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Breed

Icelandic Sheepdog

The Icelandic Sheepdog is a herding breed from Iceland, standing 12–16 in at the withers, weighing 25–30 lb. Recorded lifespan is ~12 yrs.

A photograph of the Icelandic Sheepdog
Breed group
Herding
Origin
Iceland
Height
12–16 in
Weight
25–30 lb
Lifespan
~12 yrs

Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the Icelandic Sheepdog is taller than 15% of the measured breeds, heavier than 22%, one of 27 in the Herding group.

Breeds that look like the Icelandic Sheepdog

A neural network trained to tell breeds apart by sight read all 510 photographs in this reference, and these are the 6 it placed closest to the Icelandic Sheepdog.

Side by side

Height 0–38 in

  1. Icelandic Sheepdog
    12–16 in
  2. Eurasier
    20–24 in
  3. Finnish Spitz
    17–20 in
  4. Pastor Garafiano
    24–28 in
  5. Hokkaido
    19–20 in
  6. Chow Chow
    17–22 in
  7. Shiba Inu
    14–17 in

Weight 0–220 lb

  1. Icelandic Sheepdog
    25–30 lb
  2. Eurasier
    51–71 lb
  3. Finnish Spitz
    26–29 lb
  4. Pastor Garafiano
    77–101 lb
  5. Hokkaido
    44–66 lb
  6. Chow Chow
    40–90 lb
  7. Shiba Inu
    18–25 lb

Lifespan 0–20 yrs

  1. Icelandic Sheepdog
    ~12 yrs
  2. Eurasier
    12–14 yrs
  3. Finnish Spitz
    13–15 yrs
  4. Pastor Garafianono recorded figure
  5. Hokkaido
    12–15 yrs
  6. Chow Chow
    11–13 yrs
  7. Shiba Inu
    13–15 yrs

Nothing here was grouped by hand. The ranking is an opinion about appearance, not about ancestry, which is why it sometimes puts together breeds no kennel club would — and why it is worth looking at the photographs rather than taking the order on trust.

Guides that mention the Icelandic Sheepdog

Every guide on this site whose text actually discusses this breed.

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