One autumn afternoon her first summer, my father-in-law Willie was repairing a roof and lost one of his gloves. He called Belle over, showed her the remaining glove and said "Belle, go get my other glove." Now, he did this really as a joke, because he did not expect her to go find it. He kept on working and fairly soon Belle came running up with his other glove in her mouth, and extremely proud of herself. Well, that converted Willie - he had always loved her, but now he really understood her intelligence.
One feature that makes Icelandic sheepdogs unique from other breeds is their double dewclaws on their rear feet. (Some rare dogs have three or even four double dewclaws - called allspori). I had read that the dewclaws helped the dogs to climb rocks and ice in Iceland. Well, one day Belle had followed me into the barn and she climbed right straight up the side of 5 stacked bales of hay (not staggered, straight up!). I couldn't believe my eyes - she was climbing like a cat!.
At four months of age Belle helped me catch and move an escaped ewe lamb, holding her and then moving her into the gate I opened. When the pups are around, whether they are hers or not, she keeps an eye on them and herds them around the yard, never letting them wander too far. At one point, when Rosie could still fit through the picket fencing and escaped from me (prior to coming when I called her), Belle ran out, barking at her, turned her around and brought her back to me.
Belle is an excellent mother. She had her first three litters completely unassisted, six puppies each, and she is a most attentive mother. She is a wonderful teacher to her pups, socializing them to getting along with other dogs - we work on socializing them with people!
To view Belle's pedigree, click here.
click here.
click here.
click here.
