Originally watch and draught dog; present day also companion and family dog.

The ancestors of the Great Swiss Mountain Dog are of the previously widely spread across
Central Europe and frequently described as butcher's or slaughterer's dogs.


The Standard was first published by the FCI on February 5th, 1939.
Recognition and wider distribution came along with the breed's growing reputation as undemanding
, dependable carrier or draught dogs in the Swiss army during the second World War, so that by 1945 for the first time over 100 puppies
could be registered, which was evidence of the existence of about 350-400 dogs.
Today the breed is bred also in the adjacent countries and is appreciated universally for its calm,
even temperament, especially as a family dog.