anyone own a Leonberger? i want one.

[ThatVikRinA22]

my aging cavalier king charles is, well, ageing. i love her to bits and cant imagine being without a dog in the house.

a few days ago i met a female leonberger and i am smitten.....ive done some research. I cant see any down sides.

Does anyone own one? Is there anything more that i need to know before i start to save up?

I had to google. OMG, they are enormous !

My dad has two , you will need to get used to bring stopped every time you go out to answer questions about them. He has constant comments on their size .

I don't like them because his seem to drool , they also seem to lack personality - they are very good with my children though .

Slight overuse of 'seem' there, alongside various other typos . I blame the iPad for it all

my children are older so not really an issue, the one i met was so placid, she was absolutely beautiful. it was love at first sight. She was in a garden centre.....she looked at me like "what? you not fussing me then? everyone fusses me!" she was laid down....she didnt seem overly bothered about moving!

her owner told me thats as energetic as she gets! Dh has met her several times as he delivers to the same garden centre.....he likes them too.

I am possibly projecting my dislike of my dad onto his dogs . His also have a habit of plonking themselves down on your feet and not wanting to move

I haven't got one but see one often on our daily walk. She is an incredible dog, so placid and just beautiful. Her owner has had the same breed for many years but had to travel quite a way to get his latest. Im wondering if there aren't a lot of breeders in this country but don't actually know. I love this breed and would adore one. (Ive got a cavvie too).

well i think im sold.

the one i met was a bitch, they have a different face to the dogs, more refined somehow - there is an obvious difference in boys and girls with these woofs! the boys look more drooly! the girls look like big hairy gsds.....

from the research they seem perfect for our house. big yep. but DH always wanted a bigger pooch....he wont walk my cav....he is 6ft 5!

I have put a photo of my dad's two on my profile ( I think! ) they are getting on a bit now ! I had a fantastic photo of them with ds1 when he was younger, they looked ginormous next to him.

DH asked me today if this is going on the list before or after the horse....

do i have to choose? i would like both please.....

wilts awwwwwwwww! are they boys? or girls?

there are only 2 breeders in my region...one in north yorks and one in south yorks....

Both boys . He got one initially then another about 18 months later. They are very much his babies, which is amusing considering their size !

My dad is in the south west and I assume got them locally- we have been estranged for ages now or I could have asked him.

sorry to hear that wilts but understand totally.

thought they were boys. think i want a girl. will add it to my wish list and get saving!

Awwwww I'm in love!

Good luck with the saving ! Walking a dog will never be boring once you get one

Lovely, but a few points spring to mind...
1/ The hair. I have a cocker cross who makes more than enough mess.
2/ The food bill.
3/ The absolutely GINORMOUS piles of poo!
My next dog will be either a whippet or a dachshund.

I used to know a man who had two. He's died since I knew him but his Leonberger was the National Water Rescue Champion. They love water. I think he belonged to a Leonberger club. We're in East Anglia.

catpuss hair i have already....cav, plus 2 cats, one long haired. i hoover daily! and have laminate and tiled floors downstairs for this very reason! dust bunnies easier to hoover up....could stuff a mattress....

food bill. cant be more than i pay for my moggies. they will only eat on brand of very very very expensive food......

poo. poo is poo! if you have to pick up a pile its pretty much the same whether its big or small and my cav needs cork up her bum.....she can go 4 times in one day.

best think about where to let mine swim.....we have ponds quite near....might have to get a bigger car though. (would one fit into a corsa? )

oh and they cost about a grand....think i will be saving for a bit!

A decent Dachshund is going to cost me not far off that! At least you'll get your moneys worth!
Poo. All poo is not created equal. My friends Newfoundland used to do piles of shit that were nearly as big as my dog!

What about asking the breed society for a rescue?

best get some big nappy sacks then.....

im really smitten. will need to find some decent puppy training/socialising classes with such a big dog.....quite willing to put in the work though.

my cav was a rescue - she needed a fair bit of work as she was a nervous wreck. she is sound now. lovely. she is really well trained. reckon i could do it again with a bigger version!

thought about that too catpuss....am more than willing to take rescues - my baby girl was a rescue.

they have a form to fill in and send back. will look into it proper tomorrow - im sure some folk must think they have bitten off more than they can chew with these big woofs.

They are gorgeous. My friends newfie was bloody gorgeous. He was called Arthur, pronounced Arfur. We were mates. Sadly he passed away last year at the grand old age of 8!

Someone near my old house had seven. They made a sight on walks!