Description: The Lowchen breed is also called the little lion and its coat is cut to enhance that look. It is part of the small breed dogs and stands at 10 to 13 inches in height and weighs in at 9 to 18 pounds. It lives to about 14 years. The head is short but has a broad skull. With the muzzle, the same length or a touch shorted than the rear of the skull, this is broad to look at.

The Lowchen nose is dark in color and most commonly black. The eyes are set well into the skull and are round and dark. The ears are pendent with feathering and of a moderate length. They have a short body, with a high set tail that is medium in length. This breed has a long coat that is not curly but has a slight wavy look. Colors we see are, black and lemon, or white we also see speckled coloring.

History: The Lőwchen came from Europe from about 1610. This breed is thought to be from Germany due to its name meaning “Little lion”. It has always been groomed to look like a little lion. It was used as a foot warmer, by the ladies of the time. There are pictures showing this dog, going back as far as 1500’s but the breed is not clear and there can be confusion around as to whether these pictures are of the Bicon, or the Lőwchen. After the two World Wars numbers had dropped considerably and it was noted, in the Guinness book of records in the 60’s, as the rarest breed. Although more dogs are around today this is still seen as a rare breed of dog.

Temperament: Here is a dog that is sociable and affectionate. This dog shows good intelligence and is a quick learner. With a fearless attitude, they are sensitive but gentle, as well. This breed is good with children and will love to play with them. They are good with other pets within the home. The Lőwchen can be strong willed, if good leadership and the human being the alpha is not present. The males of this breed are very likely to challenge other dogs in the home for leadership, regardless of size. This dog needs firm, good, leadership to gain the best from the breed. With consistent good leadership this breed does well. This will allow the Lowchen dog to not suffer from small dog syndrome.

Health issues: Some blood lines are prone to patellar luxation but over all it is a good healthy breed.

Grooming: The Lőwchen's, small lion, cut is best done at a saloon at first for you to see how this is done. At home the coat should be brushed daily to maintain the over all good looks. It is also fine to have this dog cut in the puppy look. As a low shedder the dog does need brushing to get out any dead hair.

Living conditions: Here is a dog that is good for apartment life providing, they have good daily, and uses their mental and physical energy. A Lőwchen will love a small to medium size garden that is well fenced for safety.

If you can't find a local breeder in your area don't worry, many breeders are using the major airlines like American, Delta, Continental and Northwest airlines for shipping their puppies.

At this time the airlines will ship puppies to the following States: Alabama AL - Alaska AK - Arizona AZ - Arkansas AR - California CA - Colorado CO - Connecticut CT - Delaware DE - Florida FL - Georgia GA - Hawaii HI - Idaho ID - Illinois IL - Indiana IN - Iowa IA - Kansas KS - Kentucky KY - Louisiana LA - Maine ME - Maryland MD - Massachusetts MA - Michigan MI - Minnesota MN - Mississippi MS - Missouri MO - Montana MT - Nebraska NE - Nevada NV - New Hampshire NH - New Jersey NJ - New Mexico NM - New York NY - North Carolina NC - North Dakota ND - Ohio OH - Oklahoma OK - Oregon OR - Pennsylvania PA - Rhode Island RI - South Carolina SC - South Dakota SD - Tennessee TN - Texas TX - Utah UT - Vermont VT - Virginia VA - Washington WA - Washington, D.C. - West Virginia WV - Wisconsin WI - Wyoming WY - Hawaii HI.