Character
The Icelandic Sheepdog is
first and foremost an excellent family dog and pet and
at the same time a working dog. They are lively, cheerful
dogs with a lot of affection to give to all. Most are
extremely good with children and get along well with other
animals. Good temperament is the hallmark of the breed.
Their most important task in the harsh
climate of Iceland was to accompanie the herd of horses or
sheep into the mountains during the summer season and back
to the farm in autumn, making sure the herd stayed
together and went the right direction. They "drive"
rather than "herd". They have less instinct for
hunting, but they do have an instinct for purchase all
what is running, like joggers, bikes, horses etc.
However at a certain point they stop and return, the
instinct of staying with his own herd is stronger. Although
Iceland Sheepdogs are not "guardian dogs" they are very
astutely aware of large birds - In Iceland the only real
predator of lambs were ravens and hawks. They are very
watchful and barks at strangers, but never bites. All guests
are welcomed with joy and kind barking.
Iceland Sheepdogs are very
intelligent and highly trainable. They learn quickly and
remember very well. They love learning skills as agility,
therapy, hearing assist, flyball, frishbee etc. They
simply love working and playing with people and have a
never-ending interest in pleasing. They have a good nose and
have been used in search and rescue for people and animals.
They have a great deal of energy when outside - always at
the go. They are calm and easygoing, once indoors most
like to snuggle with you or lay down for a nap.
The Icelandic Dog is an
extremely affectionate and sensitive dog, it requires close
contact with humans to mature fully. For this reason the
Iceland Dog is not suitabel for persons who want to
dominate their dog. Iceland Dogs need an owner who
understands their sensitive and socially character. They like to be cuddled and
dislike to be kept alone for a great part of the day. A
couple of hours in solitude may be bearable when they
are taught from early age to stay a few hours by themselves.
The Iceland Sheepdog prefers to be with people all the time,
also during the night ! Because
of these special characteristics, which are their great
charm, they belong in a household and never in a kennel
or being hold in a crate.
Appaerence
& caring
The Iceland Sheepdog is
extremely healthy and strong and keeps its vitality up to a
high age, 15-16 years is not an uncommon lifespan. They are
very pretty dogs with warm dark eyes that are extremely
expressive and often have a friendly smile on their face.
The tail curl up over the back and are fluffy and very
expressive. Another interesting feature is their expressive
ears. Icelandic dogs seem to have retained many of the
ancestral wolf-like ways of communicating through body
language that other breeds of dogs have lost. It's
fascinating to try and "read" the language of their eyes -
ears - tail combination. They also seem to tune into our
body language. Another feature of the Icelandic Sheepdog is
their double dew claws on the hindlegs. Frequently herding
dogs or mountain dogs have extra dew claws for increased
traction in slippery, icy, rocky or mountainous terrain. A
few scattered Iceland dogs show, also called wolfclaws or
spurs, on all four legs. These claws have to be cut now and
then.
The
breed has a wide range
of colors, usually a single color predominates, which covers
the spectrum from cream through black, accompanied with a
white chest, white feet, white blaze and wite tip at the
tail. The most common color is reddish to creme with
markings, sometimes these markings often edged with black
hairs. Note: white may never be the predominated color!
Puppies often start out one color and change to another
color as they mature. Mostly grey or black in the den,
probalbly for camouflage, like wolfs, pups may lighten or
even darken usually before the age of one. Black dogs are
not as common and also rare is a chocolate color, rarer
still is "lheirvit", loamwhite (very different from the
white in American Eskimo dog or Japanese Spitz). In addition
to the main background color most dogs also exhibit a third
color, which can be as subtle as black ticking on the outer
coat. In fact one of the appealing traits of the Iceland
Sheepdog is the wide variety of colors and markings!
There are two types of coats,
a shorter coat and a medium-long coat, both are a dual coat
with outer guard hairs and an inner soft downy type fur that
is thick and highly water repellant, which helped it survive
Iceland's harsh nature. They are easy to maintain, they are
also "self-cleaning" and a bath is hardly necessary,
they do not have a strong dog-smell and an occasional
brushing is enough. When losing its fur (once a year for a
male, for females between their heats) it have to be
groomed with a comb to remove the loose hairs.
Average height is 46 cm
(17,5") measured at the shoulder. Adult height is
reached by 8-10 months. Females are traditionally smaller
than males. Its ears should be erect, its tail bushy and
carried in a curl over its back.
Summary:
The Iceland Sheepdog is a working dog and needs a lot of
exercise, it requires more than just a sanitary walk around
the block, it will not be able to get rid of his energy and
will end up as a nervous and frustated dog disliked by your
neighbours because of its barking and/or howling.
If
you do not have the time or space to let them run, than do
not get an ISD! They are very adaptable and will stay
with you wherever you are, but they sure do love to run when
they get the chance... They have lots of pent up energy
after a few hours inside and run out the door barking and
fly around the yard for a while until they get rid of that
energy. Once content, back inside they relax again.
Thanks to
Andrea Barber
of Sandy Meadow Farm, NY;
Laura
Ball-Gisch of Lavender Fleece Farm. My sister Henny Roest(†), Canada for helping translate
the dutch version; and Wendy Smith for grammatical
advice. Picture
herding by
Brynhildur Inga Einarsdóttir of
kennel Reykjadal
