Thanks to the Swedish Vallhund, or in another way, the Swedish cattle dog, it becomes clear that neither height nor weight is important for a real, working shepherd dog. After all, this short-legged dog once perfectly coped with whole herds, destroyed hordes of rats and guarded both livestock and dwellings.
Today the Swedish Vallhund are mostly companion dogs, although they have not lost their herding instinct. Dogs are similar to the Welsh Corgi, but there is no reliable data on their genetic similarity.
Swedish Vallhund photos
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Physical characteristics
The Swedish Vallhund is a small robust dog of medium size. The length of his body exceeds the height. The size of an adult male is 33 to 35 cm and that of females from 31 to 33 cm, and the weight fork is 10 to 16 kg.
Distinctive features
- Head: The head is an elongated corner with a pronounced transition from the forehead to the muzzle. The forehead is rather wide and flat.
- Jaws: the jaws are entirely formed, powerful. Complete set of teeth with a regular scissor articulated.
- Ears: the ears are medium in size, erected with sharp ends, low -attached.
- Eyes: Eyes are almond -shaped, medium -sized. The color of the iris is dark brown.
- Body: the body is elongated, stocky. The neck is strong, athletic with a lightly pronounced tourniquet. The back is flat, well developed and strong. The chest is ovoid, rather extensive. Arched type ribs. The kidney is straight, muscular with a rounded and short rump. Retract the stomach, but not suddenly.
- Members: The legs seem very short, but muscular. Attached naturally, but the hinders are slightly wider than the anterior. Medium -sized, oval, fist legs. The pads are thick, the nails are strong and dark in color.
- Pelage: the hair root is hard, thick, medium length. Significantly longer in the neck, chest and back of the body. The sub-point is soft and dense. The color is pronounced wolf with various shades of gray. It is possible to include red and whitish spots on different parts of the body.
Character and behavior
The Swedish Vallhund are “large dogs in small bodies” because, despite their size, they are strong and intrepid.
They are also excellent family dogs and companions; love people and are friendly, sweet and faithful. They want to be involved in family affairs and should not be left alone for too long.
The Swedish Vallhund is an energetic, joyful and independent dog. The excessive activity of the animal must be properly used, because left to itself, it can find something to do that the owner will probably not like.
With children
He treats children gently and sweetness, likes to play with the child.
With other animals
He gets along well with other domestic animals, but his excessive playful is not always to the taste of cats and other pets. They can chase dogs they don’t know. They are less likely to get along with dogs of the same sex.
Health
The Swedish Vallhund is distinguished by excellent health. Diseases diagnosed in this breed are mainly hereditary:
- Glaucoma.
- Hyperextension.
- Cataract.
- Dysplasia of large joints.
- Myelopathy.
Life expectancy
On average, the Swedish Vallhund lives from 12 to 14 years.
Care
Taking care of a Swedish Vallhund is very simple:
- The hair is combed 3 to 4 times a month.
- The ears are examined 1 to 2 times a week.
- They rarely bathe, only 3 to 4 times a year.
- The nails are shortened if necessary.
- Periodically check the condition of the eyes.
- The teeth are brushed 1 to 2 times a week.
Exercise
The Swedish Vallhund must be able to practice at least one daily exercise, even if he can do much more! It is a very versatile breed that responds well to new challenges: from driving sheep to agility tests.
History of the breed
The Swedish Vallhund is an ancient, national breed of dog in Sweden, the appearance of which can date back to the 8th or 9th century. They originated in the county of Vestra Gotaland, which is located just south of Lake Venern.
This small dog was perfect for observation, guarding and grazing. This breed is believed to have played a role in the development of the modern Welsh Corgi and Lancashire Healer.
Another theory for the origin of the breed is that during the eighth or ninth century, either the Swedish Vallhund was introduced to Wales or the corgi were taken to Sweden, hence the similarities between the two breeds.
Swedish Vallhund dogs were common in Sweden until World War I, when their numbers declined rapidly. Over the next two decades, this breed almost became extinct.
Count Bjorn von Rosen, a member of the Swedish Kennel Club (SKK), saved the day and was already working to save other Swedish breeds, including the Swedish Laika, from extinction.
He began to collect the remaining dogs and created the first breed nursery. At the same time, he wrote articles about the Swedish Vallhund for the large Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet, helping to increase the popularity of this breed.
It took years for the Scandinavian Kennel Club to recognize the breed in 1943 or 1948. (sources vary in dates). But on the other hand, the International Cynological Federation (ICF) recognized the breed quite quickly and already in 1954 it was assigned to the group of Spitz and primitive breeds, to the subgroup of northern guard and herding dogs.
Today the Swedish Vallhund dogs live in the USA, Russia, Sweden, Great Britain, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Denmark and Switzerland.