
Official Standard of the Icelandic Sheepdog
General Appearance: 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.
Size, Proportion, Substance: Ideal height – Dogs 18 inches; Bitches 16½ inches. Rectangular and strong. Seen from the side, the dog is rectangular, the length of the body measured from the point of shoulder to point of buttock is greater than the height at the withers. The depth of the chest is equal to the length of the foreleg.
Head: Strongly built with close fitting skin. Triangular when seen from above or the side. Skull – Slightly longer than muzzle and somewhat domed. Stop – clearly defined though neither steep nor high. Nose – Black. Dark brown in chocolate brown and some cream dogs. The nasal bridge is well-developed and straight. Muzzle slightly shorter than skull, tapering evenly towards the nose to form a blunt triangle when seen from both above and from the side. Lips – Black, close fitting. Dark brown in chocolate brown and some cream dogs. Bite – Scissor bite. Teeth – Complete dentition. Cheeks – Flat. Eyes – Medium size and almond shaped. Dark brown. Slightly lighter in chocolate brown and some cream dogs. Eye rims are black. Dark brown in chocolate brown and some cream dogs. Ears – Erect and of medium size. Triangular with firm edges and slightly rounded tips. Very mobile, reacting sensitively to sounds and showing the dog’s mood. Faults – yellow or round protruding eyes.
Neck, Topline, Body: Neck – Moderately long and muscular with no loose skin. The neck is slightly arched and the head is carried high. Body – rectangular and strong. The length is in proportion to the height and in harmony with general appearance. Back – level, muscular and strong. Loins – broad and muscular. Croup – moderately short and broad, very slightly sloping and well-muscled. Chest – long, deep and well-sprung. Belly – Slight tuck up. Tail – high set, curled over and touching the back.
Forequarters: When seen from the front the forelegs are straight, parallel and strong. Angulation – Shoulders are well laid back, oblique and muscular. Dewclaws – Required and may be double. Forefeet – slightly oval, toes well-arched and tight with well-developed pads. Faults – No dewclaws.
Hindquarters: When seen from behind the hind legs are straight, parallel and strong. Thighs – Broad and well-muscled. Dewclaws – Required. Well-developed double dewclaws desirable. Hind feet – Same as forefeet. Faults – No dewclaws.
Coat: Double coat, thick and weatherproof. There are two types: Short-haired – The outer coat of medium length, fairly coarse, with a thick, soft undercoat. The tail is bushy and the hair length is in proportion to the coat. Long-haired – The outer coat is longer than the above, fairly coarse, with a thick, soft undercoat. The tail is very bushy and the hair length is in proportion to the coat. In both lengths, the hair is shorter on the face, top of the head, ears and front of the legs; and longer on the neck, chest and back of the thighs. In the show ring, presentation is to be in a natural, unaltered condition. Specimens where the coat or whiskers have been altered by trimming or clipping shall be so severely faulted as to be effectively eliminated from competition.
Color: Several colors are permitted but a single color should always be predominant. The predominant colors are: various shades of tan, ranging from cream to reddish brown; chocolate brown, grey, and black. White always accompanies the predominant color. The most common white markings, which are often irregular, are a blaze or a part of the face, collar, chest, socks of varying lengths and tip of tail. Lighter shading often occurs on the underside of the dog from throat to tip of tail. On tan and grey dogs, a black mask, black tips to the outer hairs and even occasional black hairs often occur. Black (tri-color) dogs have a black coat, white markings as mentioned above and traditional markings in any of the various tan colors on the cheeks, over the eyes (eyebrows) and on the legs. Patches of the above colors on a white background (pied) are permitted. White should not be totally predominant. Fault – a solid black mantle or saddle on any of the tan colored dogs.
Gait: Displays agility and endurance with good driving action covering the ground effortlessly. Temperament: The Icelandic Sheepdog is a hardy and agile herding dog which barks, making it extremely useful for herding or driving livestock in the pastures, in the mountains or finding lost sheep. The Icelandic Sheepdog is by nature very alert and will always give visitors an enthusiastic welcome without being aggressive. Hunting instincts are not strong. The Icelandic Sheepdog is cheerful, friendly, inquisitive, playful and unafraid. A confident and lively bearing is typical for this dog.
Faults: Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in proportion to its degree.
A list of all the dog breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club:
A
- Affenpinscher
- Afghan hound
- Airedale terrier
- Akita
- Alaskan malamute
- American English coonhound
- American eskimo dog
- American foxhound
- American hairless terrier
- American leopard hound
- American Staffordshire terrier
- American water spaniel
- Anatolian shepherd dog
- Appenzeller sennenhunde
- Australian cattle dog
- Australian shepherd
- Australian terrier
- Azawakh
B
- Barbet
- Basenji
- Basset fauve de Bretagne
- Basset hound
- Beagle
- Bearded collie
- Beauceron
- Bedlington terrier
- Belgian malinois
- Belgian shepherd
- Belgian tervuren
- Bergamasco
- Berger picard
- Bernese mountain dog
- Bichon frise
- Biewer terrier
- Black and tan coonhound
- Black Russian terrier
- Bloodhound
- Bluetick coonhound
- Boerboel
- Bolognese
- Border collie
- Border terrier
- Borzoi
- Boston terrier
- Bouvier des Flandres
- Boxer
- Boykin spaniel
- Bracco italiano
- Braque du Bourbonnais
- Braque Francais Pyrenean
- Briard
- Brittany
- Broholmer
- Brussels griffon
- Bull terrier
- Bulldog
- Bullmastiff
C
- Cairn Terrier
- Canaan dog
- Cane Corso
- Cardigan welsh corgi
- Catahoula leopard dog
- Caucasian ovcharka
- Cavalier king Charles spaniel
- Central Asian shepherd dog
- Cesky terrier
- Chesapeake bay retriever
- Chihuahua
- Chinese crested
- Chinese shar-pei
- Chinook
- Chow chow
- Cirneco dell’etna
- Clumber spaniel
- Cocker spaniel
- Collie
- Coton de Tulear
- Curly-coated retriever
- Czechoslovakian vlcak
D
- Dachshund
- Dalmatian
- Dandie dinmont terrier
- Danish-swedish farmdog
- Deutscher wachtelhund
- Doberman pinscher
- Dogo argentino
- Dogue de bordeaux
- Drentsche patrijshond
- Drever
- Dutch shepherd
E
- English cocker spaniel
- English foxhound
- English setter
- English springer spaniel
- English toy spaniel
- Entlebucher mountain dog
- Estrela mountain dog
- Eurasier
F
G
- German longhaired pointer
- German pinscher
- German shepherd
- German shorthaired pointer
- German spitz
- German wirehaired pointer
- Giant schnauzer
- Glen of imaal terrier
- Golden retriever
- Gordon setter
- Grand bassett griffon vendeen
- Great dane
- Great pyrenees
- Greater swiss mountain dog
- Greyhound
H
I
- Ibizan hound
- Icelandic sheepdog
- Irish red and white setter
- Irish setter
- Irish terrier
- Irish water spaniel
- Irish wolfhound
- Italian greyhound
J
K
L
- Labrador retriever
- Lagotto Romagnolo
- Lakeland terrier
- Lancashire heeler
- Leonberger
- Lhasa apso
- Lowchen
M
- Maltese
- Manchester terrier
- Mastiff
- Miniature American shepherd
- Miniature bull terrier
- Miniature pinscher
- Miniature schanuzer
- Mudi
N
- Neapolitan mastiff
- Nederlandse kooikerhondje
- Newfoundland
- Norfolk terrier
- Norrbottenspets
- Norwegian buhund
- Norwegian elkhound
- Norwegian lundehund
- Norwich terrier
- Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever
O
P
- Papillon
- Parson russell terrier
- Pekingese
- Pembroke Welsh corgi
- Perro de presa canario
- Peruvian Inca orchid
- Petit bassett griffon vendeen
- Pharoah hound
- Plott
- Pointer
- Polish lowland sheepdog
- Pomeranian
- Poodle
- Portuguese podengo
- Portuguese pointer
- Portuguese sheepdog
- Portuguese water dog
- Pudelpointer
- Pug
- Puli
- Pumi
- Pyrenean mastiff
- Pyrenean shepherd
R
- Rafeiro do alentejo
- Rat terrier
- Redbone coonhound
- Rhodesian ridgeback
- Rottweiler
- (Jack) Russell terrier
- Russian toy
- Russian tsvetnaya bolonka
S
- Saluki
- Samoyed
- Schapendoes
- Schipperke
- Scottish deerhound
- Scottish terrier
- Sealyham terrier
- Shetland sheepdog
- Shiba inu
- Shih tzu
- Shikoku
- Siberian husky
- Silky terrier
- Skye terrier
- Sloughi
- Slovensky cuvac
- Slovensky kopov
- Small munsterlander pointer
- Smooth fox terrier
- Soft-coated wheaten terrier
- Spanish mastiff
- Spanish water dog
- Spinone Italiano
- St. Bernard
- Stabyhoun
- Staffordshire bull terrier
- Standard schnauzer
- Sussex spaniel
- Swedish lapphund
- Swedish vallhund
T
- Teddy Roosevelt terrier
- Tibetan mastiff
- Tibetan spaniel
- Tibetan terrier
- Tornjak
- Tosa
- Toy fox terrier
- Transylvanian hound
- Treeing Tennessee brindle
- Treeing walker coonhound
V
W
- Weimaraner
- Welsh springer spaniel
- Welsh terrier
- West highland white terrier
- Whippet
- Wire fox terrier
- Wirehaired pointing griffon
- Wirehaired vizsla
- Working kelpie
X
Y
-4L
#dogs #dogbreeds #dog #canine #canines #breeds #icelandicsheepdog #icelandic #sheepdog #spitz