meet the...Entlebucher Mountain Dog
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: 55-65 pounds. Females: 55-65 pounds.
Height Males: 17-21 inches. Females: 16-20 inches.
Other Name(s) Entbucher Sennenhund, Entelbuch Mountain Dog, Entelbucher Cattle Dog, Entelbucher Mountain Dog, Entlebuch Cattle Dog, Entlebuch Mountain Dog, Entlebucher
Breed Type Pure
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Origins
Cheese, chocolate, and cattle dogs—all good things seem to hail from Switzerland. The Entlebucher was named after the valley of Entlebuch, a valley in the region of the Cantons Lucerne and Bern. He is the smallest of the four Swiss Mountain and Cattle Dogs, with the others including the Bernese Mountain Dog, the Appenzeller Sennenhunde, 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. In the year 1889, the name “Entlibucherhund” was first used to describe these dogs, but for some time after that, no actual difference was made between the Appenzell and Entlebuch Cattle Dogs.
In the year 1913, this small herding dog with a congenital bobtail was shown at the dog show in Langenthal and exhibited in front of Professor Albert Heim. After this show, the dogs were entered into the Swiss Canine Stud Book as the fourth Mountain and Cattle Dog breed. The breed developed slowly, and the first standard was not completed until 1927. Although this breed was originally meant to guard and herd, due to its suitability as a companion dog, the Entlebucher Mountain Dog has gained popularity as a family pet.Breed Characteristics
Head: Somewhat mesaticephalic skull type, moderate in size, slightly 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 broadest between the set of ears and slightly tapering towards the muzzle. The head, overall, tapers from the broad backskull toward the eyes and again toward the end of the muzzle. The occiput is barely visible. 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, brown, darker pigment preferred. 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 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 dropped, hanging with the inner edges and tips close to the head when resting. Ears are held slightly forward when alert. The ears are never long, overly large, or fully erect.
Muzzle: The muzzle is straight, strong, and well-defined. Set off from slightly pronounced cheeks. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight and level. It tapers slightly from the broad base toward the nose. Upper and lower jaws are well-developed, approximately equal in length, and have good bone substance, never appearing snipey or weak.
Nose: The nose is well-pigmented and black. The nostrils are well-opened.
Neck: Medium in length to allow for a good head carriage. 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 and without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows. Rather well-developed forechest, not overly prominent.
Body: Slightly elongated, but never excessively so. 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: Fairly round yet compact, with well-arched toes and coarse pads.
Tail: The tail is a continuation of the croup and can be docked, natural, or naturally bobbed. It is thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. The tail is carried straight or gently curved in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level 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 movement, the tail is elevated but never over the topline.
Movement: Powerful drive from hindquarters with a good reach in 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 centerline 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 good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.
Temperament: The Entlebucher Mountain Dog breed is confident, being neither shy nor aggressive, with an active, lively, determined demeanor. Owing to their job as cattle dogs and flock guardians, this breed may be reserved toward strangers. They are very intelligent and capable of learning many commands and tricks with proper motivation. However, they are the most responsive to their owner. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.
Breed Standard
BREED GROUP 9: Large Guardian Pastoral/Mountain Dogs
Proportions: Somewhat rectangular with the length of the body, measured from the point of the forechest to the point of the rump, being fairly greater than the height at the withers. The ideal body height-to-length ratio is 4:5. The body is well put together and strongly muscled, with sturdy substance and moderate, yet sturdy, bone. The weight of males or females is always in proportion to height.
Head
General Appearance: Somewhat mesaticephalic skull type, moderate in size, slightly 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 broadest between the set of ears and slightly tapering towards the muzzle. The head, overall, tapers from the broad backskull toward the eyes and again toward the end of the muzzle. The occiput is barely visible. A median furrow starts at the stop and disappears toward the occiput. The head is clean-cut without excess skin or wrinkles.
Expression: Friendly but alert and attentive.
Stop: The stop is slight to well pronounced, never exaggerated or abrupt.
Skull: The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio is approximately 9:10, with the topskull being almost equal to the muzzle.
The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis is more or less parallel.
Muzzle: The muzzle is straight, strong, and well-defined. Set off from slightly pronounced cheeks. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight and level. It tapers slightly from the broad base toward the nose. Upper and lower jaws are well-developed, approximately equal in length, and have good bone substance, never appearing 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. The nostrils are well-opened.
Cheeks: The cheeks are smoothly muscled, slightly padded, and barely/slightly pronounced. The cheeks should not appear chiseled or coarse.
Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, and white teeth. The bite may be scissor or even. Contact must be made between the top and bottom incisors. Missing or broken teeth due to routine work is not to be penalized.
Eyes: Somewhat small to medium in size, almond in shape, brown, darker pigment preferred. 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 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 dropped, hanging with the inner edges and tips close to the head when resting. Ears are held slightly forward when alert. The ears are never long, overly large, or fully erect.
Body and Tail
General Description: Slightly elongated, but never excessively so. 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: Medium in length to allow for a good head carriage. 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 and without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows. Rather well-developed forechest, not overly prominent.
Topline: Sturdy 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 swayed or roached.
Croup: Slightly sloping and relatively long.
Underline: A slight tuck-up is present. The underline is taut and firm, without any indication of sagging or excess weight.
Ribs: Well-sprung, well-laid-back, and moderately round-shaped, never barrel-chested or slab-sided.
Tail: The tail is a continuation of the croup and can be docked, natural, or naturally bobbed. It is thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. The tail is carried straight or gently curved in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level 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 movement, the tail is elevated but never over the topline.
Forequarters and Hindquarters
Forequarters: The forequarters are always balanced with the hindquarters. Strongly muscled but not in excess, never loose. Forequarters are well-angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. The 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 shape of the shoulder blade forms a right angle or as much as possible. The elbows do not turn in or out.
Forelegs: Forelegs are straight, short, and sturdy. They are parallel and placed well under the body. They should not be too wide or too close.
Frontal View: Straight, of good muscle, of moderate (yet strong) bone, and parallel to one another.
Side View: The forelimbs appear straight with strong pasterns.
Pasterns: Never weak or broken, seen in frontal view as a continuation of the forearm. On a side view, they are relatively short and slightly angulated.
Hindquarters: The upper thigh is fairly long and broad. The lower thigh is approximately equal in length, with strong bones. It is 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 patterns that turn neither in nor out.
Angulations: The angulation of the hindquarters is always in balance with the angulation of the forequarters.
Feet: Fairly round yet compact, with well-arched toes and coarse pads.
Coat
Skin: Well-fitted, yet supple. The skin should never obstruct the outline of the dog.
Coat Type: The double coat is close-fitting and firm. The topcoat is short, harsh, and shiny. The undercoat is thick with varying colors. 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 Entlebucher Mountain Dog breed: the standard and nonstandard.
Standard coat color variety: Tricolor, 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 a break, white on the nape of the neck, or in half collar or full white collar permissible.
Nonstandard coat color variety: Anything other than tricolor, white extending beyond standard color parameters, or insufficient white.
Movement
Powerful drive from hindquarters with a good reach in 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 centerline 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 good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.
Temperament
The Entlebucher Mountain Dog breed is confident, being neither shy nor aggressive, with an active, lively, determined demeanor. Owing to their job as cattle dogs and flock guardians, this breed may be reserved toward strangers. They are very intelligent and capable of learning many commands and tricks with proper motivation. However, they are the most responsive to their owner. 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.
