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ICELAND DOG |
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There is probably
no other country that has chronicled its history better than Iceland.
The revered Sagas tell of Vikings bringing small herding dogs when they
colonized Iceland in 880 AD. Actually just a smaller version of the Buhund,
the Iceland Dog is directly descended from these dogs.
Pistol, a character
in Shakespeare's Henry IV (ca. 1600), says, "Pish for thee,
Iceland Dog. Thou prick-eared cur of Iceland." Sir Richard Burton
wrote A Summer in Iceland in 1875, and made note that a good dog
equaled the value of
one horse. It was said
that a dog can find a sheep buried under 11 yards of snow.
Denmark established
a written standard for the Iceland Dog in 1898. The breed became rare
in its native land after nearly all dogs in Iceland were destroyed by
distemper near the end of the last century. In 1928, dog breeding was
further curtailed by the ban on all importation of mammals into Iceland.
The breed was reconstructed by British and Icelandic breeders by using
what stock was left and carefully introducing other Nordic herding dogs.
Mrs. Sigridur Petursdottir was instrumental in the revival of the breed,
and hi 1969, a club was formed to support the Iceland Dog.
The breed is void of hunting instincts, as it was developed exclusively as a herder like the Buhund. Lively, active, and affectionate, he is still developing mentally at 18 months. He needs to have close contact with his humans as well as calm, firm discipline to develop the desirable character. Naturally friendly, - they are alert enough to be watchdogs. They have the same cleanliness and easy-care coat of the Buhund and bear the same lack of interest in hunting or wandering.
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