Entlebucher Mountain Dog

The Entlebucher Mountain Dog, or Entlebucher Sennenhund, is a medium-sized herding dog from Switzerland and the smallest of the four Sennenhund breeds. Sennenhund refers to the Senn, the herders of the Swiss Alps, and Entlebuch is a region in the canton of Lucerne.

History

The Entlebucher belongs to the same family as the Appenzeller Sennenhund, the Bernese Mountain Dog and the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. In the 1800s these farm dogs varied a good deal and were not thought of as separate breeds. The Swiss Kennel Club began to sort them into types in 1908.

In 1913 four bobtailed Entlebuchers were shown to Albert Heim, who championed the increasingly scarce Sennenhund breeds, and the breed was entered in the Swiss Kennel Club’s stud book. Then World War I intervened, and when it ended no Entlebuchers could be found at first. A breed club was not formed until 1926. The following year 16 dogs of the type were located, and the breed was slowly rebuilt from them.

The Entlebucher was originally kept to guard and to herd. Today it is usually a lively companion.

Appearance

The Entlebucher is a sturdy, muscular, medium-sized dog. Females are square in outline, and males are somewhat longer in the body. The skull is strong and flat, the jaw long and powerful, the ears small and triangular, and the eyes rather small and brown. The hips are broad and muscular and the feet compact.

The coat is close and smooth, with symmetrical markings in black, tan and white. White appears on the toes, the tip of the tail, the chest and as a blaze on the face, and the tan always lies between the black and the white. Some dogs are born with a natural bobtail. Tails were also traditionally docked, which is now against the law in many countries.

Height at the withers is 48–50 cm (19–20 in) and weight 20–30 kg (45–65 lb).

Temperament

The breed standard describes the Entlebucher as good-natured and devoted to the people it knows, and slightly suspicious of strangers. Individual dogs vary. As an active working breed it needs to meet other dogs and people early in life, and it needs regular exercise and training.

Care and health

The breed was rebuilt from a small number of dogs, and the resulting inbreeding has left it with some inherited problems. Hip dysplasia is the most common. Hemolytic anemia and progressive retinal atrophy also occur. The National Entlebucher Mountain Dog Association and other groups are working to reduce these conditions through genetic testing and careful breeding.

The Entlebucher is recognized by the FCI under the Swiss standard. The Kennel Club in the United Kingdom and the Canadian Kennel Club place it in their Working Groups. It entered the American Kennel Club stud book on December 1, 2010, and has competed in the AKC herding group since January 1, 2011.

Facts on this page were checked against Wikipedia and may have changed since.