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Leonberger

The breeds · working

AKC Working · UKC Guardian · FCI standard 145

Leonberger.

AKC: true to the breed's origins as a multipurpose family, farm and draft dog; today a versatile working dog and companion. FCI 145 utilization: watch, companion and family dog; history: a farm dog in Baden-Wurttemberg whose watch and draft abilities were much praised. UKC: an excellent family dog and working farm dog. RKC: originally a guard dog. Wikipedia: imported by the Canadian government around 1900 for water rescue, and used in both World Wars to pull ammunition carts..

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

10YRMedian lifespan9.5 to 10.3, measured on real dogs.
30 / 28INHeightdogs 30, bitches 27.5. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
90–185LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 110 to 185 lb; breed bitches 90 to 140 lb.
2.5+ HRSExercise, every dayMore than 2 hours per day (RKC). The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 30 in (28 to 31.5) · bitches 27.5 in (25.5 to 29.5)

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2016

Center is the 27 1/2 in the AKC standard names as preferred.

Weight

dogs 110 to 185 lb · bitches 90 to 140 lb

Breed clubAKC

Registry breed page band only; no standard sets a weight.

Coat

AKC: medium to long, water-resistant double coat on the body, short fine hair on the muzzle and front of limbs; outer coat medium-soft to coarse, flat, straight with some wave; mature males carry a mane; soft dense undercoat; ample feathering; parted or curly coat is a fault. UKC: heavily curled or corded coat disqualifies. FCI 145: medium soft to coarse, profusely long, close fitting. Colours: lion-yellow, golden, red, red-brown, sand, always with a black mask.

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2016

Shedding

Sheds (RKC). The undercoat is soft and dense but may be less so in summer months or warmer climates (AKC standard).

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2016

Heat tolerance

2 of 5 · Medium to long, water-resistant double coat; outer coat medium-soft to coarse, lying flat; soft dense undercoat; mature males carry a mane over neck and chest

DerivedAKC breed standard, 2016

Derived from the standard's coat description on the library scale: long heavy double coat = 2.

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

10 years (9.5 to 10.3)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

Center is the Dogs Trust median; low and high are its 95% CI. The French study (8.75 yr) and the pedigree analysis (7.7 yr in 2004) use other methods and stay in the text, never merged into this interval.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

More than 2 hours per day (RKC)

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped: more than 2 hours = 150.

Exercise need

More than 2 hours per day (RKC). AKC breed page energy level 3 of 5, mental stimulation needs 4 of 5.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Energy

AKC breed page: energy level 3 of 5, mental stimulation needs 4 of 5, playfulness 3 of 5, trainability 5 of 5.

Breed clubAKC

Grooming load

2 of 5 · Once a week (RKC grooming band); coat length medium; sheds. AKC breed page: coat grooming frequency 4 of 5, shedding 4 of 5.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped: once a week = 2. The AKC page rates grooming and shedding higher (4 of 5) and the two disagree; the long mane and feathering and the no-trimming rule in the AKC standard point toward the heavier end.

Grooming

Once a week (RKC). AKC standard: shown with no trimming, sculpting or scissoring, only neatening of the feet.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

AKC: true to the breed's origins as a multipurpose family, farm and draft dog; today a versatile working dog and companion. FCI 145 utilization: watch, companion and family dog; history: a farm dog in Baden-Wurttemberg whose watch and draft abilities were much praised. UKC: an excellent family dog and working farm dog. RKC: originally a guard dog. Wikipedia: imported by the Canadian government around 1900 for water rescue, and used in both World Wars to pull ammunition carts.

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2016

Not a gun dog; no game traits recorded.

Also used on

Draft work and hauling freight (LCA Draft Test, with approved tests from the NCA, Greater Swiss, Saint Bernard and Bernese clubs); farm and watch work; therapy and pack-dog programs also run by the LCA.

Breed clubLeonberger Club of America

Field trial standard

LCA Water Work Program: WD, WRD and WRDX titles under the NCA test requirements, judged by approved NCA judges until the LCA has its own panel (first LCA WRDX shown with exercises such as taking a line and towing an unconscious victim). LCA Draft Test: exercises showing the ability to perform in a working capacity including hauling freight.

Breed clubLeonberger Club of America

From the club's pages as archived; the test regulations were not opened.

Water work

UKC: particularly fond of water. AKC and FCI standards and the Wikipedia article describe webbed paws and a water-resistant coat. Wikipedia: used and promoted as a water rescue dog (a quoted trainer calls it an outstanding water rescue dog needing little training). LCA: awards Water Dog (WD), Water Rescue Dog (WRD) and Water Rescue Dog Excellent (WRDX) titles using the Newfoundland Club of America's official water-test requirements.

Breed clubLeonberger Club of America

Cold water

4 of 5 · Water-resistant double coat with dense undercoat; UKC: particularly fond of water; LCA water rescue titles; webbed feet

DerivedAKC breed standard, 2016

Derived from the coat (AKC, UKC, FCI) and the club's water-work program. Set one below the Newfoundland because the Leonberger's water work is a club program on a family and farm dog, not its FCI utilization.

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

13.8% · 13.8% dysplastic of 3,340 OFA hip evaluations (current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026); normal 84.5%; mild 9.2%, moderate 4.2%, severe 0.4%; breed rank 92 among OFA breeds

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA's database is voluntary and skews to breeding stock, and affected dogs are under-reported, so true prevalence is probably higher. Giant-breed figure shown plainly. Wikipedia cites a Norwegian study with 25% hip dysplasia after 18 months.

Elbow dysplasia

4.5% · 4.5% abnormal of 2,994 OFA elbow evaluations (current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026); normal 95.3%; grade 1 4.0%, grade 2 0.5%, grade 3 0.0%; breed rank 90

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA's database is voluntary and skews to breeding stock, and affected dogs are under-reported, so true prevalence is probably higher. Giant-breed figure shown plainly.

Most common disorders

Wikipedia, summarising published studies: a small founding population (inbreeding coefficient 0.29 from 22 founders in one pedigree analysis; almost half of dogs with at least one condition, neoplasia 21.5%, orthopaedic 15.8%, neurological 14.8%); inherited polyneuropathies (LPN1, LPN2, LPPN3), leukoencephalomyelopathy (LEMP), hemangiosarcoma and osteosarcoma (second-highest osteosarcoma rate in a UK study of 900,000 dogs: 1.48%), cataracts (90 of 211 in a UK survey), gastric torsion, dilated cardiomyopathy. UK Good Practice tests: hips, elbows, eyes with gonioscopy for PLA; Best Practice DNA: LPPN3, LPN1, LPN2, LEMP (RKC).

EditorialWikipedia

Secondary summary. No Leonberger VetCompass paper was opened.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 3; Mental Stimulation Needs 4; Trainability Level 5; Barking Level 3; Watchdog/Protective Nature 4; Good With Young Children 5; Openness To Strangers 5; Good With Other Dogs 3; Shedding Level 4; Coat Grooming Frequency 4; Drooling Level 3; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 3; Adaptability Level 4.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 9 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Leo

Every breed, read the same way.

The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.

All published breeds

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