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Short History of the Breed

The Norwegian Buhund is an all-purpose farm-dog hailing from the ancient and primitive working dogs of Scandinavia. Relatively unknown outside of Norway until the past few decades, the Buhund was long confined only to working roles and considered too "utilitarian" for the show ring. In America, the Norwegian Buhund is now gaining popularity as a pet, and was recently accepted into the AKC miscellaneous class. Fortunately, most breeders are dedicated to preserving the breed in its entirety, and choose to breed for herding ability and temperament as well as appearance.

Physical Description and Size

• 25-40 pounds, no more than 18 inches tall; Can be wheaten, sable or black in color; Primitive and not overly refined Spitz-type body

Temperament

• Energetic and outgoing, playful and perceptive.

• Highly intelligent, very motivated to work.
• Extremely trainable, BUT training needs to be fun, otherwise a Buhund will learn to dislike it.
• VERY social--a Buhund needs to interact regularly with its people to be happy and will become destructive if left alone for too long with nothing to do.
• Requires extensive socialization to prevent fear and anxiety.
• The Buhund is a watchdog, and a Huntaway-style herder, which means they bark! It takes some work to keep the barking at a level which is acceptable to both owner and Buhund, but its well worth the effort.
  

Dog Care

• Requires significant daily exercise and INTERACTIVE play
• Should be trained and given opportunity to herd, as it is their long-bred purpose in life.
• A raw, natural, high-protein diet is best to maintain teeth, coat and stamina
• Grooming is minimal, a quick weekly brushing will keep shedding down and the coat shiny
• Buhunds don't ever stink like dogs, even when wet, and don't often require bathing

Health Issues and Life Expectancy

Buhunds were previously a healthy and long-lived breed, but now genetic defects such as elbow and hip dysplasia, luxating patellas, and chronic inflammatory ocular keratitis (Pannus) are cropping up. You'll have better luck avoiding such defects if you only consider a Buhund from a breeder who willingly provides CERF and PennHip (or other hip certification) papers that confirm the parents are free of genetic defects.

Additional Resources

American Kennel Club (January 1, 2007, the Buhund was accepted into the AKC Miscellanous class and can now participate in AKC sanctioned show classes)The Norwegian Club of America
www.myspace.com/shybuhund

Norwegian Buhunds on WikiFido

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