Appearance

The Norwegian Lundehund is a small Spitz-type dog. The body is rectangular with a deep chest, strong back, and a high-set tail carried in a ring or slightly rolled over onto the back. These dogs unusually have six toes per foot rather than the usual four. The slightly rounded head is wedge shaped with a medium length muzzle, slightly sloping eyes and erect and broad ears. These dogs display a great range of motion in their joints, and are able to bend their heads backwards along their spines and turn their forelegs to the side perpendicular to their bodies, much like we can with our arms. The topcoat is dense and rough with a soft undercoat, and the coloring tends to include black, grey, white, brown and sable.

History

The Norwegian Lundehund is a Spitz dog that originated in Norway several centuries ago. It was developed to hunt puffins, but its numbers fell in the 19th century when Norway began to protect its puffin population. During World War II, breeders began an effort to save the dog, although it remains rare. It was recognized by the AKC in 2008.