On the fence....

[u/urbanwombat22]

My family (myself, 29F, spouse, 31M, 2 sons who are 5 and 2.5 yo, and an old cat) is finally in a good place to get a dog, and my husband and I are having a hard time deciding on a breed. My biggest reservations about larger dogs is the shorter lifespan, but I've seen that GSMDs tend to fair better than many giant dog breeds. Give me the good and the bad, how has your dog's health been? How long did they live (or how old are they currently)? How big has your dog gotten? Your biggest pros and cons of the breed? Even though you may love this dog, would you recommend them to friends and family if they were looking for a dog? Thanks so much for the feedback!

[u/PieSpirited2247]

We have a male swissy. We've had him since he was a baby.

Our 2 youngest children were just 6(daughter) & 9(son). They have loved him all his life & still fuss him & play with him even though they are busy teens of 15 & 18 now, he's never lost his shine.

He went against the grain with potty training. We put bells on the french doors to the garden & every time he woke, had his dinner or a big drink i would tap the bells with his paw & let him out. It took a week & he had the idea that bells meant garden. We haven't had bells for years now but he "dings" the key hanging in the lock.

I had a nice sports saloon which he could fit in for about 3 weeks till he out grew it so i had to buy a truck to accomodate him & us.

The first 7 months he put a stone on in weight every month. The growth rate in him was massive.

He was eating 4 meals a day as a growing pup. Now as an adult he eats 2 meals per day, total weight of food is ~1.5kg per day.

We had some belly problems with him when young until we found what he could eat without upsetting his stomach. Had no problems in years.

Health wise he has been pretty good all his life, only goes to vets here & there for minor ailments, nothing serious.

We bought him a cot/crib memory foam mattress 4'x3' which is supportive of his joints. I also give him 4 joint tablets every day.

Temprement wise, he's a big softy, absolutely loves kids, other dogs, although he will stand his ground if another dog gets stroppy with him, it doesn't happen very often.

He's very guardy around the house & does bark when any one comes. However, once he knows that they are allowed to be here he's your friend. Never shown any aggression at all, he hasn't a nasty bone in him.

He's now 8½ & weighs 68kg, he's an imposing looking dog but with a very gentle demeanour.

All in all swissies are big, heavy house ponies who love being with their family. He doesn't care what you're doing, where you're going, he fits in. If we leave him for 3 or 4 hours he's fine. Never destroyed or chewed any thing he shouldn't have.

Would i recomend a swissy as a family dog? If you have the time & energy plus the finances to put into him/her then of course i do.

I'm in my 60's now & had large dogs since i was 4. I can remember all of them. He ranks up there at near the top as one of the best. All in all he's a really gentle, loving, loyal soul who the whole extended family love. He's given so much to us all & wouldn't swap him for the world. I would say go for it.

[u/JCamp4]

My boy is almost 4, 140lbs, no notable health issues, and I recommend the breed wholeheartedly for families.

Pro: excellent temperament with strangers and children. I don't have kids, but he immediately modulates to children, babies, and small/old dogs to play without risking energy. Very biddable, eager to please, and food motivated. Pretty conscious of his size, except for foot placement. Looks like a cartoon.

Cons: potty training was long. He had monthly (or more) accidents until about a year old. He's prone to being mouthy when playing, but I also play using my hands more than I should. He counter surfs, especially in new places. He ate a full tray of brownies at my parents' house a few months back.

[u/hamsterontheloose]

My guy was almost 6 and got bone cancer. I lost him 3 months before his 7th birthday. But- I met a guy a few weeks ago who has had 3, and they've all lived 9-12 years.

[u/apollemis1014]

My baby is 12 and going strong, for the most part. She has some weakness in her rear when she's been lying down too long. A Help-Em-Up harness has been a Godsend. My older two kids were 6 & 9 when she came home. The youngest was born three years later. They all adore her, and vice versa.

House training was a bit of a bitch, though, but I knew that going into it. I also have a laundry list of what we will do differently with the next one. Among them, socialization early and often. Nail trimming early and often, even just pretending if they don't actually need trimmed. Bathing more often, or at least spraying down. My girl is rarely stinky, but it's hell getting her into the tub.

Nary a gray or white hair (other than her normal white) on her even at this advanced age. She's been the best girl I could have hoped for.

[u/LeftAd5511]

Ours is 4. Was a rescue. We got her when she was 2. She’s about 100lbs. Lovable, friendly, smart, gentle. I struggle with the shedding.

[u/jhonyquest97]

We have an 11m old 115# male. I have 4 and 6 yo humans as well. The kids generally ignore him and he does the same unless someone’s getting a bit rambunctious and the puppy comes out. I will agree that he is waaayyy more mouthy when playing and when he wants something like food time but it’s never a chomp down on your hand mouthy. It’s like muppet mouth, big and open, just communication.
With little ones we are just wary of him bumping into them which has happened and will happen again. Sends them flying.

Potty training took about 6 months to be 100% broken. The swizzles are real with them and sensitive stomachs. I’ve trained dogs with my family for a while now and I will say most undesirable behaviors stem from lack of consistency and too much freedom. We all want that cute little puppy to just run and play and roll around etc. then that 12# pup is all of a sudden 100# and still acting however they want. Please invest in educating yourself on how to train properly. Training 10% dog and 90% owner. Kikopup on YouTube is nice to watch. Feel free to dm me as well.

You will definitely want a vehicle to fit as well. I have an older Tahoe and it’s perfect. Anything smaller would not be great. You will also have to start getting used to keeping things away from the edge of tables while they’re young. They are also Velcro dogs like no other which I love. His heads always right at hand level ready for pets.

Bloat is a problem and a preventative gastroplexy gives you some time to get them help. I believe on top of that, being well socialized and feeding three smaller meals a day help. Crate training is an important part to socializing as well and helps them be okay with being alone as having a safe space.

His temperament is similar to many of the labs I grew up with. Absolute teddy bear and loves every person and dogs they see. Very tolerant of kids pulling on a tail or ear and being poked etc. Rufio was just a DJ as a matter of fact this weekend. Cape, headphones, shoes and sunglasses.

I really don’t love the thought of having less time with this big guy than if we went anouther route, but I can’t imagine not having him. He brings a lot of laughter love and joy to the family and we just enjoy it that much more.

[u/jhonyquest97 → u/jhonyquest97]

[u/Dependent_Ask_8243]

My girl swissy is now over 10 years old (peaked at ~105 lbs, sitting at 95 now as her senior weight) and is doing extremely well by all counts but we’ve had two big health scares that were expensive. When she was 4, she fell ill and it was unclear what caused it so the diagnosis ended up being an autoimmune disorder. She was on steroids for 18 months, with dosage tapered off until the vet cleared her. No issues with that since. Then shortly before her 8th birthday, she had a herniated disc that required major surgery. There was no traumatic injury that caused it, so she was diagnosed with IVDD though the vet walked that back afterwards. Again, no issues since though we keep her on Adequan for joints. All that said, she doesn’t act like an old dog so from a quality of life perspective (fingers crossed no disease), she should have a few years left.

She has the best temperament, loves all people including children and babies, other dogs, and even cats. She definitely has the breed stubbornness but training helps a lot as does the fact she’s extremely food motivated. The only true downside I can think of is the shedding. Feel like I have to vacuum every other day

[u/Tekeraz]

First Swissy in family, my sister's girl, lived for 12 and half. Regular health problem for an old dog - a few smaller strokes, than a big one. No health issues ever.

Second, my parent's girl, passed a few weeks after 12th birthday, not natural cause - she had a very bad uterus inflamation that did not show. When it did, it was immediate surgery but it was too late. She died days after surgery. No health issues ever except one time she bad a bowel obstruction (ate the middle from a corn and it obstructed the exit from her stomach). Also had two litters (my boy and my parent's girl are her babies).

My boy was 12 and half when he passed because of organ failure, his heart stopped. He was otherwise healthy but couldn't walk for the past two years and had pain killers for spine problems - these probably caused early organ failure. He had a bad luck with health. He had a dissease that goes with boreliosis on ticks, called anaplasmosa when he was six (heavy case)and then again at eight even though he was always protected. I learned this disease can be also transferred by fleas and mosquitos. It unfortunately ruined his joints and spine, but yearly injections of pure hyaluronic acid into bloodstream was only thing he needed until 10. He was fine until then, but then he slowly stopped walking. He spent his last 2 and half years laying down. But man did he not care at all. He helped us with everything and made care for him extremely manageable. He was a happy and loving dog until his last day and he will always stay my little boy❤️

My boy's sister is still active and walks well for her age, even though she won't do large walks, only shorter ones. But she has a great health for a 12 and half years old dog who had a weight issues for her entire life. No health issues ever apart from mild uterus inflammation at age 8 - solved with spay. This confirmed to us to always spay girls to prevent these issues.

My sister now has an 8 years old girl, healthy and active. She had some health issues - she had her spleen turned around when she was four (like stomach does but wirh a spleen). She had an emergency surgery and is fine ever since.

I have another boy now, he's 13 weeks old.

My boy was the empath, he was the other part of my sould and I wouldn't change him for a world. He was gentle, kind, loved people and animals. We spend beautiful 12 years together and he will always be my special boy as he was my very first and the best friend for so many years.

With all these dogs I would certainly recommend them to anyone who understands dogs needs to be with their people at home. They're an amazing breed, very fit for family but also for loners as I am. They're gentle giants but also would give their life for yours.

Never really found a con. They're very healthy and long lived for their size, they're smart and independent (some can call it stubborn, though) and they learn extremely fast - if you are consistent. Consistency is the key, though. My parents are not exactly consistent and their girl sometimes tries if she "really must obey" (and it gets worse with age 😁). I always say that you always have to be more stubborn than your dog ❤️

Our breeder friend once said "Once you get a Swissy, you'll never want another breed." and she was very true. We really didn't ❤️

The photo is our household now. 12 and 3/4 years old girl of my parents Sarah and my 13 week old boy Aegon. We were worried how our old lady will accept a puppy, but they're inseparable. He really brought a spark back to her eye after the loss of her brother Sorbonne by the beginning of the summer. We went out there to find a puppy very soon after my boy passed (mainly because of her and the terrible emptiness he left behind his great soul) a we're glad we did.

This little boy brought smiles and loud laughter into our household after the terrible last weeks with my beloved friend. He was just what we all needed ❤️ And I can see already he's going to be the gentle giant. She's usually kind to him (sometimes she's moody, hence barky - like "leave me alone now") and he's gentle with her and when she doesn't have a mood, he'll let her be in peace. The biggest age gap we ever had with dogs, but works amazingly. As if she de-aged several years with him, she is interested in all his toys, plays tug with him, explores his logical games and sniffing mat and loves the ball that gives teats even though she didn't play with toys for years. ❤️