The Entlebucher Mountain Dog is the smallest among the Sennenhund breeds and, like its four “brothers,” possesses the typical tricolor markings. Despite its compactness, it is very agile and nimble. As a former herding and driving dog, it also needs sufficient exercise and activity as a family dog.

History of the Entlebucher Mountain Dog

The Entlebucher Mountain Dog originally comes from a small Swiss valley called Entlebuch – this also gave it its name. It belongs to the four related Swiss Sennenhund breeds; the others are the Bernese Mountain Dog, the Appenzeller Mountain Dog, and the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. They all share the distinctive coloring of the fur in three contrasting colors, namely black, white, and tan (orange).

The Entlebucher Mountain Dog is the smallest and most compact breed of the four but is no less diligent and spirited in its work.

In its homeland, it was used by farmers and herdsmen (cattle herders in the Alps) for supervision, driving, and protection of herds. The shepherd dog was first mentioned under the now well-known name in 1889. In 1914, 25 years later, five specimens of the breed were registered in the Swiss dog studbook; however, at that time, there was still no clear distinction between this breed and the similar Appenzeller Mountain Dog.

We owe pure breeding primarily to the cynologist Dr. B. Kobler, who initiated the founding of the “Club for Entlebucher Sennenhunde” and thus contributed to successful breeding – in 1927, a breed standard was established for the smallest of the Sennenhunde for the first time. Although he made great efforts to increase the breed, the project progressed rather slowly, as evidenced by the few entries in the Swiss dog studbook. Then came World War II and with it further setbacks.

After some breeders made great efforts to ensure the survival of the breed, its extinction could be prevented; today, the Entlebucher Mountain Dog is still one of the rarer dog breeds, but it has become increasingly popular as a family and sports dog in recent years.

Nature and Character

The Entlebucher Mountain Dog is open, affectionate, and very patient towards its family, especially with children. It is lively and playful, so it is not suitable for couch potatoes and easygoing people.

However, despite all the friendliness towards familiar people, one should never forget that this breed was originally bred for herding and guarding livestock – a certain mistrust towards strangers as well as protective and herding instincts are not only possible but even desired. To prevent this from becoming a problem when visitors come, the dog must be socialized early, preferably from puppyhood.

Affection Level	High
Friendliness	Medium
Kid-Friendly	Medium
Pet-Friendly	High
Exercise Needs	High
Playfulness	Medium
Energy Level	High
Trainability	Medium
Intelligence	High
Tendency to Bark	Medium
Amount of Shedding	Medium

Acquisition of an Entlebucher Mountain Dog

Before acquiring a dog of this breed, careful consideration must be given to whether one can – and wants to – meet the endurance, energy, and zest for life of the four-legged friend over many years. Although this consideration should be made before every dog ​​purchase, it is even more important with a breed bred for work and performance like this, as otherwise both the furry friend and the owner can quickly become very unhappy with each other.

If one is certain that they want to spend a lot of active time with the four-legged friend, take long walks in all weather conditions, and perhaps even try out some dog sports with the new companion until they find something that equally excites both dog and owner, then there is nothing standing in the way of welcoming the new family member.

What should I consider when buying?

As with all dogs, the rule applies here too: Stay away from puppies from dubious websites, shady breeders, or other questionable sources! Not only does this support animal cruelty, but often you also end up with a traumatized, poorly or even unsocialized puppy. Both the dog and the owner often have to struggle with the consequences for the entire dog’s life, as the animals are then very insecure and frightened or, in the worst case, react aggressively to different situations and objects. They also often have diseases, so the follow-up costs at the vet quickly exceed the savings from the purchase.

A reputable breeder can not only provide comprehensive information about the pedigree and parent animals to the buyer; they will also openly and honestly show the puppy’s parents – at least the mother, if only she is present – present the environment in which the puppies grow up, and provide information about how they socialize the puppies before they are given away. In addition, the young animals have usually already been vaccinated and dewormed for the first time here and are regularly presented to a veterinarian.

Development and training of the puppy

As with all puppies belonging to very active and lively breeds, the rule also applies here: less is more! In addition to the most important basic commands such as sit, down, heel, and the absolutely necessary recall, which must be 100 percent reliable, learning to be calm is particularly important. In addition, interactions should always originate from the owner and not from the dog – this way, he learns that annoying play requests do not lead to the desired reaction and will therefore stop them in due course.

Since the Entlebucher Mountain Dog is a herding and livestock guarding dog, it has an innate mistrust of strangers. If there is no herd to guard, one should counteract this already in the first weeks and months of life by regularly exposing the puppy to visitors and crowds, thus getting him used to reacting to strangers at least distantly, but not rejecting or even aggressive.

How to Care for an Entlebucher Mountain Dog

An Entlebucher Mountain Dog needs a lot of mental and physical stimulation – otherwise, this bundle of energy will be under-stimulated and may engage in behaviors that are often annoying for the owner, such as barking at passersby, “herding” family members (especially smaller children, which can be genuinely dangerous), or destroying objects. Additionally, self-destructive behaviors such as biting their tail or paws, or excessive licking of body parts, can occur.

However, when the Entlebucher Mountain Dog is adequately stimulated and gets plenty of exercise, both their mind and body are engaged – then they are a relaxed, fantastic companion who is up for any fun and enjoys walks, playtime, and sports activities alike.

Activities with the Entlebucher Mountain Dog

In addition to their primary task of herding and guarding small and large herds of livestock, the small mountain dog is versatile in everyday life and dog sports: They are just as happy doing agility as they are doing tracking work, mantrailing, or tackling small tasks in everyday life. There’s nothing stopping them from being trained as a search and rescue, assistance, or therapy dog, as the Entlebucher Mountain Dog has a quick understanding and a high will-to-please.

Health and Grooming

Unfortunately, this breed may occasionally suffer from hereditary diseases such as hip dysplasia and eye conditions, so it is essential to thoroughly research such predispositions in the parent animals before purchasing.

Otherwise, with appropriate care and optimal nutrition, the Entlebucher Mountain Dog is quite robust, relatively resistant to diseases, and easy to care for – their short coat is virtually self-cleaning and only needs to be brushed briefly from time to time; their claws naturally wear down from sufficient exercise on harder surfaces.

Interesting and Informative Facts

With adequate stimulation, the Entlebucher Mountain Dog has a very lovable, relaxed character but is not happy with couch potatoes. They also feel very comfortable in families with children and are low-maintenance in terms of fur and health care.