Greenstone Puppy Photos

Hello Folks

Things are busy, busy with the coming dog shows, the new births in the barn, spring is in the air and so lots of fun but hard work being done. Dogs are all wonderful, everyone is healthy and happy :) Three new Training classes for agility starting in March, which will take me up to four training times per week plus at home training.

So what I will post today, is one very cute casual photos of the some of the Greenstone Puppies from last year, just hanging out in the yard with us, enjoy.. and hope some of them make you smile

Barks

Icelandic Sheepdogs and Vaccines

Hello Folks

I was asked a question the other day about why some breeders where recommending that their puppies only get their Vaccine shots in singles or different Vaccines be "split" between visits to their vets, and they wanted to know what I did with my own puppies.

In general, I make sure my mothers are up to date on their Boosters, with my last few litters I did the first vet check and set of vaccines (4 in 1) at six weeks, and again at ten weeks (4-1) at 14-16 weeks, third set plus rabies, and then again at one year of age.

Now, I personally have also in the past done one vet check at seven to eight weeks with first booster (4-1), as in that case, the mothers had their vaccines boosters about a month before the breeding, and also because at that time, we didn't have any active outbreaks of disease in our area.

I do pay more to use the PureVax Vaccines, I have never (knock on wood) had a reaction to this vaccine. The studies have shown that its often not the Vaccine that was the issue in reaction but more so what the Vaccine is based in, and that is the difference with PureVax.

Ok, so this is where I am going to get myself in hot water,

First Case: Breeder X has a lovely litter of puppies and everything is well until you go to get the puppies first Vaccines, and suddenly they are having reactions, in this case, the breeder was not expecting this, and now must in fact deal with a litter or a puppy or two that is reacting to their vaccine, in this case, I would expect and be proud of any breeder that explains this issue to their possable new homes and works with them to make sure that the litter or effect puppy (s) in dealing with this immune system problems.

However, if I was a puppy buyer, I would personally never want to buy a puppy out of the same breeding or a directly related line breeding (as the odds are good that the same problem would come up again within the same full littermates from a different litter)

Second Case: Breeder Y has a lovely litter of puppies and everything goes perfect, no issues with first set of Vaccines and is a lovely healthy puppy, that at the age of one year, that dog has a reaction to his vaccines and the vet had to treat the dog to help it recover. The rest of the dogs from the litter are fine. I would hope that this dog would be removed from the breeding pool, and loved and looked after as a beloved pet. As a breeder, I would hope that that they would consider not breeding those two dogs again, but keeping close records and being open enough with the issue to talk to other breeders and dog owners to find out if there is any kind of pattern to that line in fact having a issue or is it a one off.. only gathering of information over a number of years will allow the breeder or breeders of those lines to be able to make a educted judgement on the issue.

Third Case: Breeder Z has a line that is closely related to each other and they have a litter of puppies with reactions, they continue to breed from the parent dogs, and related dogs, their breeder puppies have litters and within those litters is one or two puppies that also have reactions either as puppies or as adults.. The answer that the breeder has come to, is to break the vaccines down, warn the owners that the dogs might have a reaction? and therefor to watch for it..

Now on one hand, good for the breeder for being honest and keeping the information flowing, but on the other hand, once anyone has proof that they are having immune issues within their lines, why are they still breeding from the dogs? Why would you as a owner want to take on those issues? Why would you as a fellow breeder want to look at a stud dog out of a effected litter(has a littermate or two that is effected?)

Most of the time if a dog has vaccines reactions, it is felt that they have a immune system issue, and this also means more likehood of allergies and other related health issues that with a weaker immune system.

Its up to breeders to breed for a overall healthy dog, and given the world we live in, and that we are required by law to have Rabies, and if we want to be able to have a normal life with our dogs, taking them to classes(Vaccines required) Conformation (Vaccines required) travel with your dogs (Vaccines required to go on planes, across state lines etc) and I am sure you can think of many more reasons.

Having a dog, and line that is strong enough in its overall health to be able to have a normal vaccines schedule given thoughtout its puppyhood and as a adult to me is a important part of having a normal breeding kennel..

So if you are looking at buying a puppy and the breeder wants to split Vaccines, ask why, and talk to your vet, other breeders of different breeds to get different view points, and think really hard about if you are comfortable in the answers given, and what it could mean for the future.

Hope that helps, and a great question..

Barks

Icelandic Sheepdogs in Agility

Hello Folks

Iceland Sheepdogs and Agility just seems to go together, a well-breed, healthy active Icelandic normally has agility to spare in their day to day life and with their keen willingness to work with their owners, Dog Agility is sport and Game that they certainly seem to enjoy..

A number of Greenstone Icelandics are in Agility training, and I am looking forward to more Agility classes and starting AAC and CKC Trials this year. I am also thinking about heading across the border for some AKC trials.

The largest Agility club in Canada is the AAC, to learn more about this club and related information, please check out their website

http://www.aac.ca/

The Canadian Kennel Club also offers Agility, and to learn more about that please check out their website..

http://www.ckc.ca/en/

A few training photos of Greenstone Ada and Belglen Runa of Greenstone last summer. Tofra Dalla is without a doubt the most advanced of the dogs (which makes sense as she is the oldest)

Greenstone Icelandic's kennel has a number of puppies now growing up in active agility homes in both Canada and the United States, If you are interested in a Icelandic as both a loving pet and as a active Agility partner, feel free to speak with me.

I love agility, and so do my dogs but I will fully admit that I enjoy playing at agility, I love the training time with the dogs, I love the look of thinking in the dogs eyes when we hit that magic moment of understanding between us. I love the joy of a Icelandic that is flying over a jump, or a A-Frame. I love the happy wag of the tail as they come flying out of a tunnel.. I just like spending time with my dogs in a way that I believe is fun for all involved.

I hope that some of you will give agility a try, you don't need to ever go to trial if you don't want to, but it will help increase your bond with your dog, help with your training on commands and off-leash work.

The only thing to make sure, is that your dog is old enough to be doing the jumps, (growth plates needed to have closed) and that they are Healthy, Lean and Fit, with well trimmed toe nails..

Otherwise, bring yourself, your time and your smiles and laughs and go enjoy a wonderful time with your favorite ISD.

Barks

Training updates to follow, Dalla/Ada both in active adult training, and Freyja starting puppy building blocks training. AJay is in at home training.

Greenstone Icelandics at the Pat Hastings Seminar in Montreal Fall 2006

Hello Folks,

I was lucky enough to attend two Pat Hastings seminars in 2006, one in the spring in ottawa, and it was amazing, Pat is a wonderful teacher and she helps though her seminar to understand how to breed for and just how important correct structure is within your breeding program.

She had three litters to evaluate in Ottawa, and then of course many older dogs as well, it was a good mix of hands on, to show what you spend the morning learning.

I was thrilled to learn that Pat was coming back to Canada, this time in Montreal and much to my pleasure, I had a litter of Icelandic Puppies at just the right age for them to be a show and tell litter.. So it was wonderful to be able to have Pat do the puppy structure tests on Tofra Tobba's and Pineridge Vakur's litter of three black tri's.

The puppy that was the most structually sound and closest to the Icelandic Breed Standard was Greenstone Black Pearl, see her in the photos with Pat holding her up to show off her outline.

If you ever get the chance to attend a Pat Hastings Seminar, I highly recommend it.. lots to learn, and her books are excellent..

Barks

Over View of the Greenstone Icelandics Showing Year 2006

Hello Folks

I have been asked lately about a total overview for how the Greenstone Icelandic Sheepdogs did in the CKC show world for 2006.. So here you go :)

In total we showed seven dogs either owned or breed by Greenstone Kennels.

In total we showed at 24 CKC Shows, We finished two Championships, pointed many others. We had 24 Best of Breeds, 17 Best of Opposite Sex, and 15 Reserve Best of Opposite Sex.

In total at those 24 Shows, the Seven Greenstone Icealandics, Folda, Tofra Dalla, Tofra Tobba, Belglen Runa of Greenstone, Greenstone Ada, Greenstone Alexander the Great, and Greenstone AJay, was entered thoughout the year, and in total we entered 48 times between these 24 shows. That means that at most show's we had multiply Icelandics each day.. We normally try and show three or more of our wonderful Icelandics each day.

Thanks to hubby for pointing out that I had not added in the Brockville show, and for helping to crunch the numbers for me, which we both did until we got to the same numbers :)

Greenstone AJay placed in Group Seven, Three times, Two Group thirds, One Group Fourth.

Greenstone AJay was shown at Ten CKC Shows, he finished his Championship in one weekend, which included his first Group win, he went on to earn to more Group placements, the first Group placements for the breed in Canada. AJay was Best of Breed at every Show that he was entered in.

AJay did Greenstone Kennels Proud in the show ring, we look forward to using him for stud (please inquire if you are interested, he is available to approved Females) and we are now working him in other Doggy Sports, including Agility.

Ajay littermate sister Ada is planned to have a litter in 2007, she is CKC pointed (six), including one major, and we hope to finish her before a later summer breeding. If you would like to get on Ada's litters waiting list, I would highly recommend sooner then Later :). Most of our puppies are pre-reserved before born.

Contact me at isdpuppies@hotmail.com and I will be happy to send you a copy of my puppy application.

We are greatly looking forward to 2007, we have plans for around 30 CKC Shows, 4 CFC Shows and 4 UKC Shows this year. The highlight of the year will be the Canadian Icelandic Sheepdog Club gathering in Calgary Alberta for the AKC Show in August 2007. We will be flying out with our very best ISD's and are greatly looking forward to meeting friends from all over Western Canada (Belglen, Pineridge) Visiting with Eastern Friends (Sundogs in Ontario) as well as the different folks coming up from the United States. This should be a amazing show! I will be taking video and tons of photos at this event.

Have a great sunday.

Barks

Lambing update, Chocolate has twins!

Hello Folks

Chocolate Sheep had her babies today, a lovely set of twins, one the warm mocha color (same as Butterscotchs babies) and one a dark, dark brown color, the same as her mothers color ,with a white spot on top of her head. All appears to be well, with both nursing and dry at this time.

Good day to have little ones, only min 4 c and to be 0 tomorrow.

Barks

Training your Icelandic Sheepdog and the Feeding Bowl

Hello Folks

I got asked, how do you feed the dogs, and do you ever have any issues? As you can see, some of my dogs truly love each other, best buddy's Dalla and Lily sharing one of the dog chairs together.

Well I do feed all the dogs together, but each has their own bowl and we have a routine.

So the dogs do tend to get excited when the food is being prepared, I feed in steel bowls(if at all possable avoid feeding food or water in any plastic) and I put the food bowls down in order of the pack.

So if you can picture it, I say, Back, and then call the dogs name that I want out, Oppa, and then the rest back up knowing that if their name was not said that they will not get to eat out of that bowl, then I move over a couple feet and call the next dog out.. I continue doing this until all the dogs are eating, Now my labby girl always gets feed last, not because she is low on rank, point in fact she is top dog of the house but because she is the faster eater in the group. I always pour something over the food, most of the time, I have some leftover veg water or dripping, and then I add enough warm water to be able to flavor and fill each bowl, I only let the water sit long enough to start a tiny bit of softening to the food, its point is not to make the food soft as to help slow down the eating, and help make sure everyone is getting water into themselves.

So then I just stand in the middle of the group and as each dog finishes, I take their bowls up, and just keep standing, now with me there, if someone looks at a lower Ranked dog, I will say their name.. and they know that means back away.. once everyone is finished, then all the dogs go outside for bathroom time..

This works for me, one because its routine and the dogs are use to it, althought with each new dog, the training start all over again, two because I respect my own dogs ranking and make sure to feed the top ranking dogs first, and third because as the TOP DOG, I stand watch to make sure no one forgets that I have the final say.

But before we get to that point, each dog goes though "feeding Bowl" training.. This starts as a puppy, the first lession is that food comes from peaple, and peaple control the food, but we are always kind to you..

I do this one, by never free feeding, they learn that I make the food, and that I give the food, but they also learn that there is enough food to go around.. no one goes hungry and that is important.

So the second thing is that you need to sit before the bowl goes down on the floor, this is a matter of me very calmly and nicely letting the dogs know that I am top dog, if they have to sit before the bowl goes down it helps teach them manners, control of their own bodies and that humans are in control, this works great once the puppies are eat out of their own bowls, when they are babies, and getting feed altogether, that is the time to teach the "Puppy/Come" command.

So once they are eating on their own bowls, when they start out with the litter, they all share fairly nice with each other, so I try to use that to advantage for when they start on their own bowls, I pet them, touch feet, ears, very gently tug on tails, all while still letting them eat and telling them what a good puppy, this gets them use to the fact that I can and will touch them while eating.

Second is to teach them that I can take their bowl away, and that goes like this, put their feed in a cup and put down a quarter of their feed in their bowl, and let them eat it, just before they are finished, down to the the last two or three bites, say, "Give" and take it away, and put another 1/4 in the bowl and put down again, and repeat until you have given all the food.. now with a litter, I might only do this once per puppy but with my own puppy or dog, I will divide into four, this teachs, two main things, Which, I can always give up my bowl to mom, but its ok, because she is always going to give me something back for it, and something I will slip a little something special on the return of the bowl, a piece of carrot, or meat etc.

This is important, as you want a dog that if a child reaches down and touches them while eating or takes their bowl away, that they will just stand there wagging their tails waiting for "what comes next"

Now, sometimes, you get some growls and hovering over the bowl, MY FOOD, MY BOWL, now some folks then start feeding the dog in a crate, in a different room, at a different time from the other dog or dogs.. I personally think that this is not a good idea, I say, don't take the easy way out, work though the issues, and that means hand feeding your dog.. take the bowl of food, and make your dog sit and nicely take the food one handful at a time.. over and over again.. this many take a couple days/weeks.. but at some point the dog is going to go.. ok I have to behave and I will always get my food.. Once you have good hand feeding happening, and yes, you have to make them do something to get that food, Sit, down, shake a paw, sit pretty, stay, but something, NO free lunches in this house.. :)

Once you have good hand feeding then put his bowl down in front of him, and say, his name, the command sit/stay, then put a handful of kibble in his bowl, and then release him.. then repeat until you have control and once you have that kind of control of each dog and each bowl, then you can feed the dogs together in the same room, and make sure you stand there and be the Ref, so that each dog knows and feels that you will be there for them, and that they don't need to be tough themselves because the rules are in effect.

Hope this helps a bit

Barks

New Lambs for Herding later this year!

Hello Folks

I promised to put up new photos of the lambs for all of those of you that asked what do they look like, what color? etc.. so here you go..

For my nieces and nephew, I told you I would get photos up soon :) Someone is hungry and enjoying her milk from her momma.

Exercise is important for your Iceland Sheepdog

Hello Folks

I often have folks ask me how much exercise the Icelandic Sheepdog need? I normally reply that they need at least 30 min of some kind of Exercise twice a day.. this can include walks, playing ball in the back yard, going to the dog park to run with other dogs, swimming in the pool, lake or river depending (a article coming on Icelandics and water soon).

For my own dogs, I try and take them out for at least two "free" runs daily in the fields, and then they get about an hour or two playing at will in the dog yards, and or in the living room, up and down on the sofa, and lots of foot and mouth play.

It is important for the health of your puppy that you do not force any excerise on them, they should have lots of free play time, but try hard not to take them on long walks or hikes where they "have" to walk back.. if the puppy is truly tired better to pack him or her out then force a tired pup to do that walk back, which is why I recommend free play time in the yard, have puppy parties with friends with other dogs, or a local dog park etc.

Once they are older, they still sometimes don't understand how long you are planning on hiking or walking etc, so in that case, I normally recommend they start out on leash, and then once they understand we are going for the day or afternoon, I will let them off leash, and they will then pace themselves.

Its a good idea to pack water for your dogs and makes sure they get lots of chances to have a drink on the walk, in the summer its worth keep a close eye on their overall condition and body temp, you certainly don't want them to get overheated and with those lovely double coats, it can happen, In the summer I tend to do most of my runs early morning or later evening, the dogs as always are willing to do with you anytime, so its up to your as the pack leader to inforce the rules :)

A new photo of Greenstone Born in a Storm and Pineridge Vaskur hanging out with me on a run this week..

Barks

Need to get some Show Practise for your Iceland Sheepdogs

Hello Folks

The OKC (Ottawa Kennel Club) will hold a Sanction Match on March 24, 2007at the Rideau

Carleton Raceway.Judges are: Grp 1, Keith Garland; Grp 2, Kathy Upton; Grp 3, Jim Osborne;Grp 4, James Mabey; Grp 5, Russell Hasson; Grp 6 and 7 Barbara du Pree.

I looked up the Group Seven Judge, Barbara du Pree, she is a Corgi breeder for good standing, and from her website, has lovely dogs.

Registrations start at 11 AM to noon, judging will start at 1 PM.

Hope to see a nice turn out of Icelandic Sheepdogs at this show.

Barks

A very causal photo of a group of relaxed handlers and Icelandic Female class. In Order, Belglen Runa of Greenstone, Greenstone Ada, Folda of Greenstone, Tofra Dalla, Tofra Tobba at the Ottawa Kennel club show in May.

Icelandic Sheepdog Judges Seminar April 28th

Hello Folks

In Keeping with talking about the breed standard, Greenstone Kennels, has been asked to do a breed seminar for CKC judges on April 28th here in Ontario. This is wonderful news, there was a breed seminar from Frank at Bayridge Kennels in Ontario at a Judges Seminar last spring here in Ontario, and Jill Fike from Pineridge was host to a hour long Judges Seminar in Nov of 2006 in B.C, with over sixty judges at the seminar for Jill, it was a great turn out. Jill and family were able to take three Icelandics with them.

I am greatly looking forward to presenting the Icelandics to a great many of our Eastern Canadian CKC judges, and hope to bring six Icelandics with me, A lovely selection of Red/White, Proper Black Tri, and Chinchilla with a couple med coated and a few lovely Long Hair ISD's. Its very important that the judges learn what coat colors are allow by the standard and what colors should be faulted, example, Saddle or Mantle on any of the Tan colored dogs, Black dogs, White dogs, Black and White dogs, or Extreme Pieds, Tan dogs with Brown pigment etc.

Updates to follow after the seminar.

Barks

Icelandic Sheepdog Head Profiles

Hello Folks,


The Canadian Icelandic Sheepdog Standard, calls for





"Head : Strongly built with close fitting skin.


"Skull slightly longer than muzzle.


"Triangular when seen from above or the side.


" Skull: somewhat domed.


" Stop: clearly defined though neither steep nor high.

So in keeping with the standard, how would you rate the drawings?? Who has the correct Stop? Who has to steep of Stop? Who is to long in the muzzle? Who has not enough Stop? Which ones are med coated and which ones are long Coated? I wish that I had a drawing for lack of underjaw, as this is something that we are seeing alot in N.A. Answers at the bottom of this writing..

" Nose: black, dark brown in chocolate brown and some cream dogs.


" Muzzle: well-developed, nasal bridge straight.


" Muzzle slightly shorter than skull.


" Tapering evenly towards the nose to form a blunt triangle when seen from both above and from the side.


" Lips: black, close fitting, dark brown in chocolate brown and some cream dogs.


"Cheeks: Flat. Bite: scissor bite. Complete dentition.


" Eyes: of medium size and almond shaped. Dark brown. Slightly lighter in chocolate brown and some cream dogs. The eye-rims are black. Dark brown in chocolate brown and some cream dogs.

"Ears: erect and of medium size. Triangular with firm edges and slightly rounded tips. Very mobile, reacting sensitively to sounds and showing the dog's mood.

How about Ears?? Read the above quote from the standard, and then take a good hard look at the drawings and see what you think.

Which one has the correct eat set and placement to the Breed Standard?

Which one is to large? Which ones is to Wide? Which ones are to close set? To Pointed? Which ones are to low set?

How about a live example, to be on the safe side, I am doing this to my own breeding,

1)Black Pigment, Black nose, Black lips muzzle, no pigment issues

2) Well developed nose, Nice full muzzle, good depth to the underJaw.

3) Med brown eye pigment with almond eye shape

4) a moderate stop (personally I would perfer just a bit more stop)

5) Slightly rounded ears, with good placement, (but I would in fact perfer them to be a tiny bit smaller, this might come with age, we will see)

6) Skull slightly longer then muzzle.

7)Cheeks flat (watch this, some dogs are getting heavy in this regard)

8) Can't see if but full scisser bite

Ok, by the standard, in the first drawing,

First drawing on the left top: Correct to standard Stop, and Muzzle Length, with Correct matching underjaw.

Top right drawing: Too Steep of Stop

Bottom left drawing: Too long in muzzle (often seen in real life with a lack of underjaw)

Bottom right Drawing: Not enough stop.

Left top and Bottom Right are med coated, So what is the dead giveaway?? The shorter hair behind the ear of course!

Ears

1) Correct Ear Size and Placement

2) Too Large and too Pointed

3) Too Wide and too low set

4) Too Close Set and too Pointed

I am aware that everyone has their own thoughts on what is correct, and please be aware that these drawings where done by a CKC Herding judge and where done based on the written FCI standard.

I am the first to admit that I have some personal perferences that would be a bit different then what is the ideal drawing, a perfect example of this, is I like a little more stop to my own dogs, but that is what the Breed Standard is for..

You need to remember that there is no Pick of a litter, if its a poor litter of puppies in Quality, then there they are all poor.. You need to compare ever dog and ever puppy directly to your breed standard.. READ your standard over and over again.. get it out and go over each area of your dog, put your dog on your grooming table and put a mirror on the wall and look at your dog though the mirror, take lots of stack photos and then look at them and read the standard in printed format at the same time..

When you love your dogs, or your puppies, you often get that Ahhh feeling when you look at them.. and I hope you do, I love that feeling but I don't want that happening when I am looking at them for breed type. I want to be as hard on them as I can be, so that I can breed to improve each generation.. Photos will allow you to see things in a removed way..

Good luck and have lots of fun learning more about your breed standard..

Barks

Comment from a Viewer

"Don't forget the aspect of the head that is covered in General Appearance: "expression is gentle, intelligent and happy". For me this has a lot to do with breed type. Eye shape, eyeset and color are crucial here. "

Thanks for the impute Laura35

Here is the whole General Appearance from the Canadian Icelandic Sheepdog Standard

"General AppearanceThe Icelandic Sheepdog is a Nordic herding Spitz, slightly under medium sized with prick ears and a curled tail. Seen from the side the dog is rectangular; the length of the body from the point of shoulder to point of buttock is greater than the height at withers. The depth of the chest is equal to the length of the foreleg. The expression is gentle, intelligent and happy. A confident and lively bearing is typical for this dog. There are two types of coat, long and short both thick and extremely weatherproof. There is a marked difference in appearance between the sexes."

We have a big! vistor this morning and the dogs went nuts!!

Hey Folks

Can you guess what it was that decided to wonder into our farm???
Hints: Big, Brown with long.... Legs..

Did you guess Moose? That's right, we had a very big female moose decided to come though, and the dogs went nuts.. and of course she took off as soon as she heard them, so I don't have a photo for you, sorry.. but it was still very cool..

We often get Deer moving though our fields but that is the first time I have seen a moose here, I see the moose signs on the road but while Jason has seen two by the roads, I have not been lucky enough till today.

Barks Val

New United States Litter on the Ground

Hello Folks

As you can imagine, I am friends with a number of other Icelandic Sheepdog owners and fellow Breeders across both Canada, North America as well as Iceland and Europe.

I am so pleased to annouce that we have a couple lovely new male puppies born in Western United States.

One of my friends is Maragret from Valhalla Icelandics Kennel, and she is one the proud owner of Kersin's Odinn CGC, who is shown here in this photo, a nice Red/White Med Icelandic Stud.

To learn more about Odinn and the rest of the Valhalla Icelandics, feel free to check out her website.

www.valhallaicelandics.com

The litter is out of Hannah Glora Fra Dyggur owned and bred by Kathy Engstrom, to see more about Hannah, please check out the litter page at, puppy updates to come.

http://www.valhallaicelandics.com/montanalitter.html

If you are looking for a lovely little male puppy out of healthy (both parents have their CERF and HD-Free rates) pair of Icelandics, then this is a good litter to be looking at.

Barks

Greenstone Black Pearl is going to the shows!

Hello Folks

Well I am very pleased to confirm that Freyja is going to her first CKC show, she is booked for the Purina Show, of course in puppy class, and Scott and Laura will be there with Soley in adult class. So it will be two little females out dazzling the crowds. Saturday is a Black Tie Event, and I already have my evening wear picked out, and to show off my very glossy black tri Icelandic Sheepdog Puppy, I am going to be wearing a deep red outfit. Just heard on the show lists that we will have around 700 dogs per day for the show, so that is great. I am very excited to see what my friends in the dog world think of my newest little girl.

The dogs are all doing well, its warmed up a bit so that is very nice, for all of us. We have been training lots in the house, I asked and Jason was kind enough to build me a new Agility table that is the low kind, so I can work all the dogs on it, including Freyja who is not doing any kind of jumping yet, other then what comes natural :)

We have also been working on weave poles a great deal and they are coming along very well.

See Greenstone Ada (pointed) in the photo above taking Best Female and Best of Opposite Sex last spring, can't wait to see her out in the show ring this year, she has matured out so much and is looking every so sweet.

Barks

Greenstone Boogie Man of Belglen Kennels

Hello Folks

Boogie Man lives at Belglen Kennels and is a very handsome little boy, A Huge thank you goes out to Sharon at Belglen Kennels for these great photos of Boogie in training, First a nice stack/stay, then check out the Play bow and the give Kiss.. every so sweet.

Sharon is planning a litter this year, so if you live in Sask or Western Canada, this is one amazing Western Kennel, which is not to say that you are limited to just that area by any means, Sharon will and has placed some of her amazing puppies in Eastern Canada, and the United States, I was every so pleased to get to meet her dogs at a stop over in Sask in 2005, and can't wait to see more of her dogs at the Calgary show in Aug of 2007.

To learn more about Belglen Kennels, check out Sharon's website..

http://schaefrs.sasktelwebsite.net/belglen.html

I can't wait to see keep watching Boogie grow up and can't wait to see him in the show ring.

Barks

Spring Litter Planned for Greenstone Kennel

Hello Folks

Just wanted to let you know that Greenstone is planning one spring litter at this time, with most likely one late summer breeding, I am hoping greatly to use Narri from Pineridge Kennels on Greenstone Ada on her late summer heat.. This will be Ada's first litter and I am expecting great things from her.. Right now, I have a waiting list for possable Show/Breeding Puppies, but am actively looking for wonderful Altered Pet homes for the Spring litter.. Expecting Med/Long hair Red/White puppies.

If you are interested in getting on my waiting list for a possable Show/Breeder or a Pet Puppy, or a Performance Puppy, please let me know at

isdpuppies@hotmail.com

I will send you a copy of my puppy application and be very happy to answer any questions in regards to the difference possable planned litters for the coming year, and possable breeding plans for the next couple years.

Barks

Double Dewclaws on the Iceland Sheepdog

Hello Folks,





The Canadian standard says





"Dewclaws: well-developed double dewclaws are desirable"





In Keeping with this most Icelandic Breeders around the world consider double dewclaws important, Single Dewclaws on the Front and Doubles on the back is the most common Dewclaw seen within the breed. IMO second would single on all four legs, rarely you will find doubles on all four legs, and even rarer, you will find the odd dog with singles on some legs and no dewclaws on one or more legs.





The Standard is very clear " Serious Faults :Lack of dewclaws.Yellow eyes.Round protruding eyes"





Monika at Tofra Kennels has spent years studying and learning about the dewclaws in the Iceland Sheepdog Breed to read about her "theory of the inheritance of dewclaws in the Icelandic Sheepdog" Please go to her website, and on the left side click on Articles.





http://www.tofradogs.com/english.htm





Within my own kennel, I have been keeping track of all dogs and their litters since 2000, and I will show you what my own percents look like, I will continue to update the results as each new litter is born, and of course that means that the results will also move around.



Personally, I will admit that I do not breed for the double dewclaws on the front legs, nor would I given the choice buy a puppy with double dewclaws on the front legs, I find that having doubles on the front is for me at least a distraction of the clean look of the leg. However having said that, I do look and breed for large, tight, lowset, very strong back double dewclaws.

As it would appear that the front set and back set are breed on different thesholds, this means I can work on creating bigger strong doubles on the back without having to worry about producing double dewclaws on the front legs..

Now you might ask, why would it be important, well the most basic and simple answer is that its one of the things that set our breed apart from many other Spitz breeds. We are a double dewclaw breed, and its often one of the first things a judge or new puppy owner will say, is can I see the famous double dewclaws.

But I think that its has more to do with the landscape that the dogs developed in, Iceland is a rough land, and its landscape is very much like the high artic in Nunavut, (as they are just across from each other, its no wonder that they are very much the same) and when I lived in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada, I got to see first hand how the Icelandics used their dewclaws, and much to my surprise it was not on the climb up rocks so much as them using it for the controlled movements coming down the cliffs and rocks, they would spread out their foot, and with proper strong lowset dewclaws, they would use them as extra toes for grip and for control of their speed down. Only once did I think that one of my dogs had damaged their dewclaw using it, but when I looked very closely, he had in fact cut it on a rock, and Jason packed him out for a bit on the hike, and soon enough, he was put me down, and he limped out the rest of the hike.

Please never allow your vet to talk you into removing your Icelandic Sheepdogs Dewclaws, they are part of what makes our breed great, and just because most vets are use to removing them on other breeds does not mean that its correct for all breeds.

I have had a number of my puppy owners talk about the fact that their Icelandics use their feet and toes to hold their toys, and to control what the toy is doing a great deal more then any of their other dogs of different breeds over the years every had, and I will agree, the Iceland Sheepdog uses his feet and dewclaws to the best of its advantage, and I again thank Iceland and the Icelandic Peaple for this, I think they have breed for a hardy, smart, thinking dog, now its up to the breeders of the Iceland Dog, no matter where they live, to follow in the same footsteps.

Barks

Greenstone Black Pearl

Hello Folks

Well, Freyja is six months old so it was time to get some new stack photos of her, I try and take photos of my own dogs as they grow out every month, so that I can see how the lines develop and mature out. This helps me greatly in each new generation or in related litters. Frejya is going though a growth sput right now, but overall her balance is lovely, her head and profile are developing just the way I had hoped, what a very pretty up and coming show Icelandic Sheepdog puppy. These was natural stacking on the table, I tried hard to not do much hand stacking as I wanted it to reflect where she was that day. Hope you enjoyed seeing how she is looking at this moment in time.. Can't wait to see what she looks like at a year or two years or five..

Barks

Thunder got his HCT Leg 2.

Thunder got his 2nd leg of the AHBA HCT

Hi Folks, Congrats to Doug, Deb, and Gwynn who are Thunders family. I am so proud of Thunder as his breeder mom! and his furry parent are very proud as well!! Dalla and Vaskur send wags and playbows to their handsome son.

This is Thunder as a baby puppy, can you believe that this cutie grew up to be a big handsome working herding dog! Thunders Brother Ullo lives on a Farm by Edmonton Alberta, and his family has horses, so working well with animals does come well with this breed and line.

As soon as I have a working link for Thunders youtube video, I will post it on this write up and I have been told that there are a few still photos of thunder herding so will add them as soon as I get them.

As far as I know, Thunder is the first Icelandic Sheepdog to earn a AHBA title, very cool indeed. Folda was the first CKC HI Icelandic Sheepdog in Canada.

In keeping with sheep, we had our first set of twin lambs born yesterday morning, a lovely set of babies girls out of butterscotch, and Chocolate is due anytime now, Ripple Chips and Stomp still look to have a bit to go yet.. I will get new photos of the wee ones.

Have a great day,

Barks

Comments on the posts for Iceland Sheepdog

Hello Folks

Well, I went online yesterday and figured out how to let you post comments on the write ups, I love the fact that I get private emails and comments on the blog, so please always feel free to keep them coming, and I will do my best to write about what you are asking, don't worry Karen, a dewclaws article is coming, and thanks for everyones comments on the recipes, so glad that folks are liking them.

The photo above is the mini treats, you can see how very tiny they are, and how when they bake, then mostly shrink and so only a few need to be broke apart.

So anyway, now you can also post on the blog itself, can't wait to see a few posts.. you don't have to give out your email address either, can post without a name etc. All posts are welcome but anything rude or spammy will be deleted and removed.

Everyone have a great night.

Barks

Busy Icelandics, weekends are so much fun

Hello Folks

Well, its been a lovely and busy Saturday, up early and out with the dogs this morning, then into town for some shopping, and then off to the city for some more shopping, we got all the needed supplies for making new training weave poles sets for the Icelandics, I have a set for outside, but needed a set built for work indoor that would fit nicely in my living room.

It is a very nice day today, only minus four to six, so we went we got home, we did more snow shoveling and had the group out with us for another long run while we did outside chores, and tonights goal is to build the new weaves, so will have to take a photo when we are done and using them.

A lovely new photo of Greenstone Ada just hanging out in the snow behind the barn today, she was sure enjoying the warmer weather, the snow and the huge fields to run in, the bounding though the snow gives the dogs a nice work out..

Barks

Tricks for your Icelandics

Hello Folks

I was working the dogs this afternoon in their training session, and was amused to see the dogs offering a play bow to me.. an couple of them did it, and of course I clicked it, and it got me to think about No Trick, Tricks, these are wonderful tricks that we can put on cue with just a little work..

Just a few examples, In our house if an Icelandic has their tail down, we smile at them and in a sing-song voice, say, "turn that frown upside down" and the dog responding to our happy voice and the song, will indeed put its tail up and wag it.. this is something we have been doing for years, and now if we say this, the dogs will wag its tail.. you could say Wag instead..

Same with Kiss, I always start with my hand, and say, Kiss, or Good Kiss, if they need a little help (not that I have meet an Icelandic that does not do this naturally), you can use a bit of butter on the spot.. Soon enough they learn to give gentle kisses, and you can work from your hand (which is a boy dog, can seem very gentlemanly) to a kiss on the cheek etc, the nice thing about this, is you can also teach, No kiss.. which tells the dog, that this person does not want a kiss.

I love this photo of Blue hanging out in the wagon, again a good no trick trick, if blue likes to get pulled around in wagon, its a cute trick, he could be taught, Go to your wagon, and jump in and get pulled around in it.. which in and of itself is just cute, but how about if he likes to retreive as well, we could expand this to put your ball in the wagon, and then put yourself in the wagon.. expand it again and you could have his put a few things in by name, his stuffed toy, his ball and his throw toy and suddenly he is a very smart doggy indeed..

You get the idea, anything that the dog does in a natural way, you can put on cue with the clicker, playbow is great, because all children love the trick of " XXX Bow hello" just as they love, Shake a paw, high five, give ten, and wave hello or bye.. which I will write about in detail in another listings.

Barks

Clicker treats for your Icelandics

Hello Folks
Well, I have been busy in the kitchen trying to make a treat that is for clicker training, now we all know that they sell little plastic tubs of single tiny bites for training at the different clubs and online, but its proven to be difficult for me to figure out how to get the same tiny treat, I tried putting the dough though a grinder, with the idea of cutting if off in tiny spots as it came out, and it didn't work, at least not for me..
So then, I tried making softer cookies, so that I could break off tiny pieces, not bad but still not the same.. so tried cutting them in stripes and then moving them over to the baking sheet, yikes what a load of work and still not really what I was after, I wanted even smaller pieces..
So this is what I have figured out, and here is my latest Doggy Treats
4 hotdogs
Half a clove of Galic (4 to 5 med cloves)
1/4 cup cold pressed oil
1/4 cold water
1/4 cup oatmeal (non-quick cook kind)
1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
up to 1/2 cup flour extra

So in a food processor, chop up your hotdog and garlic together, then slowly add oil till a beaten mush, then add water and oatmeal, chop again, then add one full cup of whole wheat flour, mix, add up to another half cup of whole wheat flour till it forms a soft ball.
Take out and knead like bread dough, keep adding a bit more flour till you have a soft dough but not sticky, then roll out very thin, 1/8th of inch is perfect, try to roll it out to be a sheet the same size as your cookie sheet. Then carefully fold it over and pick up and slide onto your cookie sheet, then carefully take your pizza cutting wheel, and start cutting lines, very narrow stripes, once you are done one way, cut the other way, each of my cookie sheet made about 350-400 tiny bite size peices, This recipe made both large cookie sheet, I cooked both at the same time. Do not break apart, just cook the cut with lines in in a 350 oven for 15 min and then turn oven off and let sit for four hours or overnight to harden..
When done, take off cookie sheet and whack the pieces and they will come apart on the lines, and yahoo! about 600 to 800 tiny bite size pieces of very yummy training treats, I know that this recipe calls for more oil then I normally use, but I wanted them very crisp, but if you wanted to make the cookie less calories, you could use apple sauce instead.
Well, everyone of my dogs loved them, so given them a try, and let me know if yours loved them to.. They should be kept in the fridge as all homemade cookies should be, but they will keep in a cool dry spot on the counter for at least a week, but as for longer, I don't know, I have never had any left :)
Barks

Ps, Photo Tofra Tobba (aka Oppa) learning to stack using her Target Stick in 2001, now its her

daughter Greenstone Black Pearl aka Frejya's turn to learn the same thing.

Greenstone Blue Suede Shoes

Hello Folks

New photos of Blue Suede Shoes, at six months old, what a sweet boy he is , lovely deep red color to his caot, and a very nice coat indeed for his age, love his very foxy face, with his strong prick ears.. I was thrilled to read that he is doing so well in his new family, always a joy to hear just how well the match is. Also heard from his Sisters owner this week, Greenstone Mystic Moon and she is doing very well in her agility training, I can't wait to see her out in the ring this coming Nov when she is old enough to compete, and I look forward to the day, that I am at a agility trial and get to see my own puppies in the ring along with their parents. Mystic's owner lives in the United States but does trial in my area once or twice a year so I will be there cheering them on. I can't wait to see new photos of her.

Well had Freyja at training yesterday, and not quite as good as last time, she did well, but as always I want more.. LOL Turns out that I am clumber, not a splitter, and boy did that make sense.. one more thing to write down on a post it, and stick on my fridge.. :)

I was pleased with Freyja in the conformation training, and Zander did a good job being a wonderful distraction for her, both moving out in front and coming up behind her.. but Frejya is in a puppy growth spurt and it was painfull to see her normally amazing moverment, not quite up to par.. Her front was great, her down not so good, and same with her side movement, still has amazing front reach, but her rear is in a growth right now, and just not what it was even two weeks ago... but the joy is, she was happy, perky and giving her all, and she is a puppy so what I see today is not what I have in two weeks, two months etc..

I was very pleased to see that she is just a thinking puppy, she is such a bright pup, and that is saying something as all my Icelandics are smart, but Frejya well, she just has that little bit more in the brain department :)

Well, its cold out there, that is for sure, but off to run the dogs, and I have been busy taking new photos this week so will post some soon. Got a lovely one of Dalla, it was taken at night so don't know what the color will look like but very pleased with the stack anyway.

Barks

Happy Valentines Day!!

Hello Folks

Everyone have a great day!!

Barks

The Greenstone Kennel

Ps, Greenstone Black Pearl Aka Freyja

Pineridge Vaskur of Greenstone Kennels out Camping in Nunavut, Canada

Hello Folks, Thought you might like to see Vaskur out at one of the camp site out on the tundra in the high artic of Canada, this was a flyin, and then boat in camp. Vaskur had lots of fun, hiking up to 15 kms plus a day, keeping those pesky Boo away from the camp and his group of humans, and had lots of fun cooling off in the many lakes and creeks.. Its on hikes like these that you truly get to see the Double dewclaws at work.. Most folks this the dewclaws are for climbing up, but I have found in the artic tundra landscape, its much more about gaining more control on the climb down. They just spread them out and use them as extra toes. I have found that my dogs love to go anywhere and will try anything as long as they get to be with their owners.

Barks

isdpuppies@hotmail.com

If you are interested in getting a greenstone Puppy, please contact me, I considering two litters this year, please get on the waiting list early if you are hoping to bring a Greenstone Puppy into your home this year.

Canadian Iceland Sheepdog Standard

Iceland Sheepdog

Origin & Purpose
The Icelandic Sheepdog is Iceland's only native dog. It was brought to Iceland with the first Viking settlers (AD 874 - 930). The Icelandic Sheepdog and its method of working adapted to the local terrain, farming methods and the hard struggle for survival of the Icelandic people over the centuries, making it indispensable in the rounding up of livestock on the farms. The Icelandic sheepdog's popularity has increased over the last few decades and, despite the fact the breed is still very small in numbers, it is no longer considered to be in danger of extinction.

General Appearance
The Icelandic Sheepdog is a Nordic herding Spitz, slightly under medium sized with prick ears and a curled tail. Seen from the side the dog is rectangular; the length of the body from the point of shoulder to point of buttock is greater than the height at withers. The depth of the chest is equal to the length of the foreleg. The expression is gentle, intelligent and happy. A confident and lively bearing is typical for this dog. There are two types of coat, long and short both thick and extremely weatherproof. There is a marked difference in appearance between the sexes.

Temperament
The Icelandic Sheepdog is a hardy and agile herding dog which barks, making it extremely useful for herding or driving livestock in the pastures, in the mountains or finding lost sheep. The Icelandic Sheepdog is by nature very alert and will always give visitors an enthusiastic welcome without being aggressive. Hunting instincts are not strong. T he Icelandic Sheepdog is cheerful, friendly, inquisitive, playful and unafraid.

Size
Ideal height is:
Dogs: 46 cm. and Bitches: 42 cm.

Coat & Colour
Coat: Double coat, thick and extremely weatherproof.

There are two variants

Short haired
The outer coat of medium length, fairly coarse, with a thick, soft undercoat. The hair is shorter on the face, top of head, ears and front of legs, longer on the neck, chest and back of thighs. The tail is bushy and the hair length is in proportion to the coat.

Longer-haired
The outer coat is longer than the above, fairly coarse, with a thick, soft undercoat. The hair is shorter on the face, top of head, ears and front of legs, longer behind the ears, on the neck, chest, behind the forelegs and back of thighs. The tail is very bushy and the hair length is in proportion to the coat.

Colour: Several colours are permitted but a single colour should always be predominant. The predominant colours are:
· Various shades of tan, ranging from cream to reddish brown.
· Chocolate brown.
· Grey.
· Black.

White always accompanies the predominant colour. The most common white markings, which are often irregular, are a blaze or a part of the face, collar, chest, socks of varying length and tip of tail. Lighter shading often occurs on the underside of the dog from throat to tip of tail. On tan and grey dogs a black mask, black tips to the outer hairs and even occasional black hairs often occur. Black (tricolour) dogs have a black coat, white markings as mentioned above and traditional markings in any of the various tan colours on the cheeks, over the eyes (eyebrows) and on the legs. Patches of the above colours on a white background (pied) are permitted. White should not be totally predominant.

Head
Strongly built with close fitting skin. Skull slightly longer than muzzle. Triangular when seen from above or the side. Skull: somewhat domed. Stop: clearly defined though neither steep nor high. Nose: black, dark brown in chocolate brown and some cream dogs. Muzzle: well-developed, nasal bridge straight. Muzzle slightly shorter than skull. Tapering evenly towards the nose to form a blunt triangle when seen from both above and from the side. Lips: black, close fitting, dark brown in chocolate brown and some cream dogs. Cheeks: Flat. Bite: scissor bite. Complete dentition. Eyes: of medium size and almond shaped. Dark brown. Slightly lighter in chocolate brown and some cream dogs. The eye-rims are black. Dark brown in chocolate brown and some cream dogs. Ears: erect and of medium size. Triangular with firm edges and slightly rounded tips. Very mobile, reacting sensitively to sounds and showing the dog's mood.

Neck
Moderately long and muscular with no loose skin. Slightly arched and carried high.

Forequarters
When seen from the front the forelegs are straight, parallel and strong. Normal angulation. Shoulders: oblique and muscular. Dewclaws: may be double. Forefeet: slightly oval toes well-arched and tight with well-developed pads.

Body
Rectangular and strong. The length in correct proportion to height and in harmony with general appearance. Level, muscular and strong. Loins: broad and muscular. Croup: moderately short and wide, slightly sloping and well muscled. Chest: long, deep and well sprung. Belly: only a slight tuck up.

Hindquarters
When seen from behind the hindlegs are straight, parallel and strong. Normal angulation. Thighs: broad and well muscled. Dewclaws: well-developed double dewclaws are desirable. Hindfeet: same as forefeet.

Tail
High set, curled over and touching the back.

Gait
Displays agility and endurance with good driving action covering the ground effortlessly.

Faults
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

A solid black mantle or saddle on any of the various tan coloured dogs.
Serious Faults
Lack of dewclaws.
Yellow eyes.
Round protruding eyes.

Note:Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

Greenstone Icelandics and Herding on the Farm

Hello Folks

Well was visiting with Monika last night and we got talking about the Icelandic and Herding, in Iceland, as Monika and others explain to me, the dogs are used for driving and for being sent up into the hills to bring down the sheep, in the annual spring/Fall Sheep roundups. The Icelandic Sheep is a very low flocking sheep, while some sheep breeds seen in Canada, would be consider med flocking (like my own sheep) and some would be considered good or even heavy flockers, which are very use to and wanting to "bunch" together, and this means that the dogs being very smart, and as they learn on different sheep in different parts of the world, working the sheep as needed for that landscape, would learn to be adjust their Herding style at least up to point..

Case in point, Dalla was born in Iceland, and she certainly shows the natural ability to drive, but given that my farm is on flat (mostly) pasture, and that I am working with my dogs in a much smaller fenced in pasture area's (thinking working in pens), working with the sheep in the big barn, and the other main, is working with me as a living moving fence line, as I still have pasture to graze, that is not fenced yet.. always a work in progress.. So to a point I am asking for driving, in the sense of moving the sheep with me to the grazing fields or back to the barn, the issue becomes when the sheep decide to go around me, or take off for the other hundred acres of hay that happens to belong to my neighbour, which is not part of my plan.. now if my dogs really only drove the sheep, we would have a bit of problem here, as I don't have a horse to go round them up, and its just me out there, not a group of peaple, but thankfully the Icelandic is smart, and wanting to work with me, is able to figure out that I want her to "go round" and to bring them back to me.. now that is a typical herding trait, and the Icelandic's do it as a upright(standing up) Barking (giving voice) running breed, which is what the standard calls for..

Same as in the barn, If coming in the front door, you need to go back different sets of stalls and of course the pen that holds all the metal garable cans filled with feed (the cans are to keep the feed dry, clean and mice free), which as you can imagine is a major draw, as the sheep know! that is where the grain is keep, and they want to try and go there.. honestly as the sheep do not feel the need to flock together, in the barn or outside (often willing to split into two or more groups as grazing) I rely on the dogs I have out and are working with to keep them together and to follow my commands, example in the barn, Dalla will push the sheep towards the barn, and I want this, but at the barn, I need to open the door, then back off to let the sheep in, at that point, I want Dalla to stay at the door, one, so the sheep don't go back out, and two so I can get to the end of the barn to open the door to the back barn which is where the sheep go.. so at that point, I can tell Dalla, Ok, push them, and she will make them all come down the barn and into their pen, now I know you are thinking this sounds so simple, and it can be.. but trust me, before I had a trained dog that would listen, or the odd time when I don't have dog with me, and I go to put them away, I have truly spent half an hour going around the barn or fields, trying to get sheep that do not want to in yet into the barn and into their pens..

My favorite was I had all the doors open and pens gates ready and I had been going around and around, the group split into two, which did not help, they were all on my hay fields no issue there, just that I wanted to put them away for the night.. finally I went stopping to house, and I threw open the door and said, Dalla Sheep, Barn.. and I am not kidding, she had them in rounded up, drove and into the barn and into their pen by the time I walked into the barn.. and I just patted her and shut the gate..

So I guess, the question Monika asks is important, if the dogs "drive" in Iceland, and are not trained so much as used with instinst and men on horse back to help, and in other coutries, they have different sheep (different flocking) and different landscape, there for different needs, and the dogs adapt to that, how do we make sure we are breeding and picking the next generation to have the herding instinct that Iceland born dogs have..

The answer is multi faced for sure.. and I am not sure anyone will have a true answer at this point, only time will tell.. I think that keeping the natural herding instincts within the breed is important, but I do think that using the dogs on different sheep, in different landscape, on different animals, (example, used to herd Cattle in Montana, and she swears that her ISD herd like her borders, now is that because the dog was raised with borders?) or the folks around that world that use the dogs to work with their horses, they are clearly "driving " the horse, so that comes quite naturally for sure, but they still do it as an icelandic.. I have an ISD on a horse farm in Alberta, and he does wonderful with them.

I think for me, I hope that by doing a formal puppy temperment test and keeping records on all the Greenstone adult Icelandics and the puppy test results, I will be able to do two things, one figure out what puppies and lines are being born with the most "natural driving" seen and used in Iceland for working their sheep and landscape, and also using the tests to figure out what Puppies and lines are born with the natural instincts to figure out what is required here and now, and therefor will learn what each sheep, horse or cattle needs.

What Monika and I came to, is that once again this breed is smart enought that with the right placement and owners, that ISD's can learn to do what is needed..

Got to love them. Greenstone Ada HI (pointed) working with flocking sheep in Ontario

Barks

Dif The Icelandic Sheepdog Club in Iceland

http://www.dif.is/

Hello Folks, I had posted information on the current Calander and that you could contact DIF, but it would appear that its not easy to find DIF, so I I have included a link for you to be able to directly go to the it, you will find a link for the calander third down the page.

Sorry folks that English side of the side is still coming, so its in Icelandic right now, but look for this photo(to the left) and you will see the links for the Calander with it..

UKC CH Pineridge Elska CGC

Hello Folks,

Well, its a fine snowy morning, and I saw that folks were looking for a photo of Ch Pineridge Elska CGC, who had two litters for Aldebaren Kennels in the early 2000's. She was bred once with a Denmark Imported Male (only litter this male had) and once with Klumper from Frelsi Farms. Sadly Elska passed away after these two litters, but her offspring and Grand-offspring have gone on to great things, and there was a public post put out for photos of this lovely lady, and it would appear that I am one of the few that have some.. so here is a very nice head profile of this sweet dog, She was very healthy, had good hips and CERF normals, she was a very! soft female in temperment, she was very easy to train but needed to be worked with in a very soft way.. I have video of Elska in movement, and she had a nice topline, quite good shoulders layback, and while she had good drive, she had med reach, coming and going, she looked good on the front, but showed some toeing in on the rear movement. Lower set tail with a very nice curl to it. Good length of Guard hairs, lots of undercoat, but soft for the breed. She carried her head just a bit low in movement, but as I never got to feel her myself, I am unsure as to why. She was greatly loved by all that meet her and I have always heard that she was one of those Icelandic, that folks meet and wanted to have one just like..

Barks