It’s telling.
When we challenged our Facebook fans to name the breed from which a detailed photo came (a close up of the chest area on the photo you see here), most identified it as coming from a photo of one of the Swiss mountain dogs, but very few mentioned the Appenzeller Mountain Dog as the actual answer.
It’s understandable. Of all the Swiss Sennenhunde (“dog of the Alpine dairymen”), the Appenzeller is probably the rarest, an irony since it’s one of the oldest breeds of dogs! The Appenzeller was recognized as its own breed by the Swiss Cynological Society in 1898, and was described even earlier, some 45 years before!
We tip our hat to the Appenzeller Club of America for addressing something that can be misunderstood by potential owners looking at a breed. What they did “right,” in our estimation, is to recognize that dogs of a breed have individual personalities, but acknowledged that there are “breed traits.” You can see it in the following paragraph that appears on their website:
Appenzeller Sennenhunde Temperament
There can be a lot of variation in the temperament
of individual Appenzellers but it seems the following
are always true:
– consummate athlete, likes to run and jump
– really smart, will learn faster than other dogs
– doesn’t tire easily, always ready for what’s next
– watches the house and property
– devoted to family members, very sensitive to emotions
As for the title of this post, Appenzeller Sennenhund’s nickname in Switzerland, is “Bläss” (or Blaze), a reference to the beautiful white blaze on the dog’s forehead.
Our image of nearly four year old “Meli” comes from the AKC’s page on the breed and appears with both its consent, and the consent of the owner, Fred Boe. The photo was taken in the hills of Fred’s farm in March 2016. Not seen is “Hardie,” an eighteen month old Appenzeller male from the Czech Republic.
As someone who has worked with the breed for 35 years and been owned by 5 of these amazing dogs over the last 20 years, I can attest to what a unique race the Appenzeller is. They can be too smart for their own good, and have been known to outsmart their humans. They are always looking for a challenge, and love to work. This is not a beginner’s dog. The first two years take extensive time and dedication to training and socialization to develop a stable companion. However, this is a very healthy breed. They rarely have health issues and regularly live 12-16 years. One correction to your post, their white stripe on the nose is a Bläss.
Many thanks for sharing your insights, Sheryl! We put a lot of stock in the feedback from actual owners, and we’re delighted to have yours. And yes, we’ve since corrected the typo on the word, “Bläss.” Thank you for alerting us to it!!
Thank you for making the correction.
😉
Where did you get the picture? This is Hummeli ( Meli). My Female Appy
As we noted at the end of the article, Fred, the image comes from the AKC’s page on the breed on its website, and we have their consent to use it. We’d very much like to add additional information about the dog, and if it’s okay with you, we’d like to add her name, and that you’re her person. Would that be ok?
Her full name is Hummeli Blässhunde USA/aus der Leinemasch. She was the first born of 12 puppies to Usha v. Brünggberg in CA 12-13-14.
Yes it is Ok to use her name and mine. I see Sheryl shared here complete name. She is Meli to us. The photo was taken in the hills on our farm in March 2016. Her birth date is 12/13/14. We have Hardie also. He is a 1 1/2 year old Appenzell Male from the Czech Republic.
Thanks, Fred, adding the info now!
Here are both in normal play