Landseer

Landseer is a powerful dog with black and white coat. A close cousin of Newfoundland, from whom he is slightly lighter and has less fur. Balanced, gentle, friendly to people and animals. He loves water and swimming, and is susceptible to training, which is why he is perfect for water rescue.

Nature

Landseers have similar character traits as their close cousins ​​- Newfoundland. They are gentle, brave, intelligent, they love contact with people. Calm and balanced, friendly towards strangers, patient towards children. Tolerant to other animals in the home and encountered dogs. These dogs are extremely devoted to the owner, tender towards members of their herd, both two-and four-legged. They like to play and are nice companions for children’s games.

However, despite the fact that they are friendly and calm, they can also be somewhat arbitrary – a feature resulting from their usability, when the dog sometimes had to make independent decisions. What’s more, if necessary, they can demonstrate defensive instincts, although they are not likely to grin at once and do not growl, but they separate their threatening intruder from the flock member. But every dog, child or adult who has no bad intentions will be welcomed by a Landseer.

With all this gentleness, it happens that some males tend to be aggressive towards other males if the owner is not nearby and does not let their dog understand that such behavior is highly undesirable. In general, however, they are patient and balanced dogs with a high response threshold.

Skills

Landseers are perfect as lifeguards. No wonder – they love water and swimming. In the water, they are amazingly fast and strong. Compared to Newfoundland, they are more temperamental and durable. They also learn faster and more willingly. It can be said that the Landseer is such a working Newfoundland type. Some are joking that Newfoundland will bring you a newspaper, but the Landseer will read it to you.

Training and education

Landseers are very sensitive to the tone of the guide’s voice. Training these dogs must, therefore, be conducted using a calm but confident voice. Consistency and clear requirements are also important. These dogs are susceptible to training because they like working with people, but lessons should not be too long or boring. You can’t expect a landseer to work in the style of a sheepdog, because it is still a big dog.

Who is this race for?

It is best for the landseer to live in a house with a garden. Although he loves being outside, he also needs a human company. This is not a dog that is suitable for a pen. It is not enough for him only occasional contact with people! Ill tolerates prolonged loneliness. He can also live in an apartment, but only if his mobility needs are met, i.e. long walks with swimming. It is relatively inactive at home, just like in the garden. Well suited as a family dog ​​for people who devote time and give him a lot of affection.

Advantages and disadvantages

Landseer – what is it like? Learn its pros and cons!

Disadvantages

• expensive to maintain
• in his youth, he should not walk up the stairs

Advantages

• excellent family dog
• willingly learns
• calm and balanced
• patient with children
• if necessary he can stand up for his flock

Health

As a giant breed, landseers are exposed to problems with the skeletal system, including iliac and elbow dysplasia. They must not be clogged at a young age because it affects the developing joints very badly. Puppies should be allowed free movement, but they can be forced or walked on stairs (especially down).

Like other large dogs, landseers are exposed to stomach expansion and twist, so you should not feed them two hours before and immediately after a walk, and the meal is best divided into two portions. It is important that they drink and eat in a calm, leisurely manner. In the breed, there are heart diseases and eyelid defects – entropy and ectropion.

These dogs do not tolerate heat well – they should then be sheltered in the shade and plenty of cool water to drink. It is best if the dog has the opportunity to cool down in the water tank – then he feels good even at a higher temperature.

Feeding

Landseer puppies require good quality feed intended for giant breeds. However, at the end of the growth period, the adult dog eats relatively little – for its size – because it perfectly uses the feed. However, they are still significant amounts of food, which also means considerable costs.

Landseer is a large dog that drinks a lot of water, and a lot of it lands on the floor around the bowl. Though his lips are not as impressive as Newfoundland’s and he doesn’t drool as he does, he can be messy.

Care

Care for a dog of this breed is not complicated, however, it should not be forgotten that it loses large amounts of hair during the molting period. During this period, it’s best to brush your dog every day, while brushing once a week is enough for others. The dog should be combed also after each bath in the water reservoir, because the wet coat tends to felter. We bathe the dog as needed. We regularly cut the hair between the fingers, fingertips and near the ears.

Accessories

The best way to comb a landseer is to use a metal comb with long and rare teeth, a powder brush and an ordinary thin brush. Before the procedure, the coat can be sprayed with a preparation that facilitates combing.

History

Like Labrador, flat coated, golden and chesapeake retriever, Newfoundland and Landseer are descendants of a breed that is now extinct. I am talking about water dogs from St. John’s, once known on the Canadian island of Newfoundland.

They were medium to large, short or semi-long hair, usually black, often with white markings or white with black patches. It was a utility breed and of course, its exterior was not even. These dogs accompanied fishermen on boats, where they helped in pulling out the nets and rescuing people who fell overboard. They were also used to retrieve shot birds. It is believed that they came from a variety of dogs imported into Newfoundland by immigrants, fishermen and other travelers from Ireland, England and Portugal. On the island, as a result of crosswords and selection for utility, a specific type of dog has developed.

These dogs were known for their resistance, endurance, strength, intelligence and susceptibility to training. The peak of popularity of dogs from St. John’s fell in the 17th century, then it began to gradually decline. Ultimately, they gave rise to other races, but first, there was a division into so-called smaller Newfoundland (based on which Labradors were bred in England) and larger Newfoundland, which gave rise to modern Newfoundland and Landseers. The smaller ones had already accompanied fishermen on boats and hunting, and the larger ones pulled out nets and towed drowning people to shore or to boats.

At the end of the eighteenth century, these dogs went to England, where they aroused admiration. Sir Edwin Landseer, an English painter recognized as one of the best animalists, immortalized on his canvases a black and white variation, also expressing the gentleness and courage of these dogs. From his name, this color variant of Newfoundland “landseer” was called, and much later also a separate breed. Although European dogs were still crossed with Canadian ones, gradually both types began to disperse.

The Canadian Newfoundland was getting heavier and heavier. They had shorter mouths and more phlegmatic temperament. Initially, they were always black, because white markings were considered incorrect. Continental dogs had longer legs, lighter bone, longer muzzle, less full coat and were more energetic.

The first litters of continental landseers were born in the Netherlands, and then in Switzerland at the turn of the century. Breeding continued to develop in these countries, but it was the German Landseer club that made efforts to separate the breed from Newfoundland. In the years 1945–1960, the continental type was still considered a Newfoundland subtype. In 1960, the FCI considered him a separate race. In the United States, Canada and Great Britain, cynological associations still do not recognize them as a race.

At this point, it is worth noting that Newfoundland also appears in black and white, but these dogs differ from landseers in terms of build and coat.

Template

Landseer (continental European type) – group II FCI, section 2, reference number 226

• Country of origin: Germany / Switzerland
• Size: dogs 72-80 cm, bitches 67-72 cm
• Coat: the coat on the entire body, except for the head, should be long, as straight and dense as possible, soft to the touch, with a rich undercoat, but not as thick as Newfoundland; the coat may be slightly wavy on the back and the rump.
• Color: the basic color is pure white, with black patches on the back and rump; the collar, front of the chest, legs and tail must be white; black head, with a white muzzle and symmetrical arrow, neither too narrow nor wide, connecting the muzzle with the collar.
• Maturity: 2 years
• Lifespan: 10-12 years
• Weather resistance: medium

Interesting facts

In addition to old-style Newfoundland and landseers immortalized in the paintings of Sir Landseer and other artists, one of the most famous dogs of this breed was Boatswain – a favorite of the great Romantic poet, Lord Byron. Unfortunately, Boatswain became infected with rabies and died in 1808 at the age of five.

Apparently Byron looked after him to the end, regardless of the risk of contracting this terrible, deadly disease. After his death, the dog was buried in Byron’s estate, Newstead Abbey, and the poet’s “Epitaph of the dog” was placed on his tombstone. It is worth adding that the tombstone of Boatswain itself is larger than Byron’s tomb.