Icelandic dogs

[muddy bob]

My friend with her lovely Icelandic horses is getting a year old Icelandic sheepdog. I'm so excited.

Does anyone have any experience with these dogs or know anything about them? I only know a little.

I told her she will soon need Icelandic sheep.

Her husband said for her to tell me to shut up now!

 

Muddy

[Maralynn]

I know there is a lady here in MI that raises them. I've never seen them work, but from the descriptions on the website, their herding style is a bit different than a BC. They look alot like spitz type dogs.

 

Here is the website if you want to check it out

[AK dog doc]

I've only met three and all three were nice dogs. One, who was a patient of mine, was absolutely charming - but a stockdog, she's not. The other two I encountered at a herding instinct test (I was testing my BC/whippet, for fun). Both were nice little dogs and they did follow the sheep and bark at them, grinning widely the entire time - but they also followed the dragonflies and barked at them, and followed the handlers and barked at them, and barked smilingly at the waving grasses and the spectators. In all, you could harldy ask for two happier, more cheerful and upbeat dogs - but as stock prospects, they were - um - not my first choice, shall we say. Their ability was (if you need a comparison) well overshadowed by that of a wheaten terrier brought in by a show person who was just curious about the testing.

 

So, adorable, lively, delightful little dogs, but not strong herding prospects, IMO - at least, the three I've met (not a big number on which to base breed-wide conclusions.) If your friend DOES get Icelandic sheep, she should probably consider another kind of dog for working them (and you should probably consider moving to Mexico to evade her husband's wrath).

[muddy bob]

Mexico is nice.

 

I figured the dogs would be like you described. These Icelandic horse people are known for starting with the horses then getting the rest of the Icelandic package. Kind of funny, eh?

 

Muddy