History of the Norwegian Lundehund

What has six toes on each foot, is an amazing climber, and is great at stealing eggs? It’s the Norwegian Lundehund, also called the Puffin dog, is perhaps the most well-known among the dog breeds from Norway. This ancient breed is truly rare and unique, with a rich history that is worth exploring.

Far to the north, up in the windswept expanse of the Arctic Circle, lie the Lofoten Islands. This rugged archipelago is the historic homeland of one of the world’s most unique and fascinating canines: the Norwegian Lundehund.

While no one is entirely certain how old the breed is, archaeological evidence suggests that they developed in the early part of the second millennium, with research pointing to a descent from a primeval dog species.

A Viking’s Best Friend and the Puffin Trade

For centuries, the Norwegian Lundehund was an indispensable part of daily life on the Lofoten Islands. These Spitz-type working dogs earned their name honestly—”Lundehund” literally translates to Puffin dog.

During the Viking Age and well through the 17th century, a roaring puffin trade thrived in the Lofoten Islands. Puffins were a vital source of food, and their down was heavily prized for bedding and warm clothing. Because specialized anatomy allowed these dogs to scale vertical cliffs or squeeze into tight rock caves to snatch birds and eggs, most island households kept around a dozen Lundehunds. In fact, a single dog was often considered more valuable than a cow!

The Brink of Extinction

As times changed, the government began levying heavy taxes on the Lundehund, making them expensive to keep. Alternative hunting methods were developed, and once the puffin was declared an endangered species, the Lundehund was left without a job.

By the 1900s, the breed had vanished everywhere except the remote village of Måstad. Things grew even direr during the Second World War when Canine Distemper swept through the islands, nearly driving the breed to extinction. A subsequent outbreak in 1963 dealt another devastating blow, leaving a mere six surviving dogs in the entire world.

Back from the Brink

Miraculously, thanks to the sheer determination of breeders like Eleanor Christie and Christen Lang—alongside strict breeding guidelines designed by a Swedish geneticist—the population began to recover from a severe genetic bottleneck. Today, approximately 1,400 Norwegian Lundehunds exist worldwide, mostly in Norway. Interestingly, they are even returning to their working roots: Norwegian Air Traffic and Airport Management have experimented with using Lundehunds to manage bird populations around Tromsø airport to reduce dangerous airplane bird strikes.

Extraordinary Anatomy: Polydactyl and Flexible

The Norwegian Lundehund is small, typically weighing six to seven kilos and measuring up to 40 cm in height, with a dense double coat of red-brown, fawn, or white-and-dark markings. However, it is their anatomical marvels that set them apart from every other dog on Earth:

• Extra Toes (Polydactyl): Unlike standard dogs, a Lundehund has at least six toes on each foot, including two large, fully formed dewclaws complete with normal muscles and joints.

• Contortionist Joints: Their skeletal structure features an astonishing range of motion. They can bend their heads backward so far that it touches their spine, and they can swing their forelegs outward at a full 90-degree angle from their body.

• Seal-like Ears: Lundehunds have a unique cartilage adaptation that allows them to fold and seal their ears shut, protecting their ear canals from dirt, dust, and water while crawling through subterranean puffin nests.

Despite being custom-built for scaling cliffs and squirming through tight spaces, the American Kennel Club (AKC) bizarrely classifies this elite climbing canine as Non-Sporting!

A Curious and Mischievous Character

If you are thinking about welcoming a Lundehund into your home, be prepared. They are exceptionally charming, sweet, and fiercely intelligent, but they are also notorious escape artists.

Because of their flexible joints and extra toes, they can scale garden walls or slip through narrow gaps right under your nose. They are notoriously difficult to house-train, love to dig and bark, and possess a quirky habit of hoarding and hiding stolen food and shiny objects. They require a dedicated owner who can appreciate a dog with a mind—and the gymnastics skills—of its own!