I'm a Suomenlapinkoira, a Finnish Lapponian Dog, a Finnish Lapphund or just a "Lappie".
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About the breedThere are very few breeds who can classify themselves as both "old" and "new" but the Finnish Lapphund is one of them. Bred by the nomadic Sami people of Lapland which encompasses the northern parts of Sweden, Finland, Norway and the Kola Peninsula of Russia, the Lappish dogs (ancestors of the Finnish Lapphund) have been used as hunting dogs, watch dogs and reindeer herders for centuries.
Though the breed has since been largely replaced in their original work by snow-mobiles, they have gained popularity as a companion, utility and sport dog in Finland, where there are more than 1000 puppies registered every year. The breed is still relatively new in Australia, with the first Lappie arriving in 1995. Sulyka Sisko or "Finn" was the first of three Lappie imports brought in by Brambleway Kennels, with Staalon Kolumbus "Kolumbus" and Lecibsin Heissulivei "Lily" following in 1997 and 2000 respectively. The first litter, between Kolumbus and Lily was born in 2001. Since then, the breed has exploded in popularity due to its good looks and sweet temperament. There are now roughly 30 breeders of Finnish Lapphunds in Australia and more and more lines are imported into Australia every year in the form of live dogs and AI opportunities. |
At a glance
Physical Traits
Training
Exercise
Grooming
Health
Physical Traits
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Though Lappies are often prized by pet owners for their cute, teddy-bear like expression, the breed is shaped to reflect their original purpose as a reindeer herder and watch dog.
Not all Lappies look the same as they were bred for function, not aesthetics - while they should always be able to be easily identified as a Lappie, there is a broad spectrum of different "types" and They are slightly smaller than medium, broad and heavy set, with a gorgeous long double coat, capable of protecting them from elements in both the cold of the Finnish winter, and the heat of the Summer. Though they are heavier set, their movement should be effortless, quick and agile, variety of "type" is celebrated in the breed, |
Training
Flyball racing Siberians - Ruby, Bella, Tilly and Zero
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Finnish Lapphunds are very intelligent, handler focused dogs which makes them quite easy to train, however they are also a spitz breed so do have a tendency to be a little more independent than a lot of other working breeds.
They are more than capable of learning basic pet obedience, and while they can be reactive to other dogs, human aggression should never be tolerated in the breed. Lappies tend to be cooperative and enthusiastic learners, however reliability can be a problem and it can be difficult to motivate them to continue doing the same thing over and over again. They excel at cross training (working on several different behaviours or sports at the same time), and are very capable of competing in a wide range of sports, however their body type, proportions, heat sensitivity and temperament can be an issue when it comes to competing in the top levels of ANKC dog sports. |
Exercise
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Lappies are a working dog so they do require daily exercise. Generally, we recommend 30 minutes-1hour of walking or free running in an open space each day to keep your lappie in top condition and to give them the mental stimulation they need to be calm and quiet at home.
Lappies are heat affected so they should not be exercised in warm temperatures, but may enjoy swimming or trips to the beach in lieu of a walk on a hot day. |
Grooming
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Lappies in Australia tend to have less coat than their northern ancestors simply because of the warmer weather here but that does not necessarily mean less grooming is required. Finnish Lapphund owners should set aside roughly an hour a week for grooming, more if the dog is “blowing coat”.
Blowing coat refers to the time when a dog will lose large amounts of their undercoat in a small amount of time. Often dogs will go from being in full coat, to having very little undercoat in the space of a month or less. During this time, owners must groom their dogs much more often to prevent the dead coat from getting caught in the rest of the coat and matting. We use a technique called line combing to groom our Finnish Lapphunds and our every day grooming kit for the breed includes a comb, pin brush and grooming spray. |
Health
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While the Finnish Lapphunds is generally a healthy breed, they do have the occasional health issue that comes up. It is important that breeders monitor their lines and test their breeding stock for known health issues but as there are no real pass or fail marks in health testing, what the breeder does with that information is equally as important.
Basic health testing for breeding dogs includes: - hip and elbow scoring (to test for hip and elbow dysplasia), - an ACES eye exam (for a myriad of eye conditions) - genetic testing for PRCD-PRA, GSD-II or "Pompes" disease and Canine Degenerative Myelopathy, though these may not be done if both parents have tested clear of the condition. Other tests may include an echocardiogram (an ultrasound of the heart), a gonioscopy (a test to check the drainage angle of the eye) and a genetic profile. |
The Finnish Lapphund's Original Purpose
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Herder & Watch DogSibes were originally bred by the semi-nomadic Chukchi people of Eastern Siberia, who relied on the breed to support their hunter-gatherer lifestyle. They were bred to pull their owner's sleds through the snow, protect their families from strangers and to help them hunt.
The dogs needed to be able to pull lightly loaded sleds across the frozen landscape at speed so the breed evolved to be quick and agile on their feet, intelligent enough to recognise the danger of thin ice, deep snow or unstable terrain (and make the split-second navigational decisions needed to get through it safely!) and also have great endurance. During summer, the Chukchi people would allow them to roam free, enabling them to hunt in packs, preying mostly on small animals, birds and wild cats. For this reason, Sibes have a high prey drive and it is not common for them to be placid enough to live with cats or pocket pets unless trained to be around them as puppies. |
Finnish Lapphunds as pets
Though more than 3500 years separates them from their wolf ancestors, Sibes do tend to display a number of wolfish behavioural traits. As a whole, they are more primitive than most breeds and this can be difficult for new Sibe owners to adjust to, particularly if they are used to more people-focused dogs. While they are often aloof with most strangers, they form close bonds with their families, and it's not uncommon for them to pick a favourite in the house.
They are known to be good with children and will tend to take themselves out of a situation if they are uncomfortable, however training, socialisation and supervision is always important when they are around children, or when you are introducing your Sibe to new people, or changing their circumstances (eg. when bringing a new baby into the house).
Rather than a bark, Sibes tend to howl, they are known to have a highly developed prey drive (cats, pocket pets and possums beware!), and without adequate mental stimulation, they can become very destructive. They are also well known escape artists and cannot often be trusted to be let off lead.
As a whole, they require less food than other breeds due to their slower metabolism. While this is very useful when they need to run through the snow for many hours, with little food to sustain them
Sadly, because of their beautiful primitive looks, they are often a target for owners who are ignorant of their needs. Because of this, they regularly end up in pounds and shelters.
They are known to be good with children and will tend to take themselves out of a situation if they are uncomfortable, however training, socialisation and supervision is always important when they are around children, or when you are introducing your Sibe to new people, or changing their circumstances (eg. when bringing a new baby into the house).
Rather than a bark, Sibes tend to howl, they are known to have a highly developed prey drive (cats, pocket pets and possums beware!), and without adequate mental stimulation, they can become very destructive. They are also well known escape artists and cannot often be trusted to be let off lead.
As a whole, they require less food than other breeds due to their slower metabolism. While this is very useful when they need to run through the snow for many hours, with little food to sustain them
Sadly, because of their beautiful primitive looks, they are often a target for owners who are ignorant of their needs. Because of this, they regularly end up in pounds and shelters.
Driven to the brink of extinction
Saving the BreedIn the 1940s, as the numbers of Finnish Lapphunds decreased, the Finnish people realised they needed to save their beautiful breed, and dogs belonging to the Sami people were bought, with the intention of establishing a breeding program. This led to the writing of a breed standard, which was adopted by the Finnish Kennel Club in 1945, under the breed name of "Lapponian Shepherd Dog". The original breed standard included both longer and shorter coated dogs under the same breed and it has been said that dogs of both coat types could be born in the same litters.
In 1967, the breeds were separated into long and short coats and given separate standards. The "Lapinkoira", or Lapphund and the "Lapinporokoira" or Lapponian Herder were recognised, finally splitting into the three different breeds we have today to separate the Finnish and Swedish Lapphunds. In 1996, the Finnish Lapphund standard in Finland was revised and an English translation was accepted by the Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI) in 1999. Dedicated to the indomitable spirit of the sled dogs that relayed antitoxin six hundred miles over rough ice, across treacherous waters, through Arctic blizzards from Nenana to the relief of stricken Nome in the winter of 1925. Sadly, Balto and the other dogs in his team were left to languish in a dime-a-look side show, hitched up to a sled with nowhere to go, when their handler was recalled to Alaska. Finally, they were purchased by a touring businessman and sent to Brookside Zoo, where Balto lived out the rest of his days. He died 8 years after the serum run, in 1933, aged 14.
Today, the Iditarod Trail Sled Race commemorates the indomitable spirit of the sled dogs who ran in The Great Race of Mercy, held over the path Balto and the other dogs took. |
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The Lappie RainbowPart of the appeal of the Finnish Lapphund is the vast array of colours they come in, the most common of which is Black and Tan. By understanding basic colour genetics, breeders should be able to give you a good idea of the colours they are expecting in a litter, though with recessive genes being able to be passed down without physically manifesting in the dog's appearance, some of the colours may show up unexpectedly.
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How one breed becomes three
The Lappish BreedsThe Suomenlapinkoira, or "Finnish Lapphund", the Lapinporokoira or "Lapponian Herder" and the Ruotsinlapinkoira or the "Swedish Lapphund". While the Finnish and Swedish Lapphunds are geared towards the fast, frenzied herding of a galloping breed, the Lapponian Herder is built to cover ground quickly at a trot, to drive the herd forward. but the Finnish and Swedish Lapphunds are rarely used by the Sami for their original purpose anymore, with the Lapponian Herder more tailored to their needs. Dedicated to the indomitable spirit of the sled dogs that relayed antitoxin six hundred miles over rough ice, across treacherous waters, through Arctic blizzards from Nenana to the relief of stricken Nome in the winter of 1925. Sadly, Balto and the other dogs in his team were left to languish in a dime-a-look side show, hitched up to a sled with nowhere to go, when their handler was recalled to Alaska. Finally, they were purchased by a touring businessman and sent to Brookside Zoo, where Balto lived out the rest of his days. He died 8 years after the serum run, in 1933, aged 14.
Today, the Iditarod Trail Sled Race commemorates the indomitable spirit of the sled dogs who ran in The Great Race of Mercy, held over the path Balto and the other dogs took. |
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Dolce, Emmi, Louis and Taija
The beautiful black and light tan, Summer
Gorgeous cream girls, Kyla and Mischa
Beautiful black and tan girl, Ahsoka
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There are very few breeds who can classify themselves as both "old" and "new" but the Finnish Lapphund is one of them. Bred by the nomadic Sami people of Lapland which encompasses the northern parts of Sweden, Finland, Norway and the Kola Peninsula of Russia, the Lappish dogs (ancestors of the Finnish Lapphund) have been used as guard dogs and reindeer herders for centuries.
As the lifestyle of the Sami people and their needs changed, so too did their dogs, eventually splitting into three separate but related breeds with different purposes. The Suomenlapinkoira, or "Finnish Lapphund", the Lapinporokoira or "Lapponian Herder" and the Ruotsinlapinkoira or the "Swedish Lapphund". While the Finnish and Swedish Lapphunds are geared towards the fast, frenzied herding of a galloping breed, the Lapponian Herder is built to cover ground quickly at a trot, to drive the herd forward.
As the Sami adopted a less nomadic lifestyle, the dogs became less and less necessary in the management of reindeer, particularly after the Sami adopted the use of snowmobiles. The breed's strong herding instinct remains but the Finnish and Swedish Lapphunds are rarely used by the Sami for their original purpose anymore, with the Lapponian Herder more tailored to their needs.
In the 1940s, as the numbers of Finnish Lapphunds decreased, the Finnish people realised they needed to save their beautiful breed, and dogs belonging to the Sami people were bought, with the intention of establishing a breeding program. This led to the writing of a breed standard, which was adopted by the Finnish Kennel Club in 1945, under the breed name of "Lapponian Shepherd Dog". The original breed standard included both longer and shorter coated dogs under the same breed and it has been said that dogs of both coat types could be born in the same litters. In 1967, the breeds were separated into long and short coats and given separate standards. The "Lapinkoira", or Lapphund and the "Lapinporokoira" or Lapponian Herder were recognised, finally splitting into the three different breeds we have today to separate the Finnish and Swedish Lapphunds. In 1996, the Finnish Lapphund standard in Finland was revised and an English translation was accepted by the Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI) in 1999. Though the breed is popular in Finland with over 1000 puppies registered a year, it is still relatively new in Australia, with the first Lappie arriving in 1995. Sulyka Sisko or "Finn" was the first of three Lappie imports by Brambleway Kennels, with Staalon Kolumbus "Kolumbus" and Lecibsin Heissulivei "Lily" following in 1997 and 2000 respectively. The first litter, between Kolumbus and Lily was born in 2001. Since then, Lappie numbers have increased with more and more dogs imported into Australia, and many litters being born. Australia's total has now risen to over 1200 Lappies registered with more on the way!
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