 These hounds were bred with local spitz type dogs, and the offspring became the foundation stock of the modern Smålandsstövare.Farmers in Sweden preferred an all around hunting dog as they could often only afford to feed a single hunting dog, and so the breed became adept at hunting a number of quarry including hares, squirrels and foxes as well as birds and larger game such as moose.During this initial period the Smålandsstövare came in a variety of colors, sizes and lengths of tail with selective breeding not being put into practice until the 19th century.