Entlebucher Mountain Dog: Overview

The Entlebucher, or Entle for short, is a Swiss herding breed related to the Appenzeller, the Bernese Mountain Dog, and the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog; of the four, he's the smallest.

He's known for his intelligence, personable attitutude, agility, and loyalty. He's independent and self-confident, yet he bonds strongly to his person and is happiest spending the day at his family's side. He's got energy to burn, and needs an owner who can give him about an hour of vigorous exercise a day--if not herding flocks, then competing in dog sports like tracking, frisbee, or agility. Like other smart working dogs, he loves having jobs to do, so begin training this smart cookie early, teaching him to gather up dirty laundry, bring in the newspaper, fetch your slippers, or other useful tasks.

The Entlebucher can be territorial and will bark to announce the presence of strangers or arrival of guests. He's aloof with people he doesn't know, and like any dog, he needs early socialization to learn how to behave around strangers and other dogs. He loves his kids but, because he also loves roughousing, he must learn to be gentle with little ones. He may try to "herd" his kids by nipping at their heels.

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