KENAI
Broholmer

The breeds · working

AKC Foundation Stock Service · UKC Guardian · FCI standard 315

Broholmer.

FCI 315 utilization: companion dog, guard dog; Molossoid, Mastiff type, without working trial. History (FCI): known as a type since the Middle Ages when used for hunting (stag hunting), later mainly a guard dog for large farms and manors; purebred from the end of the 18th century under Chamberlain Sehested of Broholm; nearly extinct after the Second World War and rebuilt from about 1975 by the Society for Reconstruction of the Broholmer Breed with the Danish Kennel Club. DKK: a Danish national breed that took part in hunting wild boar in the Middle Ages, later used mostly as a watchdog on castles and large farms; reconstruction of the breed not complete. UKC: guardian dog group. Wikipedia: employed as a guard dog in the homes of the wealthy..

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

0INHeightdogs null, bitches null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
88–165LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 88 to 165 lb; breed bitches 88 to 154 lb.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 27.5 to 29.5 in · bitches 27.5 to 29.5 in

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2025

Breed-wide AKC band counted in both sex rows; FCI and UKC give approximate or average figures, so center is left blank.

Weight

dogs 88 to 165 lb · bitches 88 to 154 lb

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2025

Breed-wide DKK and AKC bands counted in both sex rows. 1 kg = 2.2046 lb.

Coat

FCI 315: short and close lying with undercoat; yellow with or without a black mask, red with or without a black mask, or black; white markings on chest, feet and tail tip optional; long hair is a disqualifying fault. UKC: short and close-lying with a thick undercoat; yellow with a black mask, golden red, black. DKK: short and close, heavy undercoat.

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2025

Shedding

Sheds some in spring and autumn and should therefore be brushed through regularly (DKK, translated). AKC breed page shedding level 3 of 5.

Breed clubDansk Kennel Klub

Heat tolerance

4 of 5 · Hair short and close lying with undercoat (FCI 315); UKC: short and close-lying with a thick undercoat

DerivedFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2025

Derived from the standard's coat description on the library scale: short dense coat = 4.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

DKK (translated): the large, heavy dog is exercised moderately when young and should not climb many stairs before fully grown; robust, likes to be out, moves gladly but mostly at a sedate pace; attached to its own area and does not roam unnecessarily; keeps fairly close contact with its owner. DKK activity level: medium. AKC breed page energy level 2 of 5.

Breed clubDansk Kennel Klub

No source prints minutes per day, so exercise_need_min is left out.

Energy

AKC breed page: energy level 2 of 5, mental stimulation needs 3 of 5, playfulness 3 of 5, trainability 3 of 5, barking level 1 of 5. DKK: activity level medium; robust and glad to be outdoors, moves at a rather sedate pace.

Breed clubAKC

Grooming load

2 of 5 · DKK: coat care small (Danish: Pelspleje Lille); short close-lying coat with thick undercoat, sheds some in spring and autumn and should be brushed through regularly. AKC breed page: coat grooming frequency 1 of 5, shedding 3 of 5.

Breed clubDansk Kennel Klub

Mapped from DKK 'small' and the regular brushing in the shed seasons to 2 (weekly brush); the AKC page rates grooming frequency 1.

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

FCI 315 utilization: companion dog, guard dog; Molossoid, Mastiff type, without working trial. History (FCI): known as a type since the Middle Ages when used for hunting (stag hunting), later mainly a guard dog for large farms and manors; purebred from the end of the 18th century under Chamberlain Sehested of Broholm; nearly extinct after the Second World War and rebuilt from about 1975 by the Society for Reconstruction of the Broholmer Breed with the Danish Kennel Club. DKK: a Danish national breed that took part in hunting wild boar in the Middle Ages, later used mostly as a watchdog on castles and large farms; reconstruction of the breed not complete. UKC: guardian dog group. Wikipedia: employed as a guard dog in the homes of the wealthy.

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2025

Guard and companion breed; historical hunting use only, as the sources word it.

Primary game

Historical only: stag hunting in the Middle Ages (FCI 315 history); wild boar (DKK, translated). No current hunting use is stated by any source read.

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2025

Recorded as history, not as a current role.

Range

DKK (translated): attached to its own area, does not roam unnecessarily, keeps fairly close contact with its owner.

Breed clubDansk Kennel Klub

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Most common disorders

Wikipedia: Broholmers imported into the United States around 2016 were found to be affected by degenerative myelopathy (DM); the Danish breed society did not accept those dogs. DKK breeding rules require an official hip status of A or B for both parents (C only if the partner is A) and elbow status 0 or 1.

EditorialWikipedia (English)

Wikipedia's account of the US imports is a secondary summary; no veterinary paper was opened.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 2; Mental Stimulation Needs 3; Trainability Level 3; Barking Level 1; Watchdog/Protective Nature 4; Good With Young Children 3; Openness To Strangers 3; Good With Other Dogs 3; Shedding Level 3; Coat Grooming Frequency 1; Drooling Level 3; Affectionate With Family 3; Playfulness Level 3; Adaptability Level 3.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 4 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Danish Broholmer, Danish Mastiff, Old Danish Dog

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All published breeds

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