Icelandic Sheepdog

Icelandic Sheepdogs are intelligent, alert, hardy, and agile. They have a gentle, intelligent and happy personality. They drive livestock by barking, and utilise this talent to their advantage as watchdogs. Because they have developed in a country where there are no natural predators Icelandic Sheepdogs are not aggressive and have very limited hunting instincts. They thrive on human companionship and are easily adaptable, happy equally at home as a family pet or outdoors with livestock.

Icelandic Sheepdog History:

The Icelandic Sheepdog is a Scandinavian spitz-type dog. When Iceland was settled in the 9th century they were no native breeds of dog. It is extremely likely that the original Icelandic Shepherds used some of the “little Viking dogs”, which came with the Vikings. This original founding stock is believed to have later developed into other Scandinavian spitz breeds such as the Finnish Spitz and the Norwegian Buhund, other dog breeds which are naturally suited to herding and guard duty.

Across Europe the Icelandic Sheepdog has been highly prized, with Sir Thomas Brown writing in 1650: “To England there are sometimes exported from Iceland ... a type of dog resembling a fox ... Shepherds in England are eager to acquire them!”.