ISD Breed Overview

 The Iceland Dog is a happy and lively dog that easily gets attached to the family and would follow it everywhere if it could. It is very friendly and good with children. Its lively nature is mostly expressed outdoors and it easily calms down and will lie down next to its master’s feet, when the family is calm.

This lively, easily barking dog is very quick and cooperative, but also possesses an independent nature. Important qualities that have been developed during hundreds of years as a sheepdog.

The tendency to bark comes from its sheepdog instincts, which gets the sheep and horses to move or keeps birds of prey away from the lambs.

The job of protecting the lambs from birds of prey has given the dog an excellent sight that can spot the birds very high up in the sky, often far too high for people to spot. A flock of birds will, without fail, release an eager barking. But as it is a very bright dog, it is not an impossible task to teach it to be quiet, if so desired.

It requires a consistent, but not a strict upbringing.

It is not a guard dog, but it is still a dependable watchdog, that barks but does not bite.

It adjusts itself easily into the family’s daily patterns in the city as well as in the country, however it is not a dog for inactive people.

The Iceland Dog is a small, strong and robust spitz that is not put off by trackless countryside or foul weather. It has a strong, resilient and short body, and is light and agile on foot. The coat is thick and water resistant, but has great variation. It can be both very short hair as well as long hair. But regardless of length of hair it has a very warm undercoat to keep it warm and dry under any weather condition. The color varies from cream/yellow over reddish and brown to grey/black or a combination of these colors. At the shoulder it measures 38-48 cm. (15 - 19 Inches).

A special characteristic for the breed is, that it has wolf-claws on the hind legs, preferably double, but single claws are acceptable too.

Our Thanks to The Iceland Dog Club in Denmark for the use of this description.