The Swedish Vallhund or Västgötaspets (Westerngothia Spitz Dog), as they call it in its native country, is a Spitz type herding dog that originated more than 1.000 years ago in the Västergötland county, Sweden. Like the Icelandic Sheepdog and the Norwegian Buhund, this dog was used by legendary Vikings for herding, watching and guarding. That is why it is often called a Viking Dog. The breed is believed to be a descendant of the much larger Spitz type dogs that were primarily used for hunting in the ancient Scandinavia. As a proof for this theory, scientists recently discovered incredible similarities between this dog’s skeleton and that of a Norwegian Elkhound. However, there is another theory about the origin of this breed that is based on incredible anatomical (but not genetic) similarities between the SV and the Welsh Corgi or the Lancashire Heeler. Supposedly, the breed was developed from Corgi dogs that were brought from Wales in the Scandinavia sometime around 8th or 9th century. But, this theory is very questionable since, according to the historian, Clifford Hubbard, this is the oldest of the three breeds. So, it is more likely that these two “younger” dog breeds were actually developed from Vallhunds left by Vikings in their Welsh settlements. Anyhow, the Swedish Vallhund is by the FCI included in the class of Spitz type and primitive dogs in the group 3: Nordic Watchdogs And Herding Dogs. Continue Reading →