The Finnish Lapphund is a Spitz breed originating from Lapland; a region that now spans the North of Finland, Sweden, Norway and parts of north-western Russia. This region is inhabited by the Indigenous Sami people. The dogs of this region adapted over thousands of years as a landrace to suit the harsh climate, work and lifestyle needs of the Sami people.
In ancient times the dogs assisted with hunting in the forests and tundra. Eventually the Sami transitioned from hunting to reindeer herding. Their dogs also transitioned from hunting companions to reindeer herding specialists. The Sami’s dogs were an integral part of their life, not only assisting with the reindeer herds, but also acting as close companions to their families. The families lived in ‘lavvus’ (the spelling differs depending on the dialect) Lavvus were temporary tepee-type structures. The dogs could often be found inside, keeping the children company. They would also hunt rodents and other small animals around the camp area and bark at potential predators. They were an all-round useful dog, whose company was greatly enjoyed by the entire family. In artwork depicting this time, Lapphund-type dogs can often be seen sitting with the children or adults, barking at birds and generally being a constant presence in the camp area.
Herding Instinct
Reindeer herding is entirely different to herding sheep and other commonly seen livestock. The Lapphund herding style is not well suited for herding sheep. Unlike the Disney depictions of reindeers, actual reindeer are stubborn, flighty, not domesticated and have antlers and hooves that can do serious damage. To herd reindeer requires great courage and agility. The dogs must also be able to quickly make their own ecisions and work well independently.
Reindeer herding was not an everyday activity for the Sami, with the reindeer living free on the tundra for most of the year. Practises differed among Sami family groups and regions but generally the reindeer were only captured and corralled, a couple of times a year, for animal husbandry purposes. Outside of these occasions very large herds consisting of hundreds, if not thousands, of reindeer would be moved to fresh pastures at different times of the year. Circa 1960s to 1970s, the Sami herding techniques evolved to the use of snowmobiles for herding the reindeer. As a consequence, the Lapphund-type dogs fell out of favour with the Sami.
The Modern Lapphund
In the 1970s to early 1990s, much work was carried out by modern breeders in Finland and Sweden to establish the standards of the breed. The breeders would travel to Lapland to purchase suitable dogs from the Sami people and operated breeding programs to preserve the breed.
Today, the Finnish Lapphund is among the five most popular breeds in Finland. The Finns take great pride in this dog and consider them one of their national breeds. It is now rare to find Lapphunds performing reindeer herding as a ‘job’ in Lapland, and modern Sami people are living a different way of life. Some Sami people have retained or reinstated aspects of their heritage but very few use Lapphunds in their work. The Sami people remain forward thinking and accepting of new technology, with helicopters and drones often utilised for herding their reindeer.
The Finnish Lapphund was introduced to Australia in 1995. At time of writing, (October 2020) There have been approximately 1,700 Finnish Lapphunds bred in Australia.
Temperament
Finnish Lapphunds are a very friendly breed with an incredible, joyful nature. They are friendly with strangers, particularly those that give belly rubs! They are a soft and gentle breed that are good with children, the elderly and disabled people. They very much want to be involved in their families day to day life and activities.
They can become reactive towards other dogs when on leash, particularly in urban areas, if not provided with proper training in their two years of life.
They are relatively trainable compared to other Spitz breeds, with Lapphunds training and competing in obedience, rally obedience, agility, flyball, nose work, tracking, track and search, weight pull and dancing with dogs. It is important to note, however, that they are more of a challenge to train than other common working breeds. Due to their herding background, they retain an instinct to chase. In our modern context, that often means chasing birds or other animals.
Appearance
The breed is smaller than medium sized, slightly longer than the height at the withers: males 49cm; females 44cm, plus or minus 3cm. The coat is profuse; the males especially exhibit an abundant mane. The guard coat is long, straight and harsh; the undercoat soft and dense. Any colour coat is permissible, but the basic colour must be dominant.
Maintenance
Their coat requires weekly brushing. Owners need to be equipped with appropriate brushes and combs and should be prepared to spend up to an hour weekly brushing hrough their profuse double coat. Each spring they will experience a large “coat drop” of the undercoat. This requires extensive brushing to remove - or the assistance of a professional groomer.
As a Spitz breed, they do not develop a ‘doggy’ odour. In their home country they are very rarely bathed, perhaps only once a year to once every few years. Dirt is easily brushed out from their coat once dry.
The Finns are passionately adamant that this breed is to remain a natural breed resembling those once found on the tundra. As such, a Finnish Lapphund coat should not be highly ‘styled’ with grooming products. Nor should they be trimmed or shaved.
Health
The Finnish Lapphund is generally a healthy breed. Their working-dog ancestry in harsh and freezing cold conditions has ensured that the modern Lapphund is a hardy and robust dog. Expected life span is 12-15 years, with some living beyond this. When purchasing a puppy, potential owners should ensure the breeder supplies the following health testing records for each parent: ● An ACES eye certificate dated in the 24 months prior to the mating. ● Hip score test results, ideally from the ANKC CHEDS hip scheme. ● Elbow score results (may not be available where sire is from imported semen) ● DNA test results for Prcd-PRA and GSD II carrier status.
Suitability
Finnish Lapphunds are suitable for individuals and families who want to involve their dog in their life and activities and who are committed to weekly, thorough grooming and regular, consistent training. As a versatile breed, they are well suited to those who would like to partake in various dog sports.
Words: The Finnish Lapphund Club of NSW
Photo: Ffire Photography
In Conclusion
Now you know a little about the Finnish Lapphund you may have think that this is the dog for you. Before you make a decision, please make contact with the breed club or your State controlling body for purebred dogs. They will be able to give you information about available puppies and also suggest dog shows where you can see the breed and speak to breeders. In this way you will gain a better perspective of the Finnish Lapphund and its needs and whether this breed would suit your lifestyle.
Official breed standard as recognized by Dogs NSW (Last Updated: 22 Feb 2017)
A breed standard is the guideline which describes the ideal characteristics, temperament, and appearance of a breed and ensures that the breed is fit for function with soundness essential. Breeders and judges should at all times be mindful of features which could be detrimental in any way to the health, welfare or soundness of this breed.
General Appearance
Smaller than medium sized. Strongly built for his size, slightly longer than the height at the withers. The coat is long and dense.Important Proportions: The depth of chest is approximately half of the height at the withers. The muzzle is slightly shorter than the skull. The skull is slightly longer than its width, the depth is the same as the width.
Characteristics
Utilisation: Originally a herder and watch dog used in the work of keeping reindeer. Today also popular as a companion dog.FCI Classification: Group 5 Spitz and primitive type, Section 3 Nordic Watchdogs and Herders. Without working trial.
Temperament
Intelligent, courageous, calm and docile. Friendly and faithful.
Physical Standards
Head and Skull
Strong in outline, rather broad.Cranial Region:Skull: Broad, the skull is slightly convex. The forehead is rather domed. The frontal furrow is clearly defined.Stop: Clearly defined.Facial Region:Nose: Black or brown, according to coat colour.Muzzle: Strong, broad and straight; viewed from above and in profile evenly, but only slightly tapering.Lips: Tight.Cheeks: The zygomatic arches are well pronounced.
Eyes
Oval shaped, dark brown, according to coat colour. The expression is soft and friendly.
Ears
Medium sized, carried erect or semi-erect, set rather apart, rather broad at the base, triangular in shape and very mobile, also the inner side is covered with hair. It is equally acceptable that one ear is erect and the other semi-erect.
Mouth
The jaws are strong. Scissor bite.
Neck
Medium in length, strong and covered with profuse hair.
Forequarters
General appearance: Powerful with strong bones. Viewed from the front straight and parallel.Shoulders: Slightly oblique.Upper arms: As long as the shoulder blades. The angle between shoulder and upper arm is rather open.Elbows: Approximately at the level of the lower edge of the ribcage, pointing straight backwards.Forearms: Rather strong, vertical.Carpus: Flexible.Pasterns: Of medium length, slightly oblique.
Body
Withers: Muscular and broad, only slightly pronounced.Back: Strong and straight.Loin: Short and muscular.Croup: Of medium length, well developed, only very slightly sloping.Chest: Deep, rather long, reaching almost to the elbows, not very broad. The ribs are slightly arched; the fore chest clearly visible, not very strong.Underline and belly: Only slightly tucked up.
Hindquarters
General appearance: Strong boned, powerful, viewed from behind straight and parallel. The angulation is clearly marked with no exaggeration.Upper thigh: Of medium length, rather broad with well-developed muscles.Stifle: Parallel, rather well angulated.Second thigh: Relatively long and sinewy.Hocks: Moderately low, rather well angulated but not excessively.Metatarsus: Rather short, strong and vertical.
Feet
Forefeet: Well arched, oval rather than round, covered with dense hair. The pads are elastic. Dense hair between the pads.Hind feet: As front feet.
Tail
Set rather high, medium in length, covered with profuse and long hair. The tip of the tail may have a J-formed hook. Whenmoving the tail is curved over the back or side, in rest it may hang.
Gait/Movement
Effortless. Changes easily from trot to gallop. The legs move parallel. When working agile and fast.
Coat
Skin: Tight, without wrinkles.Hair: Profuse, especially the males have an abundant mane. The outer coat is long and harsh. On the head and on the front side of the legs the coat is shorter. There has to be an undercoat that is soft and dense.
Colour
All colours are permitted. The basic colour must be dominant. Colours other than the basic colour can occur on head, neck, chest, underside of the body, on legs and tail.
Size
Height at the withers:Ideal height: males 49 cm and females 44 cm with a tolerance of ±3 cm.The type is more important than the size.
Faults
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should beregarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and on its ability to perform its traditional work.· Lack of sexual dimorphism.· Light head.· Insufficient stop.· Over angulated or too straight rear angulation.· Tail carriage continuously lower than the topline.· Lack of under coat.· Flat coat.· Curly outer coat.· Basic colour not dominant.DISQUALIFYING FAULTS:· Aggressive or overly shy.· Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities.· Overshot or undershot mouth.· Kinky tail.· Full drop ears.
· Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.· Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed typical conformation, should be used for breeding.
History
For hundreds of years the Sami people have used dogs of the same type as Finnish Lapponian Dog as reindeer herders and watchdogs in the northern parts of Fennoscandia and Russia. The first standard of the Lapponian Herder was established by the Finnish Kennel Club in 1945. The breed´s name was changed into Lapponian Dog in 1967. In the 1970:s the type and the characteristics of the breed became stabilized, the standard has been revised several times. The breed name was again changed into Finnish Lapponian Dog in 1993. The breed type has become homogeneous in a short time and today the breed is very popular mainly as a companion and utility dog in the whole of Finland.
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