Most dogs have 5 toes (including the dewclaws) on the front feet and 4 on the back feet. Some breeds like Great Pyrenees have double dewclaws on the back feet.
Only one breed has 6 toes on all four feet … care to take a guess before scrolling down to find out??
The answer is the Norwegian Lundehund, which has 6 fully formed toes on all four paws.
This breed’s job was to hunt puffins who nest in crevices in cliff walls of the Norwegian island Vaeroy. The Lundehund would climb the sheer rock walls, squeeze into tiny passages, and grab the birds, then scramble back down the cliffs.
Puffins are now a protected species in Norway so Lundehunds no longer have their puffin-hunting job.
The Lundehund has several other unique features: Their neck can bend back so the head touches the spine, the ears fold shut, and shoulders allow forelegs to extend to the side, perpendicular to the body! This flexible shoulder gives the breed a distinctive “rotary” gait.
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