Today the breed is found in every county, with the larger populations in Hordaland and Rogaland. The animals are most commonly black in the coat, but red-brown animals may also occur. There can be large differences between black and brown, ranging from almost black with a white stripe across the back. to an almost completely brown animal with a few red stripes on the side. A complete agreement on a common standard for the racial “bydgdadyret” has never been set because of skepticism. Many claim that the standard of the animal should be light blue with a big chest and short hind legs that help it to retreat effectively if needed.
Today we see more variations of the breed, and in the end of 2012 a small research group will finish there goal to identify the breed and produce a written national standard. It is also desirable to have greater knowledge about this old Norwegian breed, as a greater understanding of how the place could have bred a new perspective on its prevalence. The Norwegian “Bygdedyret” is hard to spot as it is naturally shy and precautious around other animals and people, especially the extroverted.
Text: "Old Norwegian society breeds, partly threatened by the change in life patterns and migration to smaller settlements at the national level."
