Berger Picard: Dog Breed Profile | Dog Tips Secret

Berger Picard

The Berger Picard (pronounced bare ZHAY pee CAR), also known as the Picardy Shepherd, is a rare French sheepdog. The Berger Picard has a medium-length, tousled, rustic-looking coat and large, triangular, upright ears. The Berger Picard is tall, sturdy and muscular, but never bulky. The bouncy Berger Picard exudes joy and seems to smile; the shaggy beard and eyebrows only add to its charming appearance. This breed has an impish, almost humorous way about him.

The Berger Picard is confident, even tempered, protective and affectionate with its family. This herding breed is extremely athletic and needs copious amounts of exercise, making them excellent companions for active, outdoor adventurers. Without enough exercise and mental stimulation, the Berger Picard may become destructive as it attempts to burn off excess energy and alleviate boredom. The Berger Picard gets along great with respectively children and can usually coexist peacefully with most other dogs, but cats and other small, furry creatures are off limits due to the breeds high prey drive (instinct to chase).

Read more

Cardigan Welsh Corgi: Dog Breed Profile | Dog Tips Secret

Cardigan Welsh Corgi

The Cardigan Welsh Corgi—the Corgi with a tail—is lesser known than its cousin, the tailless Pembroke Welsh Corgi, but the breed is worth getting to know. The Cardigan Welsh Corgi is utterly devoted to his human family and full of fun antics. This adaptable breed is a ready and able to do anything you want to do—just as long as you’re together.

The breed may be reserved with strangers at first, but given ample time will usually warm up to new friends and share some of the abundant love they shower on their family. They are naturally watchful, which can make them wonderful watch dogs, alerting to any sign of trouble with a quick bark. The Cardigan Welsh Corgi gets along great with other animals, from dogs to cats to horses to farm animals. They love children who are part of the family, and naturally look after them as part of the “flock.”

Read more

Finnish Lapphund: Dog Breed Profile | Dog Tips Secret

Finnish Lapphund

A “weatherproof” breed, the Finnish Lapphund is a tough and sturdy dog hailing from north of the Arctic Circle. Though traditionally used for herding reindeer, the Finnish Laphund is a compassionate, friendly breed that makes a devoted and loving family companion.

Read more

Entlebucher Mountain Dog: Breed Profile | Dog Tips Secret

Entlebucher Mountain Dog

Often referred to as the "Laughing Dog," the Entlebucher Mountain dog belongs to the Sennehund family, a group of four herding breeds that hail from the Swiss Alps. Of the four breeds—which also includes the Bernese Mountain dog, the Appenzeller, and the Greater Swiss Mountain dog—the Entlebucher (or Entle) is the smallest.

Despite their smaller size, these herding dogs are extremely tough, sturdy, and energetic, making them a good pick for active families with older kids. Because Entles were bred as herding dogs, they're very protective of their people. Although they're loyal and loving to their families, Entles can be wary of or even aggressive towards strangers. Entles can also be aggressive towards other dogs, so it's important to begin socializing your Entle with strangers and other animals as early as possible.

It's important to note that Entles might not be the ideal dog for everyone. They require several hours of exercise each day; they can be stubborn, making training a challenge; and they're highly intelligent, so they can become bored—and rambunctious—easily. Because they need a lot of exercise—and space to run around—Entles are not recommended for people living in very small spaces or apartments.

Read more

Lancashire Heeler: Dog Breed Profile | Dog Tips Secret

Lancashire Heeler

The Lancashire Heeler is a feisty little dog that is full of character. This relatively rare breed from the United Kingdom is the smallest of all the herding dogs. They are known for being versatile and affectionate with their owners, but they can be less so with strangers or other dogs.

Read more

Appenzeller Sennenhund: Dog Breed Profile | Dog Tips Secret

Appenzeller Sennenhund

Straight from the Swiss Alps comes the agile and versatile Appenzeller sennenhund. This medium-sized breed may look like a smaller and more compact Bernese mountain dog—which is also part of the sennenhund family, but this breed has characteristics all its own. Today the Appenzeller sennenhund is a relatively rare breed in North America but is more commonly found in Switzerland and greater Europe.

To better understand the Appenzeller Sennenhund, it helps to first understand the breed’s name. The term ‘Senn’ is a Swiss reference to herders, while Appenzell is a region in Switzerland. So sennenhunds are a group of dog breeds that were used extensively by Swiss herdsman. Due to regional differences, four separate breed entities arose under the term of sennenhund. The Appenzeller sennenhund comes from the Appenzell region of Switzerland and was used for herding animals, guarding farm property, and pulling carts.

Read more

Alaskan Malamute: Dog Breed Profile | Dog Tips Secret

Alaskan Malamute

The Alaskan malamute may look like a wolf, but this large-breed Spitz is a loyal and hardworking dog prized for its strength and heart. Originally bred for such diverse tasks as hunting polar bears or pulling heavy sledges, the malamute is today a popular dog breed with families and active individuals.

It’s a common misnomer that Alaskan malamutes are the result of a wolf-dog hybrid breeding. While the breed we recognize today may have wolf ancestry, these dogs have been domestically bred and kept in the North American tundra for centuries. And despite their immense size and stature, they’re friendly and people-oriented—making them good family dogs, but poor guard dogs.

Read more

Swedish Vallhund: Dog Breed Profile | Dog Tips Secret

Swedish Vallhund

The Swedish Vallhund is a medium-sized, robust herding dog that hails from Scandinavia. The Swedish Vallhund’s short stature makes it an excellent cattle herder, as it is just the right size to nip at the heels of livestock to move them along, as well as balanced and agile enough to avoid kicking hooves.

At first glance, the Swedish Vallhund might seem small with its short legs, but it has the body of a larger dog that's sturdy, muscular, and substantial. Swedish Vallhunds have one of three types of tails: a natural bobtail (no tail), a stub tail, or a long, full tail. The sable coat is comprised of two types of hair, a medium-length, harsh-textured outer coat, and a softer, dense undercoat. The hair on the head and on the lower legs is shorter; the coat is slightly longer on the neck, chest, and back of the thighs.

Swedish Vallhunds are friendly, fearless, engaging companions with energy to spare. They are happiest when they have a job to do, whether that is herding or working on a farm, competing in a performance sport, or accompanying you everywhere you go. Swedish Vallhunds generally get along well with people, including gentle and respectful kids, as well as most other pets. Many Swedish Vallhunds have a tendency to “herd” family pets and kids with nips and nudges, so training to discourage this behavior is recommended. Swedish Vallhunds are known barkers, which makes them excellent watchdogs, but excessive barking might be problematic in urban settings.

Read more