Some thoughts from owners, maybe some words
of warning and a few of the reasons why we can't live without
these wonderful dogs.
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Yesterday, Saturday,
March 11 2006 was a testament to how wonderful our dogs
are.
When our household woke up we discovered that the water pipes from our well to our house had frozen and we had no water. We had company for the weekend and so it was imperative to restore water. I left the house to go out to the well house to work on the problem leaving my 11 yr old and her cousin in charge of watching my 3 year old. While they were "watching" him he managed
put his winter boots on all by himself and slip out of the
house without a coat on. He walked down our 1/4 mile long
drive way and continued to walk another 1/4 mile down our
road, passing 2 very
mean dogs on the way. He was accompanied by our wonderful
dog Sabrika who never left his side and who made sure the
other dogs didn't come near him. A neighbor noticed him
walking with the dog on the road and quickly picked them up
and brought them home. He was very brave and didn't cry
until he got home. I had NO idea he was gone and probably
would not have noticed for another 1/2 hour or more. I
cried when I realized the danger he had been in. We have a
lot of snow and wind and cougars and cars and untrained dogs
in our area. I cried even more when I realized what our
precious Sabrika had given up for her little boy. Sabrika
had puppies 3 weeks ago. She has not been more than 50 feet
from the house since. She is a very conscientious and
gracious mother. But, when her family needed her she was
there and didn't leave her boys' side for one minute. I can
never repay the kind of loyalty and love that she has shown
us again and again. I am honored to have her in our
family. Now you know 1 reason I love Icelandic Sheepdogs.
Bethany Loosli
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My first
Icelandic Sheepdog was Garđa-Kara I got her in 1991. At that time I had
been without a dog for almost a year. I had owned and bred Golden
Retrievers for years, but after my last Golden died I wanted to get a
smaller breed. I talked to my vet asking about few different breeds when
she said “why not an Icelandic Sheepdog” I replied No, they bark too much.
She said it wasn´t truth and told me to go and have a look at them. Well to
make a long story short I got my first Icelandic Sheepdog in 1991 and today
I live with seven of them. They do bark but not constantly. They will
certainly let you know when someone comes to your door, but I think it is a
good thing. Some will express themselves more than others and that is
exactly how we humans are, some of us talk and talk and talk even if we do
not have anything to talk about.
I just love Icelandic Sheepdogs. They are so gentle and good with children, they have a strong character, are curious, playful, cheerful and an energetic working dog. They are not only good at herding sheep, cows and horses, but they are also very good in agility and tracking. They are extremely intelligent and easily trained. The Icelandic Sheepdog is a trustworthy friend and a tireless companion in work or play.
Few years ago when I was a farmer we had a terrible blizzard. On the moring before the Blizzard hit we had to gather all the sheep and bring them down from the montain. We went out with two dogs trying to call the sheep and the dogs did do most of the barking. We managed to bring most of our sheep home but some where stuck in the snow and some of them we would never have found if it hadn´t been for the dogs. They have an excellant nose or maybe their ears but they told us where to dig for the sheep. That day we only lost 2 or 3 sheep. On our daily walk a few days later the dogs started digging in the montain so I went after them and there were the rest of the lost sheep, dead under the snow.
The Icelandic Sheepdog matures quite slowly and is not full grown until 18 months of age.
All my dogs are family dogs, indoor animals or more to the point, they are wherever I am.
Brynhildur Inga, Iceland
We got Hnúks Breki at ten weeks old from Iceland, he was raised in home with a loving family and other animals. He has been my boy since I first held him at Sea-Tac Airport. He has been an extremely easy dog to raise. Quiet, loving and non barking. Non barking that is before we got a female Icie who has taught him to bark.
One night Breki did a very odd thing. He went into our guest bedroom and scooted under the bed. I could not find him. He had never done this before. When I did locate him I tried coaxing him out. He would not come, first time in his life he did not obey me. He just laid under that bed. After about 20 minutes out he came. He went to the front door to be let out to potty. This was about 11pm. He went outside, down the porch steps and sat on the walkway, looking around the heavens. He did NOT go potty. Sat there just moving his head, looking at the stars. This was very odd. He got up after about 10 minutes and walked up the stairs to be let inside the house. As we were headed to bed the phone rang, around 11:30pm. My young sister in law had passed away from cancer down in So. California.
I wrote Breki's breeder, Hörđur in Iceland of Breki's behavior and Helena's passing. He wrote back that at some time Helena and my brother Karl had slept in that guest bedroom. I said yes, they were up to the Pacific Northwest to visit us the previous summer. He said Breki knew Helena was ready to go, and Breki felt her. He said Breki's outside ritual was Breki feeling her pass from our world into another.
Breki always has been aware of things that I am not.
We got Pine Plains Elska when Breki was almost a year old. She has been somewhat of a handful. She is alpha and bossy and vocal. She is also very loving and wants to please. We love both our Icie's! They are such an important part of our daily lives.
Jerry Lynn, WA
In the past I had a pair of rough collies. When my female died because of volvulus I decided I would have an Icie, I had often seen them when I went to equestrian competitions and I loved them. I found a litter when the puppies were just 3 weeks old, I met with the breeder and was able to chose a female. I wanted a long haired cream colored Icie, but I fell in love with a red medium haired girl. I named her Flipa. In Germany the name of a dog follows the number of litters. Meaning the first litter pups are all named with an A, second litter with B, third litter with C and so on. Flipa had to begin with F. since this was the sixth litter. I was so glad when I finally took her home and she was the greatest dog I have ever had and I think I will ever have. She could read my thoughts. She calmed me down, when I was angry, she cheered me up when I felt sad, and when I was happy she jumped and was happy too.
When she was 1 year old in spring I got our
two calves out of the barn to let them eat grass. I myself laid
on a blanket outside, reading a book with Flipa at my side. The
calves didn't want to eat the grass, they wanted to go back
inside the stable where there was hay and
dried bread. I had to get up twice and chase the calves away
from the door of the stable. The third and every time after
Flipa would get up and do it for me so I had some peace.
Sometimes I went shopping with her. When I
entered a shop where dogs were forbidden I just told her, please
stay outside. I'll be back soon. And so she waited outside
without being chained. She loved to visit Pet-Shops. There she
was allowed to buy a bone or anything
else. It needed some time for her to choose the right bone but
when she found it she took it in her mouth carefully. Then I had
to tell her not to eat it at once, because we had to pay for it
first. So she carried this bone up to the cash register, showed
it there, waited until we had paid and then carried it back to
my car. Many stories like this happened during the twelve years
we were allowed to spend together and while I'm writing them
down, I remember so many things, but I mostly remember my
sadness and mourning when I lost her in 1991 because of cancer.
Barbara, Germany
About 12 years ago I got my first Icelandic Sheepdog named Grima. If she hadn't been so darn wonderful, I would not have the 7 sweet Icies I currently have! I am addicted, but that is OK... I love each and everyone of them.....
Elisabet
Stacy-Hurley
Writing as a first time dog owner, I'd hate for people to get the impression Icies can't make good first dogs. I chose the breed largely because of how willing Lori Julius was to answer my "first time" questions in a timely, thorough, and encouraging manner. She never once suggested that I wouldn't be able to handle one of her dogs, and for this I'm very, very grateful. She also made sure that I knew what I was getting into, breed-wise. I don't know whether I'm strong-willed or not. I know reading _Culture Clash_, _How To Talk (Speak?) Dog_ and _The Other End of the Leash_ helped me anticipate where I would need to draw the line with Viva. It seems to me important for prospective owners/handlers to know that while Icies may be strong-willed, they also are soooo eager to please -- I write this thinking about fellow agility folks who run with shiba inus, huskies, and samoyeds. Icies seem much more likely to want to work for their people than the shiba inus are, for example. Yes, they're not the easy-going package one finds with a Labrador retriever. They're more affectionate, though, and easier in many respects to train. Yeah, they bark a lot, but can through positive training be taught to save copious barking for special occasions (like the pizza delivery guy).
I suspect one of the reasons I have had success as a first time dog owner with my Icie is that it was immediately obvious to me (for whatever reason -- beginner's luck?) that she needed plenty of exercise, both mentally and physically, and she needed a job. Agility is such a natural outlet for mental stimulation and "the job" part of a herding dog's package that I would strongly encourage urban and suburban Icie owners to consider agility training even if they never intend to compete. The more agility we did, the fewer socks lost their lives. : )
I agree with you completely about the importance of matching breed with person so Icies don't end up in the wrong hands. I would plead with you that some of us rookies do just fine by our dogs. It breaks my heart to think that there are breeders out there who might have placed Viva with someone else just because I had never raised a dog before.
Kathryn Owens
I am a first time dog owner (though I grew up with dogs, never owned one as an adult until I found Gryla, through Lori Julius). I think that Kathryn is right - because they are so affectionate, loyal, eager to please, and highly trainable, they actually bond quickly with a first time owner. At least in our case, things worked out well quickly and I added Misty a year later. Perhaps it was also fortunate that neither of them are extremely strong-willed. Mine also get lots of exercise and seem to go with the flow otherwise. Can't imagine a better fit for me.
Elaine Mozur
I want to tell my Icey story because I think it is a little unique and might help others like me decide if an Icey is the dog for them. I acquired Nor'Star Kyssa II two and a half years ago from Knox Rhine. I am a widow and live alone on the Oregon Coast. I'm 74 and haven't had a dog since I was a child. Those could be a lot of cons against my having one. However, I don't know what I would do without Kyssa.
Mary Auvil, Oregon
