True to his heritage as a working farm dog breed, the Swedish Vallhund is an intelligent and alert companion.
There are TOP 10 interesting facts about Swedish Vallhund.
1) Viking History
The Swedish Vallhund breed is at least 1,000 years old, going all the way back to the age of the Vikings. At that time, the breed probably would have been known as "Vikingarnas Hund,"or the Viking Dog. 2) Name The breed's modern name, "Vallhund" is Swedish for herding dog. Being low to the ground allows the Swedish Vallhund to nip at cattles' heels and avoid getting kicked. The Swedish Vallhund has been used for herding cattle and sheep, and also for hunting vermin and guarding the home or farm. 3) Almost Extinct The Swedish Vallhund had almost become extinct by 1942. Two breeders, K. G. Zettersten and Bjorn von Rosen, saved the breed. They acquired one male, named Mopsen, and three females, named Vivi, Lessi, and Topsy, and used these four dogs to revive SV breeding in Sweden. 4) Training This attentive breed learns quickly and responds well to obedience training, but he does combine the independent judgment of a herding breed with the persistent, sometimes manipulative nature of the spitz family. You must have the confidence to establish and consistently enforce rules, or he may make up his own. 5) Barking Swedish Vallhunds bark quite a bit, first because they have keen and watchful senses, and second, because they used sharp barks to help control livestock. This is not a good breed choice if you have close neighbors. To make matters worse, some Vallhunds have intense, high-pitched barks that can set your teeth on edge. 6) Corgi Cousin Even if you're not familiar with the Swedish Vallhund, you probably know his "cousins," the Corgi breeds. Some historians think Corgis were taken from Wales to Sweden in the 8th or 9th century, while others believe the Swedish Vallhund was taken to Wales in that time frame. Either way, interbreeding after the migration resulted in these two breeds having similar characteristics, i.e., long and stocky bodies. 7) Independent Mind Swedish Vallhunds are highly intelligent. But like most herding dogs, they do have an independent mind of their own and are not pushovers to raise and train. They can be manipulative or willful. You must show them, through absolute consistency, that you mean what you say. 8) Stamps The Swedish Vallhund has appeared on postage stamps in Sweden, Ukraine, Russia, Tajikistan, Mali, and Nicaragua. 9) Appearance The Swedish Vallhund is a small sized dog with Spitz like physical characteristics. It has a large, wedge shaped head; oval shaped eyes medium in size and dark brown in color; prick shaped eras which are medium in size; a square shaped muzzle; a black nose with flared nostrils; black taut lips with teeth which meet in scissors bite. This breed can have bobtail (no tail), stub tail or full curl tail. It has short but strong legs. It has a double coat with a medium length outer coat which is rough and dense and, a soft and dense undercoat. The color of its coat can be various shades of grey and red. 10) Personality The Swedish Vallhund is an obedient and an active breed. It is great with kids as well as other pets. However, caution is advised around smaller pets such as cats, rabbits, rats etc. as it has a natural hunting tendency. It is an agile dog with an innate ability to sound an alarm quickly. Thus, it makes for a great watchdog. The breed can be reserved with strangers. Socializing at an early age is important to bring out the best behavior. Being an obedient breed, it is easy to train. Calm but consistent leadership skills are required to train the dog effectively. The breed adapts well to indoor as well as outdoor so is well suited to an apartment life. Source: http://www.akc.org/content/entertainment/articles/6-things-about-the-swedish-vallhund/ http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/reviews/swedishvallhunds.html http://www.dogscope.com/swedish-vallhund
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