ABILITIES

The vigour and skill of the “Appenzeller”, along with his bond to his “Alpha”, gives a very reliable and manageable agility dog.

He loves playing and fetching, and enjoys working in the obedience class. He repeatedly surprises one with his instantaneous understanding.

He is increasingly favoured as a companion. In order to ensure correct social status (lowest) it is important to motivate him in a jovial manner, as he is likely to react to pressure with stubbornness.

Due to the fact that the „Appenzeller Sennenhund“ in his original capacity strongly relied on the use of his eyes, it’s very important to train him carefully for use as rescue dog or tracking dog. When these criteria are taken into account, there is nothing to stop him becoming skilled in these disciplines.

He is, due to his tracking abilities also well suited for “Schutzhund”- work. The necessary requirements for this are through training and excellent socialization.

His intelligence, independence and the otherwise somewhat annoying barking are advantages in training for avalanche or disaster rescue. These things considered, it is now up to the owner to decide if he is prepared to take on the huge amount of time necessary for the training of this dog.

This breed is even being trained as “Therapy and Seeing-Eye dogs”.

The altered environmental and breeding conditions present uses other than the original herding and guard dogs. On the one hand the original character must be maintained, on the other hand ; the significant stress that a dog is exposed to needs to be considered. The goals of  breeders are not just the confirmation of the dog but also to ensure a well balanced dog with an excellent temperament.