Is the Swedish Vallhund the Right Choice for You?

The lovely Swedish Vallhund is highly prized in their native Sweden both as a working dog and companion. They are renowned for their intelligence which means they are highly trainable and enjoy learning new things. If you are looking for a dog that loves the great outdoors and taking part in all sorts of doggy sporting activities, you would not go far wrong choosing to share your home with a Swedish Vallhund.

Energetic and Loyal by Nature

The Swedish Vallhund is an active character and therefore needs loads of exercise and mental stimulation to be truly happy. They are by no means couch potatoes and benefit from sharing a home with an owner who boasts the same amount of energy as they do. If you are the sort of person who lives in a rural area, has a large back garden and who loves spending all your free time in the great outdoors, the Swedish Vallhund is the dog for you. Your canine companion would enjoy every minute they spend with you exploring the countryside.

Playful and Loving

These high energy dogs like nothing better than to play interactive games and excel at doggy sports. However, if you need company on a long hike, they will keep pace with you no trouble at all. They also boast very loving personalities and know how to bring a smile to your face with their silly antics, if there is one thing the Vallhund is good at it's keeping their owners entertained especially when they are feeling down in the dumps about anything.

Not a Perfect Choice for Everyone

Although a lovely and clever character, the Swedish Vallhund is not the right breed for everyone which is especially true of anyone who likes to lead a more sedentary and quieter existence. Because they are such high-energy dogs they need loads of exercise which includes playing games like flyball. If you live in town and don't have lots of time to devote to your pet, the Vallhund is definitely not the dog for you.

They are also known to be a bit vocal at times. They like the sound of their own voices and therefore have a tendency to bark at anything, including the postman and anything else they can hear outside. This can become a problem with neighbours, especially in towns or apartments. Because the breed is known for their intelligence, these dogs need consistent training throughout their lives which means they are not the best choice for first-time dog owners. If they are allowed to get their own way, the Vallhund could develop a few behavioural problems and they could easily end up thinking they are “top dog” in the household, in short they could become a real handful.

Great with Children and Other Pets

In general, the Vallhund is great around children although their strong herding instinct can see them rounding up the kids which could well entail a few nips on their ankles, but this is never done aggressively it’s more to get the kids to move in the direction they want them to go. The good news is that because these lovely dogs are so eager to please and intelligent, they can soon be taught this type of behaviour is not allowed when they are around the children or other pets either. However, children need to be taught how to behave around all dogs and need to be supervised at all times to prevent anything untoward happening which could end up frightening the kids. This includes them being knocked over by accident when they are playing with their canine pal.

If Vallhunds are well socialised as puppies, they tend to be very good around other pets and dogs too. They really enjoy the company of another dog and more especially if it's another Vallhund. However, as previously mentioned their strong herding instincts could see them herding other animals including dogs that live in the household which means they need to be taught not to from a young age.

Quick look at the Vallhund's personality and vital stats

• Eager to please
• Intelligent and highly trainable
• Need lots of exercise and mental stimulation
• Have strong herding instincts
• Need consistent training throughout their lives
• Excellent at lots of doggy sporting activities
• Not the best choice for people who lead more sedentary lives
• Breed group: Herding Dogs
• Height – around 1'1” tall at the shoulder
• Weight – anything between 22 and 35 lbs, anything more and they would be overweight
• Lifespan anything from 12 to 15 years.

Conclusion

If you are looking to share your home with a more active dog and one that enjoys nothing more than spending time in the great outdoors, the Swedish Vallhund could be the perfect choice for you. If, however, you lead a quieter more sedentary life, it would be a mistake to choose to own one of these attractive and playful dogs because they need to be given lots of exercise and they also need loads of mental stimulation to be truly happy, well-balanced dogs. However, the Swedish Vallhund is a lovely character and they are known to be great when they around children which is just one of the reasons they make great pets for families who lead active lives.