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Breed

Swedish Vallhund

The Swedish Vallhund is a herding breed from Sweden, standing 12–16 in at the withers, weighing 25–35 lb. Recorded lifespan is 12–15 yrs.

A photograph of the Swedish Vallhund
Breed group
Herding
Origin
Sweden
Height
12–16 in
Weight
25–35 lb
Lifespan
12–15 yrs

Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the Swedish Vallhund is taller than 15% of the measured breeds, heavier than 24%, one of 27 in the Herding group, one of 9 from Sweden.

Compare the Swedish Vallhund with another breed

Living with the Swedish Vallhund

Two breed references score every breed they cover from 1 to 5 on the things an owner lives with day to day. These are the Swedish Vallhund’s, with what a 1 and a 5 mean on each row.

Around people and other dogs
Affection with family
5 of 51 independent · 5 devoted
Good with young children
4 of 51 not suited · 5 very good
Good with other dogs
3 of 51 not suited · 5 very good
Openness to strangers
4 of 51 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend
Watchdog / protective nature
3 of 51 unbothered · 5 vigilant
What they will ask of you
Energy
4 of 51 couch potato · 5 busy all day
Exercise needs
5 of 51 a short walk · 5 a job to do
Playfulness
4 of 51 only when invited · 5 non-stop
Barking
2 of 51 only to alert · 5 very vocal
Around the house
Shedding
4 of 51 barely · 5 constantly
Drooling
2 of 51 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel
What they tolerate
Tolerates being alone
3 of 51 poorly · 5 well
Tolerates hot weather
3 of 51 poorly · 5 well
Tolerates cold weather
4 of 51 poorly · 5 well

Rated 1 to 5 by the American Kennel Club and DogTime, averaged where both rate the same thing, and read from their breed pages in 2022. Nobody at Woof & Beyond has met this breed — these are the publishers’ judgments, not ours.Swedish Vallhund on AKCSwedish Vallhund on DogTime

Breeds that look like the Swedish Vallhund

A neural network trained to tell breeds apart by sight read all 510 photographs in this reference, and these are the 6 it placed closest to the Swedish Vallhund.

Side by side

Height 0–38 in

  1. Swedish Vallhund
    12–16 in
  2. Shikoku
    7–21 in
  3. West Siberian Laika
    22–24 in
  4. Alaskan Malamute
    24–26 in
  5. Jämthund
    22–26 in
  6. Norwegian Elkhound
    19–21 in
  7. Norwegian Lundehund
    12–16 in

Weight 0–220 lb

  1. Swedish Vallhund
    25–35 lb
  2. Shikoku
    35–50 lb
  3. West Siberian Laika
    30–50 lb
  4. Alaskan Malamute
    79–95 lb
  5. Jämthund
    50–65 lb
  6. Norwegian Elkhound
    50–60 lb
  7. Norwegian Lundehund
    13–15 lb

Lifespan 0–20 yrs

  1. Swedish Vallhund
    12–15 yrs
  2. Shikoku
    10–12 yrs
  3. West Siberian Laika
    14–16 yrs
  4. Alaskan Malamute
    10–12 yrs
  5. Jämthund
    12–14 yrs
  6. Norwegian Elkhound
    12–15 yrs
  7. Norwegian Lundehund
    12–15 yrs

Nothing here was grouped by hand. The ranking is an opinion about appearance, not about ancestry, which is why it sometimes puts together breeds no kennel club would — and why it is worth looking at the photographs rather than taking the order on trust.

See the Swedish Vallhund on the breed mapRead about the Swedish Vallhund on Wikipedia
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