What size collar will my Swissy need? You’ll need a 8-10 inch collar when they are around 2-3 months old. As adults, they’ll be anywhere from 24-28 inches depending on how you like the collar to sit on the neck.
What size crate will my Swissy need? For adults, 40-48 inch long crates are great for at home use. For car travel, 40 inch crates (regular or narrow) are fine sizes. This translates into a 400 size East Coast Crate, 450 or 500 series Impact Crate (40 inch+), 42 or 48 inch wire crates, or XL Ruffland crates.
History: Short Version: Greater Swiss are thought to be developed from the Mollasian and accompanied the Roman legions.
Function: The Greater Swiss is an all purpose farm dog. They were often called the poor man’s horse, meaning if you could not afford a horse, you had a Greater Swiss help with the farm work. They were used for drafting, packing, herding (droving style), and sentry dog.
Breed Summary: The Greater Swiss is a striking, tri-colored, large, powerful, confident dog of sturdy appearance which, in spite of its size and weight, is agile enough to perform the all-purpose farm duties of the mountainous regions of its origin.
Size: Males – 25½ to 28½ inches. Females – 23½ to 27 inches. Expect fit weight to be between ~80-135 lbs.
Temperament: Bold, faithful, willing worker. Devoted to their families. Clownish and happy. May be outgoing or aloof with strangers. Will alarm bark (Baroo) at things out of the norm. Should get along well with other dogs and people.
Serious Health concerns: Epilepsy, Bloat, Splenic torsion.Other concerns: Eye lid issues, joint issues.
From OFA health survey (706 responses):
Bloat – 3.1%
Spleen – 1.4%
Epilepsy – 5.6%
OFA results since 2021:
Hips – 93.4% normal
Elbow – 84% normal
Shoulder – 97.3% normal