Though the title, “Barking Bird Dog of Finland” officially belongs to the Finnish Spitz, the Norrbottenspets is a serious challenger as barking titles go. This ancient farm, companion and hunting dog was developed in Norrbotten, Sweden, but after World War II, interest in the “Norrbie” vanished with the plummet of fur prices, and the Swedish Kennel Club concluded that the breed had vanished, too. It closed its stud books (too soon, as it turned out) and in 1948, the Norrbottenspets was declared extinct. A group of enthusiastic hunters set out to find specimens typical of the breed, and by 1967, the Swedish Kennel Club re-accepted the Norrbottenspets for registration, complete with a new breed standard. It’s believed that less than 100 of these dogs exist in North America.
Now, about the barking.
A Norrbottenspets can bark up to 120 barks per minute, though in hunting trials, a dog is given a break and required to bark only at a minimum of 100 barks per minute. Why is “high velocity” barking desired? Because rapid barking confuses game while covering the sounds made by an approaching hunter. It allows the hunter to find the game and get close enough without the prey knowing the hunter is there.
These lively, fearless and cheerful dogs aren’t all that big (adults average around 25 pounds), but they have a big personality that is playful and kind. So kind, in fact, that Simon and Schuster’s Guide to Dogs rated the Norrbottenspets among the top 10 breeds for gentleness with children.
Norrbottenspets by LA Shephard