| Swedish Vallhunds: the most honest dog breed review you'll ever find. Information about Swedish Vallhund personality and behavior. |
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My book, Your Purebred Puppy: A Buyer's Guide (published by Henry Holt & Co.), includes a full-page profile of the Swedish Vallhund, including these excerpts:
"The FCI Standard calls the Swedish Vallhund "watchful, alert, and energetic."
Spirited and athletic, yet steady and dependable, the Swedish Vallhund is a true "big dog with short legs."
Hiking, herding, obedience, agility, or chasing balls (with surprising speed) are enjoyable outlets for the Vallhund's enthusiasm and desire to work.
Swedish Vallhunds love to be challenged with new tasks. If his days include such moderate exercise, along with the loving companionship of his family, he is adaptable and easy to live with.
Most Swedish Vallhunds are friendly (or at least polite) with everyone and make sensible watchdogs. Most are fine with other animals and especially wonderful with livestock, including horses.
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.
Swedish Vallhunds prefer their flock (family members and other pets) to be gathered together and may try to accomplish this by poking or nipping. Barking needs to be controlled."
History
This rugged farm dog, skilled at herding cattle and sheep, probably descended from spitz breeds brought to Sweden by the Vikings. Vallhund means "herding dog."
Size
12-14 inches and 20-35 lbs |
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Swedish Vallhunds
What's good about 'em
What's bad about 'em
- There are energetic Vallhunds, and placid Vallhunds.
- Hard-headed Vallhunds, and sweet-natured Vallhunds.
- Serious Vallhunds, and good-natured goofballs.
- Introverted Vallhunds, and Vallhunds who love everyone.
| If you acquire a Swedish Vallhund puppy, you can't know for sure what he or she will grow up to be like. Because a good number of purebred puppies do NOT grow up to conform to the "norm." |
Now let's look at some common characteristics for this breed...
- Is steady and dependable with everyone and makes a sensible watchdog
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- Is a "big dog" with short legs, i.e. built long and low to the ground, but with a robust body, heavy bone, and a working dog temperament
- Has a short easy-care coat
- Is spirited and athletic, but needs only moderate exercise to maintain his muscle tone
- Combines the working intelligence of a herding breed with the playful nature of a spitz
- Is less "bossy" than a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, but less "mellow" than a Cardigan Welsh Corgi
- Is polite with guests and makes a sensible watchdog
- Is usually fine with other family pets, and especially good with livestock
A Swedish Vallhund may be right for you.
| If you don't want to deal with... |
- Providing lots of mental stimulation that fulfills his desire to work and gives him something productive to do
- Destructiveness when bored or left alone too much
- Territorial aggression toward dogs and cats he doesn't know
- Strong-willed mind of his own, requiring a confident owner who can take charge
- Chasing and nipping at things that move: children, joggers, other animals, bikes, cars
- Barking
- Heavy shedding
- Waiting lists (hard to find) and a high price tag
A Swedish Vallhund may not be right for you.
| If I were considering a Swedish Vallhund... |
My major concerns would be:
- Providing enough exercise and mental stimulation. With their short legs and long body, Swedish Vallhunds don't need or want miles of running exercise, but they MUST have regular opportunities to vent their energy and to use their busy minds to do interesting things. Otherwise they will become bored -- which they usually express by barking and destructive chewing.
| I strongly recommend that you get your Swedish Vallhund involved in obedience classes at the intermediate or advanced level, agility (an obstacle course for dogs), tracking, or herding. Vallhunds were never intended to be simply household pets. Their working behaviors (chasing, nipping, poking, barking) can be a nuisance in a normal household setting. Trying to suppress these "hardwired" behaviors, without providing alternate outlets for their energy, can be difficult. |
- Chasing other animals. One of the Swedish Vallhund's responsibilities was to drive away strange dogs from their owner's farm and flock. Many Swedish Vallhunds are dominant or aggressive toward dogs and cats they don't know.
| If you have small children, I do not recommend Swedish Vallhund puppies. The temptation to grab or nip at moving people is simply too strong in many young Vallhunds. Small children may also lift and hold a Vallhund puppy incorrectly, which can damage his long back. |
- Mind of their own. Swedish Vallhunds are not Golden Retrievers. They have an independent mind of their own and are not pushovers to raise and train. They can be manipulative or willful, and you must show them, through absolute consistency, that you mean what you say.
- Barking. Swedish Vallhunds are often too quick to sound the alarm at every new sight and sound. You have to be equally quick to stop them. If you work all day and have close neighbors, Swedish Vallhunds are not a good choice for you. For the same reason, Vallhunds should NEVER be left outside in your yard, unsupervised. To make matters worse, some Vallhunds have intense, high-pitched barks that can set your teeth on edge.
- Heavy shedding. Swedish Vallhunds shed a lot. You'll find hair and fur deposited all over your clothing, upholstery, carpeting, under your furniture, on your countertops -- even in your food. Frequent vacuuming will become a way of life.
- Finding one and paying the price. In the United States, Swedish Vallhunds are very hard to find, and some breeders are charging $1000 and up.
| If you're considering an adult Swedish Vallhund... |
There are plenty of adult Swedish Vallhunds who have already proven themselves NOT to have negative characteristics. If you find such an adult, don't let "typical breed negatives" worry you.
When you acquire a puppy, you're acquiring potential -- what he one day will be. So "typical breed characteristics" are very important. But when you acquire an adult, you're acquiring what he already IS.
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Copyright © 2000-2006 by Michele Welton. All rights reserved. No part of this website may be reproduced without the permission of the author. |
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