- Dog suitable for owners with some experience
- Extra training required
- Generally healthy breed
- Enjoys active walks
- Enjoys one to two hours of walking a day
- Medium dog
- Minimum drool
- Requires grooming once a week
- Chatty and vocal dog
- Barks and alerts to visitors/anything unusual
- Could have issues with unknown dogs but gets along with known dogs
- May need additional training to live with other pets
- May need additional supervision to live with children
- Needs a large garden
- Can live in semi-rural areas
- Can be left occasionally with training
Key Facts
Lifespan: | 12 – 15 years |
Weight: | 11.5-16kg |
Height: | 33-35cm for males and females 31-33cm |
Colours: | Steel-grey, grey-brown, grey-yellow, red-brown and red-yellow |
Size: | Medium |
UK Kennel Club Groups: | Pastoral |
Ratings
Family-friendly: | 5/5 |
Exercise needs: | 5/5 |
Easy to train: | 5/5 |
Tolerates being alone: | 3/5 |
Likes other pets: | 3/5 |
Energy level: | 5/5 |
Grooming needs: | 4/5 |
Shedding: | 4/5 |

Personality
Clever, lively and alert, the Vallhund is a natural watchdog, informing their owners of anything interesting, suspicious or unusual that they have seen or heard! Friendly and amenable, they are a loyal companion and enjoy spending time with their people. Easy to train with the right motivation, the Vallhund will enjoy a variety of doggy activities, but beware leaving a Vallhund to get lonely or bored – they will bark and become destructive if so!

History and Origins
Also known as the Swedish Herder Spitz or the Swedish Cattle Dog, the Vallhund is thought to be almost 1000 years old. Believed to be related to the Pembroke Welsh Corgi (although opinions differ as to which came first), it is clear at a glance that the two breeds share some similarities in function and form.
The Vallhund’s original function was to herd and drive cattle but as a useful farm dog they would also perform the role of watchdog and ratter. Despite this usefulness, the breed nearly died out in the 1930’s but thanks to the efforts of Count Bjorn von Rosen and a group of dedicated supporters and breeders, numbers rose again and the Vallhund found favour as both a show dog and a family pet. Recognised by the Swedish Kennel Club in 1940, it wasn’t until the 1980’s that they achieved recognition by the UK Kennel Club.

Did You Know?
- Vallhunds are so versatile, they have taken part in herding, agility, flyball, obedience, vermin control, search and rescue and have even been trained to sniff out valuable truffles.
- For a relatively unknown breed, the Swedish Vallhund has featured on a remarkable number of postage stamps including those from Tajikistan, Mali, Nicaragua, Ukraine, Russia and of course, Sweden.