Selecting Your Breeder

Important! What to Consider When Looking for a Breeder

Choosing your breeder is as important as choosing your breed - and it pays to do your research. So what should you know when looking for your breeder?

Firstly, your breeder should be aware of the relevant legislation regarding general care, health and breeding. Aside from the general Codes of Ethics and Best Practice  for Breedersl aid down by the relevant cbreed clubs and State Canine Authorities, there may also be government legislation covering each genetic testing, disease control and health.  Each state varies, but in Victoria we have the Code of Practice For the Responsible Breeding of Animals with Hertiable Defects (outlined below), that deals with the breeding of animals with known heritable defects. PRA in Finnish Lapphunds qualifies the breed for inclusion in this legislation, and as such your breeder should not only be aware of the legislation, but how it applies to their breeding program.

At Taigakoira, our breeding philosophy is to only breed from PRA clear dogs.

While we understand the arguments supporting the use of carrier dogs in breeding programs, we ourselves believe that it is preferable to breed with a view to eventually eliminating this problem from the breed. Given modern testing and the growth in Lappie numbers, we agree with the premise that it should be possible to breed clear to clear lines without comprimising the breed's genetic vigour.

What does the Law say?

It is important to note that the legislation (see the table below) says that the progeny of carrier to clear litters SHOULD be tested for PRA status. This legislation deals as much with best practice and ethics as it does with health issues, and so we urge anyone looking to buy a Lappie to ensure that their breeder follows the intent of the legislation.

If you do not believe this is the case, please find yourself another breeder.

Important! Beware of the "Bad" Breeders - Backyarder, Unregistered and Puppy Farmers.

While we stress that the currently registered Finnish Lapphund breeders that we know and recommend are ethical and ensure that their breeding programs are monitored, sadly, history has shown that once a breed grows in popularity, opportunists who are not strictly interested in the welfare of the breed will attempt to ‘cash in’ . The experience of other breeds has shown that in such cases matings are not as strictly managed and ethically controlled as they should otherwise be, and the health and welfare of both parents and puppies is secondary to other factors - such as profits.

Such 'bad' breeders may have impressive websites showcasing a number of breeds which you may mail order through your preferred puppy, or they may be small backyard profit makers breeding family pets and selling the offspring through the trading post.  Regardless of the preferred breed, it is important that anyone looking for a puppy does their research throughly before handing over both their hard earned cash - and their hearts - for a little bundle of fluffy puppy love.

Usually, such breeders operate without approval or registration with the appropriate canine authority (also known as back-yard breeders). They do not care about the welfare of their dogs or the litters that they produce (other than the pup is seen as sellable),  and unsuspecting buyers are often duped into paying top dollars for puppies than may be unregistered, are untested, and may even potentially have health problems. This is because those who breed for profit are unlikely to test for health and genetic diseases (as it cuts into their costs), and as their main reason for breeding is income, they breed often and repeatedlywith little regard to socialisation or encouraging a nurturing environment.   It is important to note that many of the puppies in petshops come from high density puppy farms, and as such you know nothing of their background, history, breed, health or upbringing, but in buying a puppy from a petshop you may infact be supporting the continued growth and profit made by 'bad' breeding enterprises.

We do not support such an approach to breeding, but currently there are no effective laws that prohibit backyard breeders, puppy farmers and unregistered breeders from operating.

Your breeder should be registered with the state canine authority, but it does not stop there. Again, we stress the importance of finding a breeder who adheres to not only the letter of the law, but the intent of the relevant Codes and Laws, and is ethical in their approach to the breed.  It is for this pragmatic reason that we support the philosophy of only breeding from clear dogs and educating people on what to look for when considering a breeder.  In short, most important thing after selecting your breed is to select your breeder.

Brief History of the Finnish Lapphund

A forerunner of the lapphund, the Lapland Sheepdog, identified in Dogs of All Nations (circa 1915)

Lappies In Australia

Brambleway Kennels (ACT) imported the first dog into Australia in 1995, and also had the first successful litter in 2001 (to Sire Ch Staalon Kolumbus and Dam Imp Fin Ch Lecibsin Heissulivei (Imp Fin) ).

That year, Theldaroy Kennels imported a male from Staalon Kennels, Finland (Staalon Bestseller) and  black & tan bitch from Tositouhun Kennels, Finland (Tositouhun Eve Example), with their first litter of 7 pups whelped in December of that year.

Over the next several years other kennels, including Maivig, Watersedge, Janoby, Articmal and Armahani assisted in forming a foundation stock and greatly contributed to the breed profile and numbers.

Milestones during this time included the first frozen semen Lapphund litter (in Australia & internationally) with 6 pups whelped January 2007 to Theldaroy kennels, Australia’s first blue Finnish Lapphund (breed by Janoby Kennels in February 2005) and Australia’s first cream litter (bred by Watersedge Kennels, in June 2006).

Today, there are now over 20 registered breeders of Finnish Lapphunds in Australia and as part of the growth of interest in the breed, the first Finnish Lapphund breed club was established in Victoria in 2009.  Lappies are seen regularly in the show rings in NSW, Victoria, QLD, SA and WA, and as their numbers grow, interest does as well. 

About Lappies

All About Lappies

Temperament & Personality

The ANKC breed standard describes their general temperament as calm but keen, highly intelligent and always willing to learn.  The Lappalaiskoiratry describes a Lappie with the ideal temperament as being well suited for its purpose, and in harmony with the people and animals around it; its owner in particular.
A typical Lappie should be a friendly, easy going dog, bold and inquisitive, but unobtrusive in its nature – it should be curious about its surroundings but should always be in harmony with its environment.  They are generally a submissive breed, loyal to their family and eager to please and receive praise for their actions. Some personalities, particularly bitches or young dogs, may be a little bit distant or shy with strangers at first, but they should never be overly timid.  A Lappie should never be sharp or snappish, and should never show any aggression to people, under any circumstances.
It should also be noted that, as a breed, they are very people focused. A Lappie is happiest when it is with its pack, and should never be treated as an ‘outside only’ dog. In fact, it is their affectionate nature that has made them so popular in their homeland, particularly with families. While no child should ever be left unsupervised with any dog, their temperament and moderate size makes them an excellent canine companion for homes with children.

Training

Lappie owners who work with their dogs will attest to the fact that they train with a minimum of effort, with many claiming that their dogs seem to have an inbuilt intuition of what is acceptable or desirable behaviour, and what is not.  Not surprisingly, many new owners have remarked that their Lappie pup seems to have an emotional empathy that allows it to fit in with the new family ‘pack’ almost immediately.  In general, their laid back nature allows them to naturally be followers, looking to their human owners to be the 'pack leaders'.  However, like with any dogs, it is important for the owner to be the 'pack leader', and to establish rules and boundaries.

It should be noted that while Lappies are readily trained, they do have an independent streak; in some more than in others.  Although most are fine to be let off lead, it may be some time before your Lappie returns, especially if there are more interesting things around to chase and play with! As this independence is more obvious in dogs that are not trained from an early age, it is important to install a sense of working as a team with your Lappie (although even a well trained dog may be slightly ‘deaf’ at times!).
Lappies are a working breed, and while they don't have the same drive as a border collie or kelpie, they do need regular exercise and mental stimulation. As such, they are excellent competitors in agility and obedience, and can take part in herding. As long as they have regular exercise, they are quite happy to be couch potatoes in their ‘down’ time.

Cat Like Tendencies

Lappies have what can be said to be 'cat like' traits; they are quite fastidious in cleaning and have a very feline sense of balance (making them naturals for agility work!).  They are able to walk along narrow edges and are able to jump from a standing start, although are not fence climbers like other spitz breeds.  Lappies are often observed to lie down in a cat like manner - stretching out and lowering their front legs first, and then lowering their back with the rear legs either tucked underneath or (usually when young) stretched out behind them.

Their cleanliness, coupled with the tendency of dirt to fall out of their coats naturally, means that Lappies should not have a 'doggy' odour to them.

Colours

Lappies come in all colours of the canine rainbow!  Nearly colours are acceptable in the breed standard, as long as there is a basic main colour that dominates, with colours other than the main colour occuring on the head, neck, chest, underside of the body, legs and tail.  This means that solid colours are permitted within the breed standard as well as the more common bicolours (which are the most common colour seen in Australia).  Colours include cream, black, red, tan, brown, black and tan or brown and tan, with or without white, as well as sables (eg wolf/game sable and blue sable).

Many lappies have the distinctive 'four eyes' - which appear as contasting colour patches just above the eyes.  Less common in Australia is the "spectacle" marking, which appear as circles of lighter hair around the eyes.

Spectacle markings are pronounced on Sohvi (above left), even at 10 weeks of age, while Tasha (above right) displays the typical "four eyes" of the tricolour

One of the most interesting aspects of Lappie colouring is just how much it can change over time as they develop from a puppy to an adult.  Depending on the variety of colour/markings, some Lappies will darken as they get older, others will lighten.  Face markings often become far more distinct, in some, tan points will fade to cream, in others sable colour may appear.

For more information on colour inheritance in Lappies, please read Colors and patterns of Finnish Lapphund by Liisa Sarakontu (who has written a number of articles on colour inheritance).  This is a great summary of the different types of colours and markings seen in Lappies, with accompanying pictures and the common terms used to describe the patterns.  Liisa also gives a brief overview of the different genes involved in the various combinations.

What you will see is that trying to predict what colours you will get in a litter is a bit like reading tea leaves; you may have an idea in theory, but in practice, you can never be sure of what you are going to get! In fact, in a litter there may be all one colour or combination of colours depending on lines and the lottery of genetics. Regardless, almost all Lappie colours are striking, which is why when you are planning to have your own Lappie it is best to decide what temperament and personality you would like first, and colour second.

Examples of Tasha's colour change, from 4 weeks (above left) to adult markings (right)
Bear at 18 weeks (above right) and left in adult colour - the red colouring in the coat is more noticable in adult colouring.

Grooming

The big, luscious coat on a Lappie is one of the most physically striking features; on males in particular the coat can resemble an impressive mane! Many people are initially turned away by the thought of maintaining such an impressive coat, but the reality is that the Lappie’s coat is very easy to maintain. It is important to remember that Lappies were (and still are) a working breed, and so a coat that requires extensive maintenance would not be practical – they have been bred to be low maintenance grooming wise.
Lappies have a typical spitz double coat, which consists of a weather resistant harsh outer coat and a soft insulating undercoat. Adults will shed either once or twice a year; outside of this time you will see very little hair. In addition, their coats are quite resistant to dirt and mud (once dry, it will usually fall out) and doesn't normally matt or tangle. In fact, all a pet Lappie needs is a good brush once a week for about 20mins once a week (while a show dog may require more regular maintenance), and their coat should never be cut or trimmed (other than their nails). Owners should not bath their Lappie too often either, as this will dry out the coat and strip it of its natural oils.

Health Issues

Lappies are a healthy breed with relatively few health concerns.  Their vigor is most likely related to both their wild ancestory and centuries of life as a working breed, where the principle of 'survival of the fittest' no doubt played a major part.

Lappies have a life span of aproximately 12 to 14 years, but dogs of 16 - 17 are not uncommon in Finland.  However, there are a few conditions that have been seen in the breed and should be noted.  Link here for more information on lappie health.

FINALLY....

Lappies are a relatively new breed in Australia and as such are not yet common breed; although they are growing in popularity. In early 2010 there were close to 300 individuals, with a number of litters planned by breeders for that year. To own a Lappie is very special privilege – it’s not uncommon for perfect strangers to stop owners and ask about that 'gorgeous dog'. The variety of colours are also not yet well known in the dog world, where even experienced dog people may have difficulty in guessing the breed if they are looking at a less familiar colour. However, the Lapphund’s intelligence, easy temperament, affectionate nature and appealing looks mean that it is becoming more widely known and interest in the breed, not only in show rings and in dog sports, but as a perfect family pet, is gaining momentum. In fact, in the Lappie world there is a saying: “Lappies are like Pringles – one is never enough!”