From the smallest Chihuahua to the largest Great Dane, dogs come in so many shapes and sizes. Whether you have one of the most popular dog breeds or a rare pup, every dog breed has something unique to offer! The American Kennel Club just announced a brand-new addition to their ranks of recognized dog breeds, giving us one more kind of dog to love.
The newly recognized breed is the Danish-Swedish Farmdog—affectionately known as the DSF—a hardworking and athletic dog that looks similar to a Beagle or a Jack Russell Terrier. It’s the 202nd dog breed recognized by the AKC.
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“Danish-Swedish Farmdogs are small, compact dogs with a big attitude and a passion for a job and a challenge,” the AKC says. “A dedicated and hardy working breed, Farmdogs are far from needy, capable of entertaining themselves, and, like a cat, will lie on their back and play with a ball. These dogs are ready to accompany their owners to any activity.”
The breed has a history of performing in circuses and working as vermin-catching barnyard dogs, proving them to be athletic and adaptable dogs. They love to participate in canine sports, like dock diving, scent work, and agility. The breed will make its debut in the Working Group category at the National Dog Show on Thanksgiving this year.
Although the breed is newly recognized by the AKC, it actually has a surprisingly ancient history. The AKC describes this breed as being “as old as the Vikings,” noting that canine skeletons that are similar to the Farmdog have been found in ancient Viking burial sites from 1200 years ago.
In Europe, where the breed is called “Dansk Svensk Gardshund” or “Danski,” the dog is “popular in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands; you see people walking them everywhere,” Aimee Parramore Kincaid, President of the Danish-Swedish Farmdog Club of America, told the AKC.
For now, the breed is rare in America: Kincaid estimates there are only about 400 Danish-Swedish Farmdogs in the U.S. But with formal recognition of the breed and more education about its existence, the DSF might just become a more familiar face at your local dog park.
Sarah Vincent (she/her) covers the latest and greatest in books and all things pets for Good Housekeeping. She double majored in Creative Writing and Criminal Justice at Loyola University Chicago, where she sat in the front row for every basketball game. In her spare time, she loves cooking, crafting, studying Japanese, and, of course, reading.
