International Breeding
Recommendation for the Icelandic Sheepdog
The ISIC breeding committee has
agreed upon this breeding recommendation for all breeding clubs of Icelandic
Sheepdogs worldwide in 2007. The objective of the agreement is the conservation
of the world population of the breed.
All breeders
These recommendations are meant
for every breeder of Icelandic Sheepdogs, within or without a breeding club. The
recommendations are complementary to the breeding regulations of kennel clubs
and breeding clubs in different countries.
The concern of the ISIC
breeding committee is the soundness of the Icelandic Sheepdog breed. The aim
of the Breeding Committees in ISIC is to support breeding with healthy dogs with
good working ability and the typical behaviour of a farm and herding spits. It
is based on the specific type and mental characteristics of the breed described
in the breed standard of the Icelandic Sheepdog. FCI Standard no 289. This
breeding recommendation will contribute to this purpose.
The recommendations:
- Genetic Resources.
The genetic variation in the breed should be maintained for the future of the
breed. For this purpose ISIC maintains a database with decent data of the
whole (world) population. The inbreeding coefficient of the population should
stay low. To be able to realise this ISIC is aiming at an Effective Population
Size of about 150-200 dogs for the total population within ISIC, which is
large enough to stop heavy losses of genetic variation.
- ISIC recommends that the number
of progeny (puppies) after a single male should not be more than 35 and
no more than twice that number as grandfather.
- ISIC recommends that the number
of progeny after a single bitch should not be more than 25.
These numbers count for the
complete life time of the dog and are independent from the country where the dog
lives.
- Health
.
Only healthy animals should be used for breeding. The breeding stock should be
free from any diseases and deformities.
- ISIC recommends that dogs
used in breeding should have an official known HD-status. The aim is to
breed only with A-B dogs.
- ISIC recommends that all dogs
used in breeding should have an official known eye-examination. The
result should be without remarks.
- Mentality
.
In order to maintain the characteristic Icelandic Sheepdog mentality it is
recommended to have a mentality description of the breeding animals made before
breeding. The breeding clubs have developed or will develop a mentality test
that produces a description of the mentality of the individual dogs. The
description indicates whether the dog is cheerful, friendly, inquisitive,
playful and unafraid.
- ISIC recommends that dogs
used in breeding should have taken part in the Mental Description (MH)
if possible.