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](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lg/swedish-vallhund.webp)

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 5

1 independent · 5 devoted

Good with young children

4 of 5

1 not suited · 5 very good

Good with other dogs

3 of 5

1 not suited · 5 very good

Openness to strangers

4 of 5

1 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend

Watchdog / protective nature

3 of 5

1 unbothered · 5 vigilant

What they will ask of you

Energy

4 of 5

1 couch potato · 5 busy all day

Exercise needs

5 of 5

1 a short walk · 5 a job to do

Playfulness

4 of 5

1 only when invited · 5 non-stop

Barking

2 of 5

1 only to alert · 5 very vocal

Around the house

Shedding

4 of 5

1 barely · 5 constantly

Drooling

2 of 5

1 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel

What they tolerate

Tolerates being alone

3 of 5

1 poorly · 5 well

Tolerates hot weather

3 of 5

1 poorly · 5 well

Tolerates cold weather

4 of 5

1 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 AKC](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/swedish-vallhund/)[Swedish Vallhund on DogTime](https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/swedish-vallhund)

## 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.

- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/shikoku.webp)Shikoku](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/shikoku/)
- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/west-siberian-laika.webp)West Siberian Laika](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/west-siberian-laika/)
- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/alaskan-malamute.webp)Alaskan Malamute](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/alaskan-malamute/)
- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/jamthund.webp)Jämthund](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/jamthund/)
- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/norwegian-elkhound.webp)Norwegian Elkhound](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/norwegian-elkhound/)
- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/norwegian-lundehund.webp)Norwegian Lundehund](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/norwegian-lundehund/)

Side by side

Height 0–38 in

1. Swedish Vallhund12–16 in
2. Shikoku7–21 in
3. West Siberian Laika22–24 in
4. Alaskan Malamute24–26 in
5. Jämthund22–26 in
6. Norwegian Elkhound19–21 in
7. Norwegian Lundehund12–16 in

Weight 0–220 lb

1. Swedish Vallhund25–35 lb
2. Shikoku35–50 lb
3. West Siberian Laika30–50 lb
4. Alaskan Malamute79–95 lb
5. Jämthund50–65 lb
6. Norwegian Elkhound50–60 lb
7. Norwegian Lundehund13–15 lb

Lifespan 0–20 yrs

1. Swedish Vallhund12–15 yrs
2. Shikoku10–12 yrs
3. West Siberian Laika14–16 yrs
4. Alaskan Malamute10–12 yrs
5. Jämthund12–14 yrs
6. Norwegian Elkhound12–15 yrs
7. Norwegian Lundehund12–15 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 map

Read about the

Swedish Vallhund

on Wikipedia
