Welcome!

More than anything, I want all Entlebuchers to have permanent homes with families who deserve their unique devotion and with whom they will spend their lives. I believe that knowledge is critical to good placement of puppies

of any breed. Buyers must understand the temperament

and requirements of the breed they choose and be

committed to making the placement work. Breeders

must provide whatever information the buyer needs

to make an educated decision. Sometimes this is

difficult for those of us in love with our dogs.

Hopefully, the information on this web page will

help potential puppy buyers make a wise choice.

Kathleen Kinney

Wildhorn Kennel is situated on thirteen wooded acres in the northeastern corner of Ohio, just outside the city of Ashtabula. My dogs are my companions and live in the house. They have a dog door and they have access to a half acre fenced area in the woods.  They spend a lot of time at play. They are quite rough when playing with one another and with other dogs. Their play is accompanied with a lot of vocalization. They don’t bark with out reason but they use their voices in a number of different ways to communicate with one another and with me.

They delight in chasing chipmunks and are so quick that they occasionally catch one. Although they supposedly have no hunting instinct, I have read that, in addition to their many other farm duties in Switzerland, they also kept the barn and farmyard free of vermin. Consequently, I believe that an Entlebucher should be socialized with cats or other small animals at a very tender age if he is expected to live with small pets at any time in the future.

At this time I have six Entlebuchers, Henri, (Van Dyck Der Viking) ,  Alida Delux of Hephzibah and Mira (Amira of Wildhorn), Arco vom Arvenstock, Elka of Wildhorn and Farah of Wildhorn. I had Labradors for many years. Probably like you, I became interested in Entlebuchers by reading about them. I was looking for a breed that was athletic, wash and wear, highly intelligent and most importantly, highly trainable. I wanted a big dog in a smaller package. After a lot of research and thought, I made the decision to buy an Entlebucher, a male.  I bought a potential show quality pup with the hope that he would have a show career, and that, if I was sold on the breed, I might buy a bitch at a later date. What I got was, Henri, an even “bigger” dog than I expected in a package that size.  Henri arrived and was greeted by my pack of three adult dogs (two were seniors). Within a very short time, Henri had taken over and was the alpha at just a few months of age. There was quite a bit of commotion. My adult daughter, who lived at home then, called Henri “Henri the Horrible”. Henri used his paws like hands. Nothing was safe. Quite regularly he would open the back door to let himself in and would never close it, therefore it had to be kept locked (it was winter in the snow belt and this was 'pre-dog-door-days). He once opened the pantry door and he and the other dogs ransacked the flour, sugar, a broken bottle of molasses, (no cuts fortunately) and any thing else they could open. (This resulted in special latches on the pantry doors). Henri is now a more reserved fellow at nearly thirteen. He developed great house manners but can still open the dead bolt on the back door.  He takes his home and property guard duties most seriously but is very laid back when "the girls" aren't stirring up mischief.

Oona, my second Entlebucher, arrived on the scene as outgoing as Henri was serious as a puppy. Coming in the dog door era, she had different puppy tricks. She would grab anything that struck her fancy and run like crazy out the dog door. Unfortunately, she never brought anything back in but sticks and rocks. Whenever something went missing, terror struck, “It’s in the yard!” Again, it was winter. I remember crawling around in the leaves, in the dark, with a flashlight looking for my glasses. Fortunately, they were on the surface and reflected in the light from the flashlight. Every time there was a thaw and the snow melted I got a surprise. Once an entire deck of soggy playing cards were strewn over a half-acre, and there were always several missing dishtowels. A couch cushion went missing (I’ll never know how she got it out the door). Once brushed off, it was none the worse for the wear. Mind you, this was all when I was at home (of course, as a puppy she was always crated when I was out of the house.) I think she thought her name was ’Oona Dam-it’. She too  matured into a dog with perfect house manners, although she would occasionally steal a particularly appealing treasure and hide it under her mattress.  Although Oona was purchased as a potential show/brood bitch, I  spayed her as she has hip dysplasia. (see Health)

Oona  always was somewhat jealous of the other dogs getting too much attention. She particularly disliked sharing with other bitches. This was not a real problem until Alida matured and was bred. Oona's increasingly aggressive attitude created a very difficult and uncomfortable situation for all of us as we, the dog's and I, all live in the house as a family. 

I ultimately, sorrowfully, came to realize that Oona really wanted/needed her own family. A wonderful opportunity for Oona presented itself with the help of another breeder, Karen Runge of Moratel. Oona now lives in New Hampshire, in "dog nirvana," with  Mary Fosher. She is an only dog now, finally.

Alida was the easiest puppy and was kept busy and engaged in play activity so much by the other dogs that she didn't get in nearly as much mischief as Henri and Oona managed to do. She was no longer crated routinely in my absence, after the age of eight months. They were a challenge as puppies but delightful most of the time. Entlebuchers are very clean dogs. Housetraining was extraordinarily easy with both. They were crate trained. I believe this is the only humane, gentle way to housetrain any dog. In reality, for the first few months of using this method it is the owner who is trained to the puppy’s potty habits. Devotion to the task early on, means that you will quickly have a housetrained puppy that is reliable, happy and well adjusted. 

Oona was good with children. As she is a herding/guardian dog with exceptionally high prey drive, she kicked into herding gear when there was a lot of running and squealing. This sometimes resulted in really little ones getting bowled over (this can be scary for some children). She was otherwise very kind and gentle with them. Oona started her favorite trick entirely on her own. She vaulted up the ladder to the grandchildren’s playhouse and slid down the sliding board. She was always quite pleased with herself.

Alida and Amira love to be around children. They can be left unattended even with my youngest grandchild. They are inherently more gentle and seemingly more aware of their mass and strength. I don’t believe that this trait is particularly sex related. Some males are gentler than others are as some females are gentler than others. (Actually, I believe that neutered males make as good if not better pets than females.)

Henri, on the other hand is not good with very little children. He never had the opportunity to be around infants and toddlers when he was a pup and he is an intact alpha male. He is fine with older children. If toddlers come to visit, he's not allowed to run loose with the them.  It is not a matter of aggression, he is just too rough. My friend Jan, who likes his character and temperament  very much, says he is “vigorous.” Whatever he does, he does with gusto, including demonstrating affection. He is every bit as affectionate as the girls, likes to watch TV across my lap, but can easily whack me in the nose or tilt my glasses when he is letting me know how much he appreciates me.

Alida is extremely outgoing and affectionate. Her behavior when meeting strangers is actually not that of the typical Entlebucher. Entles are supposed to be “slightly suspicious of strangers,” somewhat aloof at first contact. Lida, however,  thinks that everyone in the world must love her and be waiting to make her acquaintance. In addition to the typical Entle “smile,” she also grins when greeting people. This can be somewhat off-putting to “non-dog people” when they see her waggling up with lips pulled back, showing most of the teeth in her head. “Dog people” love it.

Mira is my “Velcro®” dog.” All my Entles are wherever I am when I am at home. But, Mira stays the closest to my body and when I am at my PC (which is a lot), she places her head on my lap for a reassuring pat every little while. When meeting strange adults she is more Entle like than her mother; or, one could say, more like her dad. She enjoys meeting them, but is more reserved till she gets a chance to take the situation in. Then, if she really likes new visitors she does the Entle “leg lean.” Mira is also very beautiful. I was lucky, she seems to have inherited the best physical qualities of both parents.

Henri exceeded my show expectations. I didn’t show him until he was over two. In his eighteen-month show career he won ten ‘Group Ones’, three ‘Group Twos’ and six ‘Best In Show’. He is now seldom shown. He has earned his ‘International Championship’ (UCICB) and  his National Championship (UCICB).  Henri is in excellent physical condition at nearly thirteen years of age. His muzzle and feet are gray but  he is as active, happy, and ready to go as ever.

 

I experienced few chewing problems, other than during teething periods, with the exception of Farah, my youngest. After Labs, this seemed a  miracle through my first several, until Farah who chewed and absconded with everything as Oona had. Oh, my!

 Entle puppies are very "mouthy" though. They tend to try and have some part of their owner's anatomy in their mouth at all times. With piranha puppy teeth, this trait is most annoying. Fortunately it does pass.

My Entlebuchers are my friends and companions. They keep my life full of love and activity.