The Icelandic Sheepdog
Breed History
The Icelandic Sheepdog, the only dog breed native to and originating in Iceland, is an old breed that came to Iceland with early settlers to watch and herd livestock. Accounts of the breed reach back as early as the late 1400s. The Icelandic Sheepdog was kept as an all-around farm dog that guarded flocks, herded sheep to and from the mountains, and greeted visitors with its jovial bark.
From those early days to the 1950s the population of the Icelandic Sheepdog waxed and waned, eventually nearing extinction. To save the breed, an Iceland enthusiast by name of Mark Watson exported a few males and females to California. An organized breeding program was started In the United States, later moving to England and Iceland. Over the years, with the involvement of multiple countries and eventually a parent Icelandic Breed Club, numbers rose and the breed is no longer in danger of extinction.
The modern Icelandic Sheepdog is known for its happy and confident temperament. A tireless herding dog, they love to bark when necessary and are full of curiosity, and love to work. Jovial and sweet-tempered the Icelandic Sheepdog is a friend to everyone he meets and a loving companion. A versatile breed, Icelandic Sheepdogs are known to excel at numerous performance and sporting events, love to hike and travel with their families and enjoy any activity that involves having fun with their family.
History adapted from icelanddogs.com
What’s it like to live with an Icelandic Sheepdog?
Everyday Life
Icelandic Sheepdogs are very happy little dogs. They are very fun to live with and are smart, pretty biddable (willing to do what you ask), and, of course, SO ADORABLE! They love to be with their people and have a tendency to adjust their expectations based on their family’s lifestyle. Most do tend to need some degree of daily exercise as an outlet for their energy and they enjoy having a job to do. Having a job doesn’t necessarily mean that they need to herd or drive sheep, it just means that they are a breed of dog who likes to work with their owner as a unit, so they really excel when they are given tasks to perform. These tasks can be anything from a game of fetch, training in sports, or learning tricks; anything where you and your icie are engaged and working together counts as a job!
Icelandic Sheepdogs are a breed that can be prone to separation anxiety but my experience with this is that they thrive with a predictable routine. That routine is set EARLY in life so a spoiled puppy can quickly become an unruly adult. I strive to set a daily routine as soon as possible and then stick with it! This makes it very easy for your new puppy and, later, your adult dog to predict how daily life is going to flow and to understand things like when she will be kenneled and home alone, when she will play and train, etc. Consistency helps a smart puppy to understand her environment and expectations.
Temperament
The Icelandic Sheepdog is ever jovial and happy-go-lucky. This sunny disposition is a hallmark of the breed and the namesake of our kennel! Icelandic Sheepdogs are very people social, as well as interested in other dogs and usually friendly with them as well. This means that your new puppy will find new FRIENDS everywhere! This can be a bit of challenge at times making you have to work a bit harder to be THE MOST exciting thing in the room to keep your dog engaged.
Icelandic Sheepdogs can be very vocal. Their loud and somewhat piercing bark is an important breed trait since they needed to be heard across the hills and fields of Iceland while moving and protecting their sheep. In a companion home, icies tend to bark when greeting any new potential “friends” and to warn you of anything they feel may be of concern or out of the ordinary. Alert barking and environmental sensitivity can often be improved with training but rarely totally eliminated, so my philosophy is always to prepare for life with a barker but hope you can manage it to a degree that keeps you happy with your new companion.
Health
Icelandic Sheepdogs are overall a very healthy breed! We strive to do everything we can to maintain the health of our breeding dogs and, therefore, produce healthy puppies. All our dogs are health tested per breed club recommendations at minimum, with most having even further testing done. These health screenings include annual ophthalmic examinations, hip/elbow screening for congenital joint disease, echocardiogram to check for underlying heart disease, and extensive genetic testing. Breed health conditions that can occur and are NOT able to be screened for via current health testing include some late-onset ocular diseases and autoimmune diseases. We hope to reduce instances of these illnesses with pedigree analysis and tracking the health of all puppies we produce.
Grooming
Overall, Icelandic Sheepdog coat care is very simple! The coat is a double coat with thick, downy undercoat with a top coat that can be short or long. This coat, regardless of length, is very thick, rather weather resistant and readily repels dirt. A correct coat also dries fairly quickly and should brush out easily. Icelandic Sheepdogs do shed like any double coated dog, but they do tend to have a couple of major, seasonal sheds per year with rest of the year being lighter on shedding. Coat and degree of shedding can be very dependent on the individual dog.
Energy
First and foremost, a proper Icelandic Sheepdog, in my opinion, will always be a working, companion dog. They are in tune to their owner and should readily adjust to what their owner asks of them, as long as their needs are appropriately met. The most important need that must be fulfilled for a happy, content Icelandic Sheepdog is their desire to work for and with you. Icelandic Sheepdogs are really pretty tireless when it comes to physical activity and have great endurance. You will not be able to TIRE your Icelandic Sheepdog out with physical exercise, but you definitely can with brain work! Be prepared to provide mental stimulation in the form of puzzle toys, bones to chew, training sessions, and outdoor exploration to keep your Icelandic Sheepdog happy and content.
All around Icelandic Sheepdogs are a very fun, social, happy, sporty little dog. We love to dabble in agility, herding, conformation, scentwork, rally, FastCAT, BarnHunt and dock diving as well as outdoor activities like hiking, camping, kayaking, and general exploration.
