Swedish Vallhund

The Swedish vallhund is a breed of dog. It is believed that the Swedish vallhund distinguished itself during the age of Vikings, more than 1,000 years ago. Known as the "Viking dog", the vallhund were bred to herd cattle, catch vermin (such as rats), and guard the home. The vallhund were also referred to as "the little cattle dog of the Vikings".

Swedish Vallhund Appearance

The Swedish vallhund are a powerful, fearless, watchful, energetic, alert, intelligent, friendly, and healthy small breed of dog. They have few known genetically inherited health issues, and are considered hardy, healthy and robust with a good long life span of typically over 14 years. Swedish Vallhunds are suitable as working farm dogs and as companion pets. They fit well into the rural lifestyle and suburban living.

Swedish Vallhund Size and weight

Height for Swedish vallhund little dogs at withers : Dogs 33 cm. Bitches 31 cm. A variation of 1.5 cm above or below these heights is permitted. Weight : Between 9 - 14 kg or 19.8 - 30.8 pounds." They should be strong for their size and have a muscular body. They are quite a substantial dog, with short legs.

Swedish Vallhund Color and coat

The dog's coat should be of short to medium length, and harsh. The topcoat is close and tight and undercoat is soft and dense. The hair is short on the head and on the foreparts of the legs, while a little bit longer on the neck, chest and back parts of the hind legs. Desirable colours are grey, greyish brown, greyish yellow or reddish brown with darker hairs on back, neck and sides of the body. Lighter hair in the same shade of colour as mentioned above can be seen on muzzle, throat, chest, belly, buttocks, feet and hocks. Lighter markings on shoulders, so called harness markings, desirable. White is permitted to a small extent as a narrow blaze, neckstop or slight necklace. White markings are permitted on fore-and hindlegs and on the chest. White patching that exceeds more than 30% over the overall coat coloring is considered a fault.

Temperament

This breed makes a great companion and can also be used for herding and ratting. They love human attention and are very devoted to their owners. They are a clownish type dog and can be a show-off at times. The Swedish vallhund is responsive and even-tempered with most people, but they can be wary of strangers and should be properly socialized and trained as a puppy as to avoid over-protective behavior as an adult. They will try to guard your home even if they are three sizes too small, so to say, for the job at hand. They are also known for heel nipping due to their inbuilt herding traits. This is a habit that can either be encouraged for working farm dogs or discouraged in companion pets.

Swedish Vallhund Activities

The Swedish vallhund can compete in dog agility trials, obedience, Rally obedience, showmanship, flyball, tracking, and herding events. Herding instincts and trainability can be measured at noncompetitive herding tests. Vallhunds that exhibit basic herding instincts can be trained to compete in herding trials