Swedish Vallhund

The Swedish Vallhund is a breed of dog. It is known as "Västgötaspets" in Sweden, from the Swedish county, Västergötland. In Swedish: Vallhund translates to herding dog.

A rare breed, having been saved from extinction during the 1940s, it is believed to originate from more than 1,000 years ago. It was developed for use as a drover and herder of cattle. The Swedish Vallhund is also known as the Swedish cattle dog.
 

Description

The average height of the Swedish Vallhund, measured to the withers, is approximately 33 cm (12.9 in) for males and 31 cm (12.2 in) for females. They are often strong, with a long body; the ratio of their height to body length is about 2:3. The head of the Vallhund is wedge-shaped, with dark brown oval eyes and pricked ears.
 

Colour and coat

The dog's coat should be short 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. Colour vary from 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. They have lighter markings on shoulders, also known as harness markings. Some dogs show white to a small extent as a narrow blaze, neckstop or slight necklace, as well as white markings on fore and hindlegs and on the chest. The maximum is 30% white.
 

Swedish Vallhund 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 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 are also known for heel nipping, due to their inbuilt herding traits. They will feel uneasy if their human family is spread out. This can either be encouraged for working farm dogs or discouraged in companion pets.
 

Swedish Vallhund  Health

The Swedish Vallhund is generally a healthy dog. Its small stature makes it often long lived. Its pointy ears mean that unlike dog breeds with long, hanging ears, ear problems are rare in the Swedish Vallhund. This breed can do well in hot climates due to their double layer coat and as long as they are provided cool shade and water as you would for any pet. This breed does not do well in very deep snow because of their short legs. The breed has a novel form of progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) studied in depth by Dr. András Komáromy of Michigan State University, along with Professor Hannes Lohi and Dr. Saija Ahonen of the University of Helsinki.

Swedish Vallhund  Activities

The Vallhund can compete in dog agility trials, obedience, Rally obedience, showmanship, flyball, tracking, hiking, 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.
 

Swedish Vallhund  History

The Swedish Vallhund is an ancient, national dog-breed of Sweden and may date back to the 8th or 9th century. Originating in the county of Västergötland, which lies just south of Vänern. Here the small dog proved to be excellent for watching, guarding and herding. The breed dates to the Viking settlement of England and is thought to have played a part in the modern Welsh Corgi and the Lancashire Heeler. The Swedish Vallhund is related to larger spitz dogs and moose hunting dogs of Scandinavia. Large dogs of this spitz-type, have been found buried with their masters in stone-age settlements in Scandinavia. An example of this being skeletons remarkably similar to the modern Norwegian Elkhound's build, another spitz-dog related to the Swedish Vallhund.