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Int'l Union
Union | Purpose/Goals | History | FCI Standard | Judges

Internationale Union für Leonberger Hunde

The member nations of the Internationale Union für Leonberger Hunde (IU) meet annually on the last weekend of September on the day prior to the German Leonberger Club Show in Leonberg. Each country may send two representatives plus a translator, if required.

Meetings can also be held at other times at the request of fifty percent of the members.

Member Nations

Germany (Breed Country of Origin)

IU Purpose and Goals

The purpose of of the IU is to improve the breed of the Leonberger Dog within the framework of the official FCI standard. The Union is dedicated to achieving the following goals:

• A uniform interpretation of the Leonberger Standard.

• The development of joint breeding guidelines.

• The education and further training of judges specializing in the Leonberger.

• The formal exchange of breeding documents (stud books, national breeding regulations, etc.).

• The coordination of the system of exhibiting Leonbergers.

• The international standardization of investigations and evaluation of canine hip dysplasia.

• Pursuit of the understanding of and fight against hereditary defects and diseases.

In 1997, the following resolution was declared unanimously. All member countries of the IU prohibit the sale and purchase of Leonberger dogs to and from professional dealers for the purpose of resale. They will not tolerate any commercial trade of Leonberger dogs.

History

The International Union of Leonberger Dogs was founded in 1975. Herr Robert Beutelspracher, President of the Deutche Club für Leonberger Hunde at the time, wisely determined that the protection of the Leonberger breed would require international cooperation. He invited representatives of European nations to meet to see if all could agree to follow a single breed standard and interpret that standard in a unified manner. The first meeting, attended by representatives from the Leonberger Clubs from Holland, Denmark, France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Germany, was held at the city hall of Leonberg. On September 27, 1975, the Internationale Union für Leonberger Hunde e.V. was officially formed.

The underlying principle upon which the Union was formed is that the country of origin of the breed has the right to determine the standard for that breed. Therefore, in all countries in which the Leonberger finds a home, one can expect to find Leonbergers being bred according to the standard adopted by the F.C.I. on April 24, 1995.

The German Leonberger Club (DCLH) built and maintains a wonderful international Leonberger Club House in Leonberg. These club facilities are a unifying tool for Leo friends from all over the world. It is here that the German Leonberger Specialty takes place. And it is here that special international Leonberger events are held.

The Union has been evolving for 20 years. Progress has not always been easy or smooth, but it has always taken place. The Union has grown from seven original nation participants to seventeen. Hungary is the most recent country to be granted full membership. It is extraordinarily challenging to protect and preserve the health and integrity of a dog breed. It takes diligence, cooperation, dedication, and self-sacrifice. For 20 years the members of the Union have demonstrated these qualities in the service of the Leonberger.