Berner Laufhund (Small Bernese Hound)

The Small Bernese Hound originated in Switzerland as part of a group of four smaller scent hounds. They are a medium sized dog that was used to hunt big game and hunters were very impressed with their hunting prowess. There are not many written documents that date back to the 9^th century when the Small Bernese Hound was believed to have been developed. There were paintings that have survived from the 9^th and 10^th century that depicts the Small Bernese Hound as a leaner hound than it is today. This breed was used extensively by Swiss Alpine hunters for more than nine hundred years because of their excellent sense of smell, smaller size and ability to hunt larger game. In the early 20^th century, Switzerland created hunting preserves in different regions, limiting and reducing the size of available hunting grounds. The Small Bernese Hound was bred even smaller to accommodate the smaller hunting areas; larger hunting hounds were too large and fast for these new hunting preserves. The Small Bernese Hound was bred to the smaller Swiss Laufhund to reduce their size and make them more suited for hunting with the newly designated hunting preserves. In 1905 the Swiss Niederlaufhund Club (SNLC) was founded and the Small Bernese Hound was included in this club. The Small Bernese Hound became increasingly popular through the 1930s and was called by many enthusiasts as the greatest hunting dog in the world. They are mainly found within the Swiss Alps and in surrounding cities, they are considered to be a rare breed because they are only found in such a small area and their numbers are relatively low.