The Appenzeller Sennenhund is a Swiss breed of medium-sized working dog. It originates in the Appenzell region of north-eastern Switzerland, and is one of four regional breeds of Sennenhund or Swiss mountain dog, all of which are characterised by a distinctive tricolour coat.
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History edit
The Appenzeller Sennenhund is the traditional working dog of the Sennen – Alpine cattle-herders and dairymen[2] – of the Appenzell region of north-eastern Switzerland. The earliest written description of it is that of Friedrich von Tschudi in Das Thierleben der Alpenwelt, published in 1853.[3][4]: 553 In the late nineteenth century Max Sieber, a forester who had seen the dogs at cattle shows in eastern Switzerland, asked the Schweizerische Kynologische Gesellschaft to recognise the breed;[5] a commission was established with financing from the canton of St. Gallen[5] and the Appenzeller Sennenhund was recognised in either 1896[6] or 1898.[3][7]: 88 Eight of the dogs were shown at the international dog show in Winterthur in 1898; they were entered in a new Sennenhunde class.[5]
In 1906 a breed society, the Appenzeller Sennenhunde Club, was established at the instigation of the cynologist Albert Heim, who in 1914 drew up the first full breed standard.[5] It was definitively accepted by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale in 1954.[8]
It has spread from Appenzell to other parts of Switzerland and to other European countries.[3] A study published in 2004 found it to be the most-registered breed in the canton of Appenzell, with 259 out of a total of 1358 registrations in the canton, or about 19%; in the whole of Switzerland it accounted for 360 of a total of 33470, or about 1.1% of all dogs registered by the Schweizerische Kynologische Gesellschaft.[9]: 226
It is the only Swiss dog breed considered to be at risk by ProSpecieRara, which lists it as gefährdet, 'endangered'. Numbers are stable but the gene pool is narrow; the association is in collaboration with the breed society, the Schweizerischer Club für Appenzeller Sennenhunde, to broaden it.[1][10]
Characteristics edit
The Appenzeller Sennenhund is the third-largest of the Sennenhund or Swiss mountain dog group, which also includes the Grosser Schweizer Sennenhund, the Berner Sennenhund or Bernese Mountain Dog, and the Entlebucher Sennenhund. It is a medium-sized dog: male dogs stand some 52–56 cm at the withers, bitches about 2 cm less;[11] weights are in the range 22–32 kg.[12]: 66
The coat is double, the top-coat thick, straight and glossy. It is always tricoloured: the principal colour may be either black or Havana brown, with white markings to the chest, face and feet, and reddish-brown areas between those and the base colour.[11]
The tail is set high and is carried in a tight curl over the back when the animal is moving.[11] The ears are set high and are triangular and fairly small; they hang close to the cheeks when the animal is at rest, and are raised and turned forward when it is alert.[11] Among the faults that disqualify a dog from registration are a wall eye, a kinked tail, a single coat and a coat that is not three-coloured.[7]: 88 Dogs may be expected to live for some 12–14 years.[13]: 290
According to the breed standard, the Appenzeller Sennenhund is lively, high-spirited, athletic and suspicious of strangers.[8][11]
Use edit
The Appenzeller Sennenhund was traditionally used by the Alpine cattle-herders and dairymen of the Appenzell region both to herd cattle and to guard property.[3] It is often kept as a companion dog.[3]
References edit
