Getting To Know ICELANDIC SHEEPDOGS
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By Jill Johnson
“First and foremost, ICELANDIC SHEEPDOGS MUST BE TREATED AS MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY.”
riendly, curious, fear- less, alert, loyal, athletic, intelligent, sweet and talkative: these are all qualities that describe the wonderful Icelandic
Icelandic Sheepdogs are a Nordic spitz breed, and they have triangular prick ears, a typical single curled spitz tail and a weatherproof double coat. Th ey come in a wide range of colors from black tricolors to fawn, red, tan and beyond—although predominantly white dogs are not correct. Th ere are two coat lengths, short and long, but many fall in between. Considered a “small medium-sized” dog, there is a dis- tinct di ff erence in size between the sexes, where males are generally around 18" at the withers and females are generally 16 ½ " at the withers.
Sheepdog. Recognized by the AKC in 2010, the Icelandic Sheepdog population continues to grow in the US and abroad but is still vulnerable to genetic extinc- tion. It is the only breed of dog native to Iceland, and they are believed to be direct descendants of dogs brought to Iceland by the Vikings in the 9th century.
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