Also referred to as the puffin dog, Norwegian Lundehund is a distinctive and acrobatic dogs was found on a distant island in Norway, the place he was used to scaling cliffs and rob puffin nests of their eggs.
Norwegian Lundehund profile
With six toes on every foot, together with two giant, useful dewclaws, and a distinctive range of movement in his joints, he can climb nearly wherever in your own home or yard and squirm by means of the narrowest of passageways. Heck, you would possibly even see one attempting his paw at Half Dome sometime.
The Norwegian Lundehund is a small and agile Spitz breed with a number of distinctive traits together not present in every other dog.
Features corresponding to six toes on every foot; prick ears that fold closed, ahead or backward at will; and the power to tip the pinnacle backward till it touches the backbone all helped them carry out their job as Puffin hunter.
Their dense coat ranges from fallow to reddish-brown to tan in shade, with black hair suggestions and white markings, or white with red or darkish markings.
The small and energetic Norwegian Lundehund, courting back to the 16th century, was initially developed to hunt Puffin birds alongside the cliffs in Norway.
Because of its uncommon searching grounds, the Norwegian Lundehund developed traits in contrast to every other dog breed, together with six toes per entrance paw and a double-jointed neck.
History
The Norwegian Lundehund is among the many world’s rarest of canine. It is a member of the Spitz family. It originated in Vaerog and Rost in northern Norway.
For centuries it was used to hunt puffins from nests on steep cliffs. Puffins, nevertheless, within the 1800s, grew to become a protected species and had been not hunted.
The dogs had been not helpful to the farmers and the breed numbers dwindled.
However, someday after WWII, the breed was saved from extinction by means of the friendship of two involved Norwegians. The Norwegian Lundehund was not acknowledged as a definite breed till 1943.
The Norwegian Lundehund was first acknowledged by the AKC on July 1, 2011.
Norwegian Lundehund Overview
Peculiar is an effective technique to describe the Norwegian Lundehund. Some would possibly even call him freakish. Also referred to as the “puffin dog” (which is what his name means in Norwegian).
Hhe has six toes on every foot, with the toes on the entrance legs being triple- or double-jointed; his natural stance is east-west, with forelegs that flip outward at a 90-degree angle.
His head bends back to this point that he can nearly contact his back with it. Flexible shoulders allow his entrance legs to increase flat to the edges, and his prick ears can shut and fold ahead or backward.
Why all of the bizarre traits? The Lundehund’s authentic objective was to climb cliffs on Norwegian islands and retrieve stay puffins.
His construction permits him to grip, climb, descend and squeeze into small crevices. The Lundehund seems like an enjoyable and attention-grabbing dog, for positive, however, he has a posh personality and energy to spare.
Most Lundehunds are enjoyable loving and curious. Their uncommon anatomy makes them able to investigating small and hard-to-reach locations that almost all wouldn’t anticipate a dog to have the ability to go.
It’s necessary to be hyperaware of the place a Lundehund would possibly suppose to analyze and ensure these locations are inaccessible in the event that they could possibly be harmful.
Don’t be shocked to seek out your Lundehund contorted into some odd place or making his means by means of something that resembles a crevice.
Just ensure he can’t climb or bounce over or dig beneath your fence. Speaking of digging, Lundehunds are skilled excavators. In a matter of minutes, they’ll dig a gap giant sufficient for them to climb into.
Not surprisingly, this breed tends to be athletic and agile. The Lundehund’s capacity to activate a dime makes him a natural at agility and flyball, and most of them are additionally good at different dog sports activities.
He’ll need long walks or different types of lively play to fulfill his train wants. Give him a minimum of two half-hour walks, one-on-one playtime, or different activity each day.
The Lundehund is greatest suited to an experienced dog proprietor who lives in a house with a safely fenced yard — not an electrical fence. A persistently exercised Lundehund is much less more likely to get into hassle at home.
The neatest thing about dwelling with a Lundehund is his usually glad and agreeable personality. Living with him can require main modifications to your life-style and residential setting, nevertheless, in addition to a powerful probability of frequent veterinary visits and a brief life span. Consider fastidiously before buying one in all these uncommon dogs.
Norwegian Lundehund Physical Characteristics
The Norwegian Lundehund is a small, rectangular dog breed with traits in contrast to every other. It has six toes on every entrance paw, one on every resembling a human thumb, whereas the remainder of the toes is triple-jointed somewhat than the common double-jointed seen in different breeds.
To allow its capacity to hunt in small areas, the Norwegian Lundehund additionally has a really versatile neck that may bend backward to the backbone, in addition to versatile shoulder construction and ears that shut each forwards and backward.
The coat of a Norwegian Lundehund is usually tan or reddish, some with black hair suggestions. It weighs about 15 kilos and stands at a peak of 12 to15 inches.
Cheerful, inquisitive, and mischievous, it is a dog who wants shut supervision to maintain him out of hassle.
He’s a primitive breed who’s troublesome to housetrain and likes to bark and dig, so hold that in thoughts before deciding that it could be actually cool to have a dog who can bend his head backward, splay his entrance legs out to the facet, and shut his ears to maintain out moisture and grime.
Provide him with loads of early socialization to stop shyness and noise sensitivity. And if you’re a bird lover, nicely, simply keep in mind this breed’s authentic objective.
Size
The Norwegian Lundehund male stands 13.75 to 15 inches on the shoulder and weighs about 15.5 kilos. Females stand 12.5 to 13.75 inches and weigh around 13.25 kilos.
Norwegian Lundehund Temperament and Personality
This small Spitz breed is alert, energetic, loyal, and protecting. With his personal family, he’s usually outgoing and happy-go-lucky, however, he tends to be cautious of strangers.
Combined along with his alert nature, that natural wariness could make him a superb watchdog, though he’s sometimes not aggressive towards people. Socialize him early and infrequently to assist make sure that he doesn’t turn out to be shy.
He’s normally a great playmate for older, lively youngsters, however, he will not be the only option for households with toddlers, as a result of he could also be unwilling to place up with having his ears or tail pulled or his head patted arduously.
In the right house, although, with acceptable supervision, he can usually be a great companion for all ages.
The Norwegian Lundehund is a really pleasant and glad small dog breed and will get alongside nicely with youngsters and strangers. If the dog will not be correctly socialized as a pup, it could be shy, particularly around strangers, nevertheless, it doesn’t have aggressive tendencies.
A Lundehund is usually a little bit of a packrat: He usually enjoys gathering shiny objects and hiding them. He’ll additionally stash meals for late-night snacks. Don’t be shocked to seek out a kibble or different treats beneath your couch cushions, inside your sneakers, or underneath your pillow.
Be conscious that the Lundehund is difficult — some even say unimaginable — to housetrain and likes to bark. Both of those traits could make him troublesome to personal.
He’s positively not suited to condo or condominium life except you can be there on a regular basis to remind him to remain quiet.
He normally will get together with different dogs and cats if raised with them, however basically, it’s not a good suggestion for him to have entry to furry pets, small caged animals, or pet birds.
He can and can break into cages, and he’s a fierce hunter outdoor.
The Lundehund is an unbiased thinker and could be cussed. Train him with positive reinforcement strategies corresponding to play, reward, and meal rewards.
Lundehunds are aware of the tone of voice, so a firm vocal correction ought to get his consideration. All family members have to be constant in what they ask of the Lundehund. Keep coaching periods quick and enjoyable so he doesn’t get bored.
No matter once you get him, begin coaching your Lundehund pet the day you deliver him to the house. He is able to soak up everything you’ll be able to train him.
Don’t wait till he’s 6 months old to start coaching or you’ll have a more headstrong dog to cope with. If possible, get him into pet kindergarten class by the point he’s 10 to 12 weeks old and socialize, socialize, socialize.
However, bear in mind that many pet coaching courses require sure vaccines (just like the one for kennel cough) to be updated, and plenty of veterinarians advocate restricted publicity to different dogs and public locations till the pet collection of vaccinations (together with rabies, distemper, and parvovirus) have been accomplished.
In lieu of formal coaching, you’ll be able to start coaching your pet at home and socializing him amongst family and associates till his pet vaccinations are accomplished.
Talk to the breeder, describe precisely what you’re in search of in a dog and ask for help in deciding on a pet. Breeders see their puppies each day and may make uncannily correct suggestions as soon as they know one thing about your lifestyle and personality.
The excellent Norwegian Lundehund doesn’t spring absolutely shaped from the whelping field. He’s a product of his background and breeding. Look for a pet whose parents have good personalities and who has been nicely socialized from an early age.
Last however not least, a people-loving dog just like the Lundehund must stay in the home. It’s an unhappy Lundehund who’s relegated to the yard with little or no human companionship.
The Norwegian Lundehund is protecting its family in a non-violent means and may nonetheless be traced back to its Norwegian roots because it likes to dig and stash meals as if making ready for winter.
Norwegian Lundehund Care
The Norwegian Lundehund is thought to shed a great deal, requiring each day coat brushing with a firm bristle brush. It also can are typically a shy breed, so the dog must be socialized at a younger age.
The Norwegian Lundehund enjoys nearly any outside exercise and may be very energetic. A big yard is greatest for this dog breed; nevertheless, the clever Lundehund is nice at escaping, so a safety fence is usually recommended.
Norwegian Lundehund Coat Color And Grooming
A dense, tough outer coat is insulated by a tender undercoat in reddish-brown to fawn with black hair suggestions; black or grey with white markings; or white with darkish markings. Norwegian Lundehunds shed closely and need common brushing with a firm bristle brush.
This is a Northern or Spitz breed with an undercoat that sheds closely twice a year. He additionally sheds small quantities each day.
Brush the Lundehund’s double coat as soon as per week to maintain it clear and take away free hair. During spring and fall shedding seasons, each day brushing will assist hold hair underneath control.
The rest is primary care. Trim the nails each three to four weeks or as wanted. You may need to clip the tufts of hair between the toes, but apart from that, the coat wants no trimming. Brush the enamel usually — with a vet-approved pet toothpaste — for good total well being and recent breath, and hold the ears clear.
Norwegian Lundehund Diet and Nutrition
Every dog must be fed a high-quality and correctly portion-controlled diet, and the Lundehund is not any exception.
Because of their propensity in the direction of gastrointestinal issues, you could need to feed a particular restricted or prescription diet to assist handle any signs. This ought to at all times be finished in session together with your vet and presumably even a professional vet nutritionist.
Norwegian Lundehund Health Problems
The Lundehund is thought for being liable to quite a lot of gastrointestinal points that may differ in their severity. This genetic predisposition has been given the name Lundehund Syndrome.
It impacts all Lundehunds to some degree, though in some instances, dogs could also be asymptomatic or solely exhibit very minimal and simple to handle signs.
For different dogs, they’ll develop more severe issues or have a number of gastric circumstances. Some of the issues they are often susceptible to incorporate intestinal bowel illness (IBD), protein-losing enteropathy (PLE), small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), and intestinal lymphangiectasia (IL). Changes in lifestyle and diet can handle the issues, and others might need more aggressive medical intervention.
It’s necessary to pay attention to this syndrome and do your analysis before deciding to house a Lundehund. Making positive that you simply discover a respected breeder can be key. More information on the illness could be discovered through the Norwegian Lundehund Association of America.
Aside from this syndrome, the breed is considered usually hardy and wholesome.
Facts
The Norwegian Lundehund’s thick coat is fallow (pale brown) to reddish-brown to tan with black-tipped hairs and white markings or white with red or darkish markings.
Lundehund vocalizations embrace barks, yodels, and howls, with the occasional scream thrown in. It could be unsettling till you get used to it.
The Lundehund’s uncommon anatomy makes him able to stepping into hard-to-reach locations that almost all wouldn’t anticipate a dog to have the ability to go.
Lundehunds usually take pleasure in gathering shiny objects and hiding them.
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