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](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lg/icelandic-sheepdog.webp) 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. Compare the Icelandic Sheepdog with another breed ## Living with the Icelandic Sheepdog Two breed references score every breed they cover from 1 to 5 on the things an owner lives with day to day. These are the Icelandic Sheepdog’s, with what a 1 and a 5 mean on each row. Around people and other dogs Affection with family 4 of 5 1 independent · 5 devoted Good with young children 4 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Good with other dogs 3 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Openness to strangers 2 of 5 1 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend Watchdog / protective nature 4 of 5 1 unbothered · 5 vigilant What they will ask of you Energy 4 of 5 1 couch potato · 5 busy all day Exercise needs 4 of 5 1 a short walk · 5 a job to do Playfulness 4 of 5 1 only when invited · 5 non-stop Barking 2 of 5 1 only to alert · 5 very vocal Around the house Shedding 5 of 5 1 barely · 5 constantly Drooling 2 of 5 1 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel What they tolerate Tolerates being alone 2 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates hot weather 3 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates cold weather 5 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Rated 1 to 5 by the American Kennel Club and DogTime, averaged where both rate the same thing, and read from their breed pages in 2022. Nobody at Woof & Beyond has met this breed — these are the publishers’ judgments, not ours.[Icelandic Sheepdog on AKC](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/icelandic-sheepdog/)[Icelandic Sheepdog on DogTime](https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/icelandic-sheepdog) ## 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. - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/eurasier.webp)Eurasier](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/eurasier/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/finnish-spitz.webp)Finnish Spitz](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/finnish-spitz/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/pastor-garafiano.webp)Pastor Garafiano](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/pastor-garafiano/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/hokkaido.webp)Hokkaido](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/hokkaido/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/chow-chow.webp)Chow Chow](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/chow-chow/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/shiba-inu.webp)Shiba Inu](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/shiba-inu/) Side by side Height 0–38 in 1. Icelandic Sheepdog12–16 in 2. Eurasier20–24 in 3. Finnish Spitz17–20 in 4. Pastor Garafiano24–28 in 5. Hokkaido19–20 in 6. Chow Chow17–22 in 7. Shiba Inu14–17 in Weight 0–220 lb 1. Icelandic Sheepdog25–30 lb 2. Eurasier51–71 lb 3. Finnish Spitz26–29 lb 4. Pastor Garafiano77–101 lb 5. Hokkaido44–66 lb 6. Chow Chow40–90 lb 7. Shiba Inu18–25 lb Lifespan 0–20 yrs 1. Icelandic Sheepdog~12 yrs 2. Eurasier12–14 yrs 3. Finnish Spitz13–15 yrs 4. Pastor Garafianono recorded figure 5. Hokkaido12–15 yrs 6. Chow Chow11–13 yrs 7. Shiba Inu13–15 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. - [How Many Toes Does a Dog Have?](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/how-many-toes-does-a-dog-have/) See the Icelandic Sheepdog on the breed map Read about the Icelandic Sheepdog on Wikipedia