Entlebucher mountain dog
The Entlebucher is the smallest of the four Swiss Sennenhund breeds, from the Entlebuch valley, where it drove cattle between mountain pastures.
It is tricolour like its larger relatives but built lower and more compactly, with a naturally short or docked tail.
It stands 42 to 52 centimetres, weighs 20 to 30 kilograms and lives eleven to fifteen years, with a short dense double coat. It is the most energetic of the Sennenhunds by a considerable margin: a hard-driving, boisterous, vocal cattle dog with real stamina and a tendency to shove. It is affectionate and loyal at home and a great deal of dog for its size.
- Origin
- Entlebuch valley, Switzerland; the smallest Sennenhund
- Size
- 42–52 cm; 20–30 kg
- Lifespan
- 11–15 years
- Coat
- Short dense tricolour double coat
- Temperament
- Boisterous, vocal and very energetic; a driving cattle dog
- Health
- Hip dysplasia, PRA, glaucoma
Related: Bavarian mountain scent hound · Bernese mountain dog · Estrela mountain dog · Greater Swiss mountain dog
2 entlebucher mountain dog photos, newest first
Living with a entlebucher mountain dog
The energy is the thing to plan for. Entlebuchers need hours of activity and real work — herding, carting, agility, obedience — and they become noisy, pushy and destructive without it.
The heeling instinct means shoving and nipping at heels, which needs early redirection, especially around children.
They are vocal and will announce everything.
Ask for hip scores, PRA testing and eye examination — glaucoma occurs in the breed.
The short coat needs a weekly brush and daily through the moult, which is heavier than the coat length suggests.
General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual dogs vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.
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