The Entlebucher Sennenhund or Entlebucher Mountain Dog is a medium-sized herding dog, it is the smallest of the four regional breeds that constitute the Sennenhund

dog type Dog types are broad categories of domestic dogs based on form, function, style of work, lineage, or appearance. Some may be locally adapted dog types (or ''landraces'') that may have the visual characteristics of a modern purebred dog. In cont ...

. The name Sennenhund refers to people called ''Senn'', herders in the

Swiss Alps The Alps, Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps, represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swiss Plateau and the Swiss portion of the Jura Mountains, one of its three main Physica ...

Entlebuch Entlebuch is a municipality in the canton of Lucerne in Switzerland. It is the seat of the district of Entlebuch. The area has been designated a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2001. History Entlebuch is first mentioned in 1157, as ''Entilibuoch ...

is a region in the

canton of Lucerne The canton of Lucerne ( ; ; ; ) is a Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Switzerland. It is located in the country's central, German-speaking Switzerland, German-speaking part. The population of the canton (as of ) is . , the population included 57 ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. The breed is also known in English as the Entelbuch Mountain Dog, Entelbucher Cattle Dog, and similar combinations.

History

The Entlebucher is the smallest of four Swiss mountain dogs, the others being the Appenzeller Sennenhund, the

Bernese Mountain Dog The Bernese Mountain Dog, or , is a large dog breed originating from the canton of Bern, Switzerland and the Swiss Alps. It is one of four Sennenhund-dog type, type breeds, with ancestral roots in Ancient Rome, Roman mastiffs. The name ''Berner ...

, and the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. During the 1800s these dogs were variable and were not regarded as distinct breeds. In 1908 the Swiss Kennel Club set about classifying them. In 1913, four bobtail Entlebucher Sennenhund were shown to

Albert Heim Albert Heim (12 April 184931 August 1937) was a Swiss geologist, noted for his three-volume ''Geologie der Schweiz''. Born in Zürich, he was educated at Zürich and Berlin universities. Very early in life he became interested in the physical fe ...

, an advocate for the increasingly rare Sennenhund breeds. The breed was entered into the Swiss Kennel Club stud book, but World War I intervened, and at first, after the war, no examples of the breed could be found. The first

breed club Breed clubs are associations or clubs with activities centered on a single, specific breed of a particular species of domesticated animal. The purpose of the association will vary with the species of animal and the goals and needs of the members ...

was not formed until 1926, 16 dogs of the type were found in 1927, and the breed slowly was restored. Although originally kept for guarding and herding, today the breed is usually kept as a lively companion.

Four breeds of Sennenhund

The four breeds of Sennenhund, with the original breed name followed by the most popular English version of the breed name, are: * Grosser Schweizer Sennenhund, Greater Swiss Mountain Dog * Berner Sennenhund,

* Appenzeller Sennenhund, Appenzeller Mountain Dog * Entlebucher Sennenhund, Entlebucher Mountain Dog The Entlebucher breed shares many characteristics of other

livestock guardian dog A livestock guardian dog (LGD) is a dog type bred for the purpose of protecting livestock from predators. Livestock guardian dogs stay with the group of animals they protect as a full-time member of the flock or herd. Their ability to guard t ...

s from around the world.

Appearance

The female Entlebucher Sennenhund is a square; the male is a longer, less square, sturdy, medium-sized dog. It has small, triangular ears and rather small brown eyes. The head is well proportioned to the body, with a strong flat skull. The long jaw is well formed and powerful. The feet are compact, supporting its muscular body. The smooth coat is close and smooth with symmetrical markings of black, tan, and white. This tricolor coat has white on its toes, tail-tip, and the chest and blaze where the fur is soft and fluffy; the tan always lies between the black and the white. It has muscular, broad hips. The hocks are naturally well angled. The tail is sometimes docked, a practice which is now prohibited by law in many countries, or it may have a natural bobtail. Height at the

withers Withers are the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, this ridge is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, catt ...

is 19-20 ins (48–50 cm) and weight is 45-65 lbs (20–30 kg).

Temperament

As with all large, active working dogs, this breed should be well socialized early in life with other dogs and people, and be provided with regular activity and training. Temperament of individual dogs may vary. The

Standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object ...

says that the breed is "good-natured and devoted towards people familiar to him, slightly suspicious of strangers."

Kennel club recognition

The Entlebucher Sennenhund is recognised internationally by the

Fédération Cynologique Internationale The (; FCI; ) is the largest international federation of national kennel clubs and purebred registries. The FCI is based in Thuin, Belgium and has 98 members and contract partners (one from each country). History The FCI was founded in 1911 un ...

, using the standard written in the breed's native Switzerland. Other national kennel clubs not affiliated with the Fédération Cynologique Internationale also recognise the breed, often writing their own versions of the breed standard. The Entlebucher is recognised by

The Kennel Club The Royal Kennel Club (KC) is the official kennel club of the United Kingdom. It is the oldest recognised kennel club in the world. Its role is to oversee various canine activities including dog shows, dog agility and working trials. It also ...

(UK) and the

Canadian Kennel Club The Canadian Kennel Club (or CKC; ), founded in 1888 and chartered under the Animal Purebred Act, is one of the national kennel clubs of Canada. It maintains breed registries services for those purebred dogs approved for its control by Agricultur ...

and placed in the

Working Group A working group is a group of experts working together to achieve specified goals. Such groups are domain-specific and focus on discussion or activity around a specific subject area. The term can sometimes refer to an interdisciplinary collab ...

. The United States Kennel Club (US) places the breed in the Herding Group. It is not yet recognised by the

New Zealand Kennel Club The New Zealand Kennel Club (now trading as Dogs News Zealand, and also known as Dogs NZ and NZKC) is the primary kennel club responsible for dog pedigree registration services in New Zealand. They also provide training services, judging for do ...

or the

Australian National Kennel Council The Australian National Kennel Council, currently known as Dogs Australia, is the coordinating kennel club and main canine association of Australia.''Encyclopædia Britannica''"Dog breeds" ''britannica.com'', retrieved 23 December 2018. It is a ...

. The breed is recognised by numerous small clubs and internet-based registries, where it is promoted as a

rare breed In modern agriculture, a rare breed is a breed of poultry or livestock that has a very small breeding population, usually from a few hundred to a few thousand. Because of their small numbers, rare breeds may have a threatened conservation statu ...

for puppy buyers seeking a unique pet. The breed was accepted into the

American Kennel Club The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit breed registry, registry of purebred dog pedigree (animal), pedigrees in the United States. In addition to maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions eve ...

Stud Book on December 1, 2010 and became eligible to compete in the herding dog group on January 1, 2011.AKC Entlebucher Mountain Dog News
, Retrieved April 9, 2011.

Health issues

Inbreeding Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely genetic distance, related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genet ...

due to the small foundation stock numbers has led to Entlebuchers suffering from

congenital defects A birth defect is an abnormal condition that is present at birth, regardless of its cause. Birth defects may result in disabilities that may be physical, intellectual, or developmental. The disabilities can range from mild to severe. Birth def ...

, the most common of which is

hip dysplasia Hip dysplasia is an abnormality of the hip joint where the socket portion does not fully cover the ball portion, resulting in an increased risk for joint dislocation. Hip dysplasia may occur at birth or develop in early life. Regardless, it doe ...

Hemolytic anemia Hemolytic anemia or haemolytic anaemia is a form of anemia due to hemolysis, the abnormal breakdown of red blood cells (RBCs), either in the blood vessels (intravascular hemolysis) or elsewhere in the human body (extravascular). This most commonl ...

also is known to occur. Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) is also present in the breed. The National Entlebucher Mountain Dog Association (NEMDA), in collaboration with other organizations, is working to eliminate these issues from the breed through responsible breeding,

genetic testing Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...

, and fact dissemination.National Entlebucher Mountain Dog Association Objectives, http://nemda.org

References

External links

Genetics of tricolour coats
{{Authority control Dog breeds originating in Switzerland FCI breeds Livestock guardian dogs