Appearance

The Swedish Vallhund is a small, muscular spitz-type dog with a rectangular-shaped face. They have a wedged-shaped head, black nose, and prickly ears. Their long tail can either be bobbed or docked, and their double coat has a thick undercoat and a gray-to-red with harness markings and facial mask top coat.

History

The Swedish Vallhund is a National Breed of Sweden. Known as the “Viking dog,” this breed traces its roots for more than 1,000 years ago during the age of Vikings. This spitz-type dog was bred to be a working dog (herd the cattle, catch some small wild mammals) and a watchdog. According to one dog expert, the Swedish Vallhund is believed to be the ancestor of the Pembroke Welsh Corgi, although further DNA tests are needed to be more accurate. This breed almost went extinct. It wasn’t until in 1945 where two avid dog enthusiasts searched and rescued them in a Swedish countryside of Västgötaland during World War II. After publishing several articles about the breed, this prompted public interests and demand for the breed. In 1964, the Swedish Kennel club officially adopted the name Västgötaland as a breed standard. Today, the breed remains quite rare worldwide.