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Are Finnish Lapphunds suitable as family pets?
Do Finnish Lapphunds need lots of exercise?
Should I have a Finnish Lapphund dog or bitch?
Does the Finnish Lapphund Require a lot of Grooming?
Does the Finnish Lapphund Bark a lot?
What diseases/conditions are prevalent in the Finnish Lapphund?
Do Finnish Lapphunds get on with Cats and other dogs?
What is the correct colour for the Finnish Lapphund?
How easy is it to get a Finnish Lapphund?
What, on average, would be the life expectancy of a Finnish Lapphund?
Do they present any particular Training Problems?
How do they react to other dogs? Are they aggressive towards or intolerant of them?
Do you know of a book that gives detailed information about the breed?
The breed is very popular in Finland, and they are a very social breed and like to be very much part of the family. We do not think they are happy as kennel dogs -
What is important, is to make sure that you get your puppy from a well-socialised litter, and from parents whose temperament suits your lifestyle.
Remember FLs are a working breed and their temperaments may tend to wards strong herding instincts, and they require a fair degree of mental stimulation for their sanity.
We believe that pups born into a home environment (rather than kennel) tend to be better socialised, used to noises and people etc.
FLs are not for the couch potato, yes they are a working dog, and physical exercise is necessary to their healthy well being. We would guess that on average the dogs require 1 hour of free running a day, but they can and do take a lot more if offered, enjoying a run along side the mountain bikes etc.
But what is probably more important is the quality of the mental stimulation that they receive in addition to the physical stimulation. The FL has a very clever and active brain, and soon become bored. You must consider the dog’s emotional/mental needs, like training for obedience, agility flyball etc. Teaching tricks and playing special games.
For many of us, this is a preference that you can only express if you have had both sexes, and then you find that you may bond better to one sex or the other. What is often meant by this question for pet owners, is either of the sexes easier to live with? The FL male can be rather dominant with other males, but this is not to say that they cannot be kept with other males. The Society would not advise keeping two males FLs together unless you were experienced with the breed. Experience shows that male FLs are no more likely to stray than bitches. The males tend to be a little larger and have more coat than bitches. For the bitches you will need to consider whether to spay (neuter) or not, the bitches seasons (up to twice a year) can be inconvenient, messy and may produce temperament changes in the bitch as she undergoes hormonal influences.
Although the breed has a very attractive and heavy coat, they require only a small amount of grooming (about 0.5hour a week should be adequate.). The main areas on which to concentrate being around the ears, and the tail and long feather on the legs and under the tail. No trimming is required, although some owners may prefer to trim around the feet and under the pads to reduced the amount of mud bought into the house! Bathing is also up to personal preference - too much bathing will soften the coat and strip out the protective oils, often a good brushing will remove the dirt and dead hair sufficiently to avoid the need for a bath - but if your 'best friend' smells then a bath with suitable pet shampoo should be fine. If your dogs has a tendency to roll in nasty smelly substances - then it is a good idea to rub tomato ketchup into the smelly area and rinse off, ketchup seems to be the only substance that will neutralise the smell!
Not really, the breed is very trainable, and dogs can be taught that barking is not an acceptable behaviour that you will accept. However the FL can be vocal, and if not trained correctly they will use their voice to get attention, this is commonly seen when the pups are cute and their owners respond inappropriately to a yap!
- Progressive Retinal Atrophy is an eye defect where the retina undergoes
degeneration. The condition is unlikely to appear before the animal is
year old, and in some breeds the age of onset maybe much later. Since
the condition is inherited it is advised that breeding animals be tested
regularly to ensure reduce the chances of breeding from stock that has
developed the condition. The general consensus is that the condition
is inherited via a simple recessive gene. It would appear that in the
Finnish Lapphund the PRA is late onset - often not appearing until the
dog is 5 years of age, so it maybe that a dog or bitch has previously
been bred from, before the condition is identified. There is now a gene
test available see www.optigen.com and in UK it is recommended that all
dogs be tested prior to breeding - unless status can be ascertained from
parents.
- Hip Displasia (HD) – a condition where the ball & socket
joint of the hip is not properly formed, leading to lameness, chronic
pain etc. The Kennel Club/BVA operate a scheme whereby dogs can be
X-rayed and scored for the degree of displasia of the joint. The lower
the score
the better. The breed average for each breed of dog will vary, and
the BVA/The Kennel Club publishes this information. At the time of
writing
the breed average hip score for the FL is 14, and The Kennel Club advises
breeding from dogs with scores lower than the Breed average. However
it should be noted that HD is not a simple inherited condition, other
factors such as feeding, exercise and damage may play a part in the
development of the condition.
- Hereditary Cataracts (HC) – Cataract is the name given to describe any opacity of the eye’s lens. The dog is subject to many forms of cataract. Of which only some are hereditary. Cataract appears as a whiteness or greyness of the lens, visible through the pupil. It appears that the hereditary cataract, which is seen in the FL, occurs after the dog is one year of age, and it is not believed to be progressive. The mode of inheritance of the condition is not proven. But it is advised that all breeding stock be checked for the condition regularly.
The Finnish Lapphund is perfectly happy living with cats or other breeds of dogs. Many of the Finnish Lapphunds in the UK already share their homes with cats, and the young puppies soon develop respect for their smaller furry friends. Some even decide to try what it is like to be a cat by using the cat flap:
The breed comes in a diverse range of colours, from cream/biscuit colour to solid black. The most common colour in the breed is the black & tan, sometime with white markings. But all colours are equally acceptable, and choice of colour is a personal preference. What is important is that the breed standard states that the main colour must cover the majority of the dog, so parti colours as often seen in spitz breeds are not permitted in the Finnish Lapphund. See our section on colour for examples of acceptable colours.
The breed is still very rare in the UK (only about 360 dogs at the time of writing - start of 2007), the breed having been introduced into the UK in 1989. Breeders are careful to breed for quality and not quantity, and with litter sizes being on average about five pups, the numbers are rising slowly. The Southern Finnish Lapphund Society maintains a puppy list, and they should be able to advise on puppy availability. Email us and we will be happy to put you in touch with breeders in your area.
Since the breed has only been in Uk since 1989 its a difficult one for us to gauge first hand, the first bitch died at 10, but we have older ones now in UK. In Finland they seem to live to good age like Border collies, 15 to 17 is not unusual.
They are much more independent than Border collies, so can be inclined to go hunting when let off lead, BUT they are very food motivated, so if trained well, they can be just as good as BCs, like BCs they are herders, so care needs to be given where livestock are concerned. There is a FL trained as a support dog for Dogs for Disabled, and one lappy owner also works for Hearing Dogs for the Deaf, and her pet is trained as a demonstration dog,. The breed has also demonstrated success in agility and obedience competitions.
How do they react to other dogs?
Bitches tend to be very socialable, Males can be more dominant if not socialised correctly, and certainly stud males would not normally live with other males. But when well trained and socialised both sexes can be let off the lead in presence of other dogs.
The breed is very trainable, and athletic, so they do enjoy agility - but they will not have the out and out speed of the Border Collie. However many Lapphunds have competed successful in the sport, here in UK perhaps the most successful is Elbereth Taika. who is a ranked senior agility dog and has achieved her agility warrant title
There is now a book available on the breed
Click on the book here to order direct from Amazon cover
Some basic characteristics are given in many 'encyclopedia' of dogs including The Complete Dog Book by Larkin & Stockman.
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