Norwegian Lundehund

does anyone have any experience with them?? I just discovered them today, and....TEH CUTE. Plus they sound like they could be a fun little dog. Spitz breeds have SO much variation, though. Does anyone know what breeds they closely compare to? I'm guessing Finnish Spitz, which aren't really my cup of tea.

I got really obsessed with them a few years back - they are insanely cute and weird, and my father used to travel to Norway all the time. I figured he could sneak one home for me.

From my understanding (there is one living locally - I've never met it but I know people who have), they are fairly primitive in behavior. Hoarding stuff around the house, difficult to house train.

The real deal-sealer for me was the health issues (well, that and my father refusing to put one in his carry-on). The breed was recovered from something like 7 dogs. It seems it isn't a case of if they will have health problems, it is "how severe will they be". There is some sort of genetic digestive issue that I believe every one is affected by to some degree.

I'd still love to meet one someday, but I'm pretty sure once I got past the "oh my god so cute" phase, I'd hate living with them.

Yeah, I like primitive dogs because I think they're interesting, but I'd definitely choose a lot of other breeds, first. I read about the gastro problems, too...

From everything I've read about them (which hasn't been a whole lot, but I do like researching Scandinavian breeds), they do seem to be very much like Finkies in terms of personality/trainability (maybe even more primitive). So not something that everyone would enjoy LOL

I've read that this Spitz type breed that originates from Norway is noted for being an excellent puffin hunter (Lunde is for puffin and hund means dog). Norweigian Lundehund is one of the rarest breeds in the world because of its extraordinary anatomical characteristics. Due to the unusual neck joints, this dog can bend backwards so that the forehead easily touches the spine. The shoulder joints are so flexible so that the forelegs can be stretched in the same manner that humans stretch the arms. This rare breed though has an inherent stubbornness thus owners would find it very difficult too housebreak the pet.

I am so in love with these dogs, despite never meeting one! I think I just learned about them earlier this year, but I've read everything I can find many times over. I think I will probably end up with one some day.

From my reading and talking to a respected breeder, managing their diet and environment has a huge positive impact on their health issues. I think they can't tolerate a lot of the crap food on the market, but I would never feed that anyhow. She also said they can have flare-ups if they are in a home where there is a lot of conflict between dogs, not enough exercise, etc.

I would have to make sure I had money for plenty of vet care before getting one - even a healthy one needs regular testing to ensure they are staying that way. Early intervention can prevent problems from becoming severe. They need bloodwork twice a year, but I was used to doing it every 3-6 months with my CRF kitty over the past five years (we had to let her go a month shy of her 20th birthday. :-() So if you are used to being a vet office regular for checkups, it isn't a huge deal.

I am really interested in their long-term potential. I'd like to see them freezing sperm from the males and keeping it until they are able to see how their health is later in life. I don't know a lot about AI, but I would think that way, you could see that a certain male was able to grow old and live a healthy life and then use his genetic material from when he was in his prime for future litters.

It is true they built the breed back from only six dogs, but they were VERY careful in doing so. I am creating a pedigree for a potential litter, and the COIs five generations back are extremely impressive. Again, I'm not super informed on all of these matters, but after researching Standard Poodles, it amazes me to see such consistently low (single digit) numbers everywhere.

My main reason for wanting one is my love of hiking. I think they'd be perfect for that! I don't think the primitive/wild traits would be a big deal. I live with a cockatoo.