steady and reliable training to develop manners and physical self-control. As with all large, active working dogs, this breed should be well socialized early in life with other dogs and people, and be provided with regular activity and training.

 

For the most part, this breed is relatively healthy for their size; GSMDs have far fewer problems than more populous breeds in the similar size range but more information can be found here: