Finnish Judge's Guide

The Finnish Lappalaiskoiratry- or the Lapplands Judge’s Guide - is the official standards Guide to assist in the interpretation of the Finnish Lapphund breed standard in its home country. As the ANKC standard for the Finnish Lapphund is the same here as it is in Finland, the Guide may also be instructive for those breeding and assessing the conformation of the Finnish Lapphund in this country.

In the Guide’s opening statement, it notes that “The breed standard of the Finnish Lapphund has been intentionally kept somewhat open.”

It goes on to note that:
Minor details have never played an important part in the show rings or breeding programs, let alone when choosing a “friend for life”. Therefore, while dogs are easily identified as Finnish Lapphunds, there is still a great deal of variation within the breed – that is the beauty of the Finnish Lapphund.

Often, a breed standard only provides a description of the breed’s anatomy. It is the interpretation of that standard, which includes that “certain something” that makes a Lapphund a Lapphund, which remains unclear. As such, the Guide provides useful information on the background and purpose of the breed as well as the underlying reasons for the standards.

General Appearance – First Impressions Count

It is obvious that the general appearance of the Lapphund is the most essential section of the standard, giving an overall picture of the cynological type and desired proportions. In fact, the Guide notes that the general appearance should be the deciding factor when a judge places a dog at a show, as (with all breeds) even an excellent example of the breed may have minor faults when it comes to details, but it is the general appearance that should immediately revel a dog’s breed and gender, as well as indicate type at first glance.

However, the general appearance is also the most difficult feature to judge, particularly for what is still a relatively rare breed in Australia. An abundant coat and upright carriage together with an acceptable construction can easily mislead a judge into placing a dog well, even though the dog may be missing that ‘special something’ - a Lapphund should not resemble an Eurasier, a coloured Samoyed, or an ‘average spitz’ in general. It is only the breed-specific appearance and expression, the correct proportions, coat and movement that makes a Lapphund.

The Guide notes that in respect to its size, the Finnish Lapphund is strongly built, with the impression of strength accentuated by abundant, thick, erect coat. While the ideal height for dogs at the withers is 49 cm ( 46 – 52cm ) and for bitches is 44 cm (41 – 47cm), type is definitely more important than the size and thus slight deviations from the heights mentioned in the standard are acceptable if the dog is typey and its sex is apparent. In this respect, it is important to remember that this is a breed that was bred to herd reindeer, often in very deep snow, and that the phrase fit for purpose has particular merit for the Lapphund.

However, while strength is desirable, it is vital that the Finnish Lapphund should express certain softness, and never create the impression of a sharp and snappish dog. Most importantly, the essence and appearance of the Lapphund must conjure the image of a serene dog that has respect for people. A typical disposition is seen in a dog’s carriage, tail set, movement and expression. This humility and submissiveness is particularly characteristic of bitches.

The abundant coat may make the head and limbs in particular appear considerably stronger than they are in reality, and the body appear look both broader and deeper (rounder) - it is always necessary to go through a dog by using hands. Proportions, too, can be distorted because of the coat, with a heavily coated dog easily appearing low legged or longer than it really is. To see the dog itself, one must look under the coat.

It is important to also remember that the Finnish Lapphund is slightly longer than tall – by no means should proportions be square. The Guide notes that in comparison with many other spitz breeds, the Lapphund has a lower carriage and does not appear as ‘alert’ in the show ring. These factors, combined with the abundant coat and the fact that bitches in particular tend to keep their tails down, contribute to the fact that the Finnish Lapphund acceptably, in fact desirably, appears long-bodied and low-legged rather than short-bodied and high-legged.

Desired Features

While the features of the Lapphund’s head should be strong, it should have a soft, teddy-like expression, attained with a skull that is broad and slightly convex, a stop that is clearly defined, and a muzzle that is strong, broad and shorter than the skull. The muzzle tapers only a little bit towards the nose and should be ‘full’ and well-cushioned.

The jaws should be strong and broad, with the bottom jaw in particular to be sufficiently strong. The juncture between muzzle and skull must be straight in profile, the stop clearly defined (forming an angle with the muzzle) and the frontal furrow similarly distinct and visible through the coat. While in general Finnish Lapphunds have a scissor bite, a level bite is acceptable too, although a clearly overshot or undershot is a disqualifying fault. Premolars may be missing sometimes; this should always be mentioned in the written evaluation

Ears should be quite small in size, triangular, broad at the base and round at the top – by no means long or pointed – and heavily coated (to protect against insects and the cold). They should be set rather far apart - not on top of the head or too close to each other. It should be noted that in the breed, semi-erect ears are equally acceptable as erect ears, and while drop ears are faulty, they are not considered to be disqualifying. What is more, odd ears (one erect, the other semi-erect) are also acceptable.

Eyes must be oval in shape and as dark as possible (large round eyes are a fault), although brown dogs may have lighter eyes. Yellow or blue eyes are disqualifying. The nose is preferably black, although brown dogs will always have a brown nose and sable dogs in particular may have a light streak on the nose.

Body and Movement

The Guide notes that while the Lapphund’s body is relatively sturdy it should never appear heavy. Withes are only slightly marked and the topline is level; by no means sloping or roached. The Finnish Lapphund often has a clearly marked anticline (dip behind the withers), and if a dog has a thickly coated croup, it may create an illusion of a swayback. The loin is short, though bitches generally have a little bit longer loin than dogs. The croup is only slightly oblique, of medium length, and broad (especially on bitches), although some dogs may have a very upright croup (and is why some dogs tend to keep their rear quarters underneath their body).

The chest should not be exaggerated; a broad ‘barrel’ chest may cause a dog to elbow out and will affect the motion of dogs more so than an overly narrow chest. The chest should not be too deep either, preferably almost level with elbows, but never below them.

Given the amount of coat, is best to assess the limbs by feel – they should be powerful with strong bones. When standing, the limbs are parallel when seen from the front and rear, whereas on the move the ideal front action is not completely straight and parallel, but instead toes in slightly and the front quarters make an arch. The Guide describes the Lapphund’s movement as reminiscent of a “string of pearls”, whereby it leaves a single trail on the ground – although this should not be misinterpreted as narrow movement (on this point, it should be noted that if the pasterns are heavily coated, rear movement may appear more narrow than is actually is).

Angulation should be clearly defined, although not exaggerated. The front angulation should be paid more attention as it is the front that is strained most, particularly during movement. While the shoulder blade and upper arm must be equally long, and the angle that they form must be clearly marked. A short upright upper arm, which leads to forelimbs being set too far in front and not underneath the body (where they support the weight of the chest) is a fault as it leads to short, ineffective or hackneyed movement. Pasterns should be slightly oblique and flexible, as an upright pastern cannot function properly as a ‘shock absorber’, (the same goes for a too much bent weak pastern).

Similarly, clearly marked, but not exaggerated, rear angulation is needed to provide proper strength on the move; and again, it is best to determine angulation by touch. In order to achieve powerful, effective movement, a dog must also have broad, muscular thighs and a low hock; when viewed from the rear, the pads on the hind limbs must be entirely visible on the move (dogs with poorly angulated, distinctly cow-hocked hind limbs move inefficiently in the rear, and as the risk for patella luxation is higher, this fault must be penalised).

In the ring, movement is judged when the dog is trotting. The correct Lapphund movement is sound and effortless; while strongly built, it should never be so heavy that its movement lacks effortlessness. The guide notes that:

When you look at a Finnish Lapphund move, you should be able to imagine it working for days on end on the fells in Lapland. When running freely, the Finnish Lapphund changes relatively easily from trot to gallop, but never the less it has to have a long enough step; a short-stepping dog does not possess sufficient endurance, nor is it, in all likelihood, well enough construction in order to gallop efficiently either.

A Lapphund’s Tail

The Lapphund’s tail is a feature that is often misjudged – too often, a spitz- type tail is seen as almost interchangeable between the relevant breeds and incorrect standards are applied. While Lapphund’s tail is relatively high set, and on the move it is curved over the back or side, at rest (such as during the stand, or “stack”) it is often hanging down. The Guide notes that a too tightly curved tail is not desirable on a Lapphund; instead it should be ‘lively’ and indicate the dog’s mood, as well as balance its movement - bitches in particular (with a typical Lapphund temperament) are often only too willing to drop the tail when standing still. In fact, the Guide gives the following specific advice to Judges:

If judges require that the tail to be on the back at all times in the show ring, it results in favouring too dominant dogs. The tail is correctly set when you are able to bend it over the back by hand – if it is too low set, this is not possible. If a dog is excellent in every other way, a loosely curved tail alone should not affect its judgement.

Some Lapphunds have an acceptable ‘J’ shaped hook on the tip of the tail, (which may even be curved) but it is always possible to straighten it by hand. However a kink, (essentially, fused vertebrae) is a disqualifying fault, and unlike the J shaped hook (which only appears at the tail tip) may occur anywhere on the tail (at the spine at its worst).

Coat and Colour

The Lapphund’s coat is thick and profuse, and should never be trimmed. It consists of a straight, harsh outer coat that is matt and water-resistant. The undercoat is soft, very dense and plentiful, so that it makes the outer coat stand erect. It is important to feel the undercoat to ensure that it is very profuse. While the outer coat may sometimes be a bit wavy (on youngsters in particular) this is not a fault, provided that it is still harsh, and is preferable to a straight and soft coat. The outer coat should not be so long that it ‘hangs’ or is flat. The coat on the head and on the front side of the legs is clearly shorter, and males in particular have a distinct mane. Ears should be noticeably hairy and limbs and paws should be properly furnished (including between toes).

To date, the most common colour in the ring in Australia has been black, tan and white, although there actually a broad range of Lapphund colours. In the standard, all colours are permitted, as long as the basic colour is dominant. The most usual colours are Black, Black & tan, Brown, Brown & tan, Wolf sable and Sable & cream. Most Lapphunds also have white markings, but parti-colours with white as the basic colour are undesirable. What is more brindle is not desired, nor the saddle-back colouring. These three colours must be penalised.

Personality Counts

Finally, the Guide notes that temperament is most essential section in the standard. A dog with a faulty construction is still a good companion, if it is good–natured. However, in the show ring evaluation of the temperament is, of necessity, rather superficial, as the time allocated to each dog is limited.

So, what is an ideal temperament like? The Guide describes it as the following:

A Finnish Lapphund with an ideal temperament is well suited for its purpose, and in harmony with the people and animals around it; its owner in particular. The Finnish Lapphund should be calm and friendly, as well as submissive towards people. It may be a little bit distant, but never timid, although bitches may seem a little shy. Excessive sharpness and snarling are by no means acceptable features in Lapphunds, Not even in males. The Finnish Lapphund should under no circumstances show any signs of aggressiveness towards people.

Finally, it is important to remember that the need to co–operate and interact with people is characteristic of herding dogs; in Lapphunds this is best seen in the handling in the ring and the relationship between dog and handler.