Icelandic Sheepdogs tend to have a complicated relationship with wild birds. In Iceland, birds were a menace to flocks and could threaten the stores of fish dry- ing in the sun. As such, Icelandic Sheep- dogs will watch the skies for raptors and other types of birds—threatening and not so threatening. My two, for example, are highly vocal whenever we come across birds as innocuous as quail on our walks. Th ey tolerate birds in the air or water, but they do not like birds on the ground and will do their level best to get the birds out of their territory.
Icelandic Sheepdogs are incredibly easy to live with, if you can tolerate barking and shedding. As previously mentioned, they are excellent with children. Upon seeing children after several months, my 18-month old Icelandic Sheepdog hap- pily spent an hour being pulled around by a six-year-old who was role-playing as a professional dog walker. My older male was simultaneously playing “keep-away” with a ten-year-old for the same hour, despite not having had prolonged expo- sure to children for several years. Th ey also respect familiar domestic cats in the
home or yard. Although a herding breed, Icelandic Sheepdogs seem to understand that cats are also part of the household, as opposed to livestock to be managed. Th at said, my two will engage and play with my cat, with varying results from the cat’s point of view. Th e cat has resigned herself to getting a morning greeting from each of the dogs, which includes a hearty lick from the younger female. Proper care and grooming for an Ice- landic Sheepdog is an important con- sideration. Whether short or long, a proper Icelandic coat is a double coat.
“...ICELANDIC SHEEPDOGS WILL WATCH THE SKIES FOR RAPTORS AND OTHER TYPES OF BIRDS— threatening and not so threatening.”
t4 )08 4 *()5 . "(";*/& . ":
Powered by FlippingBook