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The Icelandic Sheepdog is a breed of spitz dog originating from the dogs brought to Iceland by the Vikings. Later, dogs were taken from Iceland to the British Isles and became the basis for Border Collies and Corgis. In the Shetland Islands, it was crossed with the Norwegian Buhund and became the Shetland Sheepdog.
They are still commonly used to herd sheep in the Icelandic countryside. The Icelandic sheepdog is often described as a large dog in the body of a small dog.
The Icelandic Sheepdogs are tough and energetic dogs. It is a hardy and agile herding dog which barks, making it extremely useful for herding or driving livestock in the pastures, in the mountains or finding lost sheep. The Icelandic Sheepdog is by nature very alert and will always give visitors an enthusiastic welcome without being aggressive. Hunting instincts are not strong. The Icelandic Sheepdog is cheerful, friendly, inquisitive, playful and unafraid. Most adore children and get along well with other dogs and pets.
Appearance: The Icelandic Sheepdog's distinct features
are pointy ears and a curly tail. It is of medium height, and
is commonly golden, reddish, black, or grey combined with
white. The coat may be long or short. Because of this variety
it may be difficult to tell that two different dogs are the
same breed.
Forefeet: oval-shaped toes, arched, tight, with well-developed pads.
Shoulders: oblique, muscular.
Hind legs: one or often two dew claws on each leg.
Gait: displays endurance and agility, driving action, covers ground effortlessly.
Head: strongly built, close-fitting skin, skull slightly longer than muzzle making it look triangular from side or above.
Nose: black, or dark brown in lighter-color breeds.
Muzzle: nasal bridge straight, slightly shorter than skull, tapers evenly towards nose to form triangle.
Lips: black, close-fitting.
Bite: scissor.
Cheeks: flat.
Eyes: medium, almond-shaped, brown, eye-rims are black.
Ears: erect, medium in size, triangular, very mobile as they move in sensitivity with dog's moods.
Height: male: 46 cm female: 42 cm
Color: tan, reddish-brown, chocolate, grey, black, with white as a required prominent color.
Appearance from side: rectangular, length from shoulder to base of tail is greater than height at withers.
Depth of chest: equal to length of foreleg.
Coat: two types: long and short, both thick and waterproof.
History: Plague and canine distemper destroyed over
75% of the breed in the late 19th century, leading to a ban on
the importation of dogs. The purebred Icelandic sheepdog was
again bordering extinction in the late 20th century and in
1969 the Icelandic Dog Breeder Association (HRFÍ) was
established, which had among other aims to preserve the breed.
The Icelandic sheepdog very much resembles dogs found in graves in Denmark and Sweden from about 8000 B.C. Dog imports to Iceland were limited and from 1901 even forbidden. In 1650 Sir Thomas Brown wrote "To England there are sometimes exported from Iceland ... a type of dog resembling a fox ... Shepherds in England are eager to acquire them!"
Plague and canine distemper destroyed over 75% of the breed in the late 19th century, leading to a ban on the importation of dogs to Iceland. The purebred Icelandic sheepdog was again bordering extinction in the late 20th century and in 1969 the Icelandic Dog Breeder Association (HRFÍ) was established to preserve the breed, among other aims.
Miscellaneous: The breed is sometimes denoted in Latin as canis islandicus even though it is a breed and not a species. As the name implies, it is a sheep dog, but is also used as a guard dog and general working dog. When herding, the Icelandic sheepdogs were not mainly used to take the sheep from one point to another, but to prevent animals from straying. Additionally, the dogs were in charge of herding horses and other animals as well. When herding failed, the dogs drove the animals by barking. Thus, they tend to bark when they want something, although this behaviour can be controlled by training.
In the Icelandic landscape, sheep often get lost and it has historically been the dog's job to find them and return them to the herd. They are therefore used to working on their own and to figuring things out for themselves, so owners have to beware lest they learn things they shouldn't. As a guard dog, their main task was to alert the inhabitants when somebody was coming, so these dogs tend to bark a lot when they see people approaching.
The Icelandic sheepdog is very loyal and wants to be around its family constantly. It follows its owner everywhere. Unlike most working dogs, these calm down when indoors and will happily lie down at their master's feet.
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