Norwegian Lundehund: the six-toed hunter

The Norwegian Lundehund is a very rare breed of dog, but it has been an integral part of Norwegian culture and is still considered so today.

The Norwegian Lundehund was the least popular dog breed in America in 2021, according to AKC data. Unfortunately, it is also a rare treasure in the rest of the world, but despite this, it is relatively well known for its special qualities. This breed is said to have survived the Ice Age, and has a really long and rich history.

History of the Norwegian Lundehund

The story of the Norwegian Lundehund has been preserved in great detail for posterity, especially the events of its “rediscovery” in the 20th century, although the stories are told slightly differently from source to source. Name of the breed is a good indication of what it has been doing, presumably for centuries. The lund is a small-bodied, colourful-billed (otherwise very cute-looking) bird; hund means dog. This dog was used to hunt it, mainly in Norway. Although some evidence has suggested that the breed may have survived from pre-glacial times, the earliest reliable record of the Norwegian Lundehund dates from 1591 from a customs inspector visiting Værøy, although there were written records of the breed as early as the 1400s. Værøy is a Norwegian island in the Lofoten archipelago, which has a particularly large population of lynx. At the time, when dogs were used for hunting and plundering lynx nests, their value was almost inestimable.

80 birds/day

The best Lundehunds could catch up to 80 birds a day. Birds caught played an important role in the daily lives of the people who lived there. The birds’ meat was preserved with salt for the winter months, their feathers were put into pillows and dunks, and the leftovers were fed to their dogs, so nothing was wasted.

This is the special paw of the

But hunting the lund was not so easy, as they lived in dangerous terrain. They nested, or rather still nest, in narrow caves in the coastal cliffs, and to approach them required not only courage but also good anatomy. This enabled the dog to navigate successfully on slippery terrain, and to twist and twist its body to squeeze through gaps and tunnels, and even to crawl if necessary. This is why it famously has 6 toes on each paw, and why it is so flexible that it can ‘straddle’ not only with its hind legs but also with its front legs, and can touch its head to its back. Presumably, the wet and sandy terrain has given it the interesting ability to use its ears as ear plugs.

When they were no longer needed

Sadly, the time came when the Norwegian Lundehund’s job could be done more easily and quickly by humans using nets, and the dogs, which had been so valued and appreciated, lost their role. Because of this, and the introduction of a hefty dog tax, the number of lunda dogs began to decline rapidly.

Sigurd Skaun on 20. he read early records of the breed and looked for other places where he could meet these interesting dogs. It turns out that by then they were living mainly only in Mastad, a now deserted village on the island of Værøy, where they kept up their traditions and gave these dogs a job for a long time. Despite this, the breed was on the verge of extinction in the 1930s and would probably not have survived if it had not been for Eleanor Christie’s writing about the Norwegian Lundehund by Skaun. She and her husband managed to acquire enough dogs to breed the breed. Their kennel was called Luxor Kennel. It was fortunate that the breeder found the breed, becauseduring the Second World War there was an epidemic of distemper on the island, taking almost the entire population of the hound with it. On hearing this news, Christie sent some dogs back to revive this special breed. A few years later, the epidemic attacked Christie’s kennel, but the island’s breeders returned the favour and the breed survived, and is now known as the officially recognised by the FCI in 1965.

The scarce gene pool of the Norwegian Lundehund

Despite all the efforts, by the 1960s only 6 purebred Lundehunds remained in Norway, and later generations are descendants of 4 of them, so their gene pool is very limited. This augurs a frightening future for the breed, fraught with inbreeding problems. Therefore, the Norwegian Kennel Club, Norwegian’s Lundehund Club and several other associations have come up with a “blood renewal” plan. In order to promote genetic diversity, they have embarked on a programme to allow the inclusion of Norway Huskies, Icelandic Sheepdogs and Norrbottenspets in breeding.

Breed standard

Spitz type dog breed, small in stature and athletic in conformation with a height of only 30-36 cm and a body weight of 6-9 kg. It is rectangular with a muscular torso, straight back and slightly tucked up belly. It is light-moving, supple and agile, with straight and parallel limbs. The shoulder joints are highly mobile. Each paw has at least six toes, five of which must touch the ground. It carries its tail, which is of medium length, tucked behind its back. Head is pointed and wedge-shaped, the skull slightly convex.

Bridge of the nose is slightly convex, the muzzle of medium length. Eyes brown to yellowish brown, with dark rims around the pupils. Ears are pointed, medium sized, triangular in shape and pointed upwards. The ears are very well controlled and mobile. Coat is coarse and dense. Its coat is usually in various shades of black, grey and brown, mixed with white, which is usually visible on the lower part of its body, face and limbs. Average age is 12-15 years. It belongs to FCI breed group 5, the Spitz and Ancestral type.

Character of the Norwegian Lundehund

The Norwegian Lundehund is loyal, energetic and happy. In general, they are a well-balanced breed, character does not go to extremes. For example, he loves his family but is not too affectionate, he loves to play but not all that much, he has a lot of energy but not in insatiable amounts. He will be happy if his owner takes him out for exercise and an active life, but he is not unmanageable if he is taken for a few days “just” for a walk and a bit of play.

Nevertheless, it is not always easy with him. He is very observant, extremely alert and will tell you if he suspects something. He is not aggressive but he is cautious. It should also be noted that he can be extremely distrustful of strangers and shy in new situations, so early socialisation is essential. He is very intelligent, has excellent problem solving skills and learns quickly, but not always what his owner wants. Independent enough to be a bit stubborn, he is also very sensitive to “harder” teaching methods and can easily lose confidence.

A lot of patience, knowledge and understanding of the breed, and a consistent approach from an early age can come in handy when raising an obedient Lunde.

Ideal environment

These dogs gets on well with other pets and children, but early training and attention from the owner are important. He is affectionate and kind, but n em has infinite patience. Lundehund is far from being one of those breeds that can tolerate being “stuffed” all day. Not aggressive, but it doesn’t hurt to be cautious. He can adapt to change, but it may take some time to really get used to new situations. He is said to be difficult to keep indoors and in places where he does not like to go out in the yard. Not impossible, but it does require a lot of patience.

He is very agile and jumps and climbs easily, so it makes new sense to him to put away (not just higher up, but really out of the way) anything that could harm him. Also, if one opts for the simpler solution and gives him the freedom to go in and out, extra care must be taken with the fencing to make it truly suitable for such an excellent climber. He may not be prone to escape, and if given enough exercise and mental “tiring” by the owner, he is unlikely to seek his way out. Nevertheless, it is important that the owner is aware of his pet’s abilities.

Caring for the Norwegian Lundehund

Caring for a Norwegian Lundehund is easy. Its double-layered, relatively short coat should be brushed weekly or even several times a week. It does not shed as “unbearably” as other Nordic dogs, but the owner can sense the shedding period. The ears should be checked frequently, as should the claws. Although we do not mention the nutritional requirements of dogs in our breed descriptions, as this is more of an individual preference and should always be tailored to the needs of the dog, we will say a few words about it now. It is common for these dogs to have some form of digestive problem, so it is likely that more care is needed in choosing the right diet for them.

Common health problems

Despite the scarce gene pool, their health situation is not that bad. They are generally healthy, but it is common for them to have some kind of digestive problem. These used to be known collectively as lundehund syndrome. It is still commonly thought that they may develop the condition because their bodies are so used to the fish and fowl-based diets of their native countries that they find it difficult or impossible to switch.

And while this idea cannot be disproved, the NLAA (Norwegian Lundehund Association of America) states that this is not a real disease but rather a term that has been used to describe digestive problems of unknown origin. What has been proven to be common in them is IBD, PLE, IL and SIBO. Some believe that all Lundehunds carry a gene that predisposes the breed to these diseases. Some just have more or less symptoms and some are asymptomatic for life.

• IBD: Inflammatory Bowel Disease. It is a collective name for diseases that involve chronic inflammation of the intestinal tract.
• PLE: Protein Loosing Enteropathy, or protein-losing enteropathy. It is not a specific disease, but rather a group of diseases that cause abnormally increased protein loss from the digestive tract.
• PIL: Primary Intestinal Lymphangiectasia. It is a very rare disease in which the lymph vessels that supply the mucous membrane of the small intestine become abnormally enlarged.
• SIBO: Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. Overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine.