One of the most popular dog breeds in its native country, Finland, the Lapphund is a medium size herding dog breed, traditionally used for herding reindeer.
Origin
The first breed standards were set in 1945 by the Finnish Kennel Club. The breed was then called the Lappish Herder, and it is believed that these dogs were the result of a cross between the Karelian Bear Dog and the reindeer dogs.
In the 1960s, all the Finnish kennel associations were unified and the breeds were then reassessed. This resulted in the formal division of the breed into the Lapponian herder (shorter coat), and the Finnish Lapphund (longer coat) was defined in 1967.
Description
This medium-sized, strongly-built dog has a profuse and thick double-coat, picked mobile ears and distinctive markings on its rich fur. They grow up to 20 inches (52 cm) at the withers for a male, 19 inches (47 cm) for females, while the weight range goes from 33 to 53 lb (15 to 24 kg).
Practically any color is allowed. The most common color combination is black and tan (predominantly black body with tan legs and face), while other common colorations may include: crème, black, red, brown, sable and wolf-sable.
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The Finnish Lapphund is extremely intelligent and easy to train. The breed is very friendly and excellent with kids, but they are also quite alert, which makes them great watchdogs.
Pros
- highly intelligent
- easy to train
- excellent watchdog
- great with kids
- cat/dog friendly
- adaptable
Cons
- prone to progressive retinal atrophy
Should I adopt/buy a Finnish Lapphund?
If you are looking for a medium-sized watchdog that will also be great with the little ones and other pets, while also being incredibly easy to train, the Finnish Lapphund is definitely the breed to check out.