Description: The Finnish Lapphund is medium in size and is a strongly built dog that is in the Spitz breed of dogs. The height is 18-20 inches for the dog and 16-19 inches for the bitch. The weight is 37-42 pounds for the dog and 33-53 pounds for the bitch. The ears are a feature and these are pricked and very mobile. The eyes are almond in shape and dark in color with the eye rims being black, by preference. The muzzle is long and the nose is black. The bite is a scissor bite and the jaw is strong. The tail is set high and is covered in a thick fur. The legs are strong and powerful and the feet are well arched and oval the toes are slightly spread. The coat is very thick and covers the whole body being only shorter on the face and leg fronts. This is a hard coat with the outer coat being long and straight and the undercoat being soft and thick adding to the furs tendency to stand erect. All colors are allowed but the primary color covers most of the dog, secondary colors are allowed on the head, neck, chest, under the body, legs and then the tail. Colors that we see are, but not limited to; black, wolf sable, blue, cream, brindle, blonde, brown and tan. The life expectancy is 12-14 years.

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History: The Finnish Lapphund history is as a reindeer herding dog for the Sami people, these people are indigenous and reside in areas of Finland and surrounding countries. The Finnish Lapphund is very similar to the long hared dogs that the Sami developed. The Sami and the dog have worked together for thousands of years. Finland and Sweden were the first to start to standardize this breed, of Lapland, before the Second World War. Post war there was a very big outbreak of distemper and this left the dogs of Lapland at serious risk of extinction. It was after 1944 in the FCI that the standards for the Finnish Lapphund came about. It is believed The Finnish Lapphund is a cross between the Sami reindeer dogs and the Karelian Bear dogs. With several changes the final standards were made in 1967. The life of the Finnish Lapphund has changed and it is now more a pet rather than a working dog. It is the sixth most popular companion pet dog in Finland. The breed is recognized in the USA and there are breeding kennels. With over 237 registered dogs they are hoping to reach full recognition by the AKC soon.

Temperament: The Finnish Lapphund is a dog with a great training attitude and due to the intelligent nature can learn quickly. This is a dog that still likes to have a job to do and this can take the form of agility or obedience herding trials and even as a therapy dog. The owner needs to be calm but a good pack leader having time to help this dog burn off the energy that it has. They are suited to active people or families and make great outdoor companions. The Finnish Lapphund is good with children and can even be a good and responsive playmate. They make good watchdogs and will bark at the changes that they see. This breed does not seek out trouble and will rather flee than be in a situation that can be a problem. Socialize this pup well to help them be able to meet new situations.

Health issues: The Finnish Lapphund can have a progressive eye disease GPRA, cataracts and hip dysplasia but this is low in this breed.

Grooming: As with working dogs the coat is nearly self cleaning and so will need brushing once a week. They are heavy seasonal shedders, and at this time they need more brushing to remove the dead fur.

Living conditions: The Finnish Lapphund can live in an apartment if they have enough daily mental and physical exercise. They will require a garden and good fencing with shelter so, that in countries that have hot weather, they have somewhere cool to sit.

If you can't find a local breeder in your area don't worry, many breeders are using the major airlines like American, Delta, Continental and Northwest airlines for shipping their puppies.

At this time the airlines will ship puppies to the following States: Alabama AL - Alaska AK - Arizona AZ - Arkansas AR - California CA - Colorado CO - Connecticut CT - Delaware DE - Florida FL - Georgia GA - Hawaii HI - Idaho ID - Illinois IL - Indiana IN - Iowa IA - Kansas KS - Kentucky KY - Louisiana LA - Maine ME - Maryland MD - Massachusetts MA - Michigan MI - Minnesota MN - Mississippi MS - Missouri MO - Montana MT - Nebraska NE - Nevada NV - New Hampshire NH - New Jersey NJ - New Mexico NM - New York NY - North Carolina NC - North Dakota ND - Ohio OH - Oklahoma OK - Oregon OR - Pennsylvania PA - Rhode Island RI - South Carolina SC - South Dakota SD - Tennessee TN - Texas TX - Utah UT - Vermont VT - Virginia VA - Washington WA - Washington, D.C. - West Virginia WV - Wisconsin WI - Wyoming WY - Hawaii HI.