The Icelandic Sheep Dog
The Icelandic Sheepdog, the national dog of Iceland, has accompanied the Icelandic people since the settlement era and is an inseparable part of the country's history and culture. In 2025, we will open a unique exhibition at Lýtingsstaðir in Skagafjörður, dedicated to this remarkable breed and its story. Come and experience this extraordinary exhibition - history, knowledge, and a truly memorable experience await you!
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Sómi conquers abroad
At the end of 2024, news arrived that the Icelandic Sheepdog would be officially recognized as a breed by the British Kennel Club. This recognition came into effect on April 1, 2025, meaning that the breeding of Icelandic Sheepdogs in Britain will now follow official breed standards, allowing the issuance of official pedigrees and participation in official dog shows—including CRUFTS, one of the world's oldest dog shows, held annually since 1891. [The Kennel Club published the official breed description](https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/search/breeds-a-to-z/breeds/pastoral/icelandic-sheepdog-imp/) of the Icelandic Sheepdog on its website on April 1. The breed model featured was none other than my dog, Reykjavalla Íslands Sómi, of whom I am incredibly proud. Not only were two photographs of him published, but also a beautiful artwork created from the photograph, displayed above. It will be exciting to follow the progress and development of the Icelandic Sheepdog breed in Britain. The breed enjoyed popularity there during the Middle Ages and has remained known ever since, despite the overall number of Icelandic Sheepdogs in Britain never having been particularly high.
Highlights from March
March has been quite eventful, and I'm happy to share the latest updates here. The building that will host the exhibition is almost ready, and we can soon start setting up. I've finished writing all the texts for the exhibition panels, which are currently with the designer and will soon go to print. This has been a significant and extensive project, and there will likely be eight panels in total. Initially, I didn't intend to have too much text, but after two and a half years of gathering materials, it didn't feel right to shorten everything significantly, especially since it's been carefully organized. Still, what appears on the panels will only be a fraction of what I've written. I'm also planning to better organize the content on this website to make it more accessible and coherent with the exhibition. Recently, I was asked whether this should be called an "exhibition about the Icelandic Sheepdog" or the "Icelandic Sheepdog Heritage Center" (Sögusetrið Íslenska fjárhundsins). After careful consideration, I believe "Heritage Center" is more appropriate, as the exhibition will be ongoing. At the beginning of the month, Darren Adam, a reporter from RÚV English radio, visited me and interviewed me about the Icelandic Sheepdog and my project. [You can listen to the interview here](https://www.ruv.is/english/2025-03-21-ruv-english-radio-the-icelandic-sheepdog-439412). On March 8th, we hosted a small event we called ["Puppy Cuddling with the National Dog."](https://www.facebook.com/events/593096123885848/?active_tab=discussion) Connie from Breiðanes kennel visited us with her puppies, sired by my dog Sómi and Breiðanes Björt, who is featured in the December month of the DÍF 2025 calendar. We had wonderful visitors and both, young and old, enjoyed cuddling the puppies, There was a lot of engaging conversation about dogs and breeding. Two beautiful male puppies from this litter of seven are still looking for their forever homes as I write this, and I hope they find their families soon. **If you are interested, please get in touch with me!** Quite unexpectedly, one puppy remained with me that day, but I had long dreamed of having a puppy from Sómi. That's how Fönn entered our lives, and the picture above shows her. Now there's lots of joy on the farm, and it's delightful watching her grow and thrive. She is incredibly friendly, gentle, and clever. It's essential to closely monitor what she learns and adopts. Luckily, Sómi and Hraundís are well behaving dogs, so she has excellent role models. Fönn shows great interest in the horses we care for daily and even greets the rams housed in the stable. Lambing season is approaching, and this brings to mind the words of Reverend Jónas Jónasson from Hrafnagil, in his book Íslenzkir þjóðhættir: **"A dog raised in late winter (þorri or góa) is ideal because it's suitably aged for introduction to lambs in spring."** Last Friday, Fönn greeted her first group of tourists and did so admirably. When I was showing the guests the turf house, Hraundís led her onto the turf house roof, where she sat for the first time. You can follow the daily life of our Icelandic Sheepdog team at Lýtingsstaðir on Instagram using the hashtag [#fjarhundur.](https://www.instagram.com/fjarhundur/) Finally, I'm excited to share that a short film recorded in January premiered last Friday. In it, I tell my story here in Iceland and describe my relationship with the animals. The dogs (only two at that time) also have a small role. [You can watch the film here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_prycnrCIA) That's all the news for now!
First dog show in Iceland
In 1969, the Icelandic Kennel Club (HRFÍ) was founded at Hótel Saga in Reykjavík by 29 enthusiasts dedicated to breeding the Icelandic Sheepdog. One of the club’s key objectives was to preserve and promote the breed. On August 25, 1973, HRFÍ held the first dog show in Iceland, which took place in Hveragerði. Jean Lanning from England was the judge at the show and received a special exemption to officiate, as the event was not internationally recognized—HRFÍ had not yet been registered as a breeding club abroad. A total of 60 dogs were entered in the show. The largest group consisted of Icelandic Sheepdogs (23 in total), followed by Poodles (13), Collies (9), and various other breeds. Among the guests at the show was Mark Watson. In 2011, Þorsteinn Thorsteinsson, an Icelandic dog breeder and judge, interviewed Jean Lanning, in which she reminisced about this first dog show in Iceland and her acquaintance with Mark Watson. I would like to republish a part of Þorsteinn's article here, with his permission. The full article can be read in [**Hundalífspóstur**.](https://hundalifspostur.is/2016/03/23/jean-lanning-judge-and-breeder/) ### **Excerpt from Þorsteinn Thorsteinsson’s Article** _"The first dog show in Iceland was organized by the Icelandic Kennel Club at Eden in Hveragerði in August 1973. However, it should be noted that this was an unofficial show, and no championship points were awarded. The judge for this event was none other than Jean Lanning, who found the progress since then to be remarkable. 'If I recall correctly, the show was held in a large glass building. I was sent to Iceland at the invitation of the honorable Mark Watson, a noble and wealthy Englishman who admired Iceland and the Icelandic Sheepdog. I believe your country awarded him the Falcon Order.'”_ Jean Lanning operated a busy dog hotel, where she first encountered the Icelandic Sheepdog. _"From time to time, a sweet little female dog named Kim stayed with us. I believe this was in the 1950s or 1960s, and her formal name was Hrefna of Wensum. Her family had to give her up, so we took her in. She was a delightful dog, and we grew very fond of her. She was successful at championship shows in the Y-group, which was the category for unrecognized breeds at the time.”_ _"One day, Mark Watson visited us. He had just returned from Iceland and was concerned that the breed might go extinct there. At the time, Sigríður Pétursdóttir was breeding Icelandic Sheepdogs on her farm but needed new bloodlines. Mark asked us to breed from Kim and another female dog living in Southampton. Both of these pairings were quite inbred, but Mark was finally able to give Sigríður two puppies. He also bought a pair from her, which he gave to me. We continued breeding the dogs for a while, but I was not entirely satisfied with the soft coat of the new dogs from Iceland. The dogs from Mark Watson’s line had a coarser coat, which I preferred. However, I understand that the breed standard for Icelandic Sheepdogs allows for two coat types. When I have judged them in Iceland, I have been very pleased with the breeding standards. The breed owes a great deal to Mark Watson and Sigríður Pétursdóttir.”_ She continued to talk about Watson and the Icelandic Sheepdog: _"I understand that he took his first dogs to California, but when he returned to England, the population had dwindled somewhat because he lost many dogs to a virus known as Hard Pad at the time. Eventually, he lost interest in breeding dogs and moved to London, where he ran a fine antique shop on Old Brompton Road. I said that he was a distinguished English gentleman—I believe he was the son of some noble lord.”_ Jean noted that no one else had continued breeding Icelandic Sheepdogs in Britain, and unfortunately, the breed died out there. The reasons were a lack of interest and a small breeding population. _"We bred a beautiful female (she appears on many postcards today) who lived with a lovely family in Guildford. They intended to breed from her, but sadly, she was killed in a road accident. Perhaps someone will bring the Icelandic Sheepdog to England again. It would be nice if that could happen.”_ ### **My reflections on the Breed’s Recognition in Britain** I find it remarkable that these are the only records I have come across so far regarding the puppies that Sigríður Pétursdóttir received from Mark Watson. I am also thrilled that the breed has finally been recognized in Britain, as I have written about before. It took many years, despite the fact that the Icelandic Sheepdog was highly sought after in Britain during the Middle Ages and despite Mark Watson’s efforts in the 20th century to breed and exhibit the Icelandic Sheepdog there. ### **Additional Articles (in Icelandic only)** To conclude, I would like to add two articles about Jean Lanning and the dog show in Iceland in 1983: * [**Morgunblaðið, September 7, 1983**](https://timarit.is/page/1579713#page/n27/mode/2up) * [**Vikan, October 27, 1983**](https://timarit.is/page/4503228#page/n5/mode/2up)
CONTACT
Lýtingsstaðir, 561 Varmahlíð.
Phone: +354 893 3817
[email protected]
CONTACT
Phone: +354 893 3817
[email protected]
