Swedish Lapphund
🧠 Temperament & character
The Swedish Lapphund is attentive, lively and friendly, very devoted to his person and pleasingly trainable. As a typical herding spitz he is watchful and remarkably vocal, which once served the reindeer work but today calls for training towards calm. He is intelligent and enjoys working together with his person, which is why he is easy to train and can be enthused for dog sport. With children and other dogs he usually gets on well and is a sociable, congenial family dog. His close need for bonding means he does not like to be left alone for long and needs contact with his people.
📜 Origin & history
The Swedish Lapphund is one of the most primitive breeds of Scandinavia and has accompanied the Sami reindeer nomads in the north of Sweden for thousands of years. He helped keep together and herd the reindeer flocks, warned with loud barking of predators and served at the same time as a hunting and watchdog. With the modernisation of reindeer husbandry his original role declined and the breed became rare, but was preserved through targeted breeding. Today the 'Svensk Lapphund' is a recognised cultural asset of Sweden and a valued companion and sport dog.
✂️ Grooming, care & training
The Swedish Lapphund's dense, weatherproof double coat is surprisingly easy to care for and usually needs only weekly brushing, more often during the coat change, when he sheds heavily. As an active working dog he needs plenty of daily exercise as well as mental occupation, for instance through obedience, search or herding games and dog sport. He is very trainable and eager to work, which makes training a pleasure; his talent for barking should be steered early into calm channels. Because of his dense coat he feels most comfortable in a cooler climate and needs shade and consideration in heat.
🩺 Health
The Swedish Lapphund is regarded as a robust, weather-hardy breed with a life expectancy of around 12 to 14 years. Hip dysplasia and hereditary eye diseases occasionally occur, which is why responsible breeders X-ray hips and have the eyes of the parent animals examined. Since the breed has a relatively small population, preserving genetic diversity is an important breeding goal. Anyone looking for a puppy should ensure health-tested, temperamentally sound parent animals and transparent breeding in order to obtain a long-lived, healthy companion.
🏡 Who is this breed right for?
The Swedish Lapphund suits active people and families looking for a trainable, affectionate dog who enjoy shared occupation and dog sport. Because of his vocalness and his need for bonding he is less suited to very long periods alone or a noise-sensitive living environment, unless one works on the barking behaviour early. For beginners he is well suited thanks to his eagerness to learn, provided they offer him enough occupation. In Switzerland he is a great partner for hiking- and snow-loving owners, feels comfortable in the cooler climate and, with suitable occupation, integrates harmoniously into family life.