The Norwegian Lundehund, also known as the Puffin Dog, the Norsk Lundehund, the Lundehund or simply the Lundie, is one of the world’s rarest domestic dog breeds. The Lundehund gets its name from the lunde, or Puffin bird (Fratercula arctica). This compact, ancient breed was developed on desolate arctic islands to hunt young Puffins on high rocky cliffs. The traits that enabled Lundehunds to perform this treacherous task still exist in the breed today, even though their Puffin-hunting days are over. These characteristics include courage, tenacity, focus, stability, self-confidence, sturdiness, sure-footedness, tracking talent and remarkable agility. Lundehunds are friendly, playful little brown-and-white dogs that are described by their owners as being loyal, lively, clever, charming and affectionate. They make agreeable family companions. Lundehunds are increasingly competitive in the conformation, obedience, agility and utility show rings. The American Kennel Club officially recognized the Norwegian Lundehund in 2011, as a member of its Non-Sporting Group.
Lundehunds were developed in the 1500s on remote islands off the northern and western coasts of Norway. They were specifically bred to scale steep, rocky cliffs and enter narrow, often treacherous subterranean tunnels in search of fledgling Puffins. Also known as “sea-parrots,” Puffins resemble Penguins, except that they can fly. Puffins breed in large colonies in seaside caves and hidden passageways on these rocky cliffs. Adult Puffins are fiercely protective of their young chicks. They
Lundehunds are cheerful, alert, inquisitive, watchful and sometimes stubborn little dogs that make wonderful companions when placed into the right homes. Long-time Lundie owners treasure the breed’s intelligence and playfulness. These are free-thinking dogs that can be quite independent. Some Lundehunds are wary of strangers, although they are not known to be aggressive even when challenged. Generally, they are fun and easy to live with. Lundehunds get along quite well with children and other animals,
The Norwegian Lundehund is a fairly small, rectangular, Spitz-type dog that has unique structural traits not found together in any other breed. They were developed to wrestle and retrieve Puffin chicks from cracks and crevices of vertical seaside cliffs on remote islands of northern Norway. As they evolved over the centuries, Lundehunds acquired a number of unusual anatomical attributes that enabled them to climb, descend and remain sure-footed on slippery cliffs and in tight tunnels,
The saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. Check out the many different Norwegian Lundehund Pictures and images. Get an in depth look at the Norwegian Lundehund and see the many things this breed has to offer.