Leonberger

Leon is my lion in disguise. He's a Leonberger by breed. Sometimes I introduce him to the neighborhood kids as Leo the Lion. Actually, he's more like Clarence the Cross-eyed Lion, but I felt he should have a bit more of a royal intro. Leon is just a large-hearted pup in a lion-size body and he wouldn't hurt a fly. In fact, Leon has such patience with kids that sometimes people question his smarts. I don't - I know how intelligent he is. In fact, he may be one of the smartest dogs I've ever known. But I'd rather talk about how loveable this dog is, much more than most other dogs. All that affection and as pretty as a lion to boot.

After the neighborhood kids finish climbing all over Leon, he slowly walks over to me and gives me that look as if to say, "I've done my job. Just another day making the kids happy", and then he'll lay his head in my lap asking for nothing more than a little pat on the head. I usually add a quiet "Good boy, Leon."

I don't know about his breed as a whole, but Leon didn't need much obedience training. He is so affectionate and eager to please that he really never steps out of line. He'll listen and respond immediately. If he's walking with me and getting a little bit too far ahead, I just say in a normal speaking tone, "Leon, you're walking too fast," and he'll stop, turn and wait until I catch up. Or if he's lagging behind, I'll say, "If you want to come home with me you'd better hurry up," and he'll run up and walk at my side from that point on. I'm not saying he understands every word, but he certainly understands the gist of what I am saying. I could tell you a lot more about how smart Leon really is, but you get the idea. He's a really special dog with the heart of a lion.