The Schweizer Laufhund is said to be one of the most powerful and best hunting dogs in the world, an accomplishment for a breed that only stands some 15 to 23 inches off the ground. Nevertheless, this dog can track big game more efficiently than its larger cousin, the Laufund, because it’s slower and more thorough. Indeed, the breed created in the Swiss cantons was developed to be slower because at the time of its creation (around 1900), hunting was limited to districts, and dogs of the day were just too fast for constricted areas with boundaries. To fill the niche, a smaller hunt dog was created, the medium sized Laufhund.

Varieties of this breed (also known as the Small Swiss Hound or Small Bernese Hound in the United States) are largely determined by coat color, and they are the Luzerner Niederlaufhund, Schwyzer Niederlaufhund, and Jura Niederlaufhund. Regardless of the variety, Laufhunds are brilliant, passionate hunters with a terrific sense of smell on difficult ground, and that makes them superb at finding wounded animals.