J-Wurf: Sommer 2024
Hunde aus Schnee und Eis
Eine der besten Rassebeschreibungen d Islandhundes...
.... von Brynhildur Inga Einarsdóttir aus dem Jahr 2016!
In Iceland you can not only find the pure bred Icelandic Horse but we also have our own dog breed i.e. the Icelandic Sheepdog.
We are pleased to share following information
(and photos) with you and if you are interested in our lovely native dog we are happy to arrange a visit to a local breeder on your next visit to Iceland. (text and photos by Brynhildur Inga Einarsdóttir)
Temperament:
The Icelandic Sheepdog
is an affectionate, friendly, curious, smart and lively dog. It is extremely social meaning that it will be your shadow indoors and out and needs to have close human contact. It is not a breed that does well in a kennel situation. The breed is extremely good
with children and most other animals. It has a natural talent for driving/herding and therefore barking is in its makeup, of course each dog is an individual and some are noisier than others.
Training:
The ISD is a breed that is very intelligent
and learns exceptionally fast. It is however a soft tempered dog in the fact that it does not respond well to rough or negative training methods, such methods may cause stress barking in sensitive individuals. This dog breed is best treated with a kind hand
but they do in fact need a leader figure to feel most comfortable. Being an active working breed they do best if stimulated mentally. It can be said that most Icelandic Sheepdogs re extremely willing to please and naturally obedient but need to know the rules
of the household. ISD´s are a breed that is so intelligent that it needs an owner who is always one step ahead of them.
Aggressive:
The breed is not an aggressive breed by nature. They are very easy going and usually love all humans and animals.
However if not socialized properly as puppies they can show aggressive tendencies towards same sex individuals, especially of the same breed. Icelandic sheepdogs should never show aggression towards humans, but they do show guard dog tactics by barking when
strangers approach or when left alone in the car.
Playful:
Icelandic Sheepdogs are fun loving individuals, highly playful and love attention. They are very good candidates for things like agility, fly ball and especially keen on clicker training.
Depending on the indiviual they may be too stressed by high speed games but most cope well and love the excitement. ISD´s love learning tricks and seem to enjoy the attention they get from showing off. They are however not very keen on repetitive learning,
they learn so fast that they tend to get bored quickly if their owners repeat things more often then they feel is necessary. They have their inbred purposes and they do their best to keep the flock together, be it human canine or livestock and this can mean
that they hate to see family members or quests leave the house. It´s something ISD owners get used to and often find quite amusing. In the standard for the Icelandic Sheepdog they speak of his smile, the breed always seems to be smiling and happy. This
smile can be exaggerated at times anywhere from permanently visible what appears to be bearing of teeth or an occasional bearing of teeth to only those family members or friends the dog truly loves. This must not be mistaken for aggressive behaviour. Some
dogs also like to use verbal communication like mumbling to get attention.
Loving:
This breed is truly a social being; they will go home with strangers if given the chance. They love their owners tremendously but if someone else has something that
smells good, they´ll make a friend for life! Although open and loving to everyone they do actually have a good sense of reading types of people and how best to win them over. This is a breed especially well suited for work as therapy and assistant dogs.
Unfortunately the breed is still so few that they have not been tried in great numbers in such work, but the ones that have been used in therapy have done a tremendous job. They certainly are of the perfect size, not too big and not too small.
Active:
This breed is a working dog, they are very individual in the amount of activity they need. Some dogs seem to be content just with a short daily walk on lead while others can have endless energy. However the nature of the ISD is to be able to run free and
enjoy nature and they definitely love running. As long as they are kept in good health they can be on the go all day without tiring, as long as their owner is close by. Most ISD´s will make it a point to keep in good contact with their owners while running
free, they are not loners. In general ISD´s are a nice family dog that only needs moderate exercise, but they are just as content on the farm as a working dog.
Other dogs:
Socialization with other dogs at a young age is important because
the Icelandic Sheepdog is a spitz breed. They can be slightly aggressive towards same sex individuals even in the same household if stressful situations arise, like durig a female´s season. However in most cases they are easy to get along with and love
the company of other dogs. They seeem to bond very well with all types of pets in the same household, in the case of neighbour´s cats however they just may have a lot of fun chasing them for fun. They readily take well to most types of animals, pets
and livestosk; of course again socialization never hurts. They can be used to drive all types of livestock from horses, cows and sheep to even chickens or rabbits. They have a natural ability to work with other animals and are generally very friendly and outgoing.
Children:
Icelandic Sheepdogs are especially loving with children, they are quite patient and if they feel threatened they will often walk away rather than show aggression. As with all dogs care must be taken to not let children be too overbearing
because the dogs are many times too patient with them.
Der Islandhund früher und heute...
Die Vorfahren der heutigen Islandhunde wurden von den Wikingern nach Island gebracht und dort nach Arbeitskriterien weitergezüchtet. Über sehr lange Zeit wurden außerdem alle aggressiven Tiere ausgemerzt. Mehr zu seiner Geschichte finden Sie hier:
http://www.islandhunde-hessen.de/rasse/
Der Islandhund steht heute im Typ des nordische Spitzes mit knapp mittlerer Größe. Er hat dreieckige Ohren, mandelförmige Augen, einen deutlichen Kragen und eine über den Rücken getragene Rute. Es gibt ihn in vielen Farben und Fellängen. Immer soll sein Fell jedoch mehr Farbe als Weiß haben und aus wetterfestem Deckhaar und sehr feiner Unterwolle bestehen.
Mehr zum Rassestandard des Islandhundes finden Sie hier:
Außer im Fellwechsel braucht der Islandhund wenig Fellpflege. Sein Fell macht ihn unempfindlich gegen Kälte und Nässe und er ist - als kerniger Naturbursche - am liebsten draußen. Er ist ein hervorragender Schwimmer und geniest ein Bad gegen sommerliche Hitze. Für die Zwingerhaltung ohne Familienanschluß ist der sehr soziale und menschenbezogene Hund allerdings nicht geeignet. Er ist am liebsten überall mit dabei. Wenn seinem Temperament täglich Rechnung getragen und er körperlich und geistig ausgelastet wird, kann er auch in der Stadt gehalten werden.
Obwohl er zu den Hütehunden gehört, entspricht eine Arbeitsweise eher der der Treibhunde. Er arbeitet an Pferd und Schaf wieselflink und selbstständig. Er ist dabei bellfreudig, was im Alltag konsequente Grenzen fordert. Er ist sensibel, aufmerksam und lernt leicht. Manchmal ist nordische Sturheit spürbar, der man am besten mit liebevoller Ausdauer in der Erziehung begegnet. Härte verträgt der Islandhund nicht.
Neben begeisterter Treibarbeit ist der Islandhund als ausdauernder Reit- oder Radbegleithund in seinem Element. Auf dem Hundesportplatz lässt er sich zu Agility, Dogdancing, Trickdog oder Ähnlichem nicht lange bitten. Islandhunde verrichten auch gute Dienste in Such- und Rettungshundestaffeln. Ihr unermüdlicher Bewegungseifer und die Cleverness gepaart mit Mut und Freundlichkeit lassen sie erfolgreich verirrte Personen in verschiedenen Geländeformen aufspüren und sichern. Selbstverständlich erfordert diese Arbeit eine lange, gründliche Ausbildung und viel Training. Gänzlich ungeeignet ist der Islandhund für alle Einsatzgebiete, die Schärfe und Wehrtrieb fordern, da jahrhundertelang alle aggresiven Tiere im Ursprungsland Island getötet wurden.