These dogs have been used to hard work for centuries. They were useful dogs, mostly used by farmers and pedlars. They were used for towing, and were bred for this purpose. They like to tow, they have it in their genes. They used to tow milk two times a day from distant stations, and also different cargo to the market. Because of their endurance they were called "poor man's horses", because they helped poor farmers  who could not afford horses. They were used to tow chopped wood from forests, carriages and other things. They were excelent guard dogs. They were also used in the Second world war to carry cargoes for the army. They turned out to be better towing animals than horses in the mountains.

At the end of the 19th century the breed was near extinction, probably because of two reasons; the farmers did not devote themselves to breeding, because it was not important if the dog was purebred or not, just if it can work or not. The second reason is the appearance of machinery. In 1908 things accidentally changed. A judge named Heim found out on a dog show in Switzerland that this dog was placed in a wrong group, and that was one of the most beautiful speciments. He started with planned breeding in was able to save the oldest breed in Switzerland. In two years it was recognized by the kinological association of Switzerland. From then on they are known as Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs. Today there are not many swissies in the world. There has been a lot of progress in the last hundred years, but they are still rare. This breed survived mostly because of their heartiness, eagerness for work, and also their beauty.