Appearance

Entlebuchers are very pleasing in appearance. They are of medium size, and are slightly longer than they are tall. They are extremely muscular and very powerful, considering their size and weight. The coat is very short and is jet-black and shining with white on head, chest and paws. They have rust markings over each eye, on the cheek, on the chest, on the legs and under the tail. They have a dense undercoat (and yes they do shed, but not excessively). They carry their pendant ears forward when they are alert (which is most of the time). Their strong yet graceful gait is a joy to watch. Most are born with long tails, which are docked at birth. Many European countries no longer permit docking. Some breeders in this country are not docking and some breeders will leave tails at the buyer’s request. As these dogs are so rare, they are often mistakenly identified by the uninitiated as Greater Swiss puppies or Rottweiler /Beagle crosses.

Wildhorn puppy tails are always docked . . .

Entles became "Entlebuchers" not Appenzellers because of their bob tails.  To me it is part of the history  and, if you will, part of the "essence" of the breed.

I greatly favor the look of the docked or naturally bobbed tail. In general, I believe that many/most Entles have tails that do not meet the standard. (I do believe, however, that we should try and breed for the correct tail set) As Entles were either born with bob tails or were docked at birth, breeders have not bred for correct tail set. (This is true of other breeds

historically docked before) Many are poorly set on the croup, almost always too high. Often they appear kind of "stuck on" rather than the natural extension of the spinal column that they are. Also they are not to be held up higher than the back unless the dog is exited etc. Many Entles hold their tails very high most of the time and many carry them tilted forward and over their backs, or curled. This is not correct whether docked or natural. They should be carried straight out behind them, level with their back or slightly above (but out behind them) or hanging down. Often what is thought to be the "cutest" is the most incorrect one. 

The FCI standard states:

Tail: set on in continuation of the gently sloping rump. Either a naturally grown tail, desirably carried level with the back or slightly above or carried hanging down or a congenital bobtail (short tail).

All puppies in a litter must be docked or all puppies left natural. The tails are docked at three days of age. Sex and markings are all that can be determined. It is not possible to have any idea of temperament at that age, let alone match to a specific home or environment.      

For more details on appearance visit these sites:

Link to Natural History Museum, Berne, Switzerland (NHMB)

http://www-nmbe.unibe.ch/abtwt/entlebuch_cattle_dog.html

Weight:  Females - 45 to 55 lbs. and males - 55 to 65 lbs.

Height at the Withers (shoulders):   Females - 16 to 18 (19.5 tolerated) and males - 17 to 19 (20.5 tolerated).

Color and Markings:   The Entlebucher is a tri-colored dog. Ground color is jet black. The markings are rich rust and clear white. Symmetry of markings is desired. Rust appears over each eye, on the cheeks, reaching to at least the corner of the mouth, each side of the chest, on all four legs and under the tail. There is a white blaze and muzzle band. A white marking on the chest typically forms an inverted cross. White on the feet is desired, but must not extend higher then the pastern.

There can be considerable variations in markings in a litter. Typically, breeding animals have coat patterns that are identical to the breed standard described above. It is however, important to note that not all Entles are born with “perfect” coat (marking) patterns. Quite often Entles have feet with too high white “socks”; chest plates or muzzle bands that are not perfectly symmetrical; narrow or almost non-existent blazes; too much white on face, feet or chest etc.  

Variation occurs in many if not most litters.

Most of the photos that you see on web pages are “perfectly” marked Entles. I have included some photos of Entles with a variety of coat patterns so that you can see the variations. Some of them are my pups, some are not. All of them are great companions and many buyers/owners find the variations very appealing.

At one time Entlebuchers had white collars that completely encircled the neck. This was bred out although we sometimes see Entles that have white patches on the back of the neck. The standard permits the white patch if it is not wider than “half a hand’s breadth,” but it is “not desirable.” Hands vary in size but my guess is that “half a hand” means between 1 ½  and 2 inches wide.

Many Entle puppies are born with small white patches of hair, usually on the side of the neck. These normally disappear in the first several months, however sometimes a few white hairs remain. One breeder reports a complete puppy collar that totally disappeared. 

Entlebuchers often have a black and tan mixed undercoat in the neck area. (Some Entles have a more wide spread black and tan undercoat.) This and the above mentioned white patches and marks are considered “collar remnants.”