Icelandic Sheepdog

Dogs came to Iceland with the first Norse settlers from around 874 CE, and the Icelandic Sheepdog is one of the rare breeds whose ancient origins are supported by both archaeological finds and written record. Medieval Icelandic sagas and later farm accounts mention small herding dogs of this type, and the breed is thought to share ancestry with the Norwegian Buhund and other Scandinavian herding spitzes.

Icelandic farming shaped the dog precisely. Sheep are driven up to summer grazing and gathered again in the autumn rettir, and horses are moved across open country; a dog that could work loose stock in the open, turn animals with voice rather than grip, and find sheep lost in ravines or under snow earned its keep. The breed's habit of barking freely and looking upward is often traced to the need to spot birds of prey over lambs.

The breed came close to disappearing twice. Distemper epidemics and a nineteenth-century outbreak of canine parasites devastated the population, and imports of foreign dogs diluted what remained. Recovery efforts began in the mid-twentieth century, led in part by the English enthusiast Mark Watson, who collected dogs from remote farms, and later by Icelandic breeders through the Icelandic Kennel Club.

In 1994 the Alþingi, Iceland's parliament, formally recognised the Icelandic Sheepdog as part of the nation's cultural heritage. The FCI accepted the breed in 1972 and the American Kennel Club admitted it to the Herding Group in 2010. Numbers remain modest, with roughly five thousand registered worldwide, most of them in Iceland and the Nordic countries.

This is a small to medium dog, slightly longer than tall, built for endurance rather than speed. Males stand about 18 inches at the withers and females about 17, with most adults weighing between 20 and 30 pounds. The head is triangular when seen from above and from the side, the eyes dark and almond-shaped, and the ears erect, mobile and very expressive.

The coat is a thick double coat that comes in two varieties. The short-haired type has a medium-length outer coat with a dense undercoat; the long-haired type carries a longer, coarser outer coat with pronounced feathering on the ears, the backs of the legs and the tail. Both varieties have a ruff around the neck and a tail curled over the back.

A single colour always dominates, with white markings that almost always appear on the muzzle, blaze, collar, chest, legs and tail tip. The base colour may be tan running from cream to reddish brown, chocolate brown, grey or black; a black mask and a lighter, darker or shaded overlay are common. Double dewclaws on the hind legs are traditional and prized, a legacy of working footing on rough Icelandic ground.

The Icelandic Sheepdog is cheerful, confident and strikingly people-oriented. It was bred to work close to shepherds on isolated farms and it shows: this is a dog that wants to be in the room with you, follows the family from task to task, and greets visitors with enthusiasm rather than the reserve typical of northern breeds. Genuine timidity or aggression is considered a serious fault in the standard.

It is a talkative breed. Barking was part of the job, used to move stock, warn of aerial predators and signal a find, and most Icelandic Sheepdogs are quick to speak up at movement, arrivals and unexplained noises. That makes them excellent alert dogs but a poor fit for thin-walled flats unless you commit early to teaching a reliable settle and a word that ends the barking.

With children the breed is generally very good, being playful, patient and sturdy enough for family life, though the herding instinct can show as circling or nudging that needs redirecting. They usually get on well with other dogs and with the livestock they are raised alongside. Prey drive is comparatively moderate for a spitz, but cats and poultry still call for careful introductions.

Left alone for long stretches with nothing to do, they become bored, noisy and inventive. This is a breed that thrives on company and on having something to think about, and it repays inclusion in daily life far more than it repays kennelling.

The original job was general farm herding rather than the precise, silent eye-work of a Border Collie. Icelandic Sheepdogs gather and drive sheep and horses in open country, using voice and body pressure, and they were relied on to locate ewes buried in snowdrifts or hidden in gullies. Some Icelandic farms still work them exactly this way.

Away from stock they take happily to modern dog sports. Agility, rally, obedience, tracking and herding trials all suit the breed's combination of biddability, stamina and quick feet. They also make good hiking and trail-running companions, being tough in bad weather and comfortable on rough ground, and their alertness makes them natural, if noisy, watchdogs about a property.