most upright position. Tipped or hanging ears are a deviation from the standard. Th e neck is moderately long, muscu- lar, slightly arched and allowing the head to be carried high. Short necks where it appears the head is placed directly on the body is not desirable and often indicate steep shoulders. Th e Icelandic Sheep- dog’s chest is often narrow in the lower front part to allow flexibility in move- ment from side to side, do not confuse this with a narrow front. Th ey should have a long well sprung deep chest with well-developed hind ribs; a clearly defined abdomen creates an incorrect outline. Th e tail must be high set, curled over and touching the back. Low set tails with a sloping croup are common; always note that the standard states a high set tail. Th e tail must not be tightly coiled at the middle of the back, nor should it curl over the back and rest on the thigh. Saber tails are not to standard. Th e Icelandic Sheepdog’s gait should demonstrate agility and endurance with good driving action, covering the ground e ff ortlessly. A graceful flowing trot, dem- onstrating good drive (push) from the rear in a harmonic pattern creating an e ffi cient power saving gait is desired. While many Icelandic Sheepdogs may never drive sheep to and from their mountain pastures over Iceland’s rug- ged terrain, they must maintain their ability to do so. Forequarters should be straight, parallel, strong and moderately angulated, steep shoulders do not allow for adequate fore movement. Th e hind- quarters should be straight parallel and strong as well with a broad well-muscled thigh with normal angulation to create adequate drive from the rear. Feet that toe out (eastie/westie) and cow-hocked
Judging the Icelandic Sheepdog is like peering into a history book, seeing the mark of the breed’s Viking founders and their environment on them. Icelan- dic Sheepdog enthusiasts strive to ensure the breed remains true to their origins and purpose. BIO After accidently discovering the breed 10 years ago while looking for the perfect pet for them, Jo-Ann Secondino and part- ner Jonathan Pickett instantaneously fell in love with the Icelandic Sheepdog. In these 10 years, Jo-Ann has served as the Vice President, Breeding and Review Committee Chairman, Health and Genetics Chairman and Advertis- ing Chairman for the national parent club, the Icelandic Sheepdog Associa- tion of America. Currently, she active- ly works to fund raise for the breed’s rescue organization. Jo-Ann is an owner/breeder/handler finishing the first male champion in the breed and the first champion from the Bred by Exhibitor class. Breeding under the Fox Meadow prefix she has consistent- ly had dogs in the top 20 since the breed’s full acceptance, all owner/handled. Although she spends time in the breed ring, her real passion is to understand the complex health and genetics of the breed’s pedigrees having imported dogs from rare pedigrees to enrich the gene pool and delights in meeting other Icelandic Sheep- dog enthusiasts from around the world. Jonathan, to his credit, has tire- lessly tried to keep up with all of Jo- Ann’s adventures with dogs and will soon begin co-breeding under his own kennel name Álfagardurinn (Elf Garden Icelandics).
dogs are common but it is straight paral- lel legs and feet are desired. Dew claws are required on all four feet, double dew claws on the rear are preferred, singles are acceptable , the quality of dew claws (bone connected) should be the primary criteria for judging. Coats should be double, coarse tex- tured, thick and weather proof with soft undercoat to protect the dogs from Ice- land’s harsh weather, whether they are long or short. Th e Icelandic Sheepdog must be shown in its natural state; trim- ming is to be severely faulted. Th ey may come in a variety of predominant col- ors ranging from cream to red, as well as chocolate brown and black. Th ey are always accompanied by white markings; black masks and sabling in their coats may also be present. White should never be the predominant color, if black is the predominant color, the color is described as tri-color and should have typical tan points. Solid black saddles or a mantle on a tan colored dog is a fault. Th ese dogs should be able to be visible when working in bad light or weather conditions, a light and dark colored dog is easily identified in any landscape under these conditions. “JUDGING THE ICELANDIC SHEEPDOG is like peering into a history book...”
“COATS SHOULD BE DOUBLE, COARSE TEXTURED, THICK AND WEATHER PROOF with soft undercoat to protect the dogs from Iceland’s harsh weather, whether they are long or short.”
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