Appenzell Cattle Dog
The Appenzell Cattle Dog may also be referred to as the “Appenzell Mountain Dog”, or simply as an “Appenzeller”. This breed of dog is robust, hardy and comes ready to work. It's not the biggest of dogs, but what it lacks in size is made up for in power and strength. The Appenzeller is an extremely muscular and well built dog that affords it the ability to act as a fantastic work dog. Typical with the Mastiff breed group, the dog is at its best when given free roam and a lot to do, and does not particularly enjoy being locked inside all day with nothing to do. In this scenario, the dog will make its own activities for entertainment; the likes of which you may not find agreeable.
For breeders, this is something that becomes necessary to take into consideration during the training stages. The dog is at its happiest when it has plenty of acreage to fully stretch its legs. However, this means that training needs to be undertaken to reinforce the dog’s sense of herd mentality and reduce the likelihood of it straying too far from home. It should be noted that the dog already has a very natural sense of this and will create its own boundaries, but training to ensure this and develop it is recommended.
When dogs come packing muscle and liveliness, the breeder ought to know that this can at times be something of a ticking time bomb. However, the Appenzeller has a very...