The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog is considered among the oldest of all Swiss breeds, between, beside ''swissy'', also Bernese Mountain Dog, Appenzell Cattle Dog, Entlebuch Cattle Dog and Saint Bernard belong. Saint Bernard, Bernese Mountain Dog and Swissy are large and robust, while Appenzeller and Enlebucher are smaller in size and also more slender.

Greater Swiss Mountain Dog	Bernese Mountain Dog	Appenzell Mountain dog
Nuba, owner: Neca Jerkovič	Athos Bernieshine, owner: Urša Kos	Delilah Tohočinska, owner: Jernej Burkeljca

Entlebuch Cattle Dog	Saint Bernard Dog
Lots of Luck, owner: Van de Malpienheide	U'Bina du Val du Morakopf, owner: Jana Krek

Several theories exist with regard to the ancient origins of the Swiss Sennenhunde breeds. The most popular theory states that these dogs are descendants of the Molossian, a large Mastiff type dog that accompanied the Roman legions on their conquest of vast areas of Central Europe in the 1st Century B.C.
Another hypothesis is that a large canine breed was brought to Europe by the Phoenicians about 1100 B.C. when they settled in Spain. Supposedly, these dogs later migrated eastward and influenced the development of large Mastiff type dogs such as the Spanish Mastiff, Great Pyrenees, Dogue de Bordeaux, Great Dane, Rottweiler and others as well as eventually the large Swiss breeds such as the Saint Bernard and the Great Swiss and Berner Mountain Dogs.
Yet another speculation assumes that a large breed was already in existence at the time of the Roman invasion of the alpine regions of Central Europe. The Roman dogs would have been crossed with these indigenous dogs. In Switzerland, these cross breedings eventually would have led to the development of the Saint Bernard and the two large Sennenhunde breeds, the Swissy and the Berner.

The ancestors of the Great Swiss Mountain Dog are of the type previously widely spread across Central Europe and frequently described as butchers' or slaughterer's dogs. They were strong, tricolor, sometimes black and tan or yellow dogs, popular with butchers, cattle dealers, manual workers and farmers, who used them as guards, droving or draught dogs and bred them as such.

On the occasion of the jubilee show to mark the 25 years of the founding of the (Swiss Kennel Club) SKG, held in 1908, two such dogs, called , were for the first time presented to Professor Albert Heim, for his assessment. This great promoter of the recognized in them the old, vanishing, large Sennenhund (mountain dog) or butcher's dog. They were recognized as a definite breed by the SKG and entered as in volume 12 (1909) of the Swiss Stud Book. In the canton of Berne, further exemplars were found which measured up to Heim's description and were introduced systematically into pure breeding stock. In January 1912 the club for was founded, which from then on took over the care and promotion of this breed. For a long period the breed reservoir remained small as it was particularly difficult to find suitable bitches.

Source of photos: http://www.nmbe.ch

Throughout the early 20th century, the population of GSMD in Europe grew very slowly, and it is still a pretty rare breed. By 1945 it is believed there were approximately 350-400 dogs in existence.
Today the breed is appreciated universally for its beauty, loyalty, calm temperament, minimal grooming requirements especially as a family dog. They are described in many books as the most beautiful breed in the world.