Post by DogGoneGood on Mar 10, 2009 16:52:31 GMT -5
Group: II - Hounds
Origin: Norway
Date of Origin: 1500s
Purpose: Catching Puffin
Other Name(s): Lundehund, Norwegian Puffin Dog
The small and agile Lundehund is unique in having five, rather than the usual four, supporting toes on its forepaws. The feet themselves have exceptionally large pads and double dewclaws. This combination gave the dog its superb grip as it climbed cliff pathways and traversed rocky crevasses, until it reached a nest and captured a puffin. Another unique feature is a soft fold across the cartilage of the ear. This unusual anatomical trait enabled the dog to fold down its ears to protect them, presumably from dripping water as it searched through cliff passages for its prey. A lively and responsive breed, the Lundehund is now used primarily as a companion.
General Appearance:
The Norwegian Lundehund is a rectangular spitz dog, small, comparatively light, with distinct secondary sex characters. Strong legs with at least 6 toes on all feet, of which at least 5 toes on the forefoot and 4 on the hind foot should take part in supporting the dog. The tail is carried ring-shaped or slightly rolled over top line, or hanging. Alert, energetic and lively of temperament.
What makes the Lundehund Unique?
The Lundehund has a great range of motion in its joints, allowing it to fit into narrow passages. The head can be bent backwards along the dog's own spine, and the forelegs can turn to the side at a 90-degree angle to its body, much like human arms. Its pricked, upright ears can be sealed nearly shut by folding them forward or backward.The Norwegian Lundehund is polydactyl: instead of the normal four toes a foot, the Lundehund has six toes, all fully formed, jointed and muscled.
Life Expectancy:
12 years
Size:
Height: Dog: 35 - 38 cms. Bitch: 32 - 35 cms.
Weight: Dog: approx. 7 kgs. Bitch: approx. 6 kgs.
A dog measuring the stated maximum should not be preferred to a smaller, otherwise equally good dog.
Tail:
Set on high, medium short with dense coat but no “flag”. Carried ring shaped or slightly rolled over top line, or hanging. Should not be rolled like the ones of the Norwegian Buhund or the Norwegian Elkhound. The tip of the tail should not be too much over to the side or down the flank. When, for instance, smell or sound catches attention, the tail is hanging slightly bent backwards.
Head:
Clean, of medium width, wedge shaped. Skull roof slightly domed, protruding supra orbital ridges. Pronounced, but not sharp stop. Wedge shaped muzzle of medium length, ridge of nose slightly convex. Scissors bite preferable. A level bite and a moderate undershot bite should not be penalized. Lack of premolars on both sides in both jaws is quite common. Eyes: Slightly slanted eye openings, eyes not protruding, iris yellowish brown with a broader or narrower dark brown circle around the pupil of the eye. Ears: Triangular ears of medium size, broad at base, carried erect, very mobile. They have the specific quality that the cartilage around the ear opening is able to contract, and the external ear leather is folded and turned up in a peculiar way - backwards or at right angles upwards so that the ear opening is shut.
Neck:
Clean cut, of medium length, rather strong with rather rich collar.
Forelegs:
Not markedly angulated. Straight under arms. Oval, slightly outward turned paws with at least 6 toes of which 5 should take part in the support of the dog. Eight pads on each paw. The inside plexus of the toe consisting of one three-joint and one two-joint toe with the corresponding tendon and muscle apparatus, gives the paw a strong appearance.
Hindlegs:
Moderately angulated, strong with muscular upper and lower thighs. Oval, outward turned paws with at least 6 toes of which 4 take part in supporting the dog. Seven pads because the center big one and the one between toe number 0 and 1 have grown into one, the center pad thereby seeming to be prolonged backwards. When the dog is standing normally on level ground, the toe pads usually carry the weight. Position of hind legs somewhat narrow.
Body:
Rectangular. Strong, straight back, rather slightly descending croup. Long chest of medium width, relatively deep and spacious, not barrel shaped. Belly slightly tucked up.
Gait:
Easy and springy. Movement of front legs with a characteristic rotary action. Parallel hind movement.
Coat and Colour:
Soft undercoat. Dense, rough outer coat. Short on head and front of the legs. Richer around the neck and the back of the thighs. Dense coat on the tail, but no “flag”.
Reddish brown to fallow with more or less black hair tips, or black or grey, all with white markings, or white with dark markings. The full grown dog usually has got more distinct black in the outer coat than the young dog.
Temperment:
Lundehunds are intelligent, cheerful, inquisitive, stubborn dogs. They can make wonderful companions in the right homes, but prospective owners should think carefully about whether the Lundehunds unique personality will fit in well with their lifestyle.
This little Norwegian is a primitive breed, meaning that it shares a lot of habits and behavior with wild dogs, like foxes and wolves. They will cache food, or hide it in places throughout their living area, and they are very aware of everything that is going on around them (and react noisily to any changes in their environment). They are very inquisitive and are always exploring their surroundings, and very little is out of their reach because of their abilities to climb the steepest inclines and tunnel into tiny little spaces. They retain a very strong pack instinct and generally live happily in groups, especially with other lunde-dogs, if their owner allows them to figure out the pecking order. They also retain a strong prey drive, though, so they need to be carefully supervised around small animals and birds.
Lundehunds are very aware of everything that is going on around them and they will bark at almost everything or at nothing - some Lundehunds bark a great deal. They can be protective of their home and their people, but rely more on barking than aggression. Some can be apprehensive of strange people and dogs, although early socialization can prevent this. When they are raised with children they are usually fine with them, although they can be intolerant of rough treatment. They love to dig, enjoy playing with toys, and particularly like carrying things around in their mouths. I had one lunde-dog who would regularly take his toys for a walk, refusing to drop the chosen toy even in the hottest of weather to take a drink. They are active, busy dogs who do best in a home where there are things going on to keep their active minds stimulated. If they are bored, they will find ways to amuse themselves, often at the expense of the owner's home and belongings. Lundehunds should be given regular opportunities for exercise and are particularly happy when they can play off leash and out of doors, with plenty of opportunities to explore and find interesting and unusual gifts to bring back to their owners.
Early and extensive socialization is very, very important for Lundehund puppies. They should be exposed to loud noises, people of all ages, different environments and situations, cars, other dogs and animals, and as many other stimuli as possible. Under-socialized Lundehunds tend to be shy, sound sensitive, and easily stressed by any unusual situations and it can be difficult to undo the problems caused by the lack of early socialization.
Training Lundehunds can be a challenge. Lundehunds are incredibly intelligent and can easily understand what you want them to do, but, in the immortal words of Herman Mellville, they prefer not to. A great deal of patience, a large supply of delicious treats, and a sense of humor are all required when training a Lundehund. Lundehunds are more like cats than dogs in their attitude towards their owners and they generally lack the famous canine eagerness to please, so training should emphasize positive reinforcement, as a lunde-dog is much more likely to obey a command when there is something in it for them. They don't respond well to punishment and negative reinforcement, and instead of altering their behavior you will just wind up with an irritated lunde-dog with a grudge - and they have long memories. Keep training sessions short and fun, be prepared to repeat the same lessons many times, and be realistic. While a patiently trained Lundehund will generally come when it is called, you may have to call several times and the path back to you may involve a few detours to investigate something really interesting along the way.
Housebreaking is an area where Lundehunds have proven to be particularly difficult to train reliably. This is a primitive breed, and they mark their territory, which is likely to include the inside of your house. A lunde-dog owner should anticipate that housebreaking will take longer than it does in other breeds and complete reliability is a rarity. The problems can be minimized if your lunde-dog is crate trained and crated when left in the house unsupervised. Most lunde-dogs take very well to a crate, if properly and positively introduced to it. Some find a ‘doggy-door’ to be very helpful, allowing the dog the opportunity to quickly go outside to eliminate. Neutering can cut down significantly on marking behavior. Anyone considering adding a Lundehund to their life needs to be aware of this issue and consider whether they can live happily with a dog that may never be completely housebroken.
One thing that every Lundehund owner should keep in mind is that any changes in behavior could be indicative of problems caused by Lundehund Syndrome. This can be obvious, such as when a dog suddenly stops eating or becomes lethargic, or it can be more subtle, such as when a dog stops jumping up onto a bed or into a car because of muscle wasting weakness in the rear legs. It is worth a trip to the vet for some blood work any time a Lundehund’s owner notices changes in their dog's behavior.
Long time lunde-dog owners treasure the breed’s intelligence, humor, and big personality. These dogs are free thinkers, and owners should keep this in mind when they train their lunde-dog. With patience and praise, a lunde-dog can and will learn.
Health:
Lundehund gastroenteropathy is a set of digestive disorders that can lead to an overgrowth of digestive bacteria, and a loss of ability to absorb nutrients from food. In extreme cases the dog can starve due to its inability to derive nutrients and protein from food, regardless of food intake. All Lundehunds have the genetics to have this illness, though not every Lundehund is severely afflicted and some are symptom free. There is no cure, though the disease can be managed
History:
Originating in Vaerog and Rost in northern Norway, for centuries the isolated Lundehund was used to collect puffins from nests on precipitous cliffs. It was not recognized as a distinct breed until 1943.
Sources:
Canadian Kennel Club Official Breed Standards - Norwegian Lundehund
The New Encyclopedia Of the DOG by Bruce Fogle DVM Page 145
Wikipedia - Norwegian Lundehund
The Norwegian Lundehund Club of America, Inc. - Behavior
Origin: Norway
Date of Origin: 1500s
Purpose: Catching Puffin
Other Name(s): Lundehund, Norwegian Puffin Dog
The small and agile Lundehund is unique in having five, rather than the usual four, supporting toes on its forepaws. The feet themselves have exceptionally large pads and double dewclaws. This combination gave the dog its superb grip as it climbed cliff pathways and traversed rocky crevasses, until it reached a nest and captured a puffin. Another unique feature is a soft fold across the cartilage of the ear. This unusual anatomical trait enabled the dog to fold down its ears to protect them, presumably from dripping water as it searched through cliff passages for its prey. A lively and responsive breed, the Lundehund is now used primarily as a companion.
General Appearance:
The Norwegian Lundehund is a rectangular spitz dog, small, comparatively light, with distinct secondary sex characters. Strong legs with at least 6 toes on all feet, of which at least 5 toes on the forefoot and 4 on the hind foot should take part in supporting the dog. The tail is carried ring-shaped or slightly rolled over top line, or hanging. Alert, energetic and lively of temperament.
What makes the Lundehund Unique?
The Lundehund has a great range of motion in its joints, allowing it to fit into narrow passages. The head can be bent backwards along the dog's own spine, and the forelegs can turn to the side at a 90-degree angle to its body, much like human arms. Its pricked, upright ears can be sealed nearly shut by folding them forward or backward.The Norwegian Lundehund is polydactyl: instead of the normal four toes a foot, the Lundehund has six toes, all fully formed, jointed and muscled.
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Life Expectancy:
12 years
Size:
Height: Dog: 35 - 38 cms. Bitch: 32 - 35 cms.
Weight: Dog: approx. 7 kgs. Bitch: approx. 6 kgs.
A dog measuring the stated maximum should not be preferred to a smaller, otherwise equally good dog.
Tail:
Set on high, medium short with dense coat but no “flag”. Carried ring shaped or slightly rolled over top line, or hanging. Should not be rolled like the ones of the Norwegian Buhund or the Norwegian Elkhound. The tip of the tail should not be too much over to the side or down the flank. When, for instance, smell or sound catches attention, the tail is hanging slightly bent backwards.
Head:
Clean, of medium width, wedge shaped. Skull roof slightly domed, protruding supra orbital ridges. Pronounced, but not sharp stop. Wedge shaped muzzle of medium length, ridge of nose slightly convex. Scissors bite preferable. A level bite and a moderate undershot bite should not be penalized. Lack of premolars on both sides in both jaws is quite common. Eyes: Slightly slanted eye openings, eyes not protruding, iris yellowish brown with a broader or narrower dark brown circle around the pupil of the eye. Ears: Triangular ears of medium size, broad at base, carried erect, very mobile. They have the specific quality that the cartilage around the ear opening is able to contract, and the external ear leather is folded and turned up in a peculiar way - backwards or at right angles upwards so that the ear opening is shut.
Neck:
Clean cut, of medium length, rather strong with rather rich collar.
Forelegs:
Not markedly angulated. Straight under arms. Oval, slightly outward turned paws with at least 6 toes of which 5 should take part in the support of the dog. Eight pads on each paw. The inside plexus of the toe consisting of one three-joint and one two-joint toe with the corresponding tendon and muscle apparatus, gives the paw a strong appearance.
Hindlegs:
Moderately angulated, strong with muscular upper and lower thighs. Oval, outward turned paws with at least 6 toes of which 4 take part in supporting the dog. Seven pads because the center big one and the one between toe number 0 and 1 have grown into one, the center pad thereby seeming to be prolonged backwards. When the dog is standing normally on level ground, the toe pads usually carry the weight. Position of hind legs somewhat narrow.
Body:
Rectangular. Strong, straight back, rather slightly descending croup. Long chest of medium width, relatively deep and spacious, not barrel shaped. Belly slightly tucked up.
Gait:
Easy and springy. Movement of front legs with a characteristic rotary action. Parallel hind movement.
Coat and Colour:
Soft undercoat. Dense, rough outer coat. Short on head and front of the legs. Richer around the neck and the back of the thighs. Dense coat on the tail, but no “flag”.
Reddish brown to fallow with more or less black hair tips, or black or grey, all with white markings, or white with dark markings. The full grown dog usually has got more distinct black in the outer coat than the young dog.
Temperment:
Lundehunds are intelligent, cheerful, inquisitive, stubborn dogs. They can make wonderful companions in the right homes, but prospective owners should think carefully about whether the Lundehunds unique personality will fit in well with their lifestyle.
This little Norwegian is a primitive breed, meaning that it shares a lot of habits and behavior with wild dogs, like foxes and wolves. They will cache food, or hide it in places throughout their living area, and they are very aware of everything that is going on around them (and react noisily to any changes in their environment). They are very inquisitive and are always exploring their surroundings, and very little is out of their reach because of their abilities to climb the steepest inclines and tunnel into tiny little spaces. They retain a very strong pack instinct and generally live happily in groups, especially with other lunde-dogs, if their owner allows them to figure out the pecking order. They also retain a strong prey drive, though, so they need to be carefully supervised around small animals and birds.
Lundehunds are very aware of everything that is going on around them and they will bark at almost everything or at nothing - some Lundehunds bark a great deal. They can be protective of their home and their people, but rely more on barking than aggression. Some can be apprehensive of strange people and dogs, although early socialization can prevent this. When they are raised with children they are usually fine with them, although they can be intolerant of rough treatment. They love to dig, enjoy playing with toys, and particularly like carrying things around in their mouths. I had one lunde-dog who would regularly take his toys for a walk, refusing to drop the chosen toy even in the hottest of weather to take a drink. They are active, busy dogs who do best in a home where there are things going on to keep their active minds stimulated. If they are bored, they will find ways to amuse themselves, often at the expense of the owner's home and belongings. Lundehunds should be given regular opportunities for exercise and are particularly happy when they can play off leash and out of doors, with plenty of opportunities to explore and find interesting and unusual gifts to bring back to their owners.
Early and extensive socialization is very, very important for Lundehund puppies. They should be exposed to loud noises, people of all ages, different environments and situations, cars, other dogs and animals, and as many other stimuli as possible. Under-socialized Lundehunds tend to be shy, sound sensitive, and easily stressed by any unusual situations and it can be difficult to undo the problems caused by the lack of early socialization.
Training Lundehunds can be a challenge. Lundehunds are incredibly intelligent and can easily understand what you want them to do, but, in the immortal words of Herman Mellville, they prefer not to. A great deal of patience, a large supply of delicious treats, and a sense of humor are all required when training a Lundehund. Lundehunds are more like cats than dogs in their attitude towards their owners and they generally lack the famous canine eagerness to please, so training should emphasize positive reinforcement, as a lunde-dog is much more likely to obey a command when there is something in it for them. They don't respond well to punishment and negative reinforcement, and instead of altering their behavior you will just wind up with an irritated lunde-dog with a grudge - and they have long memories. Keep training sessions short and fun, be prepared to repeat the same lessons many times, and be realistic. While a patiently trained Lundehund will generally come when it is called, you may have to call several times and the path back to you may involve a few detours to investigate something really interesting along the way.
Housebreaking is an area where Lundehunds have proven to be particularly difficult to train reliably. This is a primitive breed, and they mark their territory, which is likely to include the inside of your house. A lunde-dog owner should anticipate that housebreaking will take longer than it does in other breeds and complete reliability is a rarity. The problems can be minimized if your lunde-dog is crate trained and crated when left in the house unsupervised. Most lunde-dogs take very well to a crate, if properly and positively introduced to it. Some find a ‘doggy-door’ to be very helpful, allowing the dog the opportunity to quickly go outside to eliminate. Neutering can cut down significantly on marking behavior. Anyone considering adding a Lundehund to their life needs to be aware of this issue and consider whether they can live happily with a dog that may never be completely housebroken.
One thing that every Lundehund owner should keep in mind is that any changes in behavior could be indicative of problems caused by Lundehund Syndrome. This can be obvious, such as when a dog suddenly stops eating or becomes lethargic, or it can be more subtle, such as when a dog stops jumping up onto a bed or into a car because of muscle wasting weakness in the rear legs. It is worth a trip to the vet for some blood work any time a Lundehund’s owner notices changes in their dog's behavior.
Long time lunde-dog owners treasure the breed’s intelligence, humor, and big personality. These dogs are free thinkers, and owners should keep this in mind when they train their lunde-dog. With patience and praise, a lunde-dog can and will learn.
Health:
Lundehund gastroenteropathy is a set of digestive disorders that can lead to an overgrowth of digestive bacteria, and a loss of ability to absorb nutrients from food. In extreme cases the dog can starve due to its inability to derive nutrients and protein from food, regardless of food intake. All Lundehunds have the genetics to have this illness, though not every Lundehund is severely afflicted and some are symptom free. There is no cure, though the disease can be managed
History:
Originating in Vaerog and Rost in northern Norway, for centuries the isolated Lundehund was used to collect puffins from nests on precipitous cliffs. It was not recognized as a distinct breed until 1943.
Sources:
Canadian Kennel Club Official Breed Standards - Norwegian Lundehund
The New Encyclopedia Of the DOG by Bruce Fogle DVM Page 145
Wikipedia - Norwegian Lundehund
The Norwegian Lundehund Club of America, Inc. - Behavior
