Griffin's Nest has been a member of the Leonberger Club of America (LCA) since 1997 and had their first litter in 2002.

Leonbergers are gentle, loving and loyal dogs that easily become part of the family. The standard temperament is exceptional and they are very eager to please. Griffin's Nest has 2 pups, each from different litters, that have been certified as Therapy Dogs. Congratulations Poe and Benton.

We breed quality Leonbergers and have carefully chosen studs that are the German standard for the breed to facilitate the development of their line. If we can not find a male in the US that fits the breed standard we ship it in from other countries to use with our females.

We are committed to breeding for longevity, health and great temperament while remaining within the original German standard.

We work with a reproductive specialist to have natural, healthy and happy puppies without the use of any hormones or any other synthetics to increase our females' fertility.

From the time the puppies are born they have human interaction and are continuously supervised 24 hours a day for the first 4 weeks of their lives. For the next 4 weeks they are introduced to various household noises and activities. This gets them accustomed to their surroundings and the daily activities of a household.

In the Leonberger section of our website you can see pictures and obtain information about our puppies and their parents.

We will not breed a female past the age of 6 and when our female is retired from breeding she continues to be a part of our family and remains in our house. You can see them in our retirement section (coming soon).

If we have a dog that we have purchased or kept from one of our litters, to use in our breeding program, and we feel he or she is not quite what we want to use for breeding we do not place them in another home. We keep them here as pets. You will see them in our Runners Up section (coming soon).

Leonbergers are meant to be a family member. They are gentle giants who have a boundless love and a need to be loved. They demand constant companionship.

Leonbergers always seem to know when you need an extra hug. Sometimes they even think they're a lap dog.

Some Leonbergers are used as therapy dogs or for water rescue.

Before deciding on a Leonberger as a family member you should research the breed. There are many resources about Leonbergers. A few of them are listed on our Leo Links page.

If you just want a pet or an outside dog then you should not consider a Leonberger.

Thanks to the dedication and co-operation of many domestic and international Leonberger owners and breeders, our researchers, and the generosity of the LHF and the AKC CHF, we now have a genetic test available for the LPN1 mutation which causes severe, early onset Leonberger polyneuropathy.

Buyer Beware! Be sure to ask to see certification of LPN1 status of the parents of any litter you consider.

Visit the Comparative Neuromuscular Laboratory website for more information about LPN1 at: http://vetneuromuscular.ucsd.edu/cases/2014/March.html

The Leo Links page within the Leonberger section has links to websites where you can learn about the Leonberger breed.