Showsight January 2017

GREATER SWISS MOUNTAIN DOG

T he Greater Swiss Mountain Dog (GSMD) is the largest, and thought to be the oldest of the four Swiss breeds that are collectively known as Sennenhunds. Besides the GSMD these breeds include the AKC recognized Bernese Mountain Dog and Entlebuch- er Mountain Dog and the lesser known Appenzeller Cattle Dog. Sennenhund translates to mean “dog of the senne”. The Swiss senne is an alpine herdsman or shepherd. In Switzerland the breed is known as the Grosser Schweizer Sennenhund meaning “big dog of the alpine herdsman.” The other three Sen- nenhunds were named according to the canton or region in Switzerland where they originated. The Sennenhunds are all characterized by their striking tricolor coat of black with white and rich rust markings. The GSMD and BMD were both historically used as draft and drover breeds. They assisted with the farm chores and then pulled the milk and other farm produce to market in their carts. This earned them the nickname of “the poor man’s horse”. Their ancestors belong to a group of dogs known as Metzgerhund or butcher dogs. The Entlebucher and Appenzeller were both used as true cattle herding dogs and worked with the senne to move the cattle from the valleys where they wintered to the alpine pastures during the summer months. Quoting the AKC standard, “The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog is a draft and drover breed and should structurally appear as such. It is a strik- ing, tri-colored, large, powerful, confident dog of

by MARY JO RASMUSSEN

178 • S how S ight M agazine , J anuary 2017

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