General Description

• Personality: Confident, cheerful, sociable; the expression “man’s best friend” was coined for dogs like this
• Energy Level: Very Active; A true herding dog: lively, inquisitive, and athletic
•  Good with Children: Yes
• Good with other Dogs: Yes
• Shedding: Seasonal
• Grooming: Occasional
• Trainability: Eager To Please
• Height: 18 inches (male), 16.5 inches (female)
• Weight: 30 pounds (male), 25 pounds (female)
• Life Expectancy: 12-14 years
• Barking Level: Likes To Be Vocal

The Icelandic Sheepdog, Iceland’s only native dog breed, is a charmingly friendly and faithful all-around herder of small-to-medium size. A densely coated Nordic spitz-type breed, Icelandics are enthusiastically devoted to their humans.

The Icelandic Sheepdog is a Nordic herding spitz, slightly under medium sized with prick ears and a curled tail. Seen from the side the dog is rectangular. The expression is gentle, intelligent and happy. A confident and lively bearing is typical for this dog. There are two types of coat, long and short, both thick and extremely weatherproof. There is a marked difference in appearance between the sexes.

Icelandics are one of the 50 or so northern breeds from around the world classified as spitzes. The breed’s “spitziness” is expressed by a dense coat, foxy face, pointed ears, and a bushy, curling tail. Icelandics, standing no higher than 18 inches at the shoulder, are just under what we’d consider medium sized. They come in several predominant colors, always accompanied by white markings.

An endearing trait is the facial expression – friendly, happy, always looking as though there’s no place they’d rather be than with you.