Live Life Team
The Schweizer Laufhund is also commonly known as the Swiss Hound based on the dog’s country of origin; Switzerland. In fact, it is said that the name Schweizer Laufhund was given to this breed by a notable historical figure. Apparently, Adolph Hitler owned one of these dogs. He decided to call it the Schweizer Laufhund, and for some reason the name stuck.
The Schweizer Laufhund has a long history. It has been around for at least 500 years. They can be traced as far back as the 1400s when they were a very popular dog. The Schweizer Laufhund is a very adept hunting dog. It is especially good at hunting hares and other small game. It uses its sight hound abilities to spot a foe amidst harsh conditions, such as deep in heavily wooded areas. The Schweizer Laufhund then alerts his master of where the game is hiding, either by pointing or by flushing the animal out of its hiding spot.
While there were dog breeds already in Italy and France that were bred for hunting hares, people in these countries realized the skills of the Schweizer Laufhund from the very beginning. They decided to move some dogs of this breed into their native countries to help hunt hares, which were notorious for damaging crops. This occurred in Italy in the fifteenth century and France in the eighteenth century.
There are four different varieties of Schweizer Laufhunds. There are Jura Hounds, which have gone extinct, Bernese Hounds, Lucerne Hounds and Schwyz Hounds.
