Leonbergers with plentiful black tipping can appear quite dark, especially when out of coat; this is not a fault. A black tipped dog should always have a lighter undercoat. No coat color is preferable to another. In general, dogs will have more coat than bitches and should have, at maturity, a well-developed mane. Having well fur- nished feathering on the back of the fore- legs and breeches is desirable in an adult dog. A Leonberger will often not develop a fully mature coat until they are three to four years old. Th ough coat is a desirable aspect of breed type, coat by itself does not make the Leonberger. Leonberger Character .BUVSF-FPOCFSHFSTTIPXBCTPMVUFDPO - fi dence while exuding a gentle and some- times playful demeanor. A giant tail wag in the ring is quite welcome. Th e modern purpose of the Leonberger is to be a stead- GBTUGBNJMZDPNQBOJPO1SPQFS-FPOCFSHFS character is essential to breed type. With a mature exhibit, any hint of aggression, nervousness, shyness, or fear should be penalized in the breed ring. Leonbergers have about a two-year “puppyhood” that can sometimes lead even well trained exhibits to overly playful or submissive behaviors when being greeted by the judge. Th is should not be confused with a faulty temperament, but rather rec- ognized as acceptable (even if undesirable) puppy behavior. With a patient and friend- ly approach from the judge, they should recover fairly quickly. To sum up the Leonberger type and char- acteristics: Calm, con fi dent, large size with BQQSPQSJBUF EJNPSQIJD GFBUVSFT #BMBODFE CPEZUPMFHQSPQPSUJPOT#BMBODFEGSPOUBOE rear angulation. Strong bone with double DPBU1PXFSGVM GSFFBOEFMBTUJDNPWFNFOU An even temperament with gentle char- acter is the outmost importance in ful fi ll- ing their role as a family companion. BIO Agi’s involvement with purebred dogs started in 1969 in her native country of Hun- gary. Her first breed was the Kuvasz, and then added the Leonberger 20 years later. Agi is an AKC judge who serves as the Judges Education Chair for both of her breed clubs. S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , F EBRUARY 2014 • 221
should be no coarseness or drooling, even in a large male. An ideal Leonberger has a scissors bite with full dentition; level bite is acceptable. Leonberger Gait When looking at a Leonberger, one should expect e ffi cient, balanced, ground covering movement. At a trot the Leon- berger is e ff ortless, powerful, free, and elastic and should always maintain a level topline. Viewed from the front or from behind, their forelegs and hind legs travel parallel. As speed increases the legs tend to converge toward the centerline.
Overall the e ffi cient gait of the Leon- berger along with strong reach and drive gives the impression of a large dog that can travel e ff ortlessly. Leonberger Coat Th e greatest variety in Leonberger type can be found in the coat. Leonberger coat is acceptable in a wide range of colors and lengths and—to a lesser extent, textures. A judge is highly unlikely to have an unaccept- able coat color entered into the ring today. Coat colors are lion-yellow, golden, red, red- brown, sand, pale yellow, and all combina- tions thereof, sometime with black tipping.
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