Description of a Leonberger.

Heinrich Essig, a dog breeder and seller from Leonberg in southwestern Germany, originally bred the Leonberger from the Newfoundland, Saint Bernard, and Pyrenean Mountain Dog in the early 1800s. The popular legend is that it was bred to resemble the coat-of-arms animal of Leonberg, the lion, but in fact the earliest Leonbergers were predominantly white and the coloring of today\'s Leonbergers, brown with a black mask, was developed during the 19th century, probably by introducing other breeds into the mix.

Leonbergers were seriously affected by the privations of the two world wars. During World War I most Leonbergers were left to fend for themselves as breeders fled or were killed. Only five Leonbergers survived World War I and were bred until World War II when, again, almost all Leonbergers were lost. All Leonbergers today trace their ancestry back to eight dogs that survived World War II.