Appenzeller Sennenhund: the rarest Swiss mountain dog

The Appenzeller Sennenhund is an old, but now very rare breed of dog. Even in its own country, it has endangered status, the only one of its kind among Swiss mountain and herding dogs.

The Appenzeller Sennenhund is an intelligent and active, hardy working dog, nowadays they are more often kept as a watchdog or family pet. Its rarity is probably compounded by the fact that it is not recommended for indoor keeping because it requires exercise and space.

History of the Appenzeller Sennenhund

The Appenzeller Sennenhund is a Swiss dog breed. Its ancestors were probably the dogs of farmers in the Alps, and it is thought to have roots going back to the common shepherd dogs of antiquity. The breed was first mentioned in a book of 1853 (‘Tierleben der Alpenwelt’, ‘Animal lifein the Alpine world’). It was described, among other things, as a high-pitched, short-haired, spitz-like dog with a ‘high voice’.used partly to guard the farm and partly to herd the cattle“. A Swiss chief forester, Max Siber, took a liking to the breed and became one of its greatest promoters. In 1895, he applied to the SKG(Schweizerische Kynologische Gesellschaft, Swiss Kynological Society) for some form of support for the breed, which resulted in a grant of 400 Swiss francs to support its breeding. This started the breed on the road to recognition, even entering representatives in shows.

In 1906, the first breed club was founded on the initiative of another gentleman who was committed to the breed. Prof. Dr. Albert Heim worked for the promotion and protection of Swiss Shepherd Dogs, including of course the Appenzell Hounds, and, in addition to their breed club, he also drew up the first official breed standard in 1914. It was 40 years before the the FCI to officially recognise the breed in 1954Since then, the breed has made its way to America. Over the years, the Appenzell Shepherd Dog has gained a growing number of fanciers, but to this day there are few of them, even in their native country and in Europe.

Breed standard

Medium size, strong build, muscular breed. The ideal height is between 50 and 56 cm, but a 2 cm difference is allowed. Body weight is usually around 22-25 kg. His trunk is long and his loins broad, giving him a slightly robust yet athletic build. The limbs are also muscular and parallel. Tail is high set, moderately long, hanging down to the hock when at rest, and tucking up when moving. The skull is flat, with a slight stop, the head is elongated and tapering. Ears small, V-shaped and drooping. Eyes are always brown, the darker shade being the more ideal. Coat is short, double-layered, dense and shiny.

The tricolour is usually black, reddish-brown and white, but the standard also allows a Havana brown base colour instead of black. White markings appear at the tail end, on the cheek region, from the chin to the chest and on all four legs. The reddish brown pattern is on the cheeks, on the chest where the shoulder joint is and on the legs. The average age is 13–15 years, but it is common for them to live longer. It is classified in the FCI breed group 2, Pinschers, Schnauzers – Molossians – Swiss Mountain and Shepherd Dogs, and in the last section, i.e. Swiss Mountain and Shepherd Dogs.

The character of the Appenzeller Sennenhund

The Appenzeller Sennenhund is an intelligent, calm (but never lazy), independent, lively, happy and versatile breed of dog. It is basically a working dog, as mentioned above. It was originally used for herding cattle and house herding, and this still shows in its character today. He is a reliable and brave, confident breed. He loves his family more than anything else, he is affectionate but not attached to his owner. Distrustful and suspicious of strangers, he needs time to accept someone without reservation.

He is an active, very energetic breed, excels in a wide variety of sports and enjoys playing with his owner. He is intelligent, teachable and demands to be challenged. It is very important that he is socialised from an early age and that his owner is consistent and confident. This does not mean that you should be rough with the dog, in fact, this is not allowed at all for any breed! But it is important that the owner knows what he is doing and communicates clearly with his dog.

Ideal environment

With such an active and energetic dog, it is essential that owners provide daily exercise, and often exercise, teach and task them. It adapts easily to different living situations, but is not recommended for indoor housing, mainly because of its endless energy and exercise requirements. As mentioned above, early socialisation to other dogs, cats, pets and children is very important. Once this is done, the incorruptible watchdog will be able to maintain a balanced relationship with other members of the household of different sizes and species. It is not recommended for inexperienced owners because its guarding tendencies, physical strength and confident, independent nature make it important for the owner to be consistent in its training from the very first moment.

If he has a job to do or enough activity in his daily life, he can become a well-balanced and very loyal companion.

How to care for your Appenzeller Sennenhund?

It is very easy to care for, requiring little time or effort most of the year, just regularity. At least once a week it is worth combing through the coat to remove dead hair. It is better to do this regularly during the shedding season. In addition, it is important to check his ears frequently, groom his teeth and trim his claws when necessary.

Common health problems

The Appenzell Shepherd is a very healthy breed. The advantage of its rarity is that its breeding is relatively well supervised and controlled. None of the sources mention any common health problems specific to the breed, at most what the health profile of other Swiss Mountain and Shepherd breeds might indicate. And the breed’s dedicated breeders are working to keep it that way.

Literature: János Szinák–István Veress: A világ kutyái I.