The name Sennenhund refers to people called Senn, herders in the Swiss Alps.

The tail is sometimes docked, a practice which is now prohibited by law in many countries, or it may have a natural bobtail.

The Standard says that the breed is "good-natured and devoted towards people familiar to him, slightly suspicious of strangers.

"[4] The Entlebucher Sennenhund is recognised internationally by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale, using the standard written in the breed's native Switzerland.

The breed was accepted into the American Kennel Club Stud Book on December 1, 2010 and became eligible to compete in the herding dog group on January 1, 2011.

[5][6] Inbreeding due to the small foundation stock numbers has led to Entlebuchers suffering from congenital defects, the most common of which is hip dysplasia.

[citation needed] Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) is also present in the breed.