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Finnish Lapphund

The Finnish Lapphund is an indigenous Nordic spitz-type herding breed developed by the Sami for reindeer work.

Calculate Finnish Lapphund age
Lifespan13.8 yrrange 13–14
SizeMediumHerding Group
Weight33–53 lb15–24 kg
Senior at7 yrgeriatric at 11

Gallery (3)

About

About the Finnish Lapphund

The Finnish Lapphund is an indigenous Nordic spitz-type herding breed developed by the Sami for reindeer work. The dense double coat tolerates Arctic conditions; the breed's preferred response to threat is barking rather than biting.

Aging

How Finnish Lapphunds age

RVC VetCompass gives a median lifespan of 13.8 years (n=128, small UK sample). Progressive retinal atrophy (prcd variant) is the defining inherited visual concern — breed-club genetic testing is standard — with cataracts (4.4%) secondary.

Lifespan deep-diveAvg 13.8 yr · range 13–14Senior careSenior at 7 · geriatric at 11Common health issues5 tracked conditions
Physical

Physical characteristics

Weight
33–53 lb(15–24 kg)
Height
16–21 in(40.6–53.3 cm)
Coat type
Double
Colors
BlackBrownCreamBlueLilac
Temperament

Temperament

How Finnish Lapphunds tend to show up around their people, other dogs, and the world.

calmfriendlyalerteager
  • Energy
  • Trainability
  • Good with kids
  • Good with other dogs
  • Shedding
Health

Common health issues

Full health profile
  • Low prevalencetypical onset ~7 yr

    Cataracts

    Description and veterinary guidance for Cataracts land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Low prevalencetypical onset ~2 yr

    Elbow Dysplasia

    Description and veterinary guidance for Elbow Dysplasia land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Low prevalencetypical onset ~2 yr

    Patellar Luxation

    Description and veterinary guidance for Patellar Luxation land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

Exercise
45min
per day

Finnish Lapphunds are satisfied by around 45 minutes of daily activity (energy level 3/5). Short, regular outings beat one long session.

Related

Related breeds

Breeds with a similar size and group profile, for readers comparing options.

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References

Sources

Lifespan and health figures on this page are drawn from the peer-reviewed and organizational sources below.

  1. AKC breed standardAmerican Kennel Club breed page

    Breed size, weight range, height, AKC group, origin, coat type, and temperament baseline.

  2. RVC VetCompassRoyal Veterinary College VetCompass life-table research (McMillan et al. 2024)

    UK primary-care records; source for the median-lifespan and mortality figures.