Live Life Team
Smålandsstövare is also known in English as the Smalands Hound. It takes its name from the Smaland area of southern Sweden. While its history is hard to trace, the Smålandsstövare dog breed has been around since at least the 1500s. Some believe that this dog breed has even been around since the Middle Ages although this fact is even harder to prove. This dog breed is considered to be the oldest breed that has originated from Sweden. While the breed has since been found in other parts of Europe, they are still usually only found in certain areas of Smaland and rarely leave that area.
Because this particular breed has such a good sense of smell, the Smålandsstövare is considered a scent hound. This means they use that heightened sense to sniff out their foes. This helps the hunter find their prey. Since they have been honing their hunting skills for hundreds of years, the Smålandsstövare is a popular choice for hunters in Sweden. While being good hunters, they also make good companions. They are exceedingly loyal to their owners. Because of this fact, they are wary of strangers at first and need some time to get acquainted with others.
Smålandsstövare dogs are sometimes confused with Rottweilers because of their appearance. While they have similar coat colouring, Smålandsstövare dogs and Rottweilers are actually unrelated breeds. Smålandsstövare dogs average a height between 40 and 53 centimetres and a weight between 15 and 20 kilograms. Females tend to be slightly shorter than males although they have the same average weight.
