The Danish-Swedish Farmdog is a biddable and alert little companion dog with a ton of vigor and spunk! This “big dog in a small body” loves to be given a job to do and is happiest when he has a task to perform. Farmdogs were general purpose dogs and needed to perform a lot of different functions. Originally he was used for a slew of different purposes – everything from herding livestock, alerting when people came on the property, killing rodents, accompanying the hunter for dinner, and finally coming home and filling the role of family companion.
The DSF is fairly easy to take care of, with a smooth easy-to-care-for coat. Although they will bark to alert when a stranger comes to the door, the DSF is not a noisy dog. They do have a fair bit of energy, however, and require daily exercise as well as a regular job. A good-sized walk a day, plus a training session of some sort, should be the minimum. Despite their “do it all” attitude, most owners appreciate the fact that the dogs can relax at home after a long day of activities. As long as these dogs have enough physical and mental exercise, they are fairly well behaved in the house. If their needs aren’t met, however, they can become destructive.
DSFs do ok in apartments or small homes as long as the owner takes them out and give them activities to occupy their minds. Active families or individuals are the best matches for this breed, while lazy or rarely-at-home people should look elsewhere. Take note, however, that the breed is slow-maturing and may retain puppy characteristics for longer than average. If living in an apartment, double check your pet deposit stipulations! Patience is key with young Farmdogs!
Farmdogs are intelligent and take very well to training. Although a rare breed in this country, they are eligible to compete in dog sports such as barn hunt, herding, nosework, rally, open show conformation, agility, flyball, lure coursing, obedience and tracking. They also are occasionally seen participating as therapy dogs, in earthdog trials (to rat out rats) and even used to be seen as circus performers! Whatever type of training an owner wants to provide, they should make sure that it is fun, fair and firm. Go ahead and give plenty of positive reinforcement and excitement, but hold firm on the rules once the dog has learned the command!
Danish-Swedish Farmdogs tend to be very good and playful with kids, and also get along well with other dogs and pets. Cats and livestock aren’t often a problem either, although small pocket pets probably shouldn’t be trusted alone with breed. Overall, this is a very friendly dog without sharpness or random aggression. Despite his terrier-like appearance, the breed is actually more closely related to the pinscher breeds and doesn’t have the scrappy terrier temperament one might expect. Farmdogs enjoy making their owners laugh and often have great senses of humor. Don’t understand how a dog can have a sense of humor? Spend some time around a DSF and find out!
Danish-Swedish Farmdogs do have a bit of prey drive and can be enthusiastic diggers – most likely left over from their ratting days. The prey drive also means that they are likely to chase any cats or squirrels they see wandering outside. Keeping them on a leash or behind a fence when outside is highly recommended, especially if they haven’t yet been given obedience training.
