Working · Giant (85-140 lbs) · 8-11 years
Greater Swiss Mountain Dog
Faithful, family-oriented, dependable; the largest and oldest Sennenhund - a gentle draft horse of a dog.
85–140 lb
At a glance
Kid-friendly
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First-time owners
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Energy
🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾
Shedding
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Good with cats
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Alone time
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Apartment OK
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Trainability
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What this is
What they’re great at
✓ A natural with children - famously patient
✓ A steady, capable partner
Why it matters
Honest challenges
Alone time is genuinely hard
Bred to work or live beside a human all day - solitude was never in the job description.
What helps: ['Train it like a skill: the Alone-Time guide builds tolerance in micro-doses from day one', 'The frozen-KONG-only-when-you-leave ritual turns departures into jackpots', "Cover long days honestly: a midday walker, daycare 2-3x a week, and a camera to know (not guess) how they're doing"]
Bred to work or live beside a human all day - solitude was never in the job description.
What helps: ['Train it like a skill: the Alone-Time guide builds tolerance in micro-doses from day one', 'The frozen-KONG-only-when-you-leave ritual turns departures into jackpots', "Cover long days honestly: a midday walker, daycare 2-3x a week, and a camera to know (not guess) how they're doing"]
The fur is a lifestyle
Heavy-shedding coat with seasonal blowouts.
What helps: ['The weekly rake routine in the Grooming Kit halves it', 'Robot vacuum on daily patrol (see Home Setup)', 'A professional deshed blowout during coat-blow weeks saves the house']
Heavy-shedding coat with seasonal blowouts.
What helps: ['The weekly rake routine in the Grooming Kit halves it', 'Robot vacuum on daily patrol (see Home Setup)', 'A professional deshed blowout during coat-blow weeks saves the house']
What you can do
Exercise & training
Exercise: Moderate - 45-60 min/day
Training profile — Versatile working type: Working breeds without work self-employ - as tax auditors of your belongings. Twenty minutes of training tires them more than an hour of fetch.
Sports and outlets that suit them: Draft work · Pack hiking
What you can do
Grooming & coat
Grooming: Low-moderate - weekly brushing.
Shedding: Moderate-heavy.
Good to know
Health to know about
Hip/elbow dysplasia, bloat/splenic torsion, epilepsy, urinary incontinence, licky fits (GI)
Breed-typical tendencies, not a diagnosis. Individual dogs vary enormously — your veterinarian screens for what matters for your dog.
Why it matters
Emergency red flags
Poisoning (chocolate, xylitol, grapes, medications, rodenticide)
Vomiting, drooling, tremors, collapse, or known ingestion
→ Call ASPCA Poison Control 888-426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline 855-764-7661 immediately; do NOT induce vomiting unless instructed
Vomiting, drooling, tremors, collapse, or known ingestion
→ Call ASPCA Poison Control 888-426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline 855-764-7661 immediately; do NOT induce vomiting unless instructed
Know your ER
→ Save your nearest 24-hour emergency vet's address and phone in your phone TODAY, not during a crisis
→ Save your nearest 24-hour emergency vet's address and phone in your phone TODAY, not during a crisis
BLOAT / GDV - the minutes-matter emergency for this breed
Unproductive retching (trying to vomit, nothing comes), rapidly swelling/hard belly, drooling, pacing, sudden distress after eating
→ Drive to the ER immediately. Do not wait to see if it passes. Untreated GDV is fatal within hours
Unproductive retching (trying to vomit, nothing comes), rapidly swelling/hard belly, drooling, pacing, sudden distress after eating
→ Drive to the ER immediately. Do not wait to see if it passes. Untreated GDV is fatal within hours
Seizure
Collapse with paddling, jaw chomping, drooling, loss of awareness
→ Clear the area, do NOT touch the mouth, time the seizure and video it. Over 3 minutes, a cluster of 2+, or first-ever seizure = ER now
Collapse with paddling, jaw chomping, drooling, loss of awareness
→ Clear the area, do NOT touch the mouth, time the seizure and video it. Over 3 minutes, a cluster of 2+, or first-ever seizure = ER now
This page never carries product links in the emergency section. ASPCA Poison Control (888) 426-4435 · Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661.
Good to know
The numbers
Typical ranges for planning, not promises — costs vary by region, breeder and individual dog.
| Group | Working |
| Size | Giant (85-140 lbs) |
| Lifespan | 8-11 years |
| Healthy adult weight | 85–140 lb |
| Original purpose | Draft work, droving cattle, farm guardian. |
| Monthly care | $140-$230 |
| Typical puppy price | $1,800-$3,500 |
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