Five interesting facts about the Norwegian Buhund that you probably don’t know!

The Norwegian Buhund is one breed of dog that we don’t see very much of in the UK, but they are hugely popular in their home country of Norway, and are certainly worthy of consideration as pets by dog lovers in the UK too. Like many Northern dog breeds, the Buhund is a spitz-type dog that has the signature spitz dog traits that make them able to cope with very cold weather, including small ears, a thick coat and a curved tail.

While the breed’s exact foundations cannot be definitively traced, they certainly have a very long history within the Nordic countries, and dogs of the same type were recorded in Scandinavia since prior to the Viking era!

While the Buhund was originally used in Norway as a livestock herding dog for farms, they also make for excellent pets and have many positive traits that mean they are definitely worthy of a second glance!

If you are considering buying or adopting a Norwegian Buhund or simply want to learn a little bit more about the breed, this article will share five interesting facts about the Buhund that you probably don’t already know. Read on to learn more.

They are very well travelled

The history of the Norwegian Buhund is a long and colourful one, and as mentioned, they were certainly present in Scandinavia before the Vikings, and later, lived alongside of Nordic and Swedish Vikings too.

When Vikings raided both by land and sea, they took the Buhund’s ancestors with them, which led to their spread across Europe by 1000 A.D. too. They were highly prized by the Vikings too, and skeletons of dogs of the Buhund type have been found in graves dating back to 900 A.D., buried alongside of families.

They have easy-care coats

Unlike many dogs of the spitz types that have a similar very dense coat to the Buhund, the Buhund is reasonably low maintenance, and they do not tend to shed as much hair as other spitz breeds, who usually go through a prolific, heavy shedding at least twice a year.

Their coats don’t tend to tangle and matt up, so just bathing and grooming a couple of times a year is usually sufficient to keep the Buhund coat in good condition.

They have great personalities

The personality of the Buhund is their real highlight, and they are generally a pleasure to be around, both within the home and in working roles. They are naturally very kind and gentle dogs that are affectionate and open with people, including those that they do not know well, and are generally perfectly comfortable around children. They are also lively, fun-loving dogs that like to play and that can be very entertaining when they do so!

However, they also tend to be fairly vocal dogs that will see it as their duty to bark to let you know if something is amiss, and they have a rather high-pitched yet loud bark that can soon grate on your nerves if you are hearing it all day long!

They are very intelligent and usually a pleasure to train

Training intelligent breeds of dog can often be more challenging than training dogs from around the middle of the pack in terms of brains, because very bright dogs are apt to be one step ahead of you, and adapt and learn new things very quickly.

This means that while the Buhund can learn a huge range of complex commands and execute them reliably, they do need an adaptive, experienced trainer that can tailor their training regime and teaching style to suit the dog, and to ensure that they can keep up with the dog’s skills!

The Norwegian Buhund can easily pick up and learn bad habits as well as good, and so competent and adaptive training by someone experienced is vital in order to keep the Buhund heading in the right direction, and not picking up things that they shouldn’t be!

They excel at canine sports

The Norwegian Buhund is a great all-rounder, and just as they excel in working roles, they are also usually an excellent choice of dog for competing in canine sports. Buhunds today are still used for herding in some areas, but they are also used as assistance dogs and sometimes in other roles too, and they are great at agility and so, are a good choice for people who are keen to get into the sport.

If you intend to keep a Buhund as a domestic pet, introducing them to agility or another lively, mentally challenging sport is a great idea, as this will help to fulfil the dog’s need for exercise and mental stimulation in place of their traditional working roles.

Otherwise, you must be prepared to allow the dog plenty of outside time, and be willing to take part in lots of long, energetic walks!