Lundehund and other interesting breeds

tsukitsunetsukitsune
edited May 2008 in Other Breeds
Ok, this Lundehund has a great range of motion in its joints, allowing it to fit into narrow passages. The head can be bent backwards along the dog's own spine, and the forelegs can turn to the side at a 90-degree angle to its body, much like human arms. Its pricked, upright ears can be sealed nearly shut by folding them forward or backward.The Norwegian Lundehund is polydactyl & instead of the normal four toes a foot, the Lundehund has six toes. Its double dew claws apparently act as an opposable thumb would!
Am I the only one who is freaked out somewhat by a dog that can hand me my morning coffee?
Apparently these mutant traits make them excellent Puffin hunters!
http://dogbreedinfo.com/lundehund.htm

Are there any other "mutant" dogs out there with unusual talents?

Comments

  • LeonbergerLeonberger
    edited May 2008
    The Lundehund is a very interesting breed indeed. And hunting puffins is what got them those traits. Their feet allow them to be all terrain dogs.
    Pop quiz on useless trivia factoids: What is the only other quadruped than can get their arms out 90degrees, making its chest tough the ground?
  • LeonbergerLeonberger
    edited November -1
    For mutant dogs, I remember what I mentioned on the primitive thread about the Chow Chow, they have two extra bones on the sides of their heads and an average body temperature that is higher than all the other breeds by about 1 degree Celsius.

    More "useless" facts?

    - The average Mastiff can knock a grown man down with one paw and can break a leg with one bite!
    - Neapolitan Mastiffs supposedly fought and won against elephants!!!
    - A female Anatolian lived to see her 28th or 29th birthday (can't remember exactly)
    - Border Collies are said to hypnotise sheep with their stare.

    More will follow as I remember them.
  • dlrobertsdlroberts
    edited November -1
    Crazy!
  • BradA1878BradA1878
    edited November -1
    Rui, as Brandon pointed out, your knowledge of breed is pretty amazing!

    The mastiff thing just makes me want a TM more! lol!

    ----
  • LeonbergerLeonberger
    edited November -1
    Brad - It's only a bunch of loose factoids that stuck to my sometimes strange memory, heheh. Take into consideration the Mastiff I meant was the English Mastiff, I always leave the English behind.
  • BradA1878BradA1878
    edited November -1
    I figured that is what you meant - they are freaking huge!

    ----
  • LeonbergerLeonberger
    edited November -1
    Another factoid I remembered : While, on average, Irish Wolfhounds are the tallest breed, the tallest dog ever measured at a show was a Great Dane, that was 1,06metres to the withers. Supposing this was a dog that complied to the standard I calculated the total height of this particular dog to be about 1,48metres, if I remember it correctly! That's 4'10"!!
  • brandon_wbrandon_w
    edited November -1
    I shit you not, a Great Dane came into the shelter that was the size of a small horse. Biggest dog I have ever seen and I have met more than a few Irish Wolfhounds. Luckily rescue took him in, as he could not get through the dog doors that allow the dogs to have two kennel spaces (one for sitting in, and one for bathroom if need be).
  • BradA1878BradA1878
    edited November -1
    Side note - We have learned that our dogs don't do well with Great Danes... Ahi had been socialized with them pretty often, but now she wants to kill everyone she sees - same applies to Loa and Kona and they were never socialized with them. It's kinda odd, like some ancient primitive thing.

    ----
  • LeonbergerLeonberger
    edited November -1
    To continue with the Great Dane theme, supposedly a female called Barine once left the side of her owners during their sleep, only to come down and slit the throat of a burglar that had broken into their house. She did this without waking them up, and they only found it out the next morning. Creepy...
  • brandon_wbrandon_w
    edited November -1
    How does a dog slit a throat?
  • LeonbergerLeonberger
    edited November -1
    Sorry, probably got lost in translation. I mean she bit his throat open...and then just headed on back to the side of her owners.
  • BradA1878BradA1878
    edited November -1
    wow... that's kinda creepy.
  • JessicaRabbitJessicaRabbit
    edited November -1
    I'm unsettled...
    Moto HATES bull terriers
    Piglet hates yellow labs and goldens
    Miko like everyone, but terrorizes pugs
  • brandon_wbrandon_w
    edited November -1
    I guess I'd use the phrase "tore his throat out". Although I was highly impressed by a Great Dane with knife skills.
  • LeonbergerLeonberger
    edited November -1
    To brighten things up a bit. At a dog show we went to last December, there was a demonstration of parachute troops' army dogs. Along with the "basic" GSD, they too an AmStaff (to teach people that th eso called potentially dangerous can be great at training) and a small female mix of Portuguese Pointer. The little female was trained to pin down a man, while using a muzzle. It was impressive!!! She would hit crotch with her head, to take the man down and then hit the throat and crotch with head and feet. This was a dog that couldn't weigh more that 16/18 Kg!!
  • LeonbergerLeonberger
    edited November -1
    Brandon - LOL, knife skills! Don't forget that,while my English is decent, I still think mainly in Portuguese...
  • brandon_wbrandon_w
    edited November -1
    Your English is great, far better than my Portuguese. I was only trying to be helpful by sharing how I might have put it, not trying to comment on your English.
  • glacierglacier
    edited November -1
    cool facts! must be hard to remember them all
  • LeonbergerLeonberger
    edited November -1
    I remembered I never gave the answer to that quadruped question.
    The only other quadruped (other than the Lundehund) that can get its arms out to the sides and touch the ground with its chest is the reindeer.
  • HeidiHeidi
    edited November -1
    Rui - very interesting! I wonder why they can do that.

    As for freak dogs, my Skella (and most Iceland Sheepdogs) has double dewclaws on her hind legs so that she can search for lost sheep in the rugged Icelandic terrain.
  • tsukitsunetsukitsune
    edited November -1
    Lol! 'freak dogs'.. Heidi - thats pretty cool - can you take a picture of it?
  • LeonbergerLeonberger
    edited November -1
    A few more facts that popped in my mind:

    The Dalmatian was known, for a while, as Little Dane, because the breed was thought to be related to the Great Dane, the harlequin variety. Genetic research has found that the black patches on the Great Dane are caused by a different gene tan the one that is responsible for the Dalmatian's spots.

    The Great Dane isn't a Dane at all. After some discussion between Denmark and Germany, Germany got the origin of the breed. The actual "Great Dane" is the Broholmer (which might be one of the rarest breeds), and the Great Dane is the Deutsche Dogge.
  • tobyshibatobyshiba
    edited November -1
    These are directly from the Lundehund Club website;

    Double dew claws:
    image

    Flexibility:
    image
    image
  • StaticNfuzzStaticNfuzz
    edited November -1
    Now that's pretty freaky. Don't try this at home (LOL).


    Snf
  • JessicaRabbitJessicaRabbit
    edited November -1
    I am a little weirded out by the Lundehund. And yet I kinda want one...
  • tobyshibatobyshiba
    edited November -1
    Sadly, all Lundehunds are susceptible to Lundehund Syndrome, which is why their lifespan is unpredictable. The coolest dogs usually have the most health problems. :(
  • glacierglacier
    edited November -1
    There's a Lundehund breeder in Florida
    http://www.breeders.net/detail.php?id=137386
Sign In or Register to comment.

© Vanilla Keystone Theme 2024