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Finnish Lapphund

Finnish Lapphund

FCI standard Nº 189
Origin
 Finland
Translation
 Finnish Kennel Club
Group
 Group 5 Spitz and primitive type
Section
 Section 3 Nordic Watchdogs and Herders
Working
 Without working trial
Acceptance on a definitive basis by the FCI
 Monday 22 August 1955
Publication of the official valid standard
 Friday 30 September 2016
Last update
 Wednesday 12 October 2016
En français, cette race se dit
 Chien finnois de Laponie
Diese Norm ist in deutscher Sprache sichtbar
 Finnischer Lapphund
En español, esta raza se dice
 Perro Finlandés de Laponia
In het Nederlands, wordt dit ras gezegd
 Finse Lappenhond
In his country of origin, his name is

Suomenlapinkoira

Usage
Originally a herder and watch dog used in work of keeping reindeer. Today also popular as a companion dog.

Brief historical summary
For hundreds of years the Lapps have used dogs of the same type as Finnish Lapphund as reindeer herders and watchdogs in Fennoscandia and in the northern parts of Russia. Due to these dogs the first standard of the Lapponian Herder was established by the Finnish Kennel Club in 1945. The breed’s name was changed into Lapphund in 1967. In the 1970:s the type and picture of the breed became fixed and the standard has been specified several times. The breed name was again changed into Finnish Lapphund in 1993. The breed type has become stable in a short time and today the breed is very popular mainly as a house and hobby dog in the whole of Finland.

General appearance
Smaller than medium sized, the conformation is strong for the size, slightly longer than the height at the withers. Long and thick coated dog with pricked ears.

Important proportions
The depth of the body is slightly less than the half of the height at the withers. The muzzle is slightly shorter than the skull. The skull is slightly longer than broad, the depth is the same as the breadth.

Behaviour / temperament
Keen, courageous, calm and willing to learn. Friendly and faithful.

Head

Cranial region
Head
 Strong in outline, rather broad.
Skull
 Broad, slightly convex. The forehead is rather domed. The frontal furrow is clearly defined. 
Stop
 Clearly defined.

Facial region
Nose
 Preferably black, yet harmonizing with the coat colour.
Muzzle
 Strong, broad and straight; viewed from above and in profile evenly, but only slightly tapering.
Lips
 Tight.
Jaws and teeth
 The jaws are strong. Scissor bite.
Cheeks
 The zygomatic arches are clearly marked.
Eyes
 Dark brown in colour, yet harmonizing with the coat colour; oval shaped. The expression is soft and friendly.
Ears
 Medium sized, carried erect or semi-erect, set rather apart, rather broad at the base, triangular in shape and very mobile.

Neck
Medium in length, strong and covered with profuse hair.

Body
Withers
 Muscular and broad, slightly marked.
Back
 Strong and straight.
Loin
 Short and muscular.
Croup
 Of medium length, well developed, only slightly oblique.
Chest
 Deep, rather long, reaching almost to the elbows, not very broad. The ribs are slightly arched; the forechest clearly visible, not very strong.
Underline and belly
 Slightly tucked up.

Tail
Set rather high, medium in length, covered with profuse and long hair. The tip of the tail may have a J-formed hook. In movement the tail is curved over the back or side, in rest it may hang.

Limbs

Forequarters
Generality
 Powerful with strong bones. Viewed from the front straight and parallel.
Shoulders
 Slightly oblique.
Upper arm
 As long as the shoulder blade. The angle between shoulder and upper arm is rather open.
Elbows
 Placed slightly lower than the lower edge of the ribcage, pointing straight backwards.
Forearm
 Rather strong, vertical.
Carpal
 Flexible.
Pastern
 Of medium length, slightly oblique.
Forefeet
 Well arched, oval rather than round, covered with dense hair. The pads are elastic with the sides covered with dense hair.

Hindquarters
Generality
 Strong boned, powerful, viewed from behind straight and parallel. The angulation is clearly marked but not too strongly.
Upper thigh
 Of medium length, rather broad with well developed muscles.
Lower thigh
 Relatively long and sinewy.
Stifle
 Pointed forward, the angulation is rather clearly marked.
Metatarsus
 Rather short, strong and vertical.
Hock
 Moderately low set; the angulation is clearly marked but not too strongly.
Hind feet
 As front feet. Dewclaws are not desirable.

Gait and movement
Effortless. Changes easily from trot to gallop, which is the most natural style of movement. The legs move parallel. When working agile and fast.

Skin
Tight overall without wrinkles.

Coat
Hair
 Profuse, especially the males have an abundant mane. The outer coat is long, straight and harsh. On the head and on the frontside of the legs the coat is shorter. There has to be an undercoat that is soft and dense.
Colour
 All colours are permitted. The basic colour must be dominant. Colours other than the basic colour can occur on head, neck, chest, underside of the body, on legs and tail.

Size and weight
Height at withers
 Ideal height for males 49 cm, ideal height for females 44 cm. With a tolerance of ± 3 cm. The type is more important than the size.

Faults
• Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and its ability to perform its traditional work.
• Faults listed should be in degree of seriousness.

General faults
 Males not masculine and females not feminine.
 Light head.
 Insufficient stop.
 Drop-ears.
 Tail carriage continuously lower than the topline.
 Over angulated or too straight rear angulation.
 Lack of under coat.
 Flat coat.
 Curly outer coat.
 Basic colour indistinct.

Disqualifying faults
 Aggresive or overly shy.
 Overshot or undershot mouth.
 Kinky tail.

NB :
• Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.
• The above mentioned faults when occurring to a highly marked degree or frequently are disqualifying.
• Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
• Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed typical conformation should be used for breeding.

Bibliography
https://www.fci.be/
Details
Also available: Français (France) Deutsch (Deutschland) Español (España) Nederlands (nl-NL)
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