Small Swiss Hound

The Small Swiss Hound loves their family and can be extremely affectionate - expect plenty of cuddles! They’re not overly needy, though - they give just the right amount of affection.

The Small Swiss Hound is known to be a cheerful, fun-loving and playful dog who will happily get involved in family games and play sports.

Generally, the Schweizerischer Niederlaufhund is gentle and friendly, but they can become bouncy, hyperactive and restless if under-stimulated. Giving them plenty of exercise and consistent training can help to combat these sorts of problems.

The Small Swiss Hound is a smart, intelligent breed which understands things with ease - if it wasn’t for their typical hound stubbornness, they’d be easily trainable.

This breed does have a fairly high prey drive and will chase smaller animals such as rabbits. He is agile, enduring, and can work in the most difficult terrain.

This breed is fairly friendly, though won’t necessarily shower strangers with attention at first. After a little time getting to know each other, they can be very warm and affectionate.

The Schweizerischer Niederlaufhund is known for its ability to hunt independently with minimal direction from its owner. He still needs regular contact with members of his social group to flourish, though.

Despite their independent streak, this breed develops strong bonds with their owner. They can learn to spend time alone from time to time, but make sure to provide plenty of toys to keep them busy.

Sweet and docile, this little dog is very attached to his master and is therefore keen to make him happy: which greatly facilitates his education. The main priorities in training this dog are socialisation, and getting him to walk on the leash without trying to shoot off.

Barking is a common problem in the Small Swiss Hound, who, as hunters, were bred to bay. Training and providing enough exercise can minimize this problem, but they still have a particularly loud bark.

Due to their high prey drive and hunting instincts, the Small Swiss Hound may run away at a moment’s notice. A secure, fenced garden is essential.

With plenty of exercise, attention and mental stimulation, the Small Swiss Hound is unlikely to be destructive. However, owners commonly underestimate their exercise requirements and consequently notice chewing, barking and bad behaviour.

Treats are always a welcome reward for good behaviour.

The Small Swiss Hound isn’t an ideal watchdog as they’re not overly protective. They may bark to alert their owner but offer no further protection.

The Small Swiss Hound is extremely active and needs space to roam and expel their energy. Flats aren’t ideal - they’re likely to become bored and, consequently, destructive.

Bred to hunt across rocky, varied terrain for hours on end with no time for rest, the Small Swiss Hound loves nothing more than being active. They need substantial amounts of exercise in order to thrive and behave well - we’d say at least two hours of vigorous exercise a day is a good starting point.

This is a relatively small breed, so should be easy to transport. However, due to their high activity needs, you’ll need regular walking breaks when travelling long distances.

Despite his highly developed hunting instinct, he can easily coexist with a cat if he is raised by his side.

Most Small Swiss Hounds would actually prefer to live with other dogs - they’re very sociable around canines.

This breed copes well in an extremely active family environment and is normally fantastic around children. Socialisation from a young age can help them grow into the friendly, warm dogs they’re capable of being.

The Small Swiss Hound is simply too energetic and lively to live with an elderly person.

This dog is suitable for beginners who are prepared to give him the exercise he needs.