Icelandic Sheepdog

Icelandic Sheepdogs are just under medium-size with confident, lively bearings and gentle, intelligent expressions.

The Icelandic Sheepdog can have two distinct coat types: short-haired or long-haired. Both are double-coated and have thick, soft undercoats and coarse outercoats. The long-haired Icelandic Sheepdogs, as their names suggest, have much longer hair. The short-haired Icelandic Sheepdogs have medium-length hair on their outer coats. The tails of both are bushy with lengths appropriate to their coat lengths.

Their coats can come in several colors. These include various shades of tan (ranging from cream to reddish-brown), chocolate brown, grey, and black. White is mixed with all of these colors, though it shouldn't be the predominant color. The most common white markings include a blaze on the face, collar, chest, socks, and the tip of the tail. Icelandic Sheepdogs with tan and grey coloring often have black masks and black tips on their tails. Black tri-color dogs have black coats with white and tan markings.

Icelandic Sheepdogs have a strong, almost rectangular build. They have short, tapered muzzles, medium, almond-shaped eyes with black rims, and erect ears with slightly rounded tips. Their bodies are long and muscular with no loose skin, and their tails are high set and curled over, touching their backs.

Despite its name, the Icelandic Sheepdog is not from Iceland. To anyone's knowledge, there were no dogs on the uninhabited island of Iceland when Norse settlers arrived in 874 AD. The settlers brought their dogs—now known as Icelandic Sheepdogs—to help create a new Scandinavian nation.

The spitz-type dogs (with potential relations to Karelian Bear Dogs) were used to herd sheep, cattle, and horses and retrieve puffins from their underground burrows. Reportedly, the Danish Army used Icelandic Sheepdogs in the field, taking advantage of their stamina to deliver orders between units. Nowadays, the dogs perform search and rescue—and are still used for herding and searching for lost sheep.

In the mid-1500s, the British began exporting Icelandic Sheepdogs from Iceland. These herding dogs became faithful companions to the upper classes—but it was not just the wealthy who fell in love with the breed. English shepherds also coveted Icelandic Sheepdogs for their skill and work ethic and put them to work herding sheep in the countryside.

Its intelligence, devotion, and big "smile" have made the Icelandic Sheepdog a highly coveted breed. No longer just farm dogs, they are treasured family pets.