Landseer

The Landseer is a giant black-and-white dog descended from the Newfoundland. In continental Europe it is recognized as a breed of its own, often called the Landseer ECT (European Continental Type), and it took shape in Germany and Switzerland. In Great Britain and North America, by contrast, a Landseer is simply a black-and-white Newfoundland.

History

The Landseer’s ancestors were the dogs of fishermen in Newfoundland and Labrador, in Canada. Those dogs are believed to descend from water dogs and livestock guardians brought over on Portuguese and Basque fishing boats.

In the Victorian era black-and-white Newfoundlands were more popular than solid black ones, and many artists painted them. The best known was Edwin Landseer, and by 1896 his name was being used for dogs of this color.

During the 20th century solid black took over, to the point that in the 1930s breeders set out to recreate the dogs in Landseer’s paintings. Their work produced the Landseer breed. In 1960 a separate club for tall Landseer-colored dogs was founded in Germany, registering dogs bred from Landseer-colored Newfoundlands crossed with livestock guardian dogs. Clubs in Belgium and Holland soon followed. The breed has not been imported to Canada or the United States, where black-and-white Newfoundlands are popular.

Appearance

The Landseer stands 67 to 80 cm tall. Males average about 68 kg and females about 54 kg. The coat is long and always black and white.

Compared with the Newfoundland it is taller, with longer legs and less bulk, and its head is longer and more tapered. Its coat is said to be curlier, where the Newfoundland’s is wavier.

The pattern comes from the piebald gene also found in Newfoundlands. A Newfoundland litter can hold both solid and black-and-white puppies, but Landseers of the continental type are always piebald.

Care and health

A 2015 study identified a gene, COL6A1, linked to muscular dystrophy in Landseers.

Facts on this page were checked against Wikipedia and may have changed since.