Icelandic Sheepdog

 

Briefly about the breed

• Icelandic sheepdogs are descended from Scandinavian spitz dogs that the Vikings brought with them to Iceland in the 8th century.
• The breed is medium-sized, powerful and flexible, with a self-cleaning and dense coat that protects against weather and wind.
• Icelandic Sheepdogs are known for their smiling, happy and friendly nature. It is social and an excellent family dog.
• The breed has a versatile role as farm dog, herding dog and guardian of house and farm. It helps with sheep herding, herding horses and cattle, and warns of strangers.
• The Icelandic Hound has two coat varieties: short hair and long hair, both thick and weather resistant.

History

Icelandic sheepdog has a direct line to Norse saga times. The breed originates from the Scandinavian Spitz that the Vikings brought with them to Iceland in the 8th century. It developed into a medium-sized, powerful and agile dog with a special ability to adapt to the island’s climate and conditions. The fur is self-cleaning, dense and double-layered to withstand the weather and wind. The breed also has characteristic features such as a curled tail, pointed ears and double spurs on the legs.

Characteristics and mentality

Icelandic Sheepdog gives a smiling, happy and friendly first impression. It is very social and a dedicated family dog. The breed has a versatile role as farm dog, herding dog and watchdog. It helps with sheep herding, herding various animals and alerts about strangers. The Icelandic Hound is intelligent, trusting and lively.

Size and appearance

The Icelandic Sheepdog is a herding dog of the Nordic spitz type. It is slightly below medium in size with upright ears and a curled tail. The breed has a happy, friendly and intelligent expression. The coat comes in two varieties: short hair and long hair. Both hair layer variants are thick and weather resistant. The shorthair has medium-long, coarse fur with a thick and soft undercoat, while the longhair has longer covering hair and a thick, soft undercoat.

Health

The Icelandic Sheepdog is generally considered a healthy and vigorous breed. They often live a long time and retain their vitality. Some dogs can have HD, but it is rare for it to cause problems, even at an advanced age. AD is little investigated, but the X-rayed dogs are free. Some dogs can have hereditary eye diseases such as cataracts and ectopic cilia/distichiasis. Breeding individuals must have known HD status and should also be eye checked in accordance with the guidelines.

Fur grooming

Both coat varieties require bathing and brushing as needed to maintain a healthy coat.

The breed club

In general, it is recommended to contact the breed club for more information about the breed.Good luck!