I’m still thinking about all the wonderful dogs I met in Sweden and Norway (not to mention their humans!). I paid a lot of attention to breeds–it seems that the mix of breeds here in the states is changing, although that’s just a perception, not a fact. I have seen so many ‘rare’ breeds lately, it seems it’s in fashion to get a dog that no one has ever heard of (or can pronounce the name of).
People in Sweden told me that the most popular breed by far was the German Shepherd, followed by the Labrador Retriever. My 10 days in Scandanavia were hardly an accurate sample, but what struck me most was that I saw a little bit of so many breeds in the two countries we visited. Here’s a breakdown, from my notes:
GSD 1
Labrador Retriever, 3
Corgi 1
Swedish Valhund 1 (the Swedes were very interested to learn what we called their herding dog. They’d never heard the term “valhund” before! Their breed name is Västgötaspets.)
Swedish Lapphund 1 (a northern breed used for herding reindeer, also called the Lapinkoira, and also found in Finland as the Finnish Lapphund.) This was a first for me, was fun to meet a new breed altogether. And no, darn it, I didn’t get to see one work reindeer, but I did get to see wild reindeer which was a thrill!)
Border Collie 1
Tervuren 1
Rough coated Collie 1
Cairn Terrier 1
Wire haired Terrier 1
Wheaton Terrier 1
Australian Shepherd 1
Boxer 1
I could go on, but basically, it seemed like every time I saw a dog, it was of a different breed. And I saw dogs everywhere. What a joy to see dogs come onto trains and buses without anyone giving it a thought.
There was one other exception to the “one dog of each breed” rule… for some reason I saw 7 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels! No idea why.. .random, or are they really that popular? Anyone reading this who has lived over there and has a comment about popular breeds?
Here’s the Lapphund:
(And have you heard Ray Coppinger’s story about looking for an Anatolian? He found a dog that fit the description while traveling in the area where they are used, and asked the flock’s shepherd if the dog was indeed an Anatolian. The man looked at Ray and said “Are these the Anatolian Mountains?” The dog’s genetics were irrelevant, if it was herding sheep at the base of the Anatolian mountains, then OF COURSE it was an Anatolian Shepherd! A good reminder that “breed” means different things to different people.)
Dogs says
THE ROUGH GUIDE TO SWEDEN Not a country in its own right, Lapland is made up of the northern reaches of Finland, Sweden and Norway. Dogs
Crystal says
As a corgi lover, I must ask: Pembroke or Cardigan?
Liv Oskarson says
Here in Norway GSD, retrievers-labs and golden are the most popular along with the Border collies. I have a Bearded Collie and a PON, polish lowland shepherddog. Have just finshed reading the other end of the leash, which I loved. Am about to start on for the love of a dog.
Have become a true fan and have added the website as a favorite.
trisha says
Crystal: Sorry to make you ask! It was a Pembroke (I should know better not to specify!)
(Which kind do you have? Or both? I have met far more Pembrokes than Cardigans…)
Liv: Thank you so much for your kind comments about The Other End of the Leash. I hope you also enjoy For
the Love of a Dog. It was difficult to write, because the topic of emotions is so huge and complicated that it was hard to decide what to keep in and what to leave out. Also, the neurophysiology of emotions is so complicated (and interesting) I often felt overwhelmed… and exhilarated at the same time! But, I’m truly glad
I wrote it. I learned so much, and it was a good process for me personally. It helped me resolve my grief over
losing Luke, who I still miss every day, and yet have finally recovered from the “open wound” part of grieving and loss that everyone who reads this can relate to.
Also, Liz, there are a growing number of PONs (and Valhunds) in this country. I would love to hear people’s description of how they see the breeds in general. I must admit, I haven’t worked with many PONs and just a few Valhunds, but I was quite smitten (okay, objectivity totally out the window here) with the Valhunds that I have met. Thoughts?
Crystal says
I have a corgi-something mutt. Maybe a terrier? We don’t really know. Mom was supposedly a Pem, which seems like likely as they are WAY more common around here. However, I have grown to love training so much, our next dog will probably be purebred. (There seem to be so many more opportunities to compete that way.) Assuming I enjoy competitions, we’ll get a cardigan. I’m a sucker for a tail!
Sandra says
Hello all! Love the site, Trisha, and the show, and your books, and, and and! First, I’ve been a listener for years, but I want you to know that when I first heard “Calling All Pets”, I was so blown away by the fact that here was this PhD, scientist, researcher, behaviorist, trainer, consultant, author, (ok, Renaissance Woman!) who nevertheless responded to animals and talked about animals with all the warmth and feeling that all of us do! From then on, I never again felt “silly” about the way I talk to and about animals! Thank you!! Second, the woman who taught our obedience class (who is also a Vet Tech and teaches in the Vet Tech program), uses a lot of your techniques but more importantly shares your philosophy. Third, I have a Pembroke Corgi named “Frodo” who is absolutely the best dog we’ve ever had the joy of sharing our lives with. I wondered if you had any photos of the Swedish Valhund, or if you noticed any marked resemblance to the Pembroke in temperament or appearance, since that is generally thought to be the foundation breed for the Pembroke Corgi. By the way, talk about herding instinct… Frodo had never seen a sheep before, but as a 6 month old puppy, the first time we let him out into the pasture at my ex’s where there were three Sheltands, he promptly escorted them into their little pen, turned around, looked at us as if to ask, “OK, that’s done! What else have you got for me?” LOL we laughed so hard along with the “Oh, GOOD BOY!!!” congratulations!
Korolkov says
Hi guys!
We try to find new home for homeless pets from St-Petersburg, Russia. All pets are free of charge, vaccinated, chiped, some sterilized. We offer pets for Finland mainly, as it is our nearest neighbour. Also would be nice to promote our dogs and cats in Sweden and Norway and maybe other countries. One of our dogs recently went to Italy. The website has just begun working, see first dogs here:
http://petstalk.org/viewforum.php?f=2
Your questions and comments are welcome. If you have info on how to promote our website, please let me know.
Best regards,
Prokhor Korolkov
Peaceful Dog says
Hi!
It’s fun to see the Swedish breeds get attention from other countries.
In the early 1800’s there was a Swedish breed called Dalbo dog (Dalbohund), it was indispensable for many farmers in Dalsland and Bohusl