Caring for a Norwegian Lundehund: The Complete Owner's Guide to the World's Rarest and Most Extraordinary Dog: Everything You Need to Know About Histo (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798185276037)

A dog with six toes on every foot. A neck that folds backward along its own spine. And a history that came within six dogs of disappearing forever.

The Norwegian Lundehund is unlike any other dog on Earth, not by accident, but by design. For four hundred years, this small, extraordinary breed was the only dog ever built for one specific, astonishing job: climbing sheer Arctic sea cliffs and crawling into narrow rock burrows to hunt puffins on the remote Norwegian island of V r y. Every strange, remarkable trait it carries, the extra toes, the impossibly flexible shoulders, the ears that seal shut on command, exists because of that job.

Then the job disappeared. And twice in the twentieth century, disease very nearly took the breed with it, reducing the entire world population, at its lowest point, to just six related dogs. Every Norwegian Lundehund alive today descends from those six survivors, a genetic bottleneck that shapes nearly everything about owning one of these dogs, from a well-documented digestive health condition to an active, ongoing scientific effort to widen the breed's gene pool before it's too late.

Caring for a Norwegian Lundehund is the complete, honest guide to this remarkable animal: the true history behind its extraordinary body, what it actually costs and takes to find a puppy from one of the world's smallest breeding communities, the health vigilance this breed genuinely requires, and the patient, positive-only approach needed to train a dog widely described as almost too clever to obey.

Inside, you'll discover:

• The full history of the puffin dog, from the cliffs of V r y to Eleanor Christie's rescue effort to AKC recognition in 2011
• The unique anatomy behind the breed's six toes, folding neck, and closable ears, and why every trait exists for a reason
• How the Lundehund compares to the Norwegian Buhund, Icelandic Sheepdog, and Norrbottenspets
• A complete guide to finding a reputable breeder in a community of roughly 1,500 dogs worldwide
• The full cost of ownership, from puppy price to the pet insurance experienced owners recommend securing early
• A dedicated, in-depth chapter on Lundehund Syndrome, the serious digestive condition tied directly to the breed's genetic history, including symptoms, diagnosis, and management
• Training methods built specifically for an independent, intelligent breed that does not respond to force
• The active outcross conservation program working right now to secure the breed's genetic future
• Life stage care, travel and boarding guidance, and the breed's growing recognition in modern media
• Bonus appendices: breeder checklists, a nutritional reference chart, a veterinary health log, an emergency contact sheet, and more

Whether you're a serious prospective owner already on a waiting list, or simply captivated by one of the most extraordinary survival stories in the dog world, this book gives you everything you need to understand, and responsibly care for, a living piece of Arctic history.