Breed Priorities – Icelandic Sheepdog

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420 – November/December, 2024

By Nikki Riggsbee

The Icelandic Sheepdog ancestors were brought from Scandinavia by the Vikings as early as the 800s. Blood samples show that the breed is related to the Finnish Karelian Bear Dog that originated in Russia. It may also be related to the Norwegian Buhund, Swedish Vallhund, and Norrboten. The Icelandic Sheepdog has been documented as a distinct breed since the Middle Ages.

In the nineteenth and twentieth century, the numbers of the breed were greatly reduced, due to health and other issues. Efforts earlier in the twentieth century were made to save the breed which seemed to be nearing extinction. Breeding efforts in California and England, as well as Iceland, helped maintain the breed.

The Icelandic Dog breed club was formed in Iceland in 1979. The breed was recognized by FCI in 1972 and by the American Kennel Club in 2010.

We found forty-three Icelandic Sheepdog experts to invite to take a survey on evaluating their breed. Twenty-six agreed to participate, and twenty-one sent completed (or mostly completed) surveys. The contributors have been in the breed for nearly seventeen years on average. Those who judge have been approved to do so for an average of ten-and-one-half years.

Icelandic Sheepdog Virtues

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420 – November/December, 2024

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Posted by AnthonyA on Dec 9 2024. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.