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Pronunciation

Often mistaken for a Jack Russell or a Fox Terrier, the Danish-Swedish Farm dog has a shiny, short, hard, close lying smooth coat, which is said to be odor-free. He is small and compact, and almost rectangular in build with a deep wide chest when fully developed (which takes about 3 years). The head is small, triangular, with a wide, slightly rounded scull and a well emphasized stop, that tapers to the end tip of the nose, without the pointy, snipey look. It is the well emphasized stop and the triangular shape of the head that makes it differ from the Fox Terrier. The jaws are powerful. The ears fold forward, or are rose shaped. Tails are either long or naturally bob-tail, never docked. A natural bobtail can occur if one or both of the parents have a bobtail. The natural bobtail can be any length shorter than a full size tail. Docking is illegal in most European countries. Coat colors include, white with chocolate brown and or black to red / reddish, either tri-color or bi-color.

Temperament

Height, Weight

Height: Male 12-14 inches (32-37 cm.)
Weight: 15-25 pounds (7-12 kg.)

Health Problems

Living Conditions

The Danish Swedish Farm Dog will do ok in an apartment as long as it is sufficiently exercised. They will do best if they have a fenced in yard, but no matter the size yard you have, you will still need to take him on walks and provide other daily activities.

Exercise

The Danish-Swedish Farmdog requires a lot of exercise. At least one hour a day of some type of one on one activity along with a daily walk. This breed was bred as a working dog, and will do best and be happiest with some type of job to do or some type of one on one game with the owner. Keep them leashed in unsafe areas, as they may suddenly decide to chase another small animal such as a rabbit, squirrel or even a cat they see from a distance.

Life Expectancy

About 10 -15 years

Grooming

The Danish-Swedish Farm Dog is rather easy to groom. The coat is short and does not require daily brushings. Bathe when necessary This breed sheds a little all year round with a seasonal heavy shedding. Brushing with rubber brush to remove loose hair can reduce some of the shedding.

Origin

A very old breed, the history of the Danish/Swedish Farm Dog dates at least back to the 1700s, maybe as far back as a thousand years. This dog was originally called the old Danish Fox Terrier or Scanian Terrier, although today it is regarded a pincher rather than a terrier. Also it was often simply called The Rat Dog. It originates in Denmark and Sweden, but is rare inside the USA. A versatile working farm dog, who did anything from catch mice and rats, to herd the cattle in to be milked, to a companion dog for the family. It was also popular as a circus dog. Widely used on farms on the countryside of Denmark, Schleswig-Holstein and Scania. As farms were combined to bigger units for large-scale farming and farmers by the thousand became industrial workers, this working dog’s numbers declined drastically until it faced extinction. Up until the late 1980's there was no standard. Practically all medium sized white/black/maybe brown–coloured dogs in the countryside were farm dogs. If someone’s dog was good at catching rats and their neighbour’s dog had an excellent temper, they would let the two dogs mate and have more farm dogs. The Danish and the Swedish Kennel Clubs then made a joint effort to find the remaining dogs, set a written standard and save the old breed from extinction. The “new” breed was declared by both kennel clubs and its official name became Danish/Swedish Farm Dog. This was in 1987. Many dogs are not papered with a farm dog club and do not make the standard, but they are still Danish/Swedish Farm Dogs as there is no other name for them. Denmark and Sweden considers the farm dog to be a working breed. However, it is mainly a companion dog in the USA. It is placed in the "FCI Group 2 - working dogs without trials" by the Danish and the Swedish Kennel Clubs. Final FCI approval is pending.

NOTE: The Danish/Swedish Farmdog is not to be confused with the Danish Chicken Dog. The Danish/Swedish Farmdog and the Old Danish Chicken Dog are two entirely different breeds. This was mistakenly published in the Bruce Fogle's Encyclopedia of the dog, the Farm Dog was never known as the Chicken Dog. The book has the Danish/Swedish Farmdog listed under the name Old Danish Chicken Dog and has the true Old Danish Chicken Dog named as the Old Danish Pointer. In the Danish world, there is no confusion, the confusion existing only among non-Danish speakers. Websites often make the confusion (including breeders), but it doesn't happen on Danish websites. The reason being, that Bruce Fogle's Encyclopedia of the dog is the only English language dog breed book, which has the Danish/Swedish Farmdog pictured and described, but has it listed as Danish Chicken dog. This has caused the confusion in the English speaking (and reading) world. Another confusion that exists is in regard to its race. The Farm Dog is sometimes classified as a Terrier, since it looks somewhat like a Fox Terrier, but it is actually in the Pinscher family of dogs. Danish: gaardhund (gårdhund) - Gaard means farm - Hund means dog.