ICELAND DOG

COUNTRY: Iceland
WEIGHT: 20-30 pounds
HEIGHT: 12-16 inches
COAT: Thick, coarse> quite shorti stand-off
COLOR: Wheaten, black, wolf sable, "dirty" all-white; often with small symmetrical white markings, sometimes a black mask
OTHER NAMES: Icelandic Sheepdog, Iceland Spitz
REGISTRY: FCI
GROUP: Northern

There is probably no other country that has chronicled its history better than Iceland. The revered Sagas tell of Vikings bringing small herding dogs when they colonized Iceland in 880 AD. Actually just a smaller version of the Buhund, the Iceland Dog is directly descended from these dogs.

Pistol, a character in Shakespeare's Henry IV (ca. 1600), says, "Pish for thee, Iceland Dog. Thou prick-eared cur of Iceland." Sir Richard Burton wrote A Summer in Iceland in 1875, and made note that a good dog equaled the value of

one horse. It was said that a dog can find a sheep buried under 11 yards of snow.

Denmark established a written standard for the Iceland Dog in 1898. The breed became rare in its native land after nearly all dogs in Iceland were destroyed by distemper near the end of the last century. In 1928, dog breeding was further curtailed by the ban on all importation of mammals into Iceland. The breed was reconstructed by British and Icelandic breeders by using what stock was left and carefully introducing other Nordic herding dogs. Mrs. Sigridur Petursdottir was instrumental in the revival of the breed, and hi 1969, a club was formed to support the Iceland Dog.

The breed is void of hunting instincts, as it was developed exclusively as a herder like the Buhund. Lively, active, and affectionate, he is still developing mentally at 18 months. He needs to have close contact with his humans as well as calm, firm discipline to develop the desirable character. Naturally friendly, - they are alert enough to be watchdogs. They have the same cleanliness and easy-care coat of the Buhund and bear the same lack of interest in hunting or wandering.