Finnish Lapphund Facts You Should Know (with Pictures).

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Finnish Lapphund Breed Overview

The Finnish Lapphund is a medium-sized dog.

The adult Finnish Lapphund stands 17 to 20 inches tall at the shoulder.

The Finnish Lapphund belongs to the Herding Dogs group.

Dogs in the Herding Dogs group, like the Finnish Lapphund, were bred for moving livestock, including sheep, cattle, and even reindeer.

Herding dogs work closely with their human shepherds, and their natural intelligence and responsiveness make them highly trainable.

Herding dogs have high levels of energy, which needs to be channeled properly to prevent destructive behavior.

Herding breeds are protective of their people and property and make excellent watchdogs. Their intelligence, agility, and activity level make them well suited to dog sports.

The fact that Finnish Lapphunds belong to the Herding Dogs group is one of the reasons why Finnish Lapphunds have the personality and temperament that they have.

The temperament of the Finnish Lapphund is generally described as:

  • Calm
  • Courageous
  • Faithful
  • Friendly
  • Keen

History of the Finnish Lapphund Breed. Where Finnish Lapphunds came from

Lapphunds were originally used to herd reindeer by the Sami, a semi-nomadic people in Lapland.

Breeds of this breed date as far back as 7,000 B.

C.

It is considered an extremely old breed.

Lapphunds are herding dogs that control their herds by barking.

They make good watchdogs, but you must train them when to bark.

Reindeer can be volatile and have very sharp hooves which make them deadly.

The Finnish Lapphund developed a hair-trigger startle reflex due to this herding job and bark at most things that move.

This breed is not aggressive in any way and will not make for a good guard dog or a protective companion, but they do make for good alert dogs.

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What the Finnish Lapphund Looks Like

The Finnish Lapphund is an attractive, solidly built Spitz, small to medium size, with a thick fluffy coat.

It has a cheerful facial expression, and a long tail carries a curl over the back.

The Lapphund is a robust breed with solid bones and large paws that allow them to act like snowshoes.

The breed has an effortless, energetic gait and a stand-off coat with a mane around the neck.

Their coats must be brushed once or twice weekly to prevent excessive shedding.

The Finnish Lapphund can be red, brown, sable, wolf-sable, white, and black.

This breed is pretty laid-back and happy and was bred to herd reindeer.

Lapphunds need moderate exercise daily and will benefit from early obedience training.

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Best Finnish Lapphund Breeders

Finnish Lapphund Breeders in the United States

We have researched reputable Finnish Lapphund breeders that you can buy a puppy.

Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Finnish Lapphund breeders in various states in the United States.

On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.

A few of these breeders are listed below.

  1. Midnight White Siberians & Finnish Lapphunds

    Puppy Price: Check with breeder

Finnish Lapphund Growth

Finnish Lapphund Growth

New Finnish Lapphund owners need to know about the growth of their Finnish Lapphunds. This will help them plan their living spaces accordingly.

Also, knowing the typical growth pattern of the Finnish Lapphund will help new owners catch the abnormal growth of their Finnish Lapphund early.

See our calculator for predicting how big your Finnish Lapphund puppy will get. You will also learn about the typical weight of the Finnish Lapphund at different ages and how to catch abnormal growth in your Finnish Lapphund

Finnish Lapphund

What Colors do Finnish Lapphunds Have?

Finnish Lapphunds come in the following beautiful primary colors:

  • Black

Finnish Lapphunds come in the following lovely secondary colors in addition to their primary colors:

  • Yellow / Tan / Blond / Fawn
Finnish Lapphund
Finnish Lapphund

Finnish Lapphund Litter Size

Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science did a study where they counted the numbers of puppies in 24 different Finnish Lapphund birth litters.

From this study, the researchers found that the average number of puppies that Finnish Lapphunds can have is 5 puppies. Also, the Finnish Lapphund can have as few as 2 puppies per litter and as many as 9 puppies per litter.

The number of puppies that the Finnish Lapphund will have depends on factors such as the age of the Finnish Lapphund, the method of pregnancy, etc.

Click here to see our calculator for predicting how many puppies your Finnish Lapphund will have and how the litter size of the Finnish Lapphund compares to the litter size of other dog breeds.

How Fast Finnish Lapphunds Can Run

How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.

Based on our analysis of the speeds of 15 different Finnish Lapphunds, the average speed of the Finnish Lapphund is 21.2 mph (34.1 kmph).

The fastest speed on AKC record that the Finnish Lapphund ran in a race is 26.65 mph (42.9 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a Finnish Lapphund is 11.54 mph (18.6 kmph).

Click here to see how the speed of the Finnish Lapphund compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.

How fast Finnish Lapphund can run compared to other mammals

Good Names for Finnish Lapphunds

Here are some really good names that are typical for the Finnish Lapphund ranked by popularity:

  • Leo
  • Mo

How Popular are Finnish Lapphunds with New Dog Owners?

Every year, the American Kennel Club (AKC) publishes information on how popular a dog breed is in that particular year. The AKC gets the popularity information of a breed from how many dogs of that breed the owners register with the AKC every year. The AKC collects this data for about 200 dog breeds.

The graph below shows the popularity trend of the Finnish Lapphund.

The popularity of the Finnish Lapphund averaged over the years is Number 168 out of about 200 dog breeds.

Do not get a dog breed just because it is a popular dog breed. And do not reject a dog breed just because it is an unpopular breed.

Health Problems in Finnish Lapphunds and How to Prevent Them

Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.

The Finnish Lapphund is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.

From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.

Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.

If you want a Finnish Lapphund puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Finnish Lapphund breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.

The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen Finnish Lapphunds for:

  1. Degenerative Myelopathy
  2. Elbow Dysplasia
  3. Eye Examination
  4. Hip Dysplasia
  5. Patellar Luxation
  6. Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) DNA Test

You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Finnish Lapphunds here.

How to Take Care of Finnish Lapphund

How to feed your Finnish Lapphund.

To take good care of your Finnish Lapphund, you need to make sure that you groom your Finnish Lapphund regularly.

Secondly, you need to find a veterinarian in your area that will routinely check the health status of your Finnish Lapphund regularly, and give you appropriate recommendations on your Finnish Lapphund`s preventative care.

Thirdly, you need to commit some time to exercise your Finnish Lapphund daily. Regular exercise helps improve the health and quality of life of your Finnish Lapphund.

Also, you need to feed your Finnish Lapphund high-quality dog food, and the food should be of the right amount to prevent your Finnish Lapphund from getting overweight or underweight.

See our recommendations on what to feed the Finnish Lapphund and how much food to feed the Finnish Lapphund at different life stages.

Finally, you need to make sure that your Finnish Lapphund has access to clean water all the time. See our recommendations on how much water your Finnish Lapphund needs to drink at different ages.

How much water your Finnish Lapphund needs.

Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Finnish Lapphunds

If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the Finnish Lapphund.

We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Finnish Lapphund:

Other Things to Know About Finnish Lapphunds

Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Finnish Lapphund that you need to know about the Finnish Lapphund breed:

  • Finnish Lapphunds do not have the tendency to drool.
  • Finnish Lapphunds do not like to be left alone.
  • Finnish Lapphunds cannot tolerate hot weather. They are not suited for hot environments.
  • Finnish Lapphunds adapt well to apartment living.
  • Finnish Lapphunds are good for new dog owners.
  • Finnish Lapphunds are easily disturbed by noise in their environments. They are sensitive to human tone. They will understand the tone of your voice when you try to correct their behaviors with a firm tone.
  • Finnish Lapphunds are very friendly towards strangers.
  • Finnish Lapphunds are very easy to groom.
  • Finnish Lapphunds are very healthy. They do not suffer from a lot of health problems compared to other dog breeds
  • Finnish Lapphunds gain weight easily. You need to pay careful attention to what you feed them.
  • Finnish Lapphunds are prone to nip and chew at things.
  • Finnish Lapphunds have a high prey drive. They do not get along well with other pets.
  • Finnish Lapphunds have a high tendency to wander. They are easily distracted by other animals or objects.
  • Finnish Lapphunds require a lot of exercise. They are good for owners who like to exercise.
  • Finnish Lapphunds can tolerate cold weather.
  • Finnish Lapphunds are great family dogs. They are very affectionate with family.
  • Finnish Lapphunds get along well with kids. They are kid-friendly.
  • Finnish Lapphunds get along well with other dogs.
  • Finnish Lapphunds are very easy to train.
  • Finnish Lapphunds are highly intelligent.
  • Finnish Lapphunds have very high energy levels. They need a lot of exercise time to release their high energy.
  • Finnish Lapphunds do things with high intensity. They can be very forceful.
  • Finnish Lapphunds are very playful.
  • Finnish Lapphunds weigh 33 to 53 pounds when fully grown.
  • Finnish Lapphunds are 17 to 20 inches tall at the shoulder when fully grown.
  • Finnish Lapphunds have a lifespan of 12 to 15 years.