It can bend its head so far backwards that it touches its own back, and close its ears. Each foot has at least six toes. This body once allowed the Norwegian Lundehund to crawl through narrow rock passages and retrieve living puffins from their nesting burrows.
| FCI | Group 5 (Spitz and primitive types), Section 2 Nordic Hunting Dogs, Standard No. 265, without working trial |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Norway |
| Height at the withers | Males 35 to 38 cm, females 32 to 35 cm |
| Weight | Males approx. 7 kg, females approx. 6 kg |
| Life expectancy | No reliable study figure found (N/A) |
| Coat | Dense, harsh outer coat with soft undercoat, short on head and fronts of legs, fuller on neck and backs of thighs; densely coated tail without feathering |
| Colours according to the standard | Always with white: reddish brown to pale brown with varying amounts of black hair tips, black or grey, each with white markings, or white with dark markings |
Puffins as winter provisions
The name combines the Norwegian word “Lunde”, meaning puffin, with “Hund”, meaning dog. According to the standard, such bird dogs have been described for over 400 years, and the seabirds’ meat helped coastal communities through winter. Eventually, the hunting tradition survived only in Måstad on Værøy island. Around the Second World War, distemper killed almost all the dogs; the Christie couple in southern Norway saved the breed together with the people of Værøy. The FCI granted the Lundehund definitive recognition in 1965.
A body built for climbing
The standard requires at least six toes on each front foot, five weight-bearing, and eight pads; the hind feet have six toes, four weight-bearing, and seven pads. The ear flap can fold to close the ear canal. When moving, the forelegs turn outwards: what would be a fault in other breeds is part of its characteristic appearance.
Alert, lively and fond of heights
Attentive, energetic and lively: the standard’s brief description. It loves stairs, rocks and walls and enjoys using its nose. Search games and varied routes over natural terrain challenge it more than walks on tarmac. Its climbing ability warrants a careful look at the garden fence. The harsh coat needs only weekly brushing, but small stones readily collect between all those toes.
Two dogs as founding ancestors
No lifespan figure is available; the British analysis by McMillan et al. does not list the breed. After two bottlenecks in the 1940s and 1960s, each with only five dogs, the roughly 1.500 Lundehunds worldwide apparently descend from just two animals (Stronen et al. 2017). Some 38,8 per cent of the original genetic diversity has been lost, and effective population size is 13 to 82 animals (Kettunen et al. 2017). Lundehund syndrome, an intestinal disease causing protein loss, is common. In a Norwegian investigation, 12 of 14 Lundehunds examined after death had intestinal lymphangiectasia and four had stomach cancer (Kolbjørnsen et al. 1994). Diarrhoea, weight loss or a swollen belly therefore need prompt veterinary attention. A rescue project introduces the Norwegian Buhund (Norsk Buhund), Icelandic Sheepdog (Íslenskur Fjárhundur) and Norrbottenspitz (Norrbottenspets) through crossbreeding. Ask whether a litter comes from this project.
It suits you if
you want a small, unusual companion with a mind of its own and remain alert to digestive problems.
Consider another breed if
you expect a dog without health concerns or have no patience for rare breeders’ waiting lists.
The breed quiz can help you decide whether this little puffin hunter fits your life. Our book explores further: “Welcher Hund passt WIRKLICH zu dir?” (book in German). For the first weeks with a puppy, get help from the free Puppy Starter Pack. A poster in a wooden frame or other dog portraits from your own photo will put it on your wall.
Further reading
- Pomeranian: why you must not clip its coat
- Housetraining a puppy: the plan for the first 4 weeks
- Autumn shedding in dogs and cats: what is normal and what is not
Sources, accessed on 20.10.2026: FCI-Standard Nr. 265 Norsk Lundehund (Norwegischer Lundehund) (fci.be, German version dated 22.02.2012, valid standard published 10.11.2011); McMillan KM et al., Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death, Scientific Reports 2024 (breed not included); Stronen AV et al., Genetic rescue of an endangered domestic animal through outcrossing with closely related breeds: A case study of the Norwegian Lundehund, PLoS One 2017; Kettunen A et al., Cross-Breeding Is Inevitable to Conserve the Highly Inbred Population of Puffin Hunter: The Norwegian Lundehund, PLoS One 2017; Kolbjørnsen O et al., Gastropathies in the Lundehund. I. Gastritis and gastric neoplasia associated with intestinal lymphangiectasia, APMIS 1994.
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