Meet Britain's newest pedigree dog breed
Britain’s newest pedigree dog breed has just been announced by The Kennel Club as the Icelandic Sheepdog.
The historic dog breed is believed to have existed for more than 1,000 years in the Nordics, having been brought to Iceland by the original Viking settlers — and is even mentioned in the second act of William Shakespeare’s Henry V (“Pish for thee, Iceland dog, thou prick-ear’d cur of Iceland”).
This national breed of Iceland is characterised by its medium size, dense coat, foxy face, pointed ears, a bushy curling tail, and varying colours — including black and white, red and white and smoky grey.
The new addition from The Kennel Club brings the total number of pedigree dogs in the UK to 224.
The first three Icelandic Sheepdogs were imported into the UK from Iceland and Germany in 2017, and numbers have continued to grow thanks to a small group of enthusiasts who run their own breed club.
Despite their small numbers so far — with only around 20 believed to be in the UK to date — the breed is thought to make excellent family pets, due to their friendly nature.
Owner Wendy Laker, who was part of the group who put forward for the breed to be officially recognised by The Kennel Club, describes them as “friendly, active and intelligent” as well as vocal “because they were originally bred as herding dogs.”
She added: “They’re medium sized and love to be part of the family, joining in with whatever is going on, but they’re also happy to have some down time relaxing. They’re really intelligent and easy to train, and make a great pet for the right owners who have taken the time to learn about the breed.
"As a Spitz breed, they do need regular grooming and owners who are committed to this, and to keeping their minds and bodies active.”
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While Bill Lambert, spokesperson for The Kennel Club, commented: “We are delighted to recognise the Icelandic Sheepdog as an official pedigree breed from April. The slow but steady growth in the number of pedigree breeds in this country means that people have an even wider choice when trying to find the right dog for them.
“The process of being recognised as a pedigree breed by The Kennel Club takes several generations of dogs, but once we recognise a breed it means that we know that it has a reliable lineage that will give people a dog with predictable characteristics in terms of temperament, health, exercise and grooming needs, which helps dogs to find homes with the right owners.”
The Icelandic Sheepdog is the fourth new breed to be recognised in the UK in the last five years, following The Kennel Club adding the Polish Hunting Dog earlier this year, alongside the Smooth Faced Pyrenean Sheepdog in 2021, and the Barbet in 2020.
Icelandic Sheepdog facts:
Height: 18in (male), 16.5in (female)
Weight: 30lb (male), 25lb (female)
Lifespan: 12 to 14 years
Colours: Red and white; black and white; cream and white; gold and white; grey and white; sable and white; tan and white; white, tan and black
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