FINNISH LAPPHUNDS

This breed is the third one that was recognized by the AKC in June.  They are from Finland, as you can maybe figure out from their name.  But there is also a Swedish Lapphund, and there is a Lapponian Herder, so it's a little confusing.  All of these dogs probably started out being kind of the same, and then they got made into different breeds because of how people bred them.

Anyway, the Finnish Lapphunds were first used by the Sami people to herd reindeer.  In fact, the Sami people still use lapphunds sometimes to do this, but they now also use snowmobiles and Lapponian Herders, which is a dog breed with shorter hair than the lapphunds.  The Sami people live way up north, above the Arctic Circle, in a place called Lapland, and it is really cold there, especially in the winter.  So that is why they needed a dog who had a nice thick coat, and who didn't mind being outside in the snow all day.

The Sami used to be a really nomadic people, and they traveled around a lot to wherever they could find grass or whatever reindeer eat.  The lapphunds guarded the reindeer and herded them from place to place.  Reindeer are harder to herd than some other animals are, because they can suddenly turn around and try to trample a dog.  So the lapphunds had to bark a lot so that the reindeer knew they weren't wolves, and the dogs also had to use their "startle reflex" so they could get away from a reindeer in a hurry if the reindeer got nasty.

Nowadays, the Sami people stay mostly in one place, and they keep the lapphunds more as companion dogs than as working dogs.  In other parts of Finland, the lapphunds have become popular as family dogs because they have a good temperament and they do well with children.  Since lapphunds have a thick double coat, they are one of only two breeds that it is legal to keep in an outdoor kennel during the winter in Finland.  The other breed is the Lapponian Herder.  Besides being really warm, the lapphund's coat is also waterproof.

Lapphunds are medium-sized dogs.  The males are 18 to 20 inches tall at the shoulder, and the females are 16 to 19 inches tall.  A male usually weighs between 37 and 42 pounds, and a female weighs 33 to 53 pounds.

The most common colors for Finnish Lapphunds are white, black, red, brown, sable, and wolf-sable.  Any color is actually okay, but the dog should be mostly all that color.  Like, for instance, you would not see a spotted lapphund.  Lots of lapphunds have interesting markings on their faces.  One of these markings is called "spectacles" because it is a ring of light-colored hair around the eyes.

Lappies are very intelligent and also very active, since they were meant to do the job of herding reindeer.  They are easy to train, and they do well in activities like agility, obedience trials, carting, mushing, flyball, tracking, herding events, and pet therapy.  They are gentle and friendly, but they are also good guard dogs.

This breed is usually healthy, and they live to be 12 or 14 years old.  Sometimes they even get to be 16 or 17, especially in Finland.  The main medical problems they have are progressive retinal atrophy and hereditary cataracts.

In 1944, a breed standard for the Swedish Lapphund was written, and one for the Finnish Lapphund was developed not long after that.  But later, in the 1960s, the Finnish breeds were divided, and the Lapponian Herder was made into a separate breed.  The Finnish Lapphund got its own separate breed standard in 1967.

The first litter of lappies in America was born in 1988.  The UKC recognized the breed in 1994, and the AKC accepted it into the Miscellaneous Group in 2009.  This year it got full recognition.  So if you go to your local dog show, you might see a Finnish Lapphund, or you might not, depending on how big the show is.  Probably, the breed will get to be more popular as time goes by, but Mom says we are not going to be getting one because they have way too much hair!