About Appenzellers

A happy dog lying down with its tongue out.

The Appenzell Mountain Dog is the rarest of the four Swiss sennenhund dog breeds and doubles as a herding dog and a guard dog. The breed is also known as: Appenzeller Sennenhund, Appenzeller, and Appenzell Cattle Dog. The dogs have broad, wedge-shaped heads, and the nose is black or brown, depending on the coat color.

A happy dog sitting in a field of yellow flowers on a sunny day.

Appenzellers are also derived from old Mastiff-type dogs brought by the Romans over the Alps more than 2000 years ago. They are intensely loyal dogs, very protective of family and property. They thrive when they have a real job to do - these are true working dogs. They are energetic and driven, as intelligent and purposeful as they are beautiful.