Icelandic Sheepdog

The Icelandic Sheepdog is a Nordic spitz and the only dog breed native to Iceland. It descends from dogs that Viking settlers brought to the island in the ninth century, and its traditional work is herding sheep and horses. It is closely related to the Buhund of Norway and the Vallhund and Norrbottenspets of Sweden, which come from the same ancestral stock.

History

This is one of very few breeds whose claim to ancient origins is backed by both archaeological and written evidence. Its ancestors arrived with Viking colonists from 874 onward.

Through medieval trade with Iceland, the dog became fairly well known in other European countries, including England and France. An early description dates to 1492. John Caius mentioned it in his writings on dogs in 1570, and William Shakespeare in Henry V, written around 1599. The naturalist Buffon discussed and illustrated the Iceland Dog in 1755, and in 1788 Johann Friedrich Gmelin went as far as classing it as a species of its own, Canis islandicus.

In the late nineteenth century, plague and canine distemper wiped out more than 75% of the breed, and Iceland banned the import of dogs. The purebred Icelandic Sheepdog was close to extinction again in the late twentieth century.

The Icelandic Kennel Club was formed in 1969. At its first show, in 1973, twenty-three of the sixty dogs entered were of this breed. A breed club followed in 1979. In 1994 the Icelandic parliament declared the dog part of the country’s cultural heritage, to be protected as a national breed, and an international breed association was formed in 1996.

The Fédération Cynologique Internationale accepted the breed in 1972, and the American Kennel Club recognised it in 2010. In 2022 about 5,000 dogs were registered worldwide.

Appearance

The Icelandic Sheepdog is muscular and hardy, and moves easily over the rough ground of rural Iceland. Males stand about 45 cm (18 in) at the withers and females a few centimeters less. Weight is usually 9–14 kg (20–31 lb).

The coat is thick and weatherproof, and comes in two types, short-haired and long-haired. It may be tan or fawn, in shades from cream to reddish brown, or black, chocolate brown or gray. White and light markings, often extensive, appear with every color. Tan and gray dogs may have a black mask.

Care and health

Icelandic Sheepdogs can be expected to live some twelve to fifteen years.

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