| Original Icelandic Sheepdog Breed Standard (No Longer In Use) General Appearance The Icelandic Sheepdog is a Nordic herding spitz, slightly under medium size with the pointed muzzle, erect triangular ears, dense coat and curled tail typical of the Northern breeds. This is essentially a herding dog that evolved over many centuries in the harsh Icelandic climate. The coat should be very weather-resistant and of good quality. It is thicker and longer around the neck, forepart of the shoulders and chest, forming a ruff which is more profuse in the male than the female. The rump and hind legs down to the hocks are also covered with thicker, longer hair forming the characteristic breeches or trousers. The double coat consists of a short dense undercoat, with longer guard hairs growing through it forming the outer coat, which may be of either medium or long length. It may be straight or moderately wavy. Seen from the side the dog is slightly off square, the length is in proportion to height and in harmony with general appearance. Lips should be slightly curved up at the corners of the mouth giving the characteristic smile. There should be a strong neck and back, straight front legs and especially strong loins. The normally angled shoulder and upper-arm should match the rear angulation. The chest is deep with well-sprung ribs. Hindquarters should be particularly well developed, stifles well bent. The plumed tail may be tightly or loosely curled and may be carried upright over the back or rest flat on it. A loving companion dog the expression is gentle, intelligent and happy. A confident and lively bearing is typical for this dog whose alert carriage presents a picture of strength, agility, dignity, beauty and grace which are all evident in the eyes, ears and tail. There is a marked difference in appearance between the sexes. Males are larger and masculine without coarseness or aggressiveness. Females are feminine without over-refinement, or softness of temperament. Both are compactly built, balanced with good substance, and have a smooth gait. Size Proportion, Substance - Size The fully matured ideal male at 18 inches is considerably larger looking than the mature ideal female at 16.5 inches, both measured from the top of the withers to the ground. While correct size is important, it should not outweigh correct type. Weight is in proportion to height. Proportion – The length of the body from the point of the shoulder to the point of the buttocks is slightly longer than the height from the top of the withers to the ground. Substance – Icelandic Sheepdogs are strong and compactly built with proportionate bone and muscle structure. Head Triangular when seen from above or the side, strongly built with close fitting skin and clean cut, longer from occiput to tip of nose than it is broad at widest part of the skull. Expression is lively, keen, intelligent, friendly and alert. Skull is slightly longer than muzzle. Cheeks are flat. Eyes – Medium size, alert, expressive and almond shaped. Irises are brown. The eye-rims are black or brown. Ears – Strongly erect, triangular, with slightly rounded tips and of medium size. They are very mobile, reacting sensitively to sound and showing the dog’s mood. When alert they are upward standing, parallel, and open toward the front. When relaxed or showing affection, the ears may lay back Skull – Slightly rounded on the top with a natural furrow extending well up the forehead. Stop – Well defined but not too abrupt. Nose – Black or Brown Muzzle – Well-developed with a nasal bridge extending straight from the stop and gradually tapering towards the tip of the nose to form a blunt triangle when seen from both above and from the side. The length should not exceed the length of the skull. Lips – Black or Brown, close fitting. Bite – Complete dentition with a scissors bite. Neck, Topline, Body Neck – Well set, moderately long and muscular with no loose skin below muzzle or on throat. Slightly arched and carried high, may appear shorter in males with a heavier ruff. Body – Rectangular and strong. The length of the body from the point of shoulder to point of buttock is greater than the height at withers. Back – Muscular, strong and level. Loins – Broad and muscular, narrower than the rib area, females allowed to be slightly longer than males. Belly – Only a slight tuck up just behind the ribs. Croup – Moderately short and wide, slightly sloping and well muscled. Tail – High set, curled over and touching the back; the amount of the curl may vary from an arch to a double curl; may be vertically or horizontally oriented. Chest – Long, deep and well sprung. Brisket well developed, extending to the elbow Forequarters When seen from the front the forelegs are straight and parallel. Normal angulation: Length from the elbow to ground is slightly more than the distance from the elbow to the top of the withers. Shoulders are muscular. The legs are moderately spaced and strong with elbows close to the body and turned neither out nor in. The pasterns are strong and flexible with a slight slant. Bone is strong without being heavy, always in proportion to the overall size of the dog. Forefeet – Slightly oval toes well-arched and tight, with well-developed pads, toes may point outward slightly. Single dewclaws are present, may be double. Disqualification: lack of dewclaws. Hindquarters When seen from behind the hindlegs are straight, parallel and strong with normal angulation. Thighs are broad and well muscled. Hind Feet – Slightly oval toes well-arched and tight, with well-developed pads, toes may point outward slightly. Well-developed double dewclaws are desirable, single dewclaws are acceptable. Dewclaws touching the ground are acceptable. Disqualification: lack of dewclaws. . Coat Double coat, thick and extremely weatherproof. The undercoat is thick, soft, dense and shorter than the outer, longer coat of guard hairs growing through. The outer coat may be straight or slightly wavy and comes in two variants described below. The hair is shorter on the face, top of head, back of ears; longer on the neck, chest and back of thighs. There may be longer tufts growing in front of the ear openings. There is a pronounced ruff around the neck, especially in the longer coated dogs, which is more noticeable on dogs than bitches. The hair on the legs should be smooth and short in front with feathering behind on the front legs and "pantaloons" on the hind legs. The tail is bushy and the hair length is in proportion to the coat. Males carry more coat than females. In the show ring, presentation in a natural, unaltered condition is essential. Specimens where the coat or whiskers have been altered by trimming or clipping shall be so severely faulted as to be effectively eliminated from the competition. Hair Length – There are two variants: Medium haired – Outer coat is of medium length; it may be fairly coarse or smooth, with a thick, soft undercoat. Long haired – Outer coat is longer than the above, also with a thick, soft undercoat. Open Class may be divided by coat length. Dog may be shown on a ramp. Color Several colors are permitted, with a single predominant color. The predominant colors are: shades of tan, ranging from cream to reddish brown, chocolate brown, gray, black. White markings should always accompany the predominant color. The most common white markings, which are often irregular, are a partly or completely white face, a blaze, a collar or part collar, irregular chest markings, socks of varying lengths, tail tip. On tan and grey dogs a black mask, black tips to the outer guard hairs some black or sable hairs scattered on the back or body often occur. Black tricolor or chocolate tricolor dogs have white markings as mentioned above and may exhibit traditional tan colors over the eyes (eyebrows), on the cheeks, and/or on the legs. Pied dogs are white with patches of any of the above colors. Fault: A solid black mantle or saddle on any of the various tan colored dogs. Gait Clean, agile, bold, brisk and well balanced, with good reach and drive. The tail should remain curled over the back. Temperament Temperament is of primary importance in Icelandic Sheepdogs. It 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. Hunting instincts are not strong. The Icelandic Sheepdog is outgoing, cheerful, intelligent, inquisitive, playful, yet gentle, and unafraid. Although it is not a watchdog it will bark an enthusiastic welcome to announce the arrival of any visitor. It learns new tasks quickly and is eager to please. It is an affectionate companion and outgoing with both people and other dogs. Faults Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness of the fault should determine the penalty. Solid colors should be penalized. A solid black mantle or saddle on any of the various tan colored dogs. Severe fault - The coat or whiskers have been altered by trimming, clipping. Disqualifications Dewclaws missing on all four legs. |
| AKC Breed Standard |
| Conversation about the Breed Standard 11.02.08 |
There are a few things that I recently learned that you may all wish to know. Several have asked me these questions privately,
so I thought I'd be lazy and just answer it for everyone at once.
The Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) is the international canine organization. It includes 84 members and contract
partners (one member per country) that each issue their own pedigrees and train their own judges. The FCI makes sure that
the pedigrees and judges are mutually recognized by all the FCI members. It is an umbrella for most national kennel clubs in
the world. USA, Canada and England are notable exceptions.
Each country has a national kennel club. Ours is AKC and Iceland's is HRFI. HRFI was formed originally for the preservation of
the Iceland Dog and is now the national kennel club.
Each country also has a national breed club for each breed type. Ours is ISAA. Iceland's is DIF.
The ISIC (Icelandic Sheepdog International Cooperation) is the international association dedicated to the preservation of the
ISD.
There is an international standard, called the FCI standard, used by all FCI countries. It is developed by the national kennel
club of the country of origin for the breed. Therefore, HRFI is responsible for the FCI standard for the ISD.
The ISD FCI standard is used by all ISIC countries (Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Holland, Germany and the
new club in Switzerland) with the exception of the U.S.A. Canada is an associate club and the standard used by the CISC is
pretty close to the FCI.
Americans, as usual, have to be different. The AKC does not go to the country of origin. Rather, they ask the parent club
(that's us) to develop the standard. This is very different from the other ISIC countries. A key difference is that they would never
think to question the country of origin's standard nor dream of changing one word. They all look at us sideways when we talk
about the "American Standard". If we want to work with, exchange bloodlines with, buy and sell puppies from and to, exchange
health and genetics information with, etc. these other FCI countries, we need to understand this key difference. They openly
discuss how breeds brought into the USA become the American this or that breed and not the breed as it is recognized in other
countries. I don't believe this is what any of us wants.
So, we are presented with a very important question. Do we want to be on the same page with the international community or
not? This is the question before us. They have opened all the doors for us and want us to participate fully in that community.
We are certainly grateful to those who have gotten us to this point with the draft standard we initially voted on. They did a great
job getting us here and laid a strong foundation. Now, it is time, and you have already begun the discussion about what our
next step will be.
I would personally like to walk through that door and Knox asked me to find a way to do just that one short year ago. We are at
the place now but it depends on your will, not ours. Should we modify our draft standard to be like the FCI standard?
I hope that this information is helpful and your BOD is listening to this conversation with great interest.
Best,
Donna
so I thought I'd be lazy and just answer it for everyone at once.
The Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) is the international canine organization. It includes 84 members and contract
partners (one member per country) that each issue their own pedigrees and train their own judges. The FCI makes sure that
the pedigrees and judges are mutually recognized by all the FCI members. It is an umbrella for most national kennel clubs in
the world. USA, Canada and England are notable exceptions.
Each country has a national kennel club. Ours is AKC and Iceland's is HRFI. HRFI was formed originally for the preservation of
the Iceland Dog and is now the national kennel club.
Each country also has a national breed club for each breed type. Ours is ISAA. Iceland's is DIF.
The ISIC (Icelandic Sheepdog International Cooperation) is the international association dedicated to the preservation of the
ISD.
There is an international standard, called the FCI standard, used by all FCI countries. It is developed by the national kennel
club of the country of origin for the breed. Therefore, HRFI is responsible for the FCI standard for the ISD.
The ISD FCI standard is used by all ISIC countries (Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Holland, Germany and the
new club in Switzerland) with the exception of the U.S.A. Canada is an associate club and the standard used by the CISC is
pretty close to the FCI.
Americans, as usual, have to be different. The AKC does not go to the country of origin. Rather, they ask the parent club
(that's us) to develop the standard. This is very different from the other ISIC countries. A key difference is that they would never
think to question the country of origin's standard nor dream of changing one word. They all look at us sideways when we talk
about the "American Standard". If we want to work with, exchange bloodlines with, buy and sell puppies from and to, exchange
health and genetics information with, etc. these other FCI countries, we need to understand this key difference. They openly
discuss how breeds brought into the USA become the American this or that breed and not the breed as it is recognized in other
countries. I don't believe this is what any of us wants.
So, we are presented with a very important question. Do we want to be on the same page with the international community or
not? This is the question before us. They have opened all the doors for us and want us to participate fully in that community.
We are certainly grateful to those who have gotten us to this point with the draft standard we initially voted on. They did a great
job getting us here and laid a strong foundation. Now, it is time, and you have already begun the discussion about what our
next step will be.
I would personally like to walk through that door and Knox asked me to find a way to do just that one short year ago. We are at
the place now but it depends on your will, not ours. Should we modify our draft standard to be like the FCI standard?
I hope that this information is helpful and your BOD is listening to this conversation with great interest.
Best,
Donna
| AKC Standard Update - 11.3.08 |
The BOD is happy to hear support for modifying our draft standard to become as close as possible to FCI and the country of
origin. There was some side discussion at ISIC about how Americans typically change breeds to American versions as they get
into AKC. I've also heard that discussed by this group and have seen it in other breeds. I don't know if that is done by other clubs
on purpose or just through misunderstanding and 'drift' from the original standard. I know our club has never intended to move
away from the FCI standard.
In the past, there seemed to be some sort of language or cultural barrier that prevented us from communicating clearly and
directly with Iceland and the other ISIC countries. I voted for our current draft standard as did many others, thinking it was as close
as we could get to the FCI standard.
This year, ISIC decided to conduct all business and seminars in English. That was a huge gift to us as we are the only country who
speaks English as the native language. It makes it easier for us and more difficult for all of the other countries. We have to move
slowly and carefully as it is easy to have misunderstandings due to language barriers. As Hans-Ake, one of the three recognized
experts on the ISD, says, "Each word in the standard has specific meaning."
During this process, we hired two AKC judges, one of whom has experience with the
ISD and one who specializes in structural evaluations as they relate to the breed standard. Our goal was to see if it was possible
to match our current draft more closely to the FCI standard in language and also be acceptable to the AKC. We have gotten a
preliminary 'thumbs up' from AKC, DIF, and HRFI, something we previously thought impossible. This was always Knox's goal and it
appears that it is now within reach.
Because we were unable to write a standard that satisfied AKC, the membership and
DIF/HRFI, we decided to take a different approach and leave the crafting and modifications of the standard to the "experts". We
left the specific wording to those experts who have direct experience with standards and got out of their way. This approach seems
to be working quite well and we are very close to a final draft. The modified "draft" has, of course, gone through several "takes"
between HRFI, the judges and AKC. Our goal is to get it as dialed in as possible before bringing it to you for approval.
Thank you again for your support and we look forward to hearing more of your comments.
Please send your comments to isaabod@gmail.com.
dmcd
11.03.08
origin. There was some side discussion at ISIC about how Americans typically change breeds to American versions as they get
into AKC. I've also heard that discussed by this group and have seen it in other breeds. I don't know if that is done by other clubs
on purpose or just through misunderstanding and 'drift' from the original standard. I know our club has never intended to move
away from the FCI standard.
In the past, there seemed to be some sort of language or cultural barrier that prevented us from communicating clearly and
directly with Iceland and the other ISIC countries. I voted for our current draft standard as did many others, thinking it was as close
as we could get to the FCI standard.
This year, ISIC decided to conduct all business and seminars in English. That was a huge gift to us as we are the only country who
speaks English as the native language. It makes it easier for us and more difficult for all of the other countries. We have to move
slowly and carefully as it is easy to have misunderstandings due to language barriers. As Hans-Ake, one of the three recognized
experts on the ISD, says, "Each word in the standard has specific meaning."
During this process, we hired two AKC judges, one of whom has experience with the
ISD and one who specializes in structural evaluations as they relate to the breed standard. Our goal was to see if it was possible
to match our current draft more closely to the FCI standard in language and also be acceptable to the AKC. We have gotten a
preliminary 'thumbs up' from AKC, DIF, and HRFI, something we previously thought impossible. This was always Knox's goal and it
appears that it is now within reach.
Because we were unable to write a standard that satisfied AKC, the membership and
DIF/HRFI, we decided to take a different approach and leave the crafting and modifications of the standard to the "experts". We
left the specific wording to those experts who have direct experience with standards and got out of their way. This approach seems
to be working quite well and we are very close to a final draft. The modified "draft" has, of course, gone through several "takes"
between HRFI, the judges and AKC. Our goal is to get it as dialed in as possible before bringing it to you for approval.
Thank you again for your support and we look forward to hearing more of your comments.
Please send your comments to isaabod@gmail.com.
dmcd
11.03.08
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
In November of 2008, we sent what we hoped to be our final draft standard to the DIF for approval. We are pleased to
announce that we received that approval on January 25, 2009. There were no further substantive changes made to the draft
document.
The final draft was sent to the AKC on January 26, 2009. When approval of the final draft is given, we will send the document to
you for vote.
It appears that we are on the verge of presenting you with a standard that DIF/HRFI and AKC agree on. We will inform you as
soon as we receive any further information. We welcome your comments and questions and are grateful for your support as we
get closer to our goal of having a standard that is supported by the country of origin, AKC and our membership.
If you are interested in more information and the history regarding this process, please read below.
Best regards,
ISAA Board of Directors
isaabod@gmail.com
announce that we received that approval on January 25, 2009. There were no further substantive changes made to the draft
document.
The final draft was sent to the AKC on January 26, 2009. When approval of the final draft is given, we will send the document to
you for vote.
It appears that we are on the verge of presenting you with a standard that DIF/HRFI and AKC agree on. We will inform you as
soon as we receive any further information. We welcome your comments and questions and are grateful for your support as we
get closer to our goal of having a standard that is supported by the country of origin, AKC and our membership.
If you are interested in more information and the history regarding this process, please read below.
Best regards,
ISAA Board of Directors
isaabod@gmail.com
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
| Standard Update January 27, 2009 |
Update 3.13.09
We fully believe that the final approval of the AKC will be received within the near future and in your hands allowing sufficient time for
its adoption by the membership and well before our National Show in October. After more than a year of cooperative work between
AKC and DIF/HRFI, we are very optimistic that the revised standard will be well received by the membership.
___________________________________________________________________
We fully believe that the final approval of the AKC will be received within the near future and in your hands allowing sufficient time for
its adoption by the membership and well before our National Show in October. After more than a year of cooperative work between
AKC and DIF/HRFI, we are very optimistic that the revised standard will be well received by the membership.
___________________________________________________________________
| Standard Update: April 14, 2009 Click here _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Date: May 15, 2009
To: All ISAA members
From: The ISAA Board of Directors
Re: Vote to Approve and Adopt a Revision of the Icelandic Sheepdog AKC Breed Standard
It is with great joy that the ISAA Board of Directors announces the results of our vote on our revised AKC standard.
Votes were counted on May 14th and more than 97% of those members voting supported the adoption of the revised
standard as approved by DIF, HRFI and AKC.
You made a clear statement regarding your support of our international cooperative work, holding up our primary goal,
the preservation of the Icelandic Sheepdog. Approximately two thirds of you participated in the vote, an excellent statistic.
The effort to get us to revise the standard has been 1.5 years in the making and required the effort and support of many.
The ISAA Board of Directors would like to specifically thank the following people:
Knox Rhine, who charged the BOD with this task; Breed expert, Sigríður Pétursdóttir who said, “Please don’t change
our Iceland Dog”; breed experts and ISIC/c members, Guðrún Ragnars Guðjohnsen, Hans-Åke Sperne; The Board of
Directors of DIF: Guðni Ágústsson, DÍF chairman; Þorsteinn Thorsteinson, Elís E. Stefánsson, Ágúst Ágústsson, Helga
Andrésdóttir; and Guðríður Valgeirsdóttir (the vice-president of HRFÍ and representative of HRFÍ in the board of DÍF).
We offer a special thanks to the ISAA Liaison to Iceland, Margrét (‘Maggý’) R. Þorvaldsdóttir Pease. It is Maggý who
sat at the table with the DÍF Board, HRFÍ representative and Guðrún, and asked for their help. Another special thank
you to Guðni and Þorsteinn (‘Thorsteinn’) as they were the primary individuals who helped bring our draft as close as
possible, using AKC guidelines, to the FCI version.
This has truly been an international effort that has forged a strong partnership. We know that our common goal, to
preserve the Icelandic Sheepdog, will continue to benefit all of us in the international community. Please join us in thanking
these individuals for their support and help to get us to this place.
We invite you to attend the very special discussion held by Gudrun regarding the Icelandic Sheepdog at our National
Speciality. We are honored that she has agreed to come to the United States and share her lifetime of experience
regarding the breed with us.
As Hans-Ake has said, “It is difficult enough with one common standard, to interpret a breed from a standard text. It is
not only about the words but very much a matter of realizing the breed context … and based on that (very difficult but
important), understanding a breed. … Guðrún will talk about these things when she has her lecture at the USA National.”
The revised standard will be submitted to AKC immediately. After final AKC approval, it will go into effect on July 1st
with a request to move our club to full recognition.
To: All ISAA members
From: The ISAA Board of Directors
Re: Vote to Approve and Adopt a Revision of the Icelandic Sheepdog AKC Breed Standard
It is with great joy that the ISAA Board of Directors announces the results of our vote on our revised AKC standard.
Votes were counted on May 14th and more than 97% of those members voting supported the adoption of the revised
standard as approved by DIF, HRFI and AKC.
You made a clear statement regarding your support of our international cooperative work, holding up our primary goal,
the preservation of the Icelandic Sheepdog. Approximately two thirds of you participated in the vote, an excellent statistic.
The effort to get us to revise the standard has been 1.5 years in the making and required the effort and support of many.
The ISAA Board of Directors would like to specifically thank the following people:
Knox Rhine, who charged the BOD with this task; Breed expert, Sigríður Pétursdóttir who said, “Please don’t change
our Iceland Dog”; breed experts and ISIC/c members, Guðrún Ragnars Guðjohnsen, Hans-Åke Sperne; The Board of
Directors of DIF: Guðni Ágústsson, DÍF chairman; Þorsteinn Thorsteinson, Elís E. Stefánsson, Ágúst Ágústsson, Helga
Andrésdóttir; and Guðríður Valgeirsdóttir (the vice-president of HRFÍ and representative of HRFÍ in the board of DÍF).
We offer a special thanks to the ISAA Liaison to Iceland, Margrét (‘Maggý’) R. Þorvaldsdóttir Pease. It is Maggý who
sat at the table with the DÍF Board, HRFÍ representative and Guðrún, and asked for their help. Another special thank
you to Guðni and Þorsteinn (‘Thorsteinn’) as they were the primary individuals who helped bring our draft as close as
possible, using AKC guidelines, to the FCI version.
This has truly been an international effort that has forged a strong partnership. We know that our common goal, to
preserve the Icelandic Sheepdog, will continue to benefit all of us in the international community. Please join us in thanking
these individuals for their support and help to get us to this place.
We invite you to attend the very special discussion held by Gudrun regarding the Icelandic Sheepdog at our National
Speciality. We are honored that she has agreed to come to the United States and share her lifetime of experience
regarding the breed with us.
As Hans-Ake has said, “It is difficult enough with one common standard, to interpret a breed from a standard text. It is
not only about the words but very much a matter of realizing the breed context … and based on that (very difficult but
important), understanding a breed. … Guðrún will talk about these things when she has her lecture at the USA National.”
The revised standard will be submitted to AKC immediately. After final AKC approval, it will go into effect on July 1st
with a request to move our club to full recognition.
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”; Bitches
16 ½”. 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. Eyerims 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.
| Icelandic Sheepdog Breed Standard for American Kennel Club May 15, 2009 Note: Final Revised Standard approved by Deild íslenska fjárhundsins (DIF) and the American Kennel Club (AKC) as of April 1, 2009. Final Revised Standard approved by vote of membership May 14, 2009. To AKC for final approval of AKC Board, May 15, 2009. |
If you are interested in the history of our standard's development, please see below.
| Note re: letter below: Our understanding at the time the letter was written was that the new standard would "go into effect on July 1st [2010]..." when our club moves to full recognition. We have subsequently learned that it goes into effect on June 30th, 2010, one day sooner. |