BREEDING WITH INTENTION
These four Swiss breeds are collectively known as Sennenhunds, with Senne meaning alpine pasture and hund meaning dog. These dogs of the Senn people accompanied the dairymen and herders in the Swiss Alps.
and color patterning and, to some extent, body type. However, the Entlebucher is categorized in AKC Group 7, Herding Dogs, whereas the Appenzeller is still in the AKC Foundation Stock Service, but is also, historically, a herding dog. These four Swiss breeds are collectively known as Sennenhunds, with Senne mean- ing alpine pasture and hund meaning dog. These dogs of the Senn people accompanied the dairymen and herders in the Swiss Alps. It is reported that dogs of this general type existed over 2,000 years ago as descendants of the Mastiff-type and guard-type dogs brought by the Romans. The Bernese Mountain Dog was known in some areas in the canton (state) of Bern, Switzerland, as the Dürrbachler or Dür- rbachhunde, after the small town of Dürrbach where they were frequently found. It was an all-purpose farm dog, guarding prop- erty, driving dairy cattle long distances from the farm to the alpine pastures, and transporting farmers’ carts of milk and cheese. These carting dogs were known by the locals as “Cheese Dogs.” By the late 1800s, dwindling numbers due to mechanization provided a strong impetus for selective redevelopment in the first decade of the 20th century. Today, the parent club offers drafting and carting tests for the breed and they are eligible to compete in AKC Herding Events as well. The parent club’s drafting and carting tests include titling at the Novice and Open levels either as singles or braces. These include tests of maneuverability and half-mile distance freight haul- ing, either on or off leash. Advanced titling is available through the Master level, single or brace. The breed has retained many of its early 1900s ancestral charac- teristics; however, with a pronounced drift toward a heavier-boned and more luxuriously-coated dog. This is the same whether in the US or Switzerland. Carting and drafting are also done through the Swiss Sennenhund club, as mechanization and motor transport have eliminated the need for the Bernese Mountain Dog’s use as a draft animal and cattle guardian. There does not appear to be a dif- ference between the dogs engaged in drafting or carting and those being exhibited, as many are found in both endeavors. With a development that tracked similarly to the Bernese, the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog (GSMD) was the result of local dogs breeding with Mastiff-type dogs. However, this particular track resulted in a short-haired dog, but with similar coloration and pat- terning. Rediscovered in the early 1900s after almost becoming extinct due to work done by machines and other breeds, the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog was an all-around farm dog used in drafting, as well as guarding and moving dairy cattle. During World War II, the GSMD was used as a draft dog by the Swiss Army. It is consid- ered the oldest and largest of the four Sennenhund breeds, and it’s likely that it had influence in the development of the St. Bernard. The GSMD is found in very low numbers in the US and throughout the world; however, their appearance today very closely resembles the make and shape of dogs from the first and second decades of the 20th century when the breed was reintroduced. The parent club maintains a well-curated small archive of photos from that time period that depicts the breed standing, as well as working as a draft dog in singles or braces. It also conducts drafting tests that are very similar in content to those of the Bernese Mountain Dog, including novice and open levels, either singles or in braces. Although the parent club does not maintain a testing program for herding, it does encourage the demonstration of herding instinct and ability via tests offered by testing/trialing bodies. Given the GSMD’s low numerical population, a substantial number of this breed have achieved drafting and herding titles, including dogs that are also show champions.
Dog falls into FCI Group 8 (Retrievers, Flushing, Water Dogs). Neither the Chinook nor the Boerboel are classified or recognized by the FCI. Five of these breeds (Cane Corso, Doberman Pinscher, Giant Schnauzer, Rottweiler, and Boxer) are subject to working trials. For these breeds, their working ability is commonly dem- onstrated via IPO/Schutzhund. Internationale Prüfungs-Ordnung (IPO) is the FCI name for sport Schutzhund titles. Within the Working Group, the Black Russian Terrier, not named in FCI as subject to working trials, also participates in IPO/Schutzhund. The purpose of Schutzhund is to identify dogs that have or do not have the character traits required for these demanding jobs. Some of those traits are a strong desire to work, courage, intelligence, train- ability, a strong bond with the handler, perseverance, protective instinct, and a good sense of smell. The various levels of Schutz- hund working trials encompass tracking, obedience, and protec- tion. There are various Schutzhund associations within the United States, some focusing on one or multiple eligible breeds. In this installment of the series, the all-around farm/watch/draft and rescue type dogs of the AKC Working Group (Bernese Moun- tain Dog, St. Bernard, Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, Leonberger, Giant Schnauzer, and Standard Schnauzer) will be explored. Of this group, only the Giant Schnauzer has a working certification requirement in its native country. Three of the six breeds mentioned above have Swiss development (Bernese Mountain Dog, Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, and Saint Bernard), with two of the three found in FCI’s Group 2, Section 3: Swiss Mountain and Cattledogs. The Saint Bernard is in Section 2.2 Mountain sub-type, as is the Leonberger. The remaining two (Giant Schnauzer and Standard Schnauzer) are classified in FCI Group 2, but in Section 1, Pinscher and Schnauzer, and further in the Schnauzer sub-type. In addition to the Bernese and Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs noted above, there are two others which fall into FCI Group 2, Sec- tion 3. These are the Entlebucher Mountain Dog and the Appen- zeller Mountain Dog. They are remarkably similar in coloration
124 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, NOVEMBER 2020
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