The Norwegian Lundehund temperament makes him a joy to watch, and a pain to train. This is because he loves having the upper hand over you – or, at the very least, thinking he does
Table of Contents
Norwegian Lundehund Temperament and Personality
There are four traits you should be aware of concerning the Norwegian Lundehund temperament. These traits will help you decide whether you two would be a good match:
Energetic
Those in-the-know compare the Lundehund to a fox due to his swiftness and agility.
He pounces on his toys like a cat, grabbing them with his toes and throwing them about in the air.
He also plays games with himself in that he hides his own food and toys. He likes to seek out just the right spot before squirreling his goodies away for a later date.
Loyal
Lundehunds are unabashedly loyal to their families.
They enjoy pleasing their masters almost as much as they love challenging them. Almost.
Alert
You may have seen alert dogs before, but you've never seen a dog as alert as the Lundehund.
This dog's Spidey-sense is constantly tingling. You might even think he was once a feral dog in the wild, based on how hyper-sensitive he is to his surroundings.
Protective
If he senses anything is amiss, he will bark – not to be aggressive, but out of protection for his family.
He tends not to trust strangers, though if you socialize him early and often, you can help him warm up to other people.
A Brief History of the Norwegian Lundehund Dog Breed
Scientists discovered that Norwegian Lundehund dogs are the oldest Nordic breed.
In fact, the Lundehund has been alive since before the Ice Age, living off fish and birds. Early breeders of Lundehunds used them as working dogs to hunt puffin.
In fact, the “Lunde” in the Lundehund’s name is actually the Swedish word for puffin!
At one point, there were only six Norwegian Lundehunds left in the world due to a distemper outbreak. However, with careful breeding, the Lundehund has bounced back, and there were about 1,400 dogs in the world as of 2010.
Norwegian Lundehund Training
A Norwegian Lundehund puppy is a tough one indeed to train. It's not because he's not smart, but mostly because he's too smart!
In other words, he'll learn things alright, but probably not what you're trying to teach him. He'd much rather use his cleverness to get what he wants, rather than obey what he's told