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Norwegian Lundehund

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The Norwegian Lundehund (Norwegian: Norsk lundehund ) is a small dog breed of the Spitz type that originates from Norway . Its name is a compound noun composed of the elements lunde , meaning puffin (Norwegian lunde , "puffin", or lundefugl , "puffin bird"), and hund , meaning dog. The breed was originally developed for the hunting of puffins and their eggs on inaccessible nesting places in caves and on cliffs. The breed was at the brink of extinction in the 1960s and preservation efforts have since been underway.

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23-486: The Lundehund was a valuable working animal for hunting puffin birds along the Norwegian coast as food for over 400 years. The first known written record of the breed dates to 1591, when a bailiff wrote of his visit to Værøy that, “one cannot easily retrieve [puffins] from the depth without having a small dog accustomed to crawling into the hole and pulling the birds out.” Its flexibility and extra toes were ideal for hunting

46-502: A high level of energy, the Norwegian Buhund makes an excellent agility dog. People who live active lifestyles, or are seeking a dog with which they can become involved in dog sports, will appreciate the personality of the Norwegian Buhund. It is also an ideal dog for people who are athletic and desire a dog to go running, hiking or biking with. This breed makes an excellent companion for a sports enthusiast. The Norwegian Buhund

69-494: A protein-wasting enteropathy that causes intermittent diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss, and ascites . In addition, dogs with Lundehund Syndrome are predisposed to chronic atrophic gastritis and gastric neoplasms. A major issue with the Lundehund is the loss of ability to absorb nutrients from food and in extreme cases the dog can starve due to its inability to derive nutrients and protein from food, regardless of food intake. There

92-561: A solution to airplane bird strikes. The dog is used to search for bird eggs around the airport for disposal. The Lundehund is an active breed that requires a fair amount of exercise. It is a good family dog, and tolerates children well if properly socialized. The Norwegian Lundehund population shows signs of inbreeding depression including reduced fertility due to small litter size, inbreeding avoidance behaviors and low sperm quality. Norwegian Lundehund are predisposed to develop intestinal lymphangiectasia, commonly known as Lundehund Syndrome,

115-439: A square profile, is a little under medium-sized and sports a high set, tightly curled tail carried over the center of the back. The head is wedge shaped with pricked ears and a black nose. Their back is level with a deep chest. The Buhund ranges in size from about 43 to 45 centimeter (17 to 18 inches) with the males being 43–46 cm (17-18 1 ⁄ 2 in) and females to 44 cm(17 1 ⁄ 2 in) high. The weight range

138-399: Is 14–18 kg (31–40 pounds) for males and 12–16 kg (26–35 pounds) for females. Wheaten – Any shade from pale cream to bright orange, with or without dark tipped hairs; as little white as possible; black mask acceptable. Black – Preferably without too much bronzing; with as little white as possible. Areas where white is permissible: a narrow white ring around the neck, a narrow blaze on

161-603: Is an abandoned village on the southern part of the island of Værøya at the southern end of the Lofoten archipelago and is located on a strandflat . It is located in Værøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway . Måstad was in its prime around the year 1900 when over 120 people lived here. However, because there are no roads connecting to it from the rest of the island and it has a very unsatisfactory harbour,

184-473: Is highly intelligent. They are extremely headstrong and demonstrate an intense desire to be taught and to learn new things. If appropriate stimulus is not made available, the breed may resort to destructive or inappropriate behavior. The Buhund breed does become bored easily and is known to become restless. Daily exercise is required. This breed is ideal for owners who can dedicate time to exercise and training. With this desire for activity and learning combined with

207-402: Is no cure, though the disease can be managed; however, many dogs experience repeated acute episodes of Lundehund Syndrome throughout their lives, resulting in extensive medical treatment and poor quality of life. There are indications that for the Lundehund to go on a low fat and higher protein diet has very positive effects on the health with respect to digestive problems. A study on mortality in

230-541: Is prone to inherited eye issues and hip dysplasia. The Norwegian Buhund breed has a short to medium length coat that does not tangle or mat when shedding. Brushing weekly will be fine, but extra brushing is required when the dog is blowing coat twice a year. The Norwegian Buhund belongs to a large class of dogs called the Spitz type. There are many variations in size, coat and color among the Spitz breeds. These dogs protected farms and herded cattle and sheep. The name Buhund

253-621: Is then outside the breed standard. The outercoat is dense and rough with a soft undercoat. The Lundehund is adapted to climb narrow cliff paths on the island of Værøya where it originally would have hunted puffins. Some general information can be found on the Norwegian Lundehund Association webpages. The breed is being tested in Tromsø airport by the Norwegian Air Traffic and Airport Management as

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276-471: The bird cliffs . Måstad can also be reached by foot. Since 1996, simple overnight accommodation has been available at the schoolhouse in the village. Pål Espolin Johnson's "For Love of Norway" is a fictionalized history of the village seen through the eyes of Magda, who arrives in 1909 to marry a local fisherman. This compelling, simply-told episodic account of residents of Mostad in the first few decades of

299-553: The 20th century provides an intimate glimpse in lives lived in a harsh and unforgiving place, but one filled with human warmth. Norwegian Buhund The Norwegian Buhund ( Norwegian : Norsk buhund ) is a breed of dog of the spitz type. It is closely related to the Icelandic Sheepdog and the Jämthund . The Buhund is used as a watch dog and an all purpose farm and herding dog . The Norwegian Buhund has

322-405: The Lundehund population showed that 30% of deaths before 11 years of age occurred as a consequence of Lundehund Syndrome and another 10% of other gastrointestinal diseases. The genes responsible and pattern of inheritance for Lundehund Syndrome is not well understood and might, at least in part, be explained by polygenic inheritance and a high frequency—or fixation—of the responsible gene(s). Due to

345-522: The birds in their inaccessible nesting locations on cliffs and in caves. Interest for the breed declined when new methods of using nets for hunting puffins were incorporated and a dog tax was created. Around 1900, they were only found in the isolated village of Mostad (spelled Måstad in Norwegian), Lofoten . There have also been stories of Lundehund being used on Lovund, Lurøy by Petter Dass , as cited in his famous work, Nordlands Trompet . The breed

368-463: The elderly. This breed loves to cuddle and give kisses to their masters and families. They form strong bonds with their owners and therefore are natural watch dogs. This can result in aloof behavior and wariness or anxiety around strangers. New owners may find this problematic, since the Norwegian Buhund may bark at each new alarming noise or movement. They are communicative and brave, but rarely will snap or bite without provocation. The Norwegian Buhund

391-1002: The face, a small patch of white hairs on the chest, white feet and tip of the tail. Gray dogs with coats similar to the Norwegian Elkhound are sometimes found. In the UK Wolf Sable is also listed in the Kennel Club Breed Standard. The Norwegian Buhund is a highly cheerful and active breed. They do not tire easily and require extensive exercise on a daily basis. The Norwegian Buhund needs to expel its energy and becomes destructive and ill-mannered if ignored or made to stay still frequently. In conjunction with their high level of activity and energy, they are also extremely lovable and are known for their love of children. However, due to their high level of energy and need for intensive training, Norwegian Buhunds should always be supervised, especially around children and

414-633: The severity of population bottlenecking, the Norwegian Lundehund is now undergoing a cross-breeding program spearheaded by the Norwegian Lundehund club with assistance from a group of geneticists. The program aims to employ a strategy of breeding the Norwegian Lundehund with select individuals from various other Nordic dog breeds including the Norwegian Buhund , Icelandic Sheepdog and Norrbottenspets in order to reduce deleterious recessive genetic disorders. Mostad Måstad

437-469: The side at a 90-degree horizontal angle to their body, much like human arms. Their pricked, upright ears can be folded shut to form a near-tight seal by folding forward or backward, protecting them from dirt and parasites. The Norwegian Lundehund is a polydactyl : instead of the normal four toes per foot, the Lundehund normally has six toes, all fully formed, jointed and muscled. Some specimens may on occasion have more or fewer than six toes per foot, but this

460-414: The village was abandoned a few years after World War II . The last citizens left Måstad in the 1950s. Today, the place is an El Dorado for those who seek wilderness and beauty. From 1950 to 1960, there were several houses from Måstad that were moved to the village of Sørland on the other side of the island where living was much easier. Today only a few houses are left still standing. Catching puffins

483-594: The world (2022), with around 900 of the population in Norway. The Norwegian Lundehund is a small, rectangular Spitz type dog with several unique phenotypical traits. They have a great range of motion in its joints, allowing it to fit into and extricate itself from narrow passages and tunnels. Dogs of this breed are able to bend their head backwards along their own spine, similar to the New Guinea singing dog , Bornean dingo and Australian dingo , and turn their forelegs to

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506-541: Was a subsidiary source of income beside fishing . Catching puffins involved the use of the unusual puffin dog , also termed the Mostad dog or the Norwegian Lundehund . Puffin meat was cured in salt and lasted way into the autumn. Today, there are about 600 puffin dogs in Norway. All of them can be traced back to Måstad. Going ashore at Måstad is generally combined with a fishing trip or an expedition by boat to

529-504: Was nearly extinct around World War II when canine distemper struck Værøy and the surrounding islands, reducing the population to just two dogs. In 1963, the population was further decimated by another outbreak of distemper. This time, only six dogs survived, one on Værøy and five in eastern Norway, Hamar , of which the latter five were from the same mother. This created a severe population bottleneck . Due to careful breeding with strict guidelines, there are now an estimated 1500 dogs in

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