Norwegian Lundehund Facts You Should Know (with Pictures).

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Norwegian Buhund Breed Overview

The Norwegian Buhund is a medium-sized dog.

The adult Norwegian Buhund stands 16 to 18 inches tall at the shoulder.

The Norwegian Buhund belongs to the Herding Dogs group.

Dogs in the Herding Dogs group, like the Norwegian Buhund, were bred for moving livestock, including sheep, cattle, and even reindeer.

Herding dogs work closely with their human shepherds, and their natural intelligence and responsiveness make them highly trainable.

Herding dogs have high levels of energy, which needs to be channeled properly to prevent destructive behavior.

Herding breeds are protective of their people and property and make excellent watchdogs. Their intelligence, agility, and activity level make them well suited to dog sports.

The fact that Norwegian Buhunds belong to the Herding Dogs group is one of the reasons why Norwegian Buhunds have the personality and temperament that they have.

The temperament of the Norwegian Buhund is generally described as:

  • Agile
  • Courageous
  • Energetic
  • Friendly
  • Fun-loving

History of the Norwegian Buhund Breed. Where Norwegian Buhunds came from

During the Gokstad excavation in Norway, dogs that resembled the modern-day Norwegian Buhund were discovered.

This is the site of a massive Viking grave from around the year 900 A.

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Six skeletons of various sized dogs were discovered during this excavation and determined to be Spitz in type and closely related to the Norwegian Buhund.

The Vikings would bury their most prized possessions alongside them, and the discovery of these dogs in the grave indicated that the Vikings truly treasured these multipurpose dogs.

The Norwegian Buhund would accompany the Vikings on sea voyages and across rough terrain.

The modern Buhund, on the other hand, is more refined and less capable of traversing rough terrain.

These dogs were mostly from Norway`s western coastlands.

These dogs were mostly from Norway`s western coastlands and were farm guard dogs and herders rather than Viking traveling companions.

Within his native Norway, the Norwegian Buhund is only used sparingly as a herding dog; however, his protective instincts have been put to use, and he has been used for police work.

He is also an excellent hearing dog for the deaf.

Norsk Buhundklubb, an official breed club, was founded in Norway in 1939.

Norwegian Buhunds were first imported into the United States in the 1980s.

The Norwegian Buhund was officially recognized by the United Kennel Club in 1996 and classified as a Northern breed.

The American Kennel Club officially recognized and classified him in 2009.

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What the Norwegian Buhund Looks Like

The Norwegian Buhund is considered a medium-sized Northern breed.

He has the typical Spitz tail that curls over his back and is well-muscled.

He has a wedge-shaped head and triangular ears that stand erect on the top of his head.

The eyes of the Buhund are oval in shape and very dark brown; light colored eyes are undesirable.

His rims of his eyes and lips are black.

His nose is black; a brown or self-colored nose is not acceptable in the show ring.

His topcoat is dense and difficult to touch.

It should be near his body.

His undercoat is dense as well, but it is soft to the touch.

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Best Norwegian Buhund Breeders

Norwegian Buhund Breeders in the United States

We have researched reputable Norwegian Buhund breeders that you can buy a puppy.

Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Norwegian Buhund breeders in various states in the United States.

On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.

A few of these breeders are listed below.

  1. Trollheimen Kennel

    Puppy Price: Check with breeder

  2. Eldorado

    Puppy Price: Check with breeder

  3. BlackRose Norwegian Buhunds

    Puppy Price: Check with breeder

  4. Arcane Border Collies & Buhunds

    Puppy Price: Check with breeder

  5. Rose Shadow Ranch

    Puppy Price: Check with breeder

Adopting or Rescuing the Norwegian Buhund

You may consider adopting a dog instead of buying a puppy. Many dogs, Norwegian Buhunds included, are currently available for adoption in your local dog shelters.

These helpless but adorable dogs are waiting in dog shelters hoping that someday someone will rescue them. Dog adoption costs are lesser than the cost of a new puppy. Dog adoption costs are usually around $300 or even less.

In addition to your local dog shelter, another good place to find dogs that are available for adoption is petfinder.com.

Below is an adorable Male Norwegian Buhund named Alex that is currently available for adoption on Petfinder.com. You can find other lovely Norwegian Buhunds like Alex on pefinder.com.

Norwegian Buhunds like Alex are available for Adoption! It is cheaper to adopt. Image from petfinder.com

You can find more Norwegian Buhunds that are available for adoption on petfinder.

What Colors do Norwegian Buhunds Have?

Norwegian Buhunds come in the following beautiful primary colors:

  • Black
  • White / Cream

Norwegian Buhunds come in the following lovely secondary colors in addition to their primary colors:

  • White / Cream

Norwegian Buhund Litter Size

Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science did a study where they counted the numbers of puppies in 36 different Norwegian Buhund birth litters.

From this study, the researchers found that the average number of puppies that Norwegian Buhunds can have is 4 puppies. Also, the Norwegian Buhund can have as few as 1 puppies per litter and as many as 8 puppies per litter.

The number of puppies that the Norwegian Buhund will have depends on factors such as the age of the Norwegian Buhund, the method of pregnancy, etc.

Click here to see our calculator for predicting how many puppies your Norwegian Buhund will have and how the litter size of the Norwegian Buhund compares to the litter size of other dog breeds.

How Fast Norwegian Buhunds Can Run

How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.

Based on our analysis of the speeds of 24 different Norwegian Buhunds, the average speed of the Norwegian Buhund is 21.6 mph (34.8 kmph).

The fastest speed on AKC record that the Norwegian Buhund ran in a race is 27.22 mph (43.8 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a Norwegian Buhund is 3.47 mph (5.6 kmph).

Click here to see how the speed of the Norwegian Buhund compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.

How fast Norwegian Buhund can run compared to other mammals

Good Names for Norwegian Buhunds

Here are some really good names that are typical for the Norwegian Buhund ranked by popularity:

  • Odie
  • Alex

How Popular are Norwegian Buhunds with New Dog Owners?

Every year, the American Kennel Club (AKC) publishes information on how popular a dog breed is in that particular year. The AKC gets the popularity information of a breed from how many dogs of that breed the owners register with the AKC every year. The AKC collects this data for about 200 dog breeds.

The graph below shows the popularity trend of the Norwegian Buhund.

The popularity of the Norwegian Buhund averaged over the years is Number 168 out of about 200 dog breeds.

Do not get a dog breed just because it is a popular dog breed. And do not reject a dog breed just because it is an unpopular breed.

Health Problems in Norwegian Buhunds and How to Prevent Them

Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.

The Norwegian Buhund is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.

From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.

Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.

If you want a Norwegian Buhund puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Norwegian Buhund breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.

The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen Norwegian Buhunds for:

  1. DNA Repository
  2. Eye Examination- after the age of 24 months
  3. Hip Dysplasia

You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Norwegian Buhunds here.

Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Norwegian Buhunds

If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the Norwegian Buhund.

We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Norwegian Buhund:

  • Pyredoodle (78 percent match with Norwegian Buhund). Learn more about the Pyredoodle here.

Other Things to Know About Norwegian Buhunds

Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Norwegian Buhund that you need to know about the Norwegian Buhund breed:

  • Norwegian Buhunds do not have the tendency to drool.
  • Norwegian Buhunds cannot tolerate hot weather. They are not suited for hot environments.
  • Norwegian Buhunds require a lot of grooming and are not very easy to groom.
  • Norwegian Buhunds have a very low prey drive. This means they get along well with other pets.
  • Norwegian Buhunds can be left alone for some time without problems.
  • Norwegian Buhunds are very healthy. They do not suffer from a lot of health problems compared to other dog breeds
  • Norwegian Buhunds are very easy to train.
  • Norwegian Buhunds are highly vocal. They have the tendency to bark and howl.
  • Norwegian Buhunds have a high tendency to wander. They are easily distracted by other animals or objects.
  • Norwegian Buhunds have very high energy levels. They need a lot of exercise time to release their high energy.
  • Norwegian Buhunds do things with high intensity. They can be very forceful.
  • Norwegian Buhunds can tolerate cold weather.
  • Norwegian Buhunds are great family dogs. They are very affectionate with family.
  • Norwegian Buhunds get along well with kids. They are kid-friendly.
  • Norwegian Buhunds require a lot of exercise. They are good for owners who like to exercise.
  • Norwegian Buhunds are very playful.
  • Norwegian Buhunds weigh 26 to 40 pounds when fully grown.
  • Norwegian Buhunds are 16 to 18 inches tall at the shoulder when fully grown.
  • Norwegian Buhunds have a lifespan of 12 to 15 years.