Landseer (European Continental Type)

About the breed

Landseer: a breed in its own right, or a Newfoundland colour?

The Landseer (European Continental Type) is a separate breed under FCI Standard No. 226, originating in Germany and Switzerland. The FCI places it in Group 2, Section 2.2 (Molossoid breeds, mountain type), and gives its use as guard dog and companion. Not everyone draws that line: the UK Kennel Club and the American Kennel Club treat the white-and-black dog as one of the permitted colours of the Newfoundland and call it "Landseer". So when someone mentions a Landseer, ask whether they mean FCI breed No. 226 or a white-and-black Newfoundland; this page describes the former.

In Slovenia the Club for Large Breeds and Molossers (SKVPM) and the Slovenian Kennel Club (KZS) show catalogue write Landseer; the Croatian Kennel Club lists it as "Landser" in its FCI 2 breed list and as "Landseer" in its translation of the standard.

Named after a painter, not a breeder

The breed takes its name from the British painter Edwin Landseer (1802–1873), who never bred it. The German kennel club VDH explains that he drew and painted dogs still called Newfoundland Dogs at the time, and that around 1880 the cynologist Dr Gordon Stables gave the painter's name to the large white-and-black dog, when the black Newfoundland had been gaining popularity since 1870. The belief that the painter created the breed himself is therefore mistaken.

Origin: Newfoundland or Germany and Switzerland?

Sources disagree on the breed's home country, so each claim is attributed. The FCI gives the Landseer's origin as Germany / Switzerland and the Newfoundland's as Canada. The VDH writes that the dog comes from Newfoundland, that French and English sailors brought such dogs to Europe in the 18th century, that targeted breeding began in Germany in 1903, and that the breed has had its own stud book since 1952; by its account the FCI recognised the breed in 1959. SKVPM calls the Landseer a dog of continental European origin, shaped by Switzerland and Germany after the world wars, and says English fishermen brought dogs from Newfoundland to England around the 17th century.

Size, weight and build under the FCI standard

The FCI standard sets height at the withers at 72–80 cm for dogs and 67–72 cm for bitches, with small deviations tolerated. It gives no weight, so clubs differ: the German Landseer club VLD gives a final weight of 40–55 kg for bitches and 50–70 kg for dogs, the Slovenian SKVPM 65–80 kg for dogs and 50–70 kg for bitches, and the VDH writes of a dog weighing up to 60 kg. Together the club figures span roughly 40–80 kg, depending on sex and source.

The standard describes a tall, powerful, well-balanced dog whose legs, especially in males, are comparatively longer than those of the black Newfoundland. The head is broad and massive, and the toes are joined by strong webbing reaching almost to their tips.

Colour and coat: white with black patches

The standard asks for a clear white ground colour with distinct black patches on the body and croup; collar, forechest, belly, legs and tail must be white. The head is black with a white muzzle and a symmetrical white blaze, neither too narrow nor too wide, running from the muzzle over the head to the white collar, a definite breeding goal.

Apart from the head, the coat is long, as straight and dense as possible and soft to the touch, with an undercoat not as dense as in the black Newfoundland. A slight wave on the back and hindquarters is acceptable; brushed the wrong way, the coat should fall back into place by itself.

Coat care: less combing, more dirt

The VLD writes that daily combing and brushing is normally unnecessary, because the slightly oily coat tends to shed most mud by itself once dry. The VDH nevertheless names regular brushing and combing against matting and cleaning off coarse dirt after walks, and SKVPM adds more brushing during the moult.

Expect a large long-coated dog to carry more mud and hair into the house and car than a small one. The VLD also warns about ticks, fleas and mites and recommends a check after walks and contact with other dogs.

Temperament and training: open, attached, but strong-minded

According to SKVPM the Landseer is a very open, friendly, lively dog, playful into old age, that adores its family and gets on with children and household pets, while reserved with strangers, depending on the individual. The VDH describes it as self-assured and composed, sharing its affection among all family members. SKVPM says its guarding traits are not pronounced, though it defends its family unconditionally. The standard lists aggressive or overly shy dogs as disqualifying.

Training should be consistent from day one and among everyone in the family, or, says the VLD, the dog quickly sets its own rules. The VLD adds that males need more consistent handling and that their unruly phase at 1.5–2 years is more pronounced than in bitches. The VDH stresses that the heritage of guarding ancestors brings independence, so thorough socialisation is needed for the dog to learn who carries responsibility for territory and family, and recommends puppy classes.

Swimming, work and exercise

The Landseer enjoys swimming, but "rescue dog" is not a trait that comes automatically with the breed. SKVPM lists family dog, water rescue, therapy and companionship, and the VDH writes that with suitable training a Landseer can save a life in an emergency. By the VDH's account water work gives it particular joy, as do search and retrieve tasks; the VDH also names it as suited to man-trailing and therapy work.

The Landseer needs moderate but regular exercise. The VLD describes an attentive walking companion that plays into old age, and SKVPM says it likes pleasant, not overly long walks and prefers to swim. The VDH says its temperament and joy in work suit dog sports, but finds it less suited, because of its size and weight, to extreme strain such as long cycling tours or extended jogging.

Slow growth: not grown up at eight months

According to the VDH a Landseer already looks like a "finished dog" at six to eight months, yet is far from fully grown. The VLD states that bitches mature physically and mentally in two to three years and males only in up to five, reaching their final weight then. Because a puppy grows quickly from about 500 g to 40 kg, the VLD advises balanced feeding and exercise and stresses that in weight and exercise "less is more", as the first year is important for the health of skeleton and joints.

Health: joints, inherited diseases and club programmes

At the VLD a dog can be officially X-rayed and assessed for HD, OCD and ED from 18 months, while the Swiss club LVS requires X-rays of hips, elbows and OCD in shoulders and elbows for its breeding licence (earliest after the 17th month) and allows breeding only with dogs up to HD grade C, ED grade 1 and OCD-0 or OCD-V. SKVPM warns of possible hip dysplasia and knee problems. When buying, ask for the parents' results, though they do not guarantee a dog will stay healthy.

The LVS also requires blood tests for its breeding licence (degenerative myelopathy, muscular dystrophy, cystinuria, thrombopathy, hyperuricosuria, colour locus D), and the VLD lists a similar set of breeding examinations. OMIA lists cystinuria type I-A among the conditions documented in the Landseer. The German club ADKN (for Newfoundlands and Landseers) requires its HD/ED rules to be met and a cystinuria test, and excludes dogs with heart diseases and anomalies from breeding. Cornell lists the Newfoundland among the breeds most commonly affected by aortic stenosis; none of the sources checked gives Landseer-specific data.

Lifespan

The VLD gives the Landseer's average life expectancy as about nine years, possibly clearly higher, and SKVPM about ten years. Both are club estimates rather than registry studies, so treat them as a 9–10 year frame, not a promise. Per the VLD, ageing depends on genetics and on how much the dog was worked; older dogs grow noticeably calmer and may need more sleep, though some stay playful into old age.

Landseer or Newfoundland: how they differ

Under the FCI the Landseer and the Newfoundland are two breeds with different standards; under the Kennel Club and AKC the Landseer is a Newfoundland colour. The FCI standards differ as follows:

• origin: Landseer Germany / Switzerland, Newfoundland Canada;
• colour: the Landseer is always white with black patches and a black head, while the Newfoundland standard covers black, brown and a white-and-black variety it calls historically significant;
• size: Landseer 72–80 cm (dogs) and 67–72 cm (bitches); Newfoundland on average 71 and 66 cm and about 68 and 54 kg; the Landseer standard sets no weight;
• build and coat: the Landseer has longer legs and a less dense undercoat than the black Newfoundland;
• use: Landseer guard dog and companion, Newfoundland sledge dog for heavy loads and water dog.

Flat, children and other pets: conditional

A flat is not a recommended home for a Landseer: SKVPM calls it unsuitable, while the VLD names a house with a fenced garden as ideal and the VDH a house with a garden where the dog can move freely. The VLD advises against kennel keeping because the dog wants to be everywhere with the family.

The VLD calls it a playmate for children with almost inexhaustible patience, and SKVPM says it gets on very well with them; but as a dog weighing several tens of kilograms, play with small children is sensibly supervised. It gets on with household pets when raised well from puppyhood. For first-time owners the breed is only conditionally suitable: the owner must be consistent, or, says SKVPM, the dog quickly assumes the alpha role.

What to ask the breeder

Ask for the results of both parents: the official assessment of hips, elbows and OCD, and the DNA results required by the club under which the litter is bred, since requirements differ. In Slovenia, SKVPM says, dogs with a valid pedigree must pass a breeding examination before mating, for which the owner presents hip and elbow X-ray results. For litters bred in the VLD, its page states that a trained breeding warden inspects the litter at about eight weeks and that most breeders hand over the report with the pedigree. Check that puppies are socialised to everyday noises, objects, environments, children and other dogs, and ask for a written contract with the pedigree. To start, find a breeder in the directory.

Who it suits and who it suits less

The Landseer suits a family with a house and fenced garden that has time for consistent training from day one, tolerates the dirt a large long-coated dog brings in, and allows for slow growth in a puppy. It likes company, water and pleasant walks. It suits less a home in a flat, life in a kennel, an owner seeking a running or cycling partner, and anyone who cannot provide health-tested parents, consistent training and space for a dog weighing several tens of kilograms.

Pros & cons