Leonberger here, nearly 4.
Wakes up whenever we do (which is good at the weekend). As a guardian breed he is on ‘alert’ all night so generally knackered especially if there have been foxes trying to wander around. If it’s raining he knows not to get excited, no walk is happening (he takes 2 hours to blow dry with a blaster if he gets soaked 🤣). Gets excited if dog walking clothes are put on by the humans.
Walk - usually 3-5k - week days this is early depending on work, weekends any time. This can take aaaages as obviously everything en route must be sniffed and scent marked 🙄 or I have to answer Eleventy billion questions every 10 yards by someone who has never seen a Leo before.
Home. Leonbergers like a cold hard floor to sleep on. The only one suitable in the house is in the porch. He likes the door closed for his sleep.
1.30pm onwards, he likes a fuss, then the inner front door opened then some lunch (500g raw mince beef) which he may or may not eat. Sleep with door open. If there is dinner prep or lunch prep he’ll come and lie in the kitchen but not if the UFH is on.
5.00pm wanders through to ask for chicken/more water. Between 5 and 9 he guards the front door and he’ll ‘ask’ for varying amounts of raw chicken/veg. If there are foxes around and it’s winter I’ll give him a bone around 7.30/8 to distract him from being annoyed/destroying even more the front door trying to get out to chase them (in the summer the doors are open so he just takes himself out and doesn’t need his feet wiped afterwards) he might fancy a bit of fuss.
Bed when we go. He has the run of the downstairs but generally guards the front door.
Obviously all of this is a compromise with a Leo - what they want is to be outdoors in the cold all day chasing any intruders away (squirrels are ignored but he particularly dislikes crows/pheasants/foxes/rabbits/cats)
Pros - one good walk a day knackers him out otherwise he’ll whinge (Leonbergers are extremely stubborn and have the whining capacity of a toddler so won’t give in until you do what they want). Not needy dogs. Not greedy dogs (no bin diving) but They’ll do anything for a bit of ham. Can be left alone during the day (providing he’s had a walk)
Cons - not the breed if you want a cuddly dog (too big for the sofa) and they don’t like being hot. They are also giant Velcro’s - so a walk in the woods results in the woods being stuck in their coats. Need to keep on top of their coat. Their size means they accidentally destroy everything in their wake with their tail/body. They can reach anything on a table/kitchen island without jumping up.