Aru
Well-Known Member
Does anyone know if this poster is still around?
I was hoping to pick her brains about her breed or choice! 😁
I was hoping to pick her brains about her breed or choice! 😁
Finnish Lapphund.
- Thread starter Aru
- Start date
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She is more on FB now - I'll let her know! You do know she doesn't have Finnish Lapphunds don't you 
MotherOfChickens
MotherDucker
there's a Finnish Lapphund here at work-about a year old now.
FinnishLapphund
There's no cow on the ice
I'm here (thanks for letting me know Lévrier, I am here randomly, but I'm mostly lurking, not posting). I currently have 3 Finnish Lapphunds, with all the dogs on Facebook, it isn't easy to remember what each friend own.
FinnishLapphund
There's no cow on the ice
This is my dogs at my oldest nephew's graduation party some weeks ago:
{97702}
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FinnishLapphund
There's no cow on the ice
Lévrier;13576476 said:lol I can't believe I made such a stupendous mistake!!!! Silly me....!! Sorry
No problem
Aru
Well-Known Member
Brilliant I was worried you might have left HHo....after much research and soul searching into what I want from my next dog I am basically I am considering a Lappie puppy(and may have found a wonderful breeder who is willing to let me take on one of her babies here in Oz!)
They are a generally healthy breed with ethical breeders here which is great, the right size I am looking for, able for the level of training and work I want to do(agility a little showing hopefully)dont seem to be to highly strung if you give them work to do and obviously are absolutely gorgeous dogs...but despite my obsessive researching into the breed and interest in them.....I've actually never met one!Which is unusual as theres very few breeds left I haven't met at least one member of at this stage!
Basically I am looking for a brutally honest opinion on pros and cons of the breed from someone who knows what they are like. So far Ive found all pros lol and im trying to find the catch! I want to go in with both eyes open!
Seeing as I originally realised the breed existed all those years ago thanks to your Janna(please say i spelt that right!) and username I figured I would start by asking on here!
They are a generally healthy breed with ethical breeders here which is great, the right size I am looking for, able for the level of training and work I want to do(agility a little showing hopefully)dont seem to be to highly strung if you give them work to do and obviously are absolutely gorgeous dogs...but despite my obsessive researching into the breed and interest in them.....I've actually never met one!Which is unusual as theres very few breeds left I haven't met at least one member of at this stage!
Basically I am looking for a brutally honest opinion on pros and cons of the breed from someone who knows what they are like. So far Ive found all pros lol and im trying to find the catch! I want to go in with both eyes open!
Seeing as I originally realised the breed existed all those years ago thanks to your Janna(please say i spelt that right!) and username I figured I would start by asking on here!
FinnishLapphund
There's no cow on the ice
Jonna is the one lying to in the front, to the right, and I'm very impressed that you almost got her name right, when it was a long time since I posted about them on here.
In general, the majority of Finnish Lapphunds is not highly strung, and they don't really need much work. They enjoy doing things which require that they think a little, but if you're laid-back, they tend to become the same.
I'm not sure that I can explain the following so that others understand how I think, but even though most breeds enjoy positive training, in comparison, an average Border Collie wants a work to do, so as long as you provide them with a work, they will try their best. Whereas a Finnish Lapphund enjoys a bit of work, but they want to do it on their terms, and if you're not making it fun enough, they will probably choose to not work.
They also have their own thoughts about what is close and not, they often don't feel the need to come up all the way close to you. It has happened several times when they were young, that I've sat down hiding behind a bush or tree, pretending that my 3 bitches have lost me. They've came running, but once they've been on the other side of the bush/tree, they've realised were I was, and then, for as far as they're concerned, I've been found, and they've sat down to wait for me.
But that doesn't make me feel very found, in fact, sometimes I've not even been aware about that they've been sitting on the other side of the bush/tree waiting for me. So, 5 minutes later when I've given up, stod up to go looking for them, only then have I've found them, sitting waiting for me...
For them, 1 or a few metres away, is often close enough. It is probably the one thing with them, that I wish that I could change a little, so that closeness for them, where a bit closer out on walks.
If it is breed typical, their coat doesn't really require that much grooming. Between the 2 yearly shedding periods, you can choose if you occasionally want to brush them a little, or not. But something which is a bit negative, is that finding things like ticks, down in their tight fluff, isn't always easy. It sometimes makes me think of searching for needles in a haystack.
Overall, I think it is an easy, average breed. They might need a few repetitions to learn things, but they're happy, and playful even as old dogs.
In general, the majority of Finnish Lapphunds is not highly strung, and they don't really need much work. They enjoy doing things which require that they think a little, but if you're laid-back, they tend to become the same.
I'm not sure that I can explain the following so that others understand how I think, but even though most breeds enjoy positive training, in comparison, an average Border Collie wants a work to do, so as long as you provide them with a work, they will try their best. Whereas a Finnish Lapphund enjoys a bit of work, but they want to do it on their terms, and if you're not making it fun enough, they will probably choose to not work.
They also have their own thoughts about what is close and not, they often don't feel the need to come up all the way close to you. It has happened several times when they were young, that I've sat down hiding behind a bush or tree, pretending that my 3 bitches have lost me. They've came running, but once they've been on the other side of the bush/tree, they've realised were I was, and then, for as far as they're concerned, I've been found, and they've sat down to wait for me.
But that doesn't make me feel very found, in fact, sometimes I've not even been aware about that they've been sitting on the other side of the bush/tree waiting for me. So, 5 minutes later when I've given up, stod up to go looking for them, only then have I've found them, sitting waiting for me...
For them, 1 or a few metres away, is often close enough. It is probably the one thing with them, that I wish that I could change a little, so that closeness for them, where a bit closer out on walks.
If it is breed typical, their coat doesn't really require that much grooming. Between the 2 yearly shedding periods, you can choose if you occasionally want to brush them a little, or not. But something which is a bit negative, is that finding things like ticks, down in their tight fluff, isn't always easy. It sometimes makes me think of searching for needles in a haystack.
Overall, I think it is an easy, average breed. They might need a few repetitions to learn things, but they're happy, and playful even as old dogs.
Aru
Well-Known Member
Thats actually really helpful.Thank you!
Your dogs stood out even back then,i think it might have been years alright! It was a pic of some pretty black and tans girls sitting on a couch if I remeber correctly lol, so I think the name just stook in my head.
To be honest one of my main concerns given their origin as working dogs and herders was that I might be taking on a serious working breed without fully realising it.
I had considered a border collie otherwise so im not to worried about drive if that happens but at the same time id prefer a slighlty more mellow breed would fit into my life a bit better in the longterm.
Im interested in breeding in the longterm so was looking for a healthy,well health tested,fit for function breed and they also fit that bill really well.
I think I might be onto a winner. Thanks for your help!
Your dogs stood out even back then,i think it might have been years alright! It was a pic of some pretty black and tans girls sitting on a couch if I remeber correctly lol, so I think the name just stook in my head.
To be honest one of my main concerns given their origin as working dogs and herders was that I might be taking on a serious working breed without fully realising it.
I had considered a border collie otherwise so im not to worried about drive if that happens but at the same time id prefer a slighlty more mellow breed would fit into my life a bit better in the longterm.
Im interested in breeding in the longterm so was looking for a healthy,well health tested,fit for function breed and they also fit that bill really well.
I think I might be onto a winner. Thanks for your help!
Aru
Well-Known Member
Thats actually really helpful.Thank you!
Your dogs stood out even back then,i think it might have been years alright! It was a pic of some pretty black and tans girls sitting on a couch if I remeber correctly lol, so I think the name just stook in my head.
To be honest one of my main concerns given their origin as working dogs and herders was that I might be taking on a serious working breed without fully realising it.
I had considered a border collie otherwise so im not to worried about drive if that happens but at the same time id prefer a slighlty more mellow breed would fit into my life a bit better in the longterm.
Im interested in breeding in the longterm so was looking for a healthy,well health tested,fit for function breed and they also fit that bill really well.
I think I might be onto a winner. Thanks for your help!
Your dogs stood out even back then,i think it might have been years alright! It was a pic of some pretty black and tans girls sitting on a couch if I remeber correctly lol, so I think the name just stook in my head.
To be honest one of my main concerns given their origin as working dogs and herders was that I might be taking on a serious working breed without fully realising it.
I had considered a border collie otherwise so im not to worried about drive if that happens but at the same time id prefer a slighlty more mellow breed would fit into my life a bit better in the longterm.
Im interested in breeding in the longterm so was looking for a healthy,well health tested,fit for function breed and they also fit that bill really well.
I think I might be onto a winner. Thanks for your help!
ycbm
Overwhelmed
I so miss your emoticons and memes, can't you come back?????
FinnishLapphund
There's no cow on the ice
I'm glad to have helped.
To talk a bit more about it, as I understand it, the Sami's haven't used their herders for precision work, the same way Border Collies have been used to, so their ancestors was used to work more freely, e.g. Samis separate their Reindeers by catching them with lasso, instead of using their dogs. On top of that, Finnish Lapphunds have been bred as companion dogs since the 40's in Finland, so if you had said that you wanted to focus on regular obedience competitions, then I would have to have said that they wouldn't be my first choice.
There is of course exceptions, Jonna had one sister who was much more active than the rest of the siblings, and there is some Finnish Lapphunds which competes in regular obedience, but it takes the right handler to motivate them. Rally obedience on the other hand, which requires less precision in exactly how close they sit their bum down next to your leg, fits Finnish Lapphunds much better.
A bit of everyday obedience (walk nicely on the lead, come when called etc), together with occasionally some agility, and showing, sounds ideal for most adult Finnish Lapphunds.
https://flic.kr/p/7CUsvihttps://www.flickr.com/photos/finnishlapphund/
(Beata, Blomma and Jonna.)https://www.flickr.com/photos/finnishlapphund/Aru
Well-Known Member
This is pretty much exactly what I want! Interested and motivateable...but not overly intense.
Your girls are beautiful by the way!
Thats interesting about the way they were used but makes sense! I just like to always try and get to the bottom of what a dog was initally bred for to get an insight into some of the ways they act.
I knew they had been used by the sami for herding but couldn't work out in what capacity from the pics ive seen and most research just stated "herding" which isnt very helpful....theres a few ways to herd and a border collie's herding is a very different kettle of fish to the likes of a kelpie or Australian cattle dog!
Its good to get a better idea of what sort of work.
I'm already very excited to be honest!
Like I said already have been in touch with a breeder but trying to make sure I've researched everything lol!
It will be a few months before I take on a new family member but every little helps!
FinnishLapphund
There's no cow on the ice
Aww, thank you
I don't know why I turned into a lurker, so I can't promise that it will change, but I will try to be a little bit more active again.
FinnishLapphund
There's no cow on the ice
1966 they separated the Finnish Lapphund breed into 2 breeds, Finnish Lapphunds, and the more short-coated Lapponian Herder. Lapponian Herders have retained the herding instinct, but Finnish Lapphunds have been bred with more focus on them being good companion dogs, so nowadays, many of them doesn't have the strongest herding instinct.
Personally, I think that is a good thing. I've only met/heard of a few Finnish Lapphund owners, who can't have their Lapphunds loose, because they can't stop them from running after any wildlife they happen to encounter.
By the way, there is also a Swedish Lapphund breed, it is very similar to Finnish Lapphund, but it is only either Black or Brown in colour (a little bit of white on the chest is allowed).