Finnish Lapphund

Grooming Tips

Like all Spitz breeds, the Lapphund has a thick, profuse coat that sheds seasonally and requires regular brushing to keep flying fur under control. Brush his double coat weekly to keep it clean and remove dead hair. During spring and fall shedding seasons, daily brushing will help to keep excess hair under control.The rest is basic care. Trim the nails as needed, usually every few weeks. Keep the ears clean and dry to prevent infections. Check them weekly for redness or a bad odor that might indicate infection. If the ears look dirty, wipe them out with a cotton ball moistened with a mild cleanser recommended by your veterinarian. Brush the teeth frequently for good overall health and fresh breath.It is important to begin grooming the Lappie when he is very young. An early introduction teaches him that grooming is a normal part of his life and to patiently accept the handling and fuss of the grooming process.

Exercise Tips

Finnish Lapphunds are a very high energy breed of dog and require regular, vigorous exercise. They should be exercised for at least an hour each day. They also make excellent hiking, jogging and running partners.It is important to note that Finnish Lapphunds are best suited for colder climates and can suffer from heat stroke in warmer environments.

Feeding Tips

As with all working-type dogs, Finnish Lapphunds require a well-balanced diet fortified with essential vitamins and nutrients. They are greedy eaters and overfeeding can result in obesity.

Health Tips

The Finnish Lapphund generally is a healthy, hearty breed, with an average lifespan of between 12 and 15 years. Breed health concerns include generalized progressive retinal atrophy (GPRA), cataracts and hip dysplasia.

Trainability

Finnish Lapphunds are an extremely intelligent breed of dog and are eager to please. This makes training them an extremely pleasurable task. Finnish Lapphunds often excel in obedience trials, herding and agility events. They do however tend to get bored quite easily, so it is recommended that training sessions be kept short and interesting.

The region extending across northern Norway, Sweden and Finland are sometimes called Lapland, and it is home of the Sami people. For centuries, the Sami depended on the reindeer for food. Life in this harsh environment would not have been possible without the Spitz dogs which helped the Sami hunt, and later herd, the reindeer. Eventually, these herding Spitz-type dogs developed into three breeds, theSwedish Lapphund, theLapponian Herder, and the Finnish Lapphund. The Finnish Lapphund is the original native breed, and is still used today as a herding dog. The breed first came to the United States in 1987.