Help in Finding a Iceland Dog or Puppy

Finding an Iceland Dog Pup or Adult

How do puppy buyers determine if they are getting a quality puppy?

Where does a quality pet come from? An excellent way to evaluate the quality of the puppy is to evaluate the source.

The usual options are:


Pet Shop, Dealer or Commercial Kennel -

These outlets rely heavily on impulse buying, which is a poor way to choose an addition to your family. Pups are bred and raised as a cash crop to become merchandise sold for a high profit. This high profit is possible because little has been put into the care of these pups or their mother. The purpose of a commercial breeder is to breed dogs for profit. Little or no attention is paid to the temperament and appearance of the dogs used as breeding stock, which are frequently highly inbred. Commercial sources rarely accept responsibility for the puppy after it is sold.


Backyard or Casual Breeder -

Usually this is the person who owns an Iceland Dog and thinks it would be "fun" to have puppies or that it would be a great experience for the children or that they are rare, and I need to breed a litter from my pet qaulity dog because the breed told me to. Perhaps it's an effort to recoup the original cost of the dog. Usually these breeders know little of the breed's history or standard and still less about grooming and care. They are not aware of breed concerns. Like commercial breeders, casual backyard breeders make little or no investment in the health of their breeding stock. Breeding stock may not be certified by a veterinary ophthalmologist (ACVO) nor certified clear of hip Dysplasia (OFA certification). Their goal is to produce pups and, when the "fun" is over, sell them quickly. The backyard breeder's responsibility to the puppy also ends when the puppy is sold. In Icelandics, they tend to own a male and female or two and only breed them over and over again, never using outside studs to improve the chances of creating better puppies. They often are told to breed to the nearest male and or don't understand the history or family index's of the puppies to be.


Quality Hobby Breeder -

The very best choice for a quality pup. Breeding a quality puppy is a serious labor of love, dedication and responsibility. The quality puppy is the result of the breeder's love of dogs a dedication to the breed and a responsibility to the dogs the breeder has produced for as long as they live. The quality puppy comes from a breeder who acknowledges responsibility for every puppy produced. A quality pet starts with a careful breeding program in which the characteristics and temperaments of the puppy's ancestors are known to the breeder. Animals being bred undergo careful evaluation and medical screening. A quality breeder tries to produce a pet who is as close as possible to the breed standard (the blueprint of what an Icelandic Sheepdog should be). Once the puppies are born, the quality pet is the result of careful socialisation and human bonding by the breeder. A well socialised; "people-oriented" pup is the result of positive contact with humans from the first days of its life. Since puppies learn a tremendous amount from their mother, the temperament and socialisation of the dam is of primary importance to the personality of the pup. A quality puppy comes from a quality breeder.

A quality breeder will only sell puppies under a contract limiting their use for breeding by means of CKC Limited Registration, co-ownership contracts and/or spay/neuter agreements.

A quality breeder will require, as a condition of sale, that all animals that are not part of a responsible breeding program be spayed or neutered.

A quality breeder will not try and convince you to breed just one litter from your puppy if it is pet quality.

A quality breeder knows that if you are lucky, you will get one or two show/breeder puppies out of a carefully breed litter, beware the breed who has a whole litter that can be show/breeders.