meet the...Appenzeller Sennenhund
Breed Summary
Breed Group Group 9: Large Guardian Pastoral/Mountain Dogs
Sub-group 9-B: Large Pastoral/Mountain Dogs and Related Breeds
Origin Country Switzerland
Weight Males: 49-70 pounds. Females: 49-70 pounds.
Height Males: 20-23 inches. Females: 18-21 inches.
Other Name(s) Appenzell Cattle Dog, Appenzell Mountain Dog, Appenzella
Breed Type Pure
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Origins
Named for the Appenzell region of Switzerland, the Appenzeller Sennenhund is one of four mountain cattle dog breeds that the country has produced, with the others including the Bernese Mountain Dog, the Entlebucher Mountain Dog, and the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. The Swiss mountain dogs were historically used as all-purpose farm dogs, assisting their families by driving livestock, carting milk wagons, and guarding property and livestock. It is believed that the Appenzeller was created when native Swiss mountain farm dogs were crossed to smaller herding types, such as the Puli, as well as some spitz types. In fact, the Appenzeller is the most spitz-like of all the Swiss mountain dogs. The crosses resulted in a medium-sized all-purpose farm dog.
It is widely believed that they are decedents of the Molossus brought to Switzerland by the Romans in the Bronze Age. The Molossus was crossed with the local Swiss working dogs to form this one of four Sennehunde, or Swiss Cattle or Swiss Mountain Dog breeds. It is generally accepted that the Appenzeller Sennenhunde was the first of the four breeds to be developed, and the other three are decedents. The Appenzeller Sennenhund was officially separated into its own breed from the other Swiss Mountain Dogs in 1989. In 1906, the first breed club for the group was founded, and a stud book was started. The breed was primarily developed by Max Siber, who wrote the first breed standard and played a major role in getting this breed recognized.
Today, the Appenzeller is a still considered rare breed, primarily bred in their country of origin still today to be sure-footed in the mountains while herding livestock and serving as a draft dog. In addition to draught and farm work, they are also being used as avalanche rescue dogs. As their popularity is steadily increasing, they can also be found competing in events that appeal to their protective nature, such as Schutzhund and protection trials.Breed Characteristics
Head: Somewhat mesaticephalic skull-type, moderate in size, fairly wedge-shaped, and in proportion to the rest of the body. The topskull is rather flat, whether viewed in profile or from the front. It is broad, being as wide (measured from one side to the other in front of the ears) as it is long (measured from stop to occiput.) The head, overall, tapers from the broad back skull toward the eyes and again toward the end of the muzzle. The occiput is only slightly pronounced. A median furrow starts at the stop and disappears toward the occiput. The head is clean-cut without excess skin or wrinkles.
Eyes: Somewhat small to medium in size, almond in shape, and amber or hazel in brown tri-color dogs, and medium to dark brown in color in black tri-colors. Outer corners may be set slightly oblique. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. The eyes are never bulging or deep set. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes. Any signs of entropion or ectropion are incorrect for this breed.
Ears: Somewhat small to moderate in size. Set fairly high on the skull, level with the plane of the skull and fairly well-apart, on the outer edge of the topskull. Triangular in shape with tips slightly rounded. The ears are drop-shaped and hanging, with the inner edges and tips close to the head when resting. The ears are held slightly forward when alert. The ears are never long, overly large, or fully erect.
Muzzle: The muzzle is full, deep, and broad. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight and level. It tapers slightly from the broad base toward the nose. The upper and lower jaws are well-developed, approximately equal in length, and have good bone substance. They are never snipey or weak.
Nose: The nose is well-pigmented and black or brown in Havana brown colors. The nostrils are well-opened.
Neck: Moderate in length (moderate can include somewhat short to medium) in length to allow for good head carriage and strongly muscled with a slight arch. The neck tapers just slightly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut, with a slight amount of loose skin at the throat area, but without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
Chest: Deep, broad, but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows. The forechest is well-developed without being excessively pronounced. The forechest is well-developed without appearing overly pronounced.
Body: Compact, solid, and of good substance. The body is never heavy and cloddy. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
Feet: Oval to round, compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.
Tail: Set high on the croup. It is thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. The tail is carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, usually up above the level of the topline but never tucked. The tail is of a moderate length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. When in motion, the tail is carried curled over the back to either side or along the center.
Movement: Powerful drive from the hindquarters with a good reach in the forequarters; as the pace increases, single tracking may be seen. Limbs move in a straight line while trotting. The movement is energetic, efficient, and effortless. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the center line of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. The width between the forefeet, when extended, should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and a good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.
Temperament: High-spirited and lively, yet even-tempered and reliable. Owing to their job as cattle dogs and flock guardians, the Appenzeller Sennenhund has strong protective instincts. Therefore, the Appenzeller can be mildly suspicious of strangers. They are very intelligent and capable of learning many commands and tricks with proper motivation. However, they are not easily persuaded or bribed when in full watchdog mode. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.
Breed Standard
BREED GROUP 9: Large Guardian Pastoral/Mountain Dogs
Proportions: Slightly off-square with the length of the body, measured from the point of the forechest to the point of the rump, being slightly greater than to the height at the withers. The ideal body height-to-length ratio is between 10:10 and 10:9. The body is well-put-together, with sturdy substance and moderate yet sturdy bone. Male and female weights are always proportionate to height.
Head
General Appearance: Somewhat mesaticephalic skull-type, moderate in size, fairly wedge-shaped, and in proportion to the rest of the body. The topskull is rather flat, whether viewed in profile or from the front. It is broad, being as wide (measured from one side to the other in front of the ears) as it is long (measured from stop to occiput.) The head, overall, tapers from the broad back skull toward the eyes and again toward the end of the muzzle. The occiput is only slightly pronounced. A median furrow starts at the stop and disappears toward the occiput. The head is clean-cut without excess skin or wrinkles.
Expression: Lively but gentle.
Stop: The stop is slight.
Skull: The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio is approximately 4:5, with the topskull being just longer than the muzzle.
The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis is parallel or may be slightly convergent.
Muzzle: The muzzle is full, deep, and broad. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight and level. It tapers slightly from the broad base toward the nose. The upper and lower jaws are well-developed, approximately equal in length, and have good bone substance. They are never snipey or weak.
Lips or Flews: The lips are clean and fit rather tightly over the teeth and jaws. They are well-pigmented. The lips should never extend beyond the lower plane of the bottom jawline. The corners of the lips should not appear “wet” or loose.
Nose: The nose is well-pigmented and black or brown in Havana brown colors. The nostrils are well-opened.
Cheeks: The cheeks are smoothly muscled, with slight padding. The cheeks should not appear chiseled or coarse.
Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, and white teeth are preferred. The bite may be scissor or level. Contact must be made between the top and bottom incisors. Missing or broken teeth as a result of routine work are not to be penalized.
Eyes: Somewhat small to medium in size, almond in shape, and amber or hazel in brown tri-color dogs, and medium to dark brown in color in black tri-colors. Outer corners may be set slightly oblique. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. The eyes are never bulging or deep set. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes. Any signs of entropion or ectropion are incorrect for this breed.
Ears: Somewhat small to moderate in size. Set fairly high on the skull, level with the plane of the skull and fairly well-apart, on the outer edge of the topskull. Triangular in shape with tips slightly rounded. The ears are drop-shaped and hanging, with the inner edges and tips close to the head when resting. The ears are held slightly forward when alert. The ears are never long, overly large, or fully erect.
Body and Tail
General Description: Compact, solid, and of good substance. The body is never heavy and cloddy. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
Neck: Moderate in length (moderate can include somewhat short to medium) in length to allow for good head carriage and strongly muscled with a slight arch. The neck tapers just slightly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut, with a slight amount of loose skin at the throat area, but without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
Chest: Deep, broad, but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows. The forechest is well-developed without being excessively pronounced. The forechest is well-developed without appearing overly pronounced.
Topline: Straight and level from withers to croup. The back is of a good length, broad, strongly muscled, and straight, yet supple. The loin is short, taut, flat, and level. The back is never elongated, swayed, or roached.
Croup: Flat and level with the back.
Underline: Slight tuck-up present. The underline is taut and firm, without any indication of sagging or excess weight.
Ribs: Long, well-sprung, well-laid-back, oval-shaped, never barrel-chested or slab-sided.
Tail: Set high on the croup. It is thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. The tail is carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, usually up above the level of the topline but never tucked. The tail is of a moderate length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. When in motion, the tail is carried curled over the back to either side or along the center.
Forequarters and Hindquarters
Forequarters: The forequarters are always in balance with the hindquarters and well-angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. Shoulder blades are fairly long and sloping, approximately equal in length or slightly shorter, to the upper arm and forearm.
Elbows: The elbows are close to the body. The point of the elbows is approximately half the dog’s height at the withers.
Forelegs: Frontal View: Straight, of good muscle, moderate, yet strong bone, and parallel to one another.
Side View: The forelimbs appear straight with strong pasterns.
Pasterns: Never weak or broken.
Hindquarters: The upper thigh and lower thigh are equal in length, but the upper thigh may be slightly longer, strong bone, and well-muscled.
Rear View: When viewed from the rear, the rear pasterns are parallel to one another.
Side View: Good angulation will allow the rear toes to align with the point of the rump or within one to two paw-lengths behind the point of the rump, with the rear pasterns remaining perpendicular to the ground and parallel to one another.
Stifle Joint: Well-angulated with a good bend to well-let-down rear pasterns.
Angulations: The angulation of the hindquarters is always in balance with the angulation of the forequarters.
Feet: Oval to round, compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.
Coat
Skin: Well-fitted, yet supple. The skin should never obstruct the outline of the dog.
Coat Type: The Appenzeller Sennenhund has a double coat that is close-fitting and firm. The topcoat is thick and shiny; Undercoat is thick and may be colored black, grey, or brown but should not show through the topcoat. The coat is short on the face, forehead, and front of the forelimbs and hindlimbs. The coat is longer on the neck, ears, rear of the forelimbs, and hindlimbs. The coat should never be abundantly thick, abundantly long, or silky. A slight wave is acceptable.
Coat Color or Pattern: CKC recognizes two color varieties of the Appenzeller Sennenhunde breed: the standard and non-standard.
Standard coat color variety: black or Havana brown with as symmetrical as possible tan/rust points on the chest, cheeks, over eyes, on the lower legs, vent, and underside of the tail, all with a distinct white blaze from the bridge of the nose, or muzzle, running up to the skull. White markings should also be on all four feet, the tip of the tail, and from chin to chest, without breaking. White on the nape of the neck, or in half collar, or full white collar is permissible.
Non-standard coat color variety: Anything other than tricolor, white extending beyond standard color parameters, or insufficient white.
Movement
Powerful drive from the hindquarters with a good reach in the forequarters; as the pace increases, single tracking may be seen. Limbs move in a straight line while trotting. The movement is energetic, efficient, and effortless. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the center line of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. The width between the forefeet, when extended, should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and a good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.
Temperament
High-spirited and lively, yet even-tempered and reliable. Owing to their job as cattle dogs and flock guardians, the Appenzeller Sennenhund has strong protective instincts. Therefore, the Appenzeller can be mildly suspicious of strangers. They are very intelligent and capable of learning many commands and tricks with proper motivation. However, they are not easily persuaded or bribed when in full watchdog mode. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.
Faults
All dogs should be in proper healthy condition, free from disease or defect. Any departure from this description is considered a fault. Unless altered, all male dogs should have two fully descended testicles.
