Leonberger – Page 15 – Leonberger Life

Spontaneous Dog Fights Caused by Off Leash Dogs

Leash laws – Unless your pet is in a designated off-leash area, he or she has to be on a lead at all times. That’s the law in Dallas, Texas and in many other places. Dogs must be on a leash when outside except for, for example, dog parks. It doesn’t matter how good and obedient the owner thinks his dog is, it does not matter if the owner thinks he’s got perfect control over his dog. It is the law for a reason. Accidents happen, of course, and our dogs escaped on a few occasions. However, we all need to make an effort.

In my Leonberger book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle” I describe three dog fights resulting from off leash dogs, but we experienced many more, dozens, and it is ugly.

Our Leonberger Bronco (Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle) grew up with several dogs, one of them being our Pug Daisy, which we still have. Bronco and Daisy were good friends and on one occasion Bronco saved Daisy from an attacking lose German Shepherd. We’ve owned a very well-behaved German Shepherd, our Baby, they are good dogs, but this one was young and aggressive.

Our Pug Daisy (left) with our Leonberger Bronco (right). Small dog and big dog. — Our Pug Daisy with our Leonberger Bronco

Bronco stepped in between the German Shepherd and Daisy and got bitten in the leg in the process. Leonbergers are about double as strong as German Shepherds and almost double as massive and they have more powerful jaws. However, Bronco was old and had just had surgery in the leg in which he was bit, so it was certainly a sacrifice on his part. I was mad and I ran after the German Shepherd and tried kicking him and between mine and Bronco’s efforts he ran off. I cursed at the owner of the German Shepherd for letting him run lose in a public space. Maybe I shouldn’t have, but in the end Daisy, our innocent sweet Pug, was alive. What a day that was.

This is a photo of Daisy (sitting on furniture) that I took a few minutes ago. She is alive today, thanks to Bronco and she is 14 ½ years old. — Photo of Daisy that I took a few minutes ago. She is alive today, thanks to Bronco. She is 14 ½ years old.

Photo of Bronco our Leonberger and our saint standing on the lawn surrounded by sunrays. He saved Daisy. — Bronco our saint who saved Daisy.

Another spontaneous dogfight happened before we got Bronco, when two dogs attacked our Labrador Baylor, who later would welcome Bronco into the family.

Close up photo of Baylor our sweet Labrador. — Baylor our sweet Labrador. He was a rescue.

Baylor was a sweet dog but could defend himself when he needed to. One time, as he and I were walking down a long straight road in the neighborhood, I turned around and saw two dogs running out of an alleyway around half a mile behind us. Right behind them came a woman, and she was running as well. The dogs were racing toward us and barking, and the woman behind the dogs was screaming at them. It was obvious that they had snuck out of a house and were ignoring their owner. For a moment I thought that maybe we should be running as well, but I decided against it. I would not be able to outrun the dogs, even though Baylor could, and letting him loose would be a bad idea. I decided to keep calm and continue walking.

A few seconds later I turned around to look again. The dogs were coming closer. I could see their glistening teeth and their faces full of rage as they charged toward us. The woman behind them was going as fast as she could, but she couldn’t keep up. Both dogs were around the size of Baylor. One of them looked like a pit bull, and the other looked like a golden retriever. I braced for the worst, and Baylor and I positioned ourselves for a fight.

Then the dog who looked like a golden retriever stopped and sat down. He seemed to be less aggressive. But the pit bull came right at us as if he wanted to kill us. There was a violent clash. Baylor fought back valiantly, and he was able to control the situation, despite being on a leash. (Well, I gave him all the leeway I could.) There were loud growls and snarls and sharp white teeth snapping and biting.

The woman finally arrived. Her face was red, and she was sweating profusely. It didn’t look like she was in good shape, and she had just sprinted half a mile without stopping. Breathing heavily, she grabbed her aggressive dog and apologized. I didn’t respond, even though I felt sorry for her. I knew the whole thing was probably an accident, but after that experience I couldn’t spare much sympathy for her. Luckily, there were no serious injuries.

After it was all over, I felt proud of Baylor for defending himself so well. He was a lot stronger and feistier than I expected, yet he was a very friendly and loving Labrador. If you want to read about the time when our German Shepherd Baby defended Bronco when he was a puppy, click here.

The Complete Guide for Leonberger is Really a Complete Guide for Dog Behavior

I recently finished The Complete Guide for Leonberger: The essential guide to being a perfect owner and having an obedient, healthy, and happy Leonberger Paperback – September 15, 2021, by Bailey Lopez. As far as I can see there is only a paperback version, which is 133 pages. The dimensions are 6 x 0.34 x 9 inches, and the weight is 9.1 ounces, ISBN 979-8477891214, and it currently costs $15.23 on Amazon in the US.

This is the front cover of the book The Complete Guide for Leonberger by Bailey Lopez. It shows a sand colored Leonberger puppy running towards us through the grass. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for the book. — Front cover of the book The Complete Guide for Leonberger by Bailey Lopez. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for the book.

This is another strange Leonberger book. I believe the information in the book is very helpful and interesting assuming you are looking for a book on dog behavior, concerning any type of dog. Even though the word “Leonberger” is used quite frequently there is not much Leonberger specific information in the book.

Below I am posting my Amazon review of The Complete Guide for Leonberger by Bailey Lopez. Click here to see my original Amazon review. BTW I gave the book three stars.

The Complete Guide to Dog Behavior

If the title of this book had been “The Complete Guide to Dog Behavior” I would have given the book a four or five star rating. The book gives a good overview of dog behavior and psychology, puppy behavior, adoption issues, training and commands, and a few health tips. I found some good tips in the book that we are going to implement for our mini-Australian Shepherd. I also think that there is some enlightening information in the book that I have not seen in other dog books (Leonberger books or not). The author also understands dogs and their behavior well. He is a true dog behavior specialist.

Unfortunately, it is not really a breed specific book despite the frequent use of the word “Leonberger”. Replace “Leonberger” with “dog” and the veracity of the information does not change, which means that it is not a Leonberger book. On a bit more than half a page he is explaining how to interpret the movement of ears, for example, “ears stretched upwards may also show dominance”, etc. The problem with that is that Leonberger ears are floppy, fleshy, hanging down and they can’t point up. Interestingly he points out at the end of the ear section, essentially invalidating everything he just wrote. The book is missing Leonberger specific behavior, Leonberger characteristics, breed standard stuff, Leonberger history, genetic illnesses common in Leonbergers, life span, nothing about Leonberger organizations, Leonberger awards, sports or activities, and anything specific about Leonbergers. It is all missing and there is not a single picture of a Leonberger in the book. The book also has a substantial number of typos.

I would think a book like this would sell well if it were marketed as a dog behavior book. Why pick a rare breed and essentially replace the word dog with the word Leonberger everywhere? I am glad I read it because of what I learned about dog behavior, but you won’t learn anything specific about Leonbergers by reading this book, which is why I am rating it three stars.

The back cover of the book The Complete Guide for Leonberger by Bailey Lopez. It feature a list of the chapters. — The back cover of the book The Complete Guide for Leonberger by Bailey Lopez.

This Book Does Not Look Like a Leonberger Book but It Is

I bought the paperback version of the book Leonberger Dog Information: Everything You Need To Know About Basic Leonberger Dog Paperback – November 16, 2022 by Bao Reives. It is a short book. The paperback version is 55 pages, the dimensions are 6 x 0.14 x 9 inches, and the weight is 4.8 ounces, ISBN 979-8364129697, and it currently costs $10.74 on Amazon in the US. The Kindle version is 110 pages, ASIN B0BMNBL7CV, and cost $5.44 and is written by Matthew Marrow. They are not linked on Amazon, so you have to search for the kindle version separately.

Front cover of the book Leonberger Dog Information by Bao Reives. It is a photo of a white Labrador looking out the window of a car. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for the book. — Front cover of the book Leonberger Dog Information by Bao Reives. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for the book.

This is a strange Leonberger book. There’s a Labrador on the front page. The book is directed at a UK audience in some parts and an American audience in other parts. Yet it is otherwise a decent Leonberger book filled with Leonberger specific information and 16 black and white Leonberger photos. It is as if it was written by two different authors who have a good understanding of Leos, but the book designer screwed up massively. With 16 good Leonberger photos in the book, how did a Labrador end up on the front cover? How would you rate that?

A thought occurred to me that someone copied the content of two other Leonberger books, text, photos and all, and just mixed it all together. That would be bad and I am not sure it is even possible to do, so I am not assuming that.

Below I am posting my Amazon review of Leonberger Dog Information by Bao Reives. Click here to see my original Amazon review. BTW I gave the book three stars.

Short Leonberger Book with Some Good Information and Some Issues

Despite the photo of the Labrador on the cover of this book it is actually a Leonberger book. The book contains some good information on Leonberger care and training and where to get one and who should not get a Leonberger. I think it was good that the author pointed out that Leonbergers love to be with the family, are very large and energetic and need space, and therefore a Leonberger is not a good dog for someone living in an apartment. I also thought it was good that the author pointed out that you should find a breeder who is rigorous about genetic testing. The book contained 16 black and white photos of Leonbergers.

However, I also found a few problems with the book. Starting with the incorrect claims in the history section. The author claims that Heinrich Essig, the creator of the Leonberger breed, was the mayor of the town of Leonberg. He was a prominent citizen of Leonberg, a successful businessman, innkeeper, dog breeder, large-dog enthusiast, and town councilman, but he was not the mayor of Leonberg. It is claimed that only five Leonbergers survived World War I. It is true that World War I was tough on the breed, but it was not quite that bad. After the war, Karl Stadelmann and Otto Josenhans, worked hard to save the breed, and they were able to find twenty-five Leonbergers whose owners were willing to cooperate in reestablishing the breed. Of these, only five were suitable for breeding, which is different from saying that only five survived. In addition, the book claims that only eight Leonbergers survived World War II, which is even more incorrect.

The beginning of the book is written for readers in the UK, and later on it switches to North American readers (Leonberger Club of America), only to switch back to the UK again. It is if two different people wrote the book. Add the wrong dog breed on the cover and the somewhat funny book page design and I got the feeling that this book was put together haphazardly. It contains mostly good information, but it was not put together well, with the pieces perhaps originating from different sources. It is a quick read, it is not bad, but there are better Leonberger books out there. I give it three stars.

New Texas Law Allow Dogs To Drive

On February 29 the Texas Legislature passed HB64 and SB14 and thus Texas became the first US state to allow dogs to drive. Any dog of any breed is allowed to drive a car as long as they are two years or older and are facilitated by a DDAD, a dog drivers assistance device. A DDAD is a device that reads traffic signs for the dog and takes cues from the dog’s body language to turn the car and control it in other ways. DDAD utilizes a multi layered neural network (deep learning style neural network) that has been trained using several thousand dogs that included all of AKC’s approved dog breeds as well as 100’s of mixed breeds.

Rollo is our first dog to officially have a driving license. In the picture below he is coming back from a visit to grandma and grandpa.

Photo of our dog Rollo in the drivers seat. He is coming back from a visit to grandma and grandpa. — Rollo coming back from a visit to grandma and grandpa.

The dog driving license is not without controversy. Some people have concerns with safety and others feel that dogs should not be able to drive if they are not, as Walter Ericsson who lost his driver’s license due to a DUI pointed out.

A Note from Your Leonberger

The beautiful writing below I received from Brenda Saito a fellow Leonberger enthusiast and Leonberger owner. The author is unknown. Thank you so much Brenda.

A photo of our Leonberger at three months old. — Our Leonberger at three months old

Hello there. I am so glad you are here to talk to me. I don’t always do the best job of communicating my emotions to you, yet there is so much I want you to know. I will start off by saying I am so so sorry I stepped on your foot this morning. I do it all the time and don’t mean to, its just that my feet are so big and it’s easy for me to lose track of where they are in space. Speaking of space, I love to be in yours. I am really sorry I was in your space last night and my tail knocked over your beverage on the coffee table. Also, I am sorry I stepped on your foot again while you were cleaning it up. And this is probably a good time to apologize for all of the times you have had to change your pants before work because I slobbered on them.
I know that I am extra in every sense of the word simply because of my size. At times you seem annoyed at my attempts to become your literal shadow. What you don’t know is how much my proximity to you matters to me. I can not express to you the joy you bring to me just by being present. I love your scent and the way your fingers feel behind my ears when you scratch them. I live for the moments when you lay on the floor with me and rub my belly, or when you slip me a piece of ice when you are getting a drink for your self.
It is true that I watch your every move. I know the sound of your footsteps from anyone else’s in the house and the sound of your car from anyone else’s in the neighborhood. I notice the difference in your cadence when you are down or tired. At times your anxiety radiates through the room. It is intense and permeates your energy like a poison. I am not sure why this is, but somehow my sitting beside you helps the anxious cloud to dissipate. I promise to always sit there for you, as long as it takes, until your energy changes and you are ready to move.
My time with you in this life will be short. My lifespan is not as long as other, smaller breeds. I promise to make up for this by filling everyday with extra love and lots of laughter. The connection between you and I will never be broken. You are my person. I am your dog.
Love always,

Bronco's asking face. You could usually figure out what he wanted. This is a closeup of Bronco's face. — Bronco’s asking face. You could usually figure out what he wanted.

This is a photo of our Leonberger Bronco lying in the grass. He is old and tired and his face has gray hair. — Bronco in his old age. He is 12 1/2 going on 13, much older than most Leonbergers live.

Happy Birthday To Me With A Lovely Leonberger Photo

Today is my birthday, so I thought I would post this nice birthday card from a friend of ours. That’s Bronco, our late Leonberger.

Birthday Card featuring Bronco from a friend. Bronco our Leonberger is saying Happy Birthday Thomas and there are cakes, presents and birthday celebration stuff. — Birthday Card featuring Bronco from a friend

My wife organized a ski trip to Breckenridge Colorado as a birthday present for me and my son who also has a March birthday. This is a photo from that trip a bit more than a week ago. We skied most of the time but one day we hiked with snowshoes.

The family Snowshoeing in Breckenridge Colorado. From left to right Meranda (David's girlfriend), David (my son), Me (Thomas), Claudia (my wife), Rachel (our daughter). — Snowshoeing in Breckenridge Colorado. From left to right Meranda (David’s girlfriend), David (my son), Me (Thomas), Claudia (my wife), Rachel (our daughter).

Fort Leonberg Designing Your Home To Make Your Leonberger Happy

Meme photo of Jackson Galaxy Cat Behavior Consultant. The meme states "When you get stranded on Earth without your photon weapons so you just have to come up with a job & survive" — Jackson Galaxy the world’s foremost Cat Behavior Consultant

I am sure you cat lovers know about the world’s foremost Cat Behavior Consultant Jackson Galaxy. He has written a lot of very successful books on cat behavior including the best seller “Catification”, Designing a Happy and Stylish Home for Your Cat (and You). It is rumored that Jackson Galaxy is from outer space and that he got stranded on Earth without his photon blaster and therefore had to come up with a job to survive. Whatever the case is he is a beloved icon in the cat community.

Being an energetic and family-oriented giant breed, the right type of home may be an even more important feature for Leonbergers. Below I am listing ten important points to consider when preparing your home for a Leonberger.

First of all, a small apartment is not a suitable home for a Leonberger. They need room and they need a backyard or similar for running and moving around.
Leonbergers are family dogs, and they like to be with people so they should not be left outside for too long, and therefore your house needs to be able to accommodate a very large and hairy dog that sheds a lot.
In addition to shedding a lot, Leonbergers love to dig and to be messy and muddy. Allowing a little bit of a mess will make your Leonberger a happy dog.
You need a fence, preferably at least six or seven feet tall. The ground below the fence cannot be too soft since Leonbergers are expert diggers. A runaway Leonberger may be a happy Leonberger for a short time but bad things can happen to runaway Leonbergers. Check whether wild animals such as bobcats and coyotes can get in through your fence.
Check your backyard and locate and get rid of sharp or dangerous objects such as metal rods sticking up from the grass.
If you have a swimming pool, make sure the dog can easily get in and out of the pool on his own.
Get rid of poisonous plants in your house. Click here to see a list of poisonous plants.
While the Leonberger is still a puppy you need to enclose electrical cords with cord protectors for pets with strong jaws.
Secure glass tables and vases that can easily tip and fall, the fireplace. Secure toilet-bowl additives, drain cleaners, bar soap, tampons, paint, antifreeze, pesticides, oil and gasoline, rat poison, carpet cleaner, fertilizer, bleach, detergent, hot iron, sharp objects, and glass jars.
Leonbergers can reach all counters. They love to stand on their back legs, like bears, and they are intelligent enough to open easy access pantries, so it is important to secure food items dangerous to dogs such as; coffee beans, chocolate, onions, garlic, yeast, avocados, raisins, macadamia nuts, fruits pits and seeds, raw salmon and trout, raw eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, persimmons, rhubarb leaves, medicine, Tylenol, any food containing xylitol (sugar substitute), food left out, garbage. Click here for more information.

And Happy Belated St. Patricks’ Day from me, Thomas, the Leonberger Behavior Consultant.

Me, Thomas Wikman, in a St. Patricks' Day Card with a green beer

One Year Anniversary of My Leonberger Blog

One year ago, I launched my Leonberger blog. Alex Diaz-Granados another blogger I know gave me some advice so I could get started. Well, that was one year and one day ago today (March 13, 2022). I was too busy yesterday to work on my blog, so this post is one day late for a one-year anniversary, but I am doing my one-year anniversary today.

The purpose of the blog was to inform people about Leonbergers, a truly remarkable dog breed, as well as advertise my then upcoming book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle, Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger.” I invited friends and announced the existence of my blog on Facebook and Instagram. Later in July of 2022 my book would be released, and a couple of months after that I started interacting with other WordPress bloggers upon the advice of Alex. At this point I am blogging just because it is fun.

I read somewhere that when you launch a blog you should make five posts at once because having a blog with just one or two posts makes it look empty. Therefore, I made five posts on launch day. Below I am posting five pictures corresponding to each of the five posts. If you click on the picture, you can look at that original old post.

What is a Leonberger? Click on the image to see this one-year-old blog post. This is an image detailing the breed standard for a Leonberger Dog. — What is a Leonberger? Click on the image to see this one-year-old blog post.

Our Leonberger Bronco. Click on the image to see this one-year-old blog post. On the left our Leonberger three months old Bronco. On the right, old Bronco closing in on 13 years old. — Our Leonberger Bronco. Click on the image to see this one-year-old blog post.

The Time Bronco Saved the Neighborhood. Click on the image to see this one-year-old blog post. On the left a peeping Tom trespassing and looking in through our bedroom window and shouting obscenities at my wife. On the right Bronco chasing off the trespasser. — The Time Bronco Saved the Neighborhood. Click on the image to see this one-year-old blog post.

Bronco’s Hamster Search and Rescue. Click on the image to see this one-year-old blog post. On the left, Bronco's cheeks holding two hamsters. On the right Claudia doing hamster CPR. — Bronco’s Hamster Search and Rescue. Click on the image to see this one-year-old blog post.

The Grey Muzzle Award. Click on the image to see this one-year-old blog post. The award says : The Grey Muzzle Award, For Leonberger Longevity, Is Presented with Gratitude By THE LEONBERGER HEALTH FOUNDATION INTERNATIONAL, To Bronco, For Offering Hope And Potential For Longer Lives For Leonbergers Throughout The World. — The Grey Muzzle Award. Click on the image to see this one-year-old blog post.

Review of Secrets in the Blood by Unity Hayes

This blog is primarily about Leonbergers. I review Leonberger books, but I also review books that are not about Leonbergers but that I love, and I want to promote. This post is one of those. I am reviewing Secrets in the Blood Kindle Edition, August 1, 2013 – by Unity Hayes. The book is 225 pages, ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00E50JO3A, it currently cost $2.99.

Unity is the author of Secrets in the Blood (mystery/romance – August 1, 2013). She has been writing since the age of 15 and has always dreamed of telling stories through the craft of writing. Unity is a Registered Nurse that enjoys small town living, antiquing, and spending time with her family.

Secrets have been buried in a steel town for many years, but someone is about to blow the lid off them and rock this little town. Cassidy loves her life just the way it is. But when mysterious and good looking West arrives, her world is turned upside-down. West carries the secrets of the steel town. Cassidy is attracted to the stranger but a relationship seems impossible as West’s accusations make him appear crazy and bodies start to pile up. No one wants to believe West; can Cassidy let her feelings go and trust him? Who is the killer? How many bodies will pile up before the biggest secret of all is revealed?

This image is the cover for the book Secrets of the Blood by Unity Hayes. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for the book. — Cover for the book Secrets of the Blood. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for the book.

You can find the book on

My review below (to see my Amazon review click here)

An Action-Packed Romantic Thriller with Mystery and Captivating Drama

I normally don’t read books in the romance category. However, this book is so much more than a romance book. It is more than anything a mystery, a thriller, a captivating drama and a fast paced adventure. The romance is an added bonus for those who like that. What I found so intriguing about this book were the thick mysteries as well as the fast-paced action. There were surprises on almost every page. It is one of the best thrillers I’ve ever read.

The setting, a replica of an 1880’s old wild west town called the Watering Hole, appealed to me, perhaps because we’ve stayed in such a place in Arizona. It was a tourist trap of course, but it was fun. The book brought back memories from that trip and the descriptions of the town in the book felt real to me. If the Watering Hole was real, I would take my family there, well assuming that there were no murders or other strange things happening.

There’s danger, death, and a string of violent or strange events. Every page made me wonder what was going on and what was going to happen next. As I was reading my mind went to the girl with dragon tattoo, but that is a different story. This is a very good and unique story, the drama and the dialogue are brilliant, and the character development is good. The author is a registered nurse, which certainly benefitted the descriptions of injuries and the healing processes of the victims. I think realism is an important advantage. I highly recommend this fun and exciting thriller.

There Are Leonbergers on Bookbub

Bookbub is a book discovery service that was created to help readers find new books and authors. Bookbub has 15 million users, so it is a fairly large service. Upon the suggestion of Jacqui Murray I decided to join. You can join as a reader or as an author. Since I’ve written a book I joined as an author. I noticed there were already three Leonberger books on Bookbub, so mine is the fourth one. The vast majority of Leonberger books are not on Bookbub. There is also an author by the name Leon Berger, but he does not write about Leonbergers.

Today or rather yesterday my profile was approved for upload. Therefore, I have not done a lot of work on my profile yet. I linked my book to Bookbub, added a profile picture, and wrote a couple of sentences about myself. I started following a few authors and published a few reviews. However, I am just getting started. Please, if you are an author and you are on Bookbub, tell me in the comments, so I can follow you. Naturally I wouldn’t mind follows myself (both authors and readers can follow). Below is my preliminary Bookbub profile picture. Click here to see my Bookbub profile.

This is my Bookbug profile picture. I will probably update. Click on the picture to go to my Bookbub profile.