Swiss mountain dog
Encyclopedia
Dog type
Dog types are broad categories of dogs based on function, with dogs identified primarily by specific function or style of work rather than by lineage or appearance....
of dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
originating in the Swiss Alps
Swiss Alps
The Swiss Alps are the portion of the Alps mountain range that lies within Switzerland. Because of their central position within the entire Alpine range, they are also known as the Central Alps....
. The Sennenhund are farm dogs
Working dog
A working dog refers to a canine working animal, i.e., a type of dog that is not merely a pet but learns and performs tasks to assist and/or entertain its human companions, or a breed of such origin...
of the general molosser
Molosser
Molosser is a category of large, solidly-built dog that includes several breeds, probably all descended from the same root stock. The name derives from Molossia, a subregion of ancient Epirus, ancient Greece, where the large shepherd dog was known as the Molossus.The proper noun "Mastiff", however,...
type. There are four breeds
Dog breed
Dog breeds are groups of closely related and visibly similar domestic dogs, which are all of the subspecies Canis lupus familiaris, having characteristic traits that are selected and maintained by humans, bred from a known foundation stock....
of Sennenhund, all sharing a unique tricolour coat
Coat (dog)
The coat of the domestic dog refers to the hair that covers its body. A dog's coat may be a double coat, made up of a soft undercoat and a coarser topcoat, or a single coat, which lacks an undercoat...
, heavy build, and a calm temperament. The breeds range from medium in size to very large. The name Sennenhund refers to people called Senn or Senner, Swiss alpine herdsmen and dairymen, and does not translate as "mountain" or "cattle".
Breeds
This table shows the relative sizes of the breeds, with the original breed name followed by the most popular English version of the breed name.| Breed | Height at withers Withers The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of a four-legged animal. In many species it is the tallest point of the body, and in horses and dogs it is the standard place to measure the animal's height .-Horses:The withers in horses are formed by the dorsal spinal processes of roughly the... |
Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Grosser Schweizer Sennenhund (Greater Swiss Mountain Dog) | 23½–28 in (60–72 cm) | 110–155 lb (50–70 kg) |
| Berner Sennenhund (Bernese Mountain Dog) | 23–27½ in (58–70 cm) | 65–120 lb (29½–54½ kg) |
| Appenzeller Sennenhund Appenzeller Sennenhund The Appenzeller Sennenhund is a medium-size breed of dog, one of the four regional breeds of Sennenhund-type dogs from the Swiss Alps. The name Sennenhund refers to people called Senn, herders in the Swiss Alps... (Appenzeller) |
18½–23 in (47–58 cm) | 49–70 lb (22–32 kg) |
| Entlebucher Sennenhund (Entlebucher Mountain Dog) | 19–20 in (48–50 cm) | 45–65 lb (20½–30 kg) |
The four Sennenhund breeds are well known in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and the rest of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the Bernese Mountain Dog has become somewhat popular, while the other breeds are promoted as rare
Rare breed (dog)
Rare breed is any breed of dog that is small in number. Since dogs have greater genetic variability than other domesticated animals the number of possible breeds is vast...
to those seeking unique pets.
History
Although said to derive from Roman molosserMolosser
Molosser is a category of large, solidly-built dog that includes several breeds, probably all descended from the same root stock. The name derives from Molossia, a subregion of ancient Epirus, ancient Greece, where the large shepherd dog was known as the Molossus.The proper noun "Mastiff", however,...
s, the area from which the type originated never had Roman roads or towns. The dogs may have arrived much earlier than Roman times as part of the ancient transhumance
Transhumance
Transhumance is the seasonal movement of people with their livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures. In montane regions it implies movement between higher pastures in summer and to lower valleys in winter. Herders have a permanent home, typically in valleys. Only the herds travel, with...
. The word Senn or Senner is the term for Alpine herdsmen and dairymen (an Alpine meadow is called a Sennelager) who tend other farmers' cattle and sometimes sheep; Sennenhund means "dogs of the Senn". Sennenhund were not just cattle dogs, but were kept as general farm dogs, working as livestock guardian dog
Livestock guardian dog
A livestock guardian dog is a domesticated canine used to defend livestock against predators. LGDs are commonly referred to as "sheep dogs" since they most often have guarded flocks of sheep, but most are capable of guarding other species of livestock. They are classified as pastoral dogs...
s and as herding dog
Herding dog
A herding dog, also known as a stock dog or working dog, is a type of pastoral dog that either has been trained in herding or belongs to breeds developed for herding...
s when necessary, as well as guarding
Guard dog
A guard dog, an attack dog or watch dog is a dog used to guard against, and watch for, unwanted or unexpected people or animals. The dog is discriminating so that it does not annoy or attack familiar people.-Barking:...
the farmers' families, homes, herds, and flocks. The guarding function was especially necessary in earlier times, when wolves and other large predators threatened livestock and people. The larger Sennenhunds were also used for pulling carts
Carting
Carting is a dog sport or activity in which a dog pulls a Dogcart filled with supplies, such as farm goods or firewood, but sometimes pulling people. Carting as a sport is also known as dryland mushing and is practiced all around the world, often to keep winter sled dogs in competition form during...
.
Today, with the reintroduction of wolves, research is being done on the use of these dogs to protect livestock.
A red and white colour once found in the Sennenhunds was said to be from crosses with the St. Bernard dog, a breed from the Alps also said to be descended from Roman molossers.
The Sennenhund, especially the largest ones, began to disappear in the 1800s with the decline in need for butcher's dogs and carting dogs. The efforts of Alpine geologist and indigenous Swiss dog breeds advocate Albert Heim
Albert Heim
Albert Heim was a Swiss geologist, noted for his three-volume Geologie der Schweiz.Born at Zürich, he was educated at Zürich and Berlin universities. Very early in life he became interested in the physical features of the Alps, and at the age of sixteen he made a model of the Tödi group...
(1849-1937) brought various examples of Sennenhund to an International Dog Show in 1908. At that point Heim and other members of the Schweizerische Kynologische Gesellschaft (Swiss Kennel Club) began sorting out the dogs by what they judged to be representative breed type
Breed type
Breed type is the whole of the characteristics that are typical of a breed of domesticated animals. Breed type may include details of form or color that are not directly related to the economic value of the animal, and are usually defined in breed standards....
s, and naming the four breeds. See individual breed articles for the history of the first breed clubs
Breed club (dog)
A dog breed club is an association or club of fanciers of a single, specific breed of dog.Breed clubs define the breed with which the club is associated in a document called a breed standard, although there may be multiple breed clubs for the same breed, each defining the breed in a somewhat...
and the writing of standards
Breed standard (dogs)
A breed standard in the dog fancy is a set of guidelines covering specific externally observable qualities such as appearance, movement, and temperament for that dog breed...
which defined the separate breeds of the type.
Similar breeds
The St. Bernard Dog was one of the first breeds of dogs to be documented and differentiated from other large farm dogs of the area. Except for colour and historical documentation, the St. Bernard is very similar to the largest Sennenhund. Official documents from the hospice in St. Bernard Pass concerning the dogs date back to 1707, with paintings and drawings of the dog even earlier. The breed was the very first breed entered into the Swiss Stud Book in 1884, and the breed standard was finally approved in 1887. The Sennenhund did not begin to be divided into breeds until 1908.Another butcher's dog from Germany, the Rottweiler
Rottweiler
The Rottweiler is a medium to large size breed of domestic dog that originated in Rottweil, Germany. The dogs were known as "Rottweil butchers' dogs" because they were used to herd livestock and pull carts laden with butchered meat and other products to market...
, is similar in shape to the Sennenhunds, and may be related.
Tricolour
A tricolour coat is a pattern of some shade of black or brown, some shade of red often called tan, and some white. Eumelanin and phaeomelanin pigmentation occurs on the same dog; "the back is black from eumelanin pigment being made and the belly is tan or red from phaeomelanin pigment being made".Breed examples
Examples of Sennenhunds, showing the similarity of the breeds and the characteristic tri-colour coat.External links
- Swiss dog breeds from the Berne National History Museum
- More information about geologist and indigenous Swiss dog breeds advocate Albert Heim (1849-1937), including a photo with Swiss Mountain Dogs in 1929 (in German)
- Genetics of tricolour coats, KG
- The Senn (in German)
- DMOZ links to more information about Sennenhund breeds