Danish-Swedish Farmdog breed guide

Energetic, trainable and attentive by AKC's tags, the Danish-Swedish Farmdog has many everyday functions in its history: mouser and ratter, livestock herder, hunting dog, watchdog and family companion.

The breed is eligible for agility, barn hunt, flyball, herding, lure coursing, nosework, obedience, rally and tracking.

The Farmdog lives 11 to 13 years. AKC says it has proven a healthy breed, free of commonly recurring health issues, genetic or otherwise.

Good breeders use genetic testing of their breeding dogs to reduce the likelihood of disease.

The Farmdog is an easy dog to groom and maintain: an occasional brushing and bath keep it clean and nails may be trimmed with a clipper or grinder to avoid overgrowth, splitting and cracking.

Daily exercise keeps the dog conditioned, through backyard play, preferably fenced or walks several times a day. Indoor games such as hide-and-seek, chasing a ball rolled along the floor and learning new tricks count as exercise too.

Until a few decades ago the small farmer's dog, originally called the Danish Pincher, was a natural part of Danish rural life. As lifestyles changed and smaller family farms grew rarer, so did the faithful working Farmdog.

Danish and Swedish Kennel Club efforts to bring the breed back led to its first breed standard in 1987 and a Farmdog was imported to the United States in 1998.