Brief History of the Swedish Vallhunds
CorVal is a small kennel located on a farm near Lake City, Florida. My little kennel is dedicated to the promotion and preservation of the Swedish Vallhund. The Vallhund is known in it's native land of Sweden as the Vastgotaspets, which means "spitz of the West Goths". The Swedes also call them the "Vikingarnas Dog" since they were known to have been kept by the Vikings as a farm dog, cattle herder and vermin hunter. Vallhunds are practically fearless!
They are still not well known in this country. Many people, upon seeing them for the first time, mistake them for "odd colored corgis" or small German Shepherds, or even wolfs! But they are none of these as they are a pure primitive Spitz breed.
In the late 1940's the Swedish Vallhund was in danger of becoming extinct. Two dog fanciers became concerned about the plight of the breed. Count Bjorn Von Rosen began to remember a sturdy, often bob tailed dog that he had seen in his youth. He placed an ad in a newspaper asking about the location of any of these dogs. Around the same time, a school teacher, named Karl Gustav Zetterson observed a type of small robust farm dog that peaked his interest. These dogs showed great talent herding cattle. He read the ad in the newspaper, and contacted Count Von Rosen. The two men joined forces. Together they searched the countryside for truly typical specimens. They managed to find a scant handful of suitable dogs , 5 bitches and 1 male, that met their criteria for good breed type. In 1942 the new breed was named Vastgotaspets. The breed steadily gained in popularity. In 1948 the Vallhund breed standard was written. A few more dogs were eventually found and added to the original gene pool, thus insuring the resurrection of the little cattle dog of the Vikings.
They are still not well known in this country. Many people, upon seeing them for the first time, mistake them for "odd colored corgis" or small German Shepherds, or even wolfs! But they are none of these as they are a pure primitive Spitz breed.
In the late 1940's the Swedish Vallhund was in danger of becoming extinct. Two dog fanciers became concerned about the plight of the breed. Count Bjorn Von Rosen began to remember a sturdy, often bob tailed dog that he had seen in his youth. He placed an ad in a newspaper asking about the location of any of these dogs. Around the same time, a school teacher, named Karl Gustav Zetterson observed a type of small robust farm dog that peaked his interest. These dogs showed great talent herding cattle. He read the ad in the newspaper, and contacted Count Von Rosen. The two men joined forces. Together they searched the countryside for truly typical specimens. They managed to find a scant handful of suitable dogs , 5 bitches and 1 male, that met their criteria for good breed type. In 1942 the new breed was named Vastgotaspets. The breed steadily gained in popularity. In 1948 the Vallhund breed standard was written. A few more dogs were eventually found and added to the original gene pool, thus insuring the resurrection of the little cattle dog of the Vikings.
The Versatile Swedish Vallhund
Swedish Vallhunds are loving, loyal, intelligent companions with a definite sense of humor. They are eager to please and are quick to learn. Vallhunds respond best to positive reinforcement training methods. Most will do anything for food! The breed is outgoing, nonaggressive and quite healthy. Their lifespan can be 16 -- 18 years. Despite all their good qualities, I must point out that Vallhunds can be very vocal. A little training can correct this tendency. The very versatile vallhund can be used for herding, conformation, therapy, search and rescue, performance events and anything else you may want to do.
CorVal Kennel
CorVal Kennel began in the 1990's. I showed both Pembroke Welsh Corgis and Vallhunds--thus the name CorVal. In those days vallhunds were not recognized by the American Kennel Club. They could only be shown in rare breed shows. Therefore, my foundation bitch, Ch. Starvon Justa Miracle, has 5 championship titles. She is officially Multi BIS, Int., ARBA, Rarities, CanineKC and AKC CH. Starvon Justa Miracle. She is my constant companion, my heart dog, and mother of 3 litters, some of whom you will meet in the next pages. Vallhunds are incredible little animals. They have taken me on an adventure and allowed me to meet many wonderful people. Jane Ward shared her database of vallhund pedigrees and facts with me. It was she who convinced me to travel to the U.K. for my 1st trip to Crufts. Jacqui Bayliss of Hurstfield Kennel and author of the book, A Study of The Swedish Vallhund, also encouraged me. She even allowed me to show 2 of her champion bitches at Crufts. They each placed second and I was smitten by the show bug. I must thank Ada West of Starvon Kennel who graciously allowed me to import Mirra, ( Ch. Starvon Justa Miracle). I appreciate the friendship of Cheryl Rolfe. She is my current mentor. Her devotion to the breed and her basic knowledge of dogs is remarkable. She keeps me focussed, never seeming to tire of being my "sounding board".