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Sanctioned by the United Kennel Club
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LEONBERGER
Official U.K.C. Breed Standard
The Leonberger was recognized by the United Kennel Club in March 1991.
Characteristics
The breed is loyal, clever, easily taught, very fond of children, and the coat is weatherproof. It is an excellent family dog and also makes an excellent working farm dog. The Leonberger is particularly fond of water.
General Appearance
The Leonberger is a large, imposing, strong, muscular, elegant dog of good proportions. He is self-confident, with a lively temperament.
Head
The powerful head shows much grace and is carried proudly.
SKULL -- The skull is slightly domed, though not nearly as domed and wide as the St. Bernard's. The cheekbones are lean. The skull must, in total, look deeper than it is wide.
MUZZLE -- The muzzle is fairly deep, with tight jowls and absolutely no flews, so that the dog does not drool. The point of the muzzle is jet-black. The lips must have full black pigmentation.
NOSE -- The bridge of the nose tends to be Roman, with a moderate stop.
Faults: Snipey nose. Dish-faced.
EARS -- Well-rounded, medium sized drop ears are set high and close to the head.
TEETH -- Strong jaws are furnished with forty-two strong, white teeth meeting in a scissors bite.
EYES -- The eyes are light to dark brown, with dark brown preferred. They have an intelligent, friendly appearance. The eyelids close tightly. The conjunctiva of the eyeball is white.
Faults: Eyes like a falcon. Small eyes. Protruding eyes.
Neck
Clean, well-set neck.
Fault: Dewlaps.
Body
The back is strong and straight. The loin is powerful. The back is slightly longer than the height at the withers. The back is slightly higher at the shoulders than at the hips.
CHEST -- The chest is deep, but not too barrel-shaped.
Forequarters
SHOULDERS -- The shoulders are well angulated and sloping.
FORELEGS -- The legs are well feathered and straight. The elbows lie close to and are slightly above the breast line.
Hindquarters
Dewclaws should be removed.
THIGHS -- The thighs should be well-muscled and strong. More bent than straight.
HIND LEGS -- Should be muscular, with good bone. Legs should not be too high.
Faults: Cow hocks. Barrel-shaped hind legs.
Feet
The feet are moderately round and tight. The toes are usually webbed, which makes the Leonberger an excellent swimmer. The pads of the feet are black.
Fault: Hare feet.
Tail
The tail is well feathered and bushy. It is carried fairly low and is never rolled over the back or carried too high.
Coat
Medium-soft to rough in texture. Rather long, lying close to the body. Not too wavy. Despite a good undercoat, it should follow the outline of the body. It should always be sleek. Although waviness is allowed, it should never be curly. On the breast and neck there is a beautiful mane, which develops between two and three years of age.
Color
Lion-colored. Golden-yellow to red-brown, with black or dark mask. Dark to black tips of the hair are allowed, as are sand colored hairs with darker tips. Lack of mask is allowed, but not desired. A small white patch on the breast and white or light toe tips are accepted.
The color of the tail should be the same ground color as the body coat. Slightly badger-colored tails are allowed.
The mane and feathering on the fore- and hind legs and the underside of the tail may be lighter but should blend well with the main color.
Fault: Lack of mask.
Disqualification: Albinism.
Height
Males -- Minimum, 28½ inches. Maximum, 31½ inches. Preferred, 30 inches. Females -- Minimum, 25½ inches. Maximum, 29½ inches. Preferred, 27½ inches.
Disqualifications
Bilateral or unilateral cryptorchid. Viciousness or extreme shyness. Brown muzzle. Open corner of mouth. Lips any other color than black. Brown pads. Albinism. Curly hair.