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Danish-Swedish Farmdog

The breeds · working

AKC Working · UKC Terrier · FCI standard 356

Danish-Swedish Farmdog.

FCI 356: utilisation farm and companion dog; 'used as a watchdog, ratter and companion'; Group 2 Section 1.1 Pinscher type, without working trial; alert, attentive and lively; known to mature late. UKC: known for centuries on farms in Denmark and Sweden as a watchdog, ratter and companion; 'more closely related to the Pinschers than it is to the Terriers'; alert, intelligent, attentive, lively. Danish-Swedish Farmdogs USA: small farmer's dog with many jobs, mouser and ratter, livestock herder, hunting dog, watch dog, family companion, and a circus clown's playmate; recognized 1987 under the name Dansk-Svensk Gaardhund, known before as the Skaansk Terrier; likely the result of pinscher and fox terrier crosses; may be slightly wary of strangers until introduced; not an aggressive breed, adapts well to other dogs. Wikipedia: historically a farm guard dog, rat catcher and hunting dog; mild and gentle, unlike the high-strung terrier; local names Skrabba and Skaaneterrier..

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.
15–25LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 15 to 25 lb; breed bitches 15 to 20 lb.
1HRSExercise, every dayDanish-Swedish Farmdogs USA: ideally about one hour of vigorous exercise daily; adaptable from low to high activity, but a working dog that likes a job; regular walks if there is no yard.. The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

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

Height at the shoulder

dogs 12.5 to 15.4 in · bitches 11.8 to 14.6 in

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club

Low and high span every cited figure including the FCI tolerance (30 to 37 cm = 11.8 to 14.6 in).

Weight

dogs 15 to 25 lb · bitches 15 to 20 lb

Breed clubAKC

Female row spans the AKC page and the club.

Coat

UKC: short, smooth and harsh on the body; white predominates with broken patches of black, tan, brown and shades of fawn, tan points allowed, ticking acceptable. FCI 356: short and smooth, harsh on body; white dominating, patches of black, tan, yellow, brown, badger and all fawn shades; patches also on head; flecking permissible. Danish-Swedish Farmdogs USA: short, close, smooth, shiny. AKC breed page: shedding 2 of 5.

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club

Shedding

Shedding 2 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Heat tolerance

5 of 5 · UKC: coat short, smooth and harsh on the body. FCI 356: short and smooth, harsh on body. Danish-Swedish Farmdogs USA: short, close, smooth and shiny.

DerivedUnited Kennel Club

Derived from the standard's coat (short, smooth, single = 5). No measured data.

The dog at home

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

Exercise need

Danish-Swedish Farmdogs USA: ideally about one hour of vigorous exercise daily; adaptable from low to high activity, but a working dog that likes a job; regular walks if there is no yard.

Breed clubDanish-Swedish Farmdogs USA

Parent-club advice, not a study; 60 is the club's own figure.

Exercise need

AKC breed page bands: energy level 4 of 5, mental stimulation needs 4 of 5, playfulness 4 of 5, trainability 4 of 5. Wikipedia: not a high-energy dog but loves having a job; takes part in flyball and agility. Danish-Swedish Farmdogs USA: suggested outlets are flyball, agility, herding, dock dogs, obedience and rally.

Breed clubAKC

AKC bands, club prose and Wikipedia (editorial); no RKC band exists for this breed.

Energy

4 of 5

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Grooming load

1 of 5 · Danish-Swedish Farmdogs USA: coat short, close, smooth and shiny, 'pretty much odor-free with minimal grooming'; seasonal shedding, some year-round in temperate climates; trim nails and watch teeth. AKC breed page coat grooming frequency 1 of 5, shedding 2 of 5 (AKC bands).

Breed clubDanish-Swedish Farmdogs USA

Mapped to 1 from the club's 'minimal grooming' and the AKC band 1; no RKC band exists for this breed.

The work

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

Role

FCI 356: utilisation farm and companion dog; 'used as a watchdog, ratter and companion'; Group 2 Section 1.1 Pinscher type, without working trial; alert, attentive and lively; known to mature late. UKC: known for centuries on farms in Denmark and Sweden as a watchdog, ratter and companion; 'more closely related to the Pinschers than it is to the Terriers'; alert, intelligent, attentive, lively. Danish-Swedish Farmdogs USA: small farmer's dog with many jobs, mouser and ratter, livestock herder, hunting dog, watch dog, family companion, and a circus clown's playmate; recognized 1987 under the name Dansk-Svensk Gaardhund, known before as the Skaansk Terrier; likely the result of pinscher and fox terrier crosses; may be slightly wary of strangers until introduced; not an aggressive breed, adapts well to other dogs. Wikipedia: historically a farm guard dog, rat catcher and hunting dog; mild and gentle, unlike the high-strung terrier; local names Skrabba and Skaaneterrier.

Breed clubFCI-Standard N° 356, 2018

FCI, UKC, the parent club and Wikipedia agree on the ratter and watch role.

Primary game

Rats and mice. Danish-Swedish Farmdogs USA: mouser and ratter; instincts for catching mice and rats, likes to chase rodents and to dig; traditionally ate the mice and rodents it caught. FCI and UKC: ratter. Wikipedia: excellent mousing skills.

Breed clubDanish-Swedish Farmdogs USA

Registry and club sources agree.

Also used on

Danish-Swedish Farmdogs USA: livestock herder and hunting dog (no quarry named); herding and hunting instincts; some trained as certified search and rescue dogs. Wikipedia: hunting dog; lure coursing; going to ground and earthdog work.

Breed clubDanish-Swedish Farmdogs USA

The club names hunting without quarry; Wikipedia is editorial.

Field trial standard

FCI 356: without working trial. AKC: Foundation Stock Service breed since January 2011 per Wikipedia, eligible for companion events such as obedience, agility and rally. The AKC Earthdog eligible-breeds list (FSS breeds: Jagdterrier, Japanese Terrier, Lucas Terrier) does not include the Farmdog, although Wikipedia says the breed can perform going to ground and earthdog work; both stand. Earthdog rules not read.

Breed clubAKC

Earthdog list read and breed absent; Wikipedia's statement is editorial and undated.

Water work

Danish-Swedish Farmdogs USA: learn to swim easily, though some individuals like the water more than others; dock dogs is listed among suggested sports.

Breed clubDanish-Swedish Farmdogs USA

One club source.

How common the problems are

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

Hip dysplasia

8% · 113 OFA hip evaluations, current all-data, accessed Oct 8 2026; 8.0% dysplastic (mild 6.2, moderate 1.8, severe 0.0), 92.0% normal; the club cites a 2005 Swedish figure of slightly over 20%

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA's own breed statistics. OFA-evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock, with normal results over-represented. Hips rank 151 in OFA's table.

Most common disorders

Danish-Swedish Farmdogs USA: generally healthy with no identified breed-specific inherited disorders; a 2005 study (The Genetic Conservation Status of the Danish-Swedish Farmdog, Laikre) found hip dysplasia in slightly over 20% of dogs, and Sweden put a breeding-pair testing strategy in place to bring it to 10% in five years. The OFA US figure is 8.0% dysplastic (n 113).

Breed clubDanish-Swedish Farmdogs USA

The club cites Laikre 2005 (the study itself not read). Hip testing is not required in Denmark or the US.

More

akc bands

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

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. 7 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Dansk-Svensk Gaardhund, Danish/Swedish Farmdog, Skaansk Terrier, Scanian terrier

Every breed, read the same way.

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