Norwegian Buhund

Norwegian Buhund (pronunciation: nor-WEE-juhn BOO-hund) is a medium-sized spitz type dog related to the Swedish Elkhound and Icelandic Sheepdog. Some of its physical features include a square profile, black nose, dark eyes, erect ears, tightly curled tail, and small webbed feet. Being a smart, confident, and relatively energetic breed, the Buhund excels in obedience trials, agility, and police works.

Norwegian Buhund Pictures

History

In 1880, the excavation of the Gokstad ship in Norway revealed a Viking grave where skeletons of six dogs were found. It is believed that those dogs are the ancestors of today’s Buhunds. It was a tradition among the Vikings to bury all the necessary belongings alongside their owners. Since the Buhunds major role included protecting farms and herding livestock, they were also expected to do those tasks after death. These dogs even traveled with their Viking owners on their expeditions by land and sea.

The more refined modern-day Buhund dogs were developed in Norway’s western coastland. These dogs became popular after the Jaeren Buhund Show was held for the first time in the 1920s. In 1939, the Norwegian Buhund Club was set up, with the objective of selecting the best dogs for breeding, showing, and workability. In 2009, the breed was acknowledged by the AKC.

Temperament and Behavior

The Norwegian Buhund with its pleasant personality is a people lover that bonds well with the owner. It enjoys being hugged and kissed by its family members and is known for its fondness of children.

Its brave and vigilant disposition along with a natural tendency to bark makes it an effective watchdog. However, it is not aggressive and will never bite unless provoked or frightened.

Sometimes it can be extremely stubborn and needs to be handled in a firm and consistent manner. If it does not get appropriate mental and physical stimulus, it will become bored and may show destructive behavior.

Training

The Norwegian Buhunds, being intelligent and willing to learn, are known to be receptive to training.

Tricks: Teaching tricks such as how to dance is fun for you and your Buhund. Start from a sitting position, and gradually raise a treat up and over the dog’s head. Use a cue and repeat commands like “up,” and then “spin” or “dance” to encourage your pup to stand on its hind legs. To get your dog to rise, you may move the treat a bit behind its head. If it has good balance, keep the treat near its nose, and then move it around the dog’s head until it starts spinning.

Obedience: To control its occasional headstrong and independent behavior, you should teach your pet a variety of obedience commands like “sit,” “stay,” “come,” “heel,” “down,” “leave it,” etc.

Feeding

The Norwegian Buhunds should be provided with 1.5-2.5 cups of quality dry food per day.