Judging the Finnish Lapphund

This article was originally published in Showsight Magazine, April 2013 issue.

Judging the Finnish Lapphund

The Finnish Lapphund is both an old and new breed—old in that examples of rough-coated Spitz dogs herding livestock can be found on early cave paintings of the Saame people, and new in that the Finnish Lapphund (Suomenlapinkoira) only became recognized by the Finnish Club fully in the 1950s. From 1967, the breed was separated from the smooth-coated variety, the Lapinporokoira.

When judging the breed, one should really look at the overall impression—this is a natural breed that exhibits characteristics of both Scandinavian Spitz and herding breeds. It is a somewhat primitive breed that should be admired in a natural and unpolished state. While accepting that we are judging at a beauty show, we should not expect a highly coiffured, neat dog, heavily shaped or trimmed. A natural look is to be sought after, as a rough coat is essential for the breed to cope with the Lapland climate. It should demonstrate strength for its size but should never be coarse or heavy, just with sufficient substance to deal with the large elk and reindeer that it herds in native Lapland.

Given its heavy coat, judges must get up close to the breed and use their hands to examine the structure of the dog under the thick double-layered coat, as cleverly groomed dogs can fool a judge who admires from afar. Another important feature of the breed is the temperament—as one suited to working and living with the Saame people, it is a friendly breed, and poor temperament towards people, whether aggression or nervousness, is alien and should be penalized in the ring.

When judging the breed, start at the head: this should be strong and well-balanced to the body size. What is key is a soft expression, created from a broad, slightly rounded skull, defined cheekbones, and defined stop. The muzzle length should be slightly less than that of the skull and, while it tapers slightly, it should never be sharp or pointed; a weak underjaw is undesirable. Good strength to muzzle, tight lips, and dark pigment (harmonizing with coat color) create a smiley face.

The expression is created by the gentle lines of the head and correct dark almond-shaped eyes. The correct soft expression can only be seen when the eye color is as dark as possible for the coat color, and a piercing eye caused by incorrect pale eyes and/or round eyes should be penalized. Yes, a brown-pigmented dog will never have as dark an eye as a black-pigmented dog, but they should still be brown, not yellow. Correctly placed, medium-sized ears also add to the softness of the expression. They should be set wide on the head; ears set too close give a harsher expression. The ears can be fully erect, semi-erect, or even one of each—there is no preference. However, drop ears like those of a Leonberger should be penalized.

The body proportions are just off square, with the length being about 10% longer than height at the withers (measured from point of shoulder to point of buttock). When considering height, it is important to note that the depth of the body should not be lower than the level of the elbow. As a breed designed to cover heavy, snow-covered ground, the legs must provide sufficient ground clearance, or the breed would soon tire in deep snow. The neck should be of medium length, and angulation should be moderate and balanced—a combination that gives a more relaxed head carriage. Judges should not be looking for upright animals with ears directly in line with the bones of the front legs. The rib cage is long and well sprung. From a firm, straight back, you move to a short croup. The slope seen in typical herding breeds is not required, as it would give a less defined rump. A Lapphund has a broad, muscular bottom!

Moving to the tail (a very characteristic feature of the breed that many judges misunderstand), it should be high-set and heavily plumed with long hair. It is not tightly curled but lies over the back or loin in an attractive plume. Some dogs have a “J” hook at the end, but any kinks along the length of the tail should be faulted. On the move, the tail should be carried over the back or loin, but when relaxed and standing, the tail may hang down like that of a herding breed and less like a Spitz. This relaxed tail should never be penalized when the dog is standing. It is a feature of this gentle-natured breed. However, if the dog fails to carry its tail higher on the move, this is a fault, likely indicating a poor tail set or nervous character.

When assessing movement, you should expect an effortless gait with a good length of stride—a short front reach indicates a short upper arm. As with many pastoral breeds, the legs tend to converge as the breed increases in pace, both coming and going. One important point to note is that the breed naturally tends to gallop rather than trot, and many will pace, so judges may need to show patience when getting them moving in the ring, as they may not trot on demand!

The breed’s double coat serves an important purpose: protecting from the extreme cold in its country of origin, with a thick, soft undercoat for insulation and a harsh, longer outer coat that is weatherproof. The coat should not be so abundant that it obscures the outline of the dog. Soft, curly, or wavy coats are incorrect.

The color variation within the breed is one of the aspects that attracts many to it, but it is important that judges do not place undue emphasis on color or markings when deciding their winners. The color of the breed is unimportant as long as it is acceptable. Under FCI rules, saddle, brindle, or parti-color dogs are unacceptable, and recently, dilute colors (e.g., blues) have been marked undesirable. For other colors, all that is required is a main color with other colors that may appear on the head, neck, chest, underside of the body, legs, and tail. There is no emphasis on any particular color pattern, and judges must avoid bias toward highly-marked dogs, such as those with large patterns on the face, over darker dog may be better constructed). The Color and patterns are secondary to the overall conformation and type of the dog. In both sexes, there is a 6 cm (about 2″) variation between the preferred lower and upper sizes, with some overlap between genders. The ideal height for males is 49 cm (19½”) and for females, 44 cm (17½”), with a tolerance of ±3 cm. However, it is crucial to remember that type is more important than size. Judges should also be cautious about mentally measuring dogs and assuming that a dog that appears taller or smaller is incorrect. Without an accurate, calibrated stick, it’s difficult to judge size accurately, as coat and bone size can create a misleading impression.