Breeds / Medium
Icelandic Sheepdog puppies
The Icelandic Sheepdog is Iceland's only native breed, a cheerful and highly trainable herding spitz that greets rather than guards. It is vocal by design and needs company and daily work.
The facts
- Size class Medium
- Country of origin Iceland
- Adult weight 11.3 to 13.6 kg
- Adult weight in pounds 25 to 30 lb
- Adult height 42 to 46 cm
- Energy level High
- Grooming Low
- Coat type Medium double
- Typical lifespan 12 to 14 years
- Good with children Reliably good
- Good with other dogs Usually good
Where these come from:
- akc.org for adult weight and height, life expectancy, energy, grooming and the temperament ratings, coat type, country of origin and health notes
About the Icelandic Sheepdog
The Icelandic Sheepdog arrived with Norse settlers over a thousand years ago and is the only breed native to Iceland, where it worked sheep and ponies across open country and helped find animals lost in snow. It is a small to medium spitz of 11.3 to 13.6 kg with prick ears, a tail curled over the back and a thick double coat. The temperament is famously cheerful and open: it greets rather than guards, rates 5 out of 5 with children with supervision, and is quick to learn.
Plan on daily exercise and training, because a bright herding spitz with nothing to do invents work. Grooming is a weekly brush that becomes daily during the two heavy annual moults, and the shed hair is considerable. The barking deserves attention: this breed was bred to shout at birds of prey and it still does, so teach a quiet cue early. It hates being left alone for long stretches. The mistake is ignoring the noise for six months and then trying to fix a settled habit.
What to expect at eight weeks
At eight weeks a Icelandic Sheepdog puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A medium breed puppy at eight weeks is a manageable armful that will not stay that way. Most of the growth happens between now and six months, so buy for the adult dog where you can. This is a high energy breed. At eight weeks that shows up as intensity rather than stamina, and it will need a job to do long before it needs long walks. Grooming is straightforward, but start handling the coat, feet and ears in week one anyway so it is never a fight later. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything it meets calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of its life.
Health worth knowing about
Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.
- Hip and elbow dysplasia, screened by hip and elbow evaluation of breeding stock
- Patellar luxation, a slipping kneecap, found on a patella evaluation
- Inherited eye disease, including cataract and distichiasis, screened by an ophthalmologist evaluation
From Icelandic Sheepdog breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/icelandic-sheepdog/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.
Your Icelandic Sheepdog puppy's first six months
- Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
- Worming and parasite schedule.
- Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Medium for a Icelandic Sheepdog.
- Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 11.3 to 13.6 kg adult range.
- Puppy names and the first week checklist.
Other medium breeds
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Not veterinary advice. Breed information is general. Your own dog, and your own vet, always win.