Breeds / Medium
Swedish Vallhund puppies
Cheerful, alert and vocal, the Swedish Vallhund is a small Scandinavian cattle herder with a large personality and a real need for both exercise and mental work.
The facts
- Size class Medium
- Country of origin Sweden
- Adult weight 9.1 to 15.9 kg
- Adult weight in pounds 20 to 35 lb
- Adult height 29 to 35 cm
- Energy level High
- Grooming Low
- Coat type Short double
- Typical lifespan 12 to 15 years
- Good with children Reliably good
- Good with other dogs Fine with supervision
Where these come from:
About the Swedish Vallhund
The Swedish Vallhund is an old Scandinavian farm dog, used to drive cattle by nipping at their heels and to keep vermin down around the buildings. It is long and low, 29 to 35 cm tall and 9.1 to 15.9 kg, with a harsh grey sable double coat and either a natural bobtail or a full tail. Vallhunds are cheerful, opinionated and talkative, keen to join in with anything happening in the house, and watchful enough to announce every arrival at the gate.
Exercise needs vary between individuals, but a decent walk plus a game or a training session most days suits the majority, and the breed needs puzzles as much as it needs miles. Grooming is a thorough brush down to the skin now and then, with far more during the twice yearly undercoat shed. Herding instinct can show up as nipping at running children, so redirect it early and supervise play. They are easy to overfeed, and a long backed dog carries spare weight badly, so watch the waistline.
What to expect at eight weeks
At eight weeks a Swedish Vallhund puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A medium breed puppy at eight weeks is a manageable armful that will not stay that way. Most of the growth happens between now and six months, so buy for the adult dog where you can. This is a high energy breed. At eight weeks that shows up as intensity rather than stamina, and it will need a job to do long before it needs long walks. Grooming is straightforward, but start handling the coat, feet and ears in week one anyway so it is never a fight later. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything it meets calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of its life.
Health worth knowing about
Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.
- Hip dysplasia, which breeding stock should be x-rayed and scored for
- Swedish Vallhund retinopathy, detectable by a DNA test developed for the breed
- Patellar luxation, graded by a veterinary orthopaedic exam
- Back and disc problems in a long bodied dog, diagnosed by x-ray and, where needed, MRI
From Swedish Vallhund breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/swedish-vallhund/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.
Your Swedish Vallhund puppy's first six months
- Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
- Worming and parasite schedule.
- Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Medium for a Swedish Vallhund.
- Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 9.1 to 15.9 kg adult range.
- Puppy names and the first week checklist.
Other medium breeds
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Not veterinary advice. Breed information is general. Your own dog, and your own vet, always win.