Lundehund, Lundehund Dog, Lundehund Breeders, Lundehund Picture
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN Norway
MOST SUITED AS The Lundehund was specially used to catch puffins and bring them to their handler. Such nests were often found high up in rocky crevices on cliffs.
SIZE
The shoulder-height is 35 - 38cm (13 1/2 - 15in) for dogs and 32 - 35cm (12 1/2 - 13in) for bitches. Dogs should weigh about 7kg (15 1/21b) and bitches 6kg (13lb).
COAT
The Lundehund has a short coat of reddish brown to drab red hairs which have slightly black tips. There is a soft undercoat.
CARE REQUIRED
The coat of this breed does not require much attention. During the moult it is best to remove the loose hairs with a strong comb. They do however need special care with their diet because they lack an enzyme that is necessary for the digestion of food. Seek specialist advice.
CHARACTER
These dogs have a mind of their own and a sense of humor, they are cheerful, mischievous, intelligent and cunning, and also dominant. They rarely bark.
TRAINING
The training needs to have as much variety as possible. Repeating the same exercise will bore this dog and causes the undermining of your authority. Make sure that you are always consistent with it.
EXERCISE
This breed does not require much exercise. It is sufficient to keep it in physically fit to take it for a walk three times a day together with some time to play in the garden.
GENERAL
Experts cannot agree whether this breed is a part of the domesticated dog family (Canis familiarize). It is possible that the breed forms part of the primitive wild dog family (Canis ferus) because it possesses a number of features unknown in any other domesticated breed. This dog can quite literally close its ears - not just to orders it does not like but, more practically, when creeping through rocky crevices, in order to prevent dirt getting in. This protects the dog's exceptional hearing ability. In addition to this, they have six toes and eight pads on each foot, compared with five toes and six pads with other dogs. Lundehunds are the only breed of dog to possess - like humans - collar bones so that they can spread the front legs out to the side. Finally they can bend their head right back over themselves - which is useful for crawling through narrow rock crevices. No other breed shares this feature with them.
Lundehund Syndrome
Lundehund syndrome is a set of digestive disorders that can lead to an overgrowth of digestive bacteria, intestinal cancer, 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 syndrome, though not every Lundehund is severely afflicted and some are nearly symptom free. There is no cure, though the disease is usually managed through diet and in severe cases, medication. Whilst some dogs may live much longer, 7-8 years is the average life span for these dogs due to the syndrome.
Lundehund, Lundehund Dog, Lundehund Breeders, Lundehund Picture