Icelandic Sheepdog
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The Icelandic Sheepdog (Template:Langx, Script error: No such module "IPA".), is an Icelandic breed of dog of Nordic Spitz type. It derives from dogs brought to Iceland by Viking settlers in the ninth century; it is both similar and closely related to the Buhund of Norway and the Vallhund and Norrbottenpets of Sweden, which derive from the same ancestral stock.
It is the only dog breed indigenous to Iceland. Its traditional uses include herding of both sheep and horses.[1]Template:R/superscript
History
The Icelandic Sheepdog is one of very few breeds of dog for which claims of ancient origin are demonstrably supported by both archaeological and written evidence.[2]Template:R/superscript It derives from dogs brought to Iceland by Viking colonists from 874 onward;[2]Template:R/superscript[3]Template:R/superscript these are thought to have been from the same ancestral stock which gave rise to the modern Buhund of Norway and Vallhund of Sweden.[4]Template:R/superscript[5]Template:R/superscript
As a result of commerce with Iceland in the Middle Ages, the dog became fairly well known in other European countries including England and France;[2]Template:R/superscript an early description dates to 1492.[4]Template:R/superscript It is mentioned by John Caius in his writings on dogs in 1570,[4]Template:R/superscript and by William Shakespeare in Henry V, thought to date from about 1599.[2]Template:R/superscript[6]Template:R/superscript In his Account of Island, alias Ice-land; in the Year 1662, published posthumously, Sir Thomas Browne wrote: "... they bring another sort over, Headed like a Fox, which they say are bred betwixt Dogs and Foxes; these are desired by the Shepherds of this Country".[2]Template:R/superscript[7]Template:R/superscript[8]Template:R/superscript
The Script error: No such module "Lang". or Iceland Dog was both discussed and illustrated in the fifth volume of the Histoire Naturelle of Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, published in 1755.[2]Template:R/superscript[9]Template:R/superscript In 1788 it was classified by Johann Friedrich Gmelin as a species, Canis islandicus.[10]Template:R/superscript[11]Template:R/superscript
Plague and canine distemper destroyed over 75% of the breed in the late nineteenth century, leading to a ban on the importation of dogs to Iceland. The purebred Icelandic Sheepdog was again bordering extinction in the late twentieth century.
A national kennel club, the Script error: No such module "Lang". or Icelandic Kennel Club, was formed in 1969; at its first dog show, at Hveragerði in 1973, twenty-three of the sixty dogs shown were of this breed.[12]Template:R/superscript In 1979 a breed society was established, the Script error: No such module "Lang". or Icelandic Sheepdog Breed Club.[12]Template:R/superscript In 1994 the Alþingi (national parliament) determined that the Icelandic Sheepdog was part of the cultural heritage of the country, and should be protected as a national breed.[13]Template:R/superscript In 1996 an international breed association, the Icelandic Sheepdog International Cooperation, was formed; it has ten European member kennel clubs (including that of Iceland), plus the American Kennel Club.[13]Template:R/superscript
The breed was definitively accepted by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale in 1972,[14]Template:R/superscript and was recognised by the American Kennel Club in 2010.[15]Template:R/superscript
In 2015, registrations in the Nordic countries were: 137 in Iceland; 100 in Denmark; 44 in Finland; 35 in Norway; and 76 in Sweden.[16]Template:R/superscript In 2022 the total number registered world-wide was approximately Script error: No such module "val"..[3]Template:R/superscript
Characteristics
It is a muscular and hardy dog, and moves with ease over the rough terrain of rural Iceland. Weights are commonly in the range Script error: No such module "val"., with heights at the withers of about Script error: No such module "val". for dogs and a few centimetres less for bitches.[17]Template:R/superscript[18]Template:R/superscript The coat is thick and provides good protection from the weather; there are two distinct types: short-haired and long-haired.[17]Template:R/superscript[19]Template:R/superscript It may be light, tan or fawn, ranging from milky-white, cream-colour to a reddish brown; or black, chocolate-brown or grey. White and light markings, often extensive, occur with all colours; light, tan and grey animals may have a black mask.[18]Template:R/superscript[14]Template:R/superscript Dogs may be expected to live for some twelve to fifteen years.[18]Template:R/superscript
References
- ↑ David Hancock (2014). Dogs of the Shepherds: a Review of the Pastoral Breeds. Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire: The Crowood Press Ltd. Template:Isbn.
- ↑ a b c d e f Bryan D. Cummins (2013). Our Debt to the Dog: How the Domestic Dog Helped Shape Human Societies. Durham, North Carolina: Carolina Academic Press. Template:Isbn.
- ↑ a b History of the Icelandic Sheepdog. Icelandic Sheepdog International Cooperation. Archived 16 May 2022.
- ↑ a b c Janet V. Dohner (2016). Farm Dogs: A Comprehensive Breed Guide to 93 Guardians, Herders, Terriers, and Other Canine Working Partners. North Adams, Massachusetts: Storey Publishing. Template:Isbn.
- ↑ Jeanne Joy Hartnagle-Taylor, Ty Taylor (2010). Stockdog Savvy. Crawford, Colorado: Alpine Publications. Template:Isbn.
- ↑ William Shakespeare (about 1599). History of Henry V, Act II, Scene 1. Open Source Shakespeare. Fairfax, Virginia: George Mason University. Accessed November 2022. Pistol: "Pish for thee, Iceland dog! thou prick-ear'd cur of Iceland!"
- ↑ David Cavill (1978). All about the Spitz Breeds. London: Pelham Books. Template:Isbn.
- ↑ Thomas Browne (1722). Posthumous Works; Of the Learned Sir Thomas Browne, Kt., M.D., Late of Norwich: Printed from his Original Manuscripts. London: Printed for W. Mears, at the Lamb without Temple Bar, and J. Hooke, at the Flower-de-Luce against St. Dunstan's Church in Fleetstreet.
- ↑ Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (1755). Histoire Naturelle; Générale et Particulière, avec la description du Cabinet du Roi; Tome cinqième (in French). Paris: De l'Imprimerie Royale.
- ↑ Species taxon summary, ID = 31240: islandicus Gmelin, 1788 described in Canis. AnimalBase. Göttingen: SUB Göttingen. Accessed July 2023.
- ↑ Johann Friedrich Gmelin (1788). Caroli a Linné: systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis, editio decima tertia, tomus I. Lipsiae: [Beer).
- ↑ a b A Summary of the Icelandic Kennel Club's History. Reykjavik: Hundarræktarfélag Íslands. Accessed November 2022.
- ↑ a b The story and work of ISIC. Icelandic Sheepdog International Cooperation. Archived 17 September 2022.
- ↑ a b FCI breeds nomenclature: Íslenskur Fjárhundur (289). Fédération Cynologique Internationale. Accessed November 2022.
- ↑ AKC Welcomes the Cane Corso, Icelandic Sheepdog and Leonberger. American Kennel Club. Archived 23 July 2010.
- ↑ Icelandic Sheepdog. Nordic Kennel Union. Accessed November 2022.
- ↑ a b Kim Dennis-Bryan (2020 [2012])). The Complete Dog Breed Book, second edition. London: Dorling Kindersley. Template:Isbn.
- ↑ a b c [Bruce Fogle] (2013). The Dog Encyclopedia. London; New York: Dorling Kindersley. Template:Isbn.
- ↑ FCI-Standard N° 289: Íslenskur Fjárhundur (Icelandic Sheepdog). Fédération Cynologique Internationale. Accessed November 2022.
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