Finnish Lapphund

[corvus]

Kivi is a whiner. He whines whenever things aren't quite right in his world. He whines and cries so often during play with Erik that Erik no longer pays any attention to him. I've watched him, and he whines when Erik is barely touching him! If he's very excited he sometimes does a bark and a woo. He has unmistakably joyous barks, frustration barks, warning barks, and "I feel like I'm missing something lately" barks. I find the last ones are usually that he needs cuddles.

[Esky the husky]

Just speaking to our friend in Finland.

Asked him about the pronunciation of the word Lapphund

He says it's Lap as in sit on my lap

and hond as in pond.

So lap - hond

_{I'm sure I'm the only one that cares about this. But studying radio makes you pretty particular about pronunciations}

[lappiemum]

Just speaking to our friend in Finland.

Asked him about the pronunciation of the word Lapphund

He says it's Lap as in sit on my lap

and hond as in pond.

So lap - hond

_{I'm sure I'm the only one that cares about this. But studying radio makes you pretty particular about pronunciations}

Does he know the breed over there?

[Esky the husky]

Hahah he said he did. Doesn't own one though. They had Akitas :D

I just HAD to take to opportunity talking to a Finnish guy to ask him about lappies.

(That's not sad is it? ;))

[lappiemum]

Hahah he said he did. Doesn't own one though. They had Akitas :D

I just HAD to take to opportunity talking to a Finnish guy to ask him about lappies.

(That's not sad is it? ;))

I do the same.....!

[armahani]

Just speaking to our friend in Finland.

Asked him about the pronunciation of the word Lapphund

He says it's Lap as in sit on my lap

and hond as in pond.

So lap - hond

_{I'm sure I'm the only one that cares about this. But studying radio makes you pretty particular about pronunciations}

Ah no. Fran was right. Not hond as in pond. But how the german word hund is pronounced.

Lapphund isn't a Finnish word, so how the Finnish would pronounce it would be just how they would naturally pronounce letters. The breed in Finland isn't called Finnish Lapphund, it is called Suomenlapinkoira (and they know how to pronounce that much better than us! ).

Suomen = Finnish

Lapinkoira = Lapphund

Most Finnish people will look at you blankly if you say you have (or want to have) a Lapphund. Say you have (or want to have) a Lapinkoira and they are more likely to know what you mean.

I'm not sure the origin of how we ended up with the "english" version of the breed name. Obviously Lapp for Lappland. And Hund for the German word of dog. So the breed name means Finnish dog of Lappland.

In Finnish the word for dog is Koira. So again it is the same meaning, but written (and pronounced) differently.

[FranVT]

I would also tend to think that a devoted breeder of the dog would probably know better than a Finnish person pronouncing a non-Finnish word No offence in any way shape or form EtH! Have you picked a breeder yet?

Echo does not woo woo.

When she was smaller she used to give a little howl at you when you first got up in the morning as a greeting but does not do that anymore. The only time she makes noise npw is to bark at the house perimeter keeping out all the evil things.

Also wanted to add my bit about the noise, Luuka doesn't woowoo either, she has little puppy barks and whines when she's excited but no woowooing so far

Edited April 28, 2010 by FranCQ

[Esky the husky]

I would also tend to think that a devoted breeder of the dog would probably know better than a Finnish person pronouncing a non-Finnish word No offence in any way shape or form EtH! Have you picked a breeder yet?

I'm still waiting to meet one.. I mean what if I'm somehow lappie repellent

I do think I need to meet one before I start talking to breeders

Ashleigh: Hi, I'm interested in a Finnish Lapp hond

Breeder: Have you met a Lappie before?

Ashleigh. Umm. no. but..

Breeder: Slams door in face

Boyfriends question. Do their coats thin out a fair bit in the summer? Do their coats adjust to the climate of the area? It gets to zero most nights in winter here. Summers here are usually between 25 and 35 with the occasional heat wave. They would be able to survive that kind of temperature right? (Not like I'm going to keep my dog outside all the time)

[FranVT]

I live in Central Queensland so I know all about heat! 35 is a pretty average summer temperature for us and I got Luuka in mid-late December so she has experienced its full force. I went overboard with wanting to keep her cool at the beginning and she thought I was a bit mental probably but all she wanted was a cool bit of cement in the shade and maybe a clam pool if you don't mind K? Hehe. She also likes such expensive cooling devices as the "Soft Drink Bottle Full of Water & Frozen" and "Ice Blocks with Bits of Sardines Inside". She does like the cool air conditioned tiles in my room at night but she could take or leave the air con.

I can't really comment on adult coats because Luuka is still a puppy. lappiemum / armahani / TerraNik etc would definitely be able to answer that better

EDIT: Remember that they are double coated, so they're "insulated" against the cold and the heat.

Oh also I hadn't met a lappie before I picked Luuka up either

Edited April 28, 2010 by FranCQ

[TerraNik]

I wouldn't worry too much about having not met one before - I daresay it would be pretty common!

Boyfriends question. Do their coats thin out a fair bit in the summer? Do their coats adjust to the climate of the area? It gets to zero most nights in winter here. Summers here are usually between 25 and 35 with the occasional heat wave. They would be able to survive that kind of temperature right? (Not like I'm going to keep my dog outside all the time)

Yeah it would be fine in those temps. The dry heat is fine, it's the humidity that causes a bit of a problem, but in saying that this summer was VERY humid and Ahsoka was fine. Of course she didn't really want to go on long runs with me, but who could blame her?! I didn't want to go myself! In terms of the heat - as long as they have shade, they aren't really bothered, though Ahsoka has been known to sunbake in 30 degree heat... ;)

Their coats definitely adapt to the changes in seasons. In summer their coats thin out and as it comes up to winter it gets denser, as a general rule. It's not a dramatic change though unless it's a major shed, but you can definitely notice the difference.

[lappiemum]

I would also tend to think that a devoted breeder of the dog would probably know better than a Finnish person pronouncing a non-Finnish word No offence in any way shape or form EtH! Have you picked a breeder yet? ;)

I'm still waiting to meet one.. I mean what if I'm somehow lappie repellent

I do think I need to meet one before I start talking to breeders

Ashleigh: Hi, I'm interested in a Finnish Lapp hond

Breeder: Have you met a Lappie before?

Ashleigh. Umm. no. but..

Breeder: Slams door in face

Boyfriends question. Do their coats thin out a fair bit in the summer? Do their coats adjust to the climate of the area? It gets to zero most nights in winter here. Summers here are usually between 25 and 35 with the occasional heat wave. They would be able to survive that kind of temperature right? (Not like I'm going to keep my dog outside all the time)

Hey Fran-

No, you wouldn't get the door slammed! Lappies are still pretty rare, so we are usually more surprised when we're told by someone that they have already met a Lappie in the flesh!LOL Why don't you drop in to Shuyak kennels? Or even better, do a road trip to Melbourne for our spitz special in June - there's going to be a few there!

Re coat - my Lappies will have a slightly heavier coat in Winter, but its not that noticeable. Generally they are fine with the heat, but like any dog you should make sure they have water and shelter on warmer days. Don't ever shave or clip their coats, the double coat creates an insulated effect so doing that only causes problems for your dog.

[armahani]

I'm still waiting to meet one.. I mean what if I'm somehow lappie repellent

Boyfriends question. Do their coats thin out a fair bit in the summer? Do their coats adjust to the climate of the area? It gets to zero most nights in winter here. Summers here are usually between 25 and 35 with the occasional heat wave. They would be able to survive that kind of temperature right? (Not like I'm going to keep my dog outside all the time)

Hi Esky. A number of breeders have placed Lappies in pet homes in SA. It's fairly normal for us to get an enquiry from someone who is interested in the breed, hasn't met any yet but wants to meet some to find out a bit more about what they are like, and is keen to know where they can go. So if you contact a few breeders along those lines most will try to at least link you up with some pet people near where you live who may own a Lappie that you can meet.

Coat thickness can be a combination of genetics and living climate. As a general rule the undercoat will be "blown" once the weather starts to warm up, and yes they will have a thinner coat then. But so many things can inflence that. Girls (entire ones), for eg, will tend to blow their coat in line with their seasons - which can be irrespective of weather. Desexing a dog changes its coat type, and often the normal patterns with which they blow or don't blow coat. Often they will keep a thicker coat all year round and lose a lot more coat all year round.

With coat thickness you will also get the genetic influence. Some just have a thicker coat genetically more than others. Regardless of that, they will still tend to have a lighter coat if they live in a warmer climate, but because of the differences you might have a Lappie living in Queensland with a thicker coat than one living in Tasmania - just because of what they naturally have. Still, swap those Lappies around and the Queensland one would probably get an even thicker coat living in Tassie and the Tassie one an even thinner coat living in Queensland. Does that make sense?

They would certainly surive your 0 degree winter nights . That would be a picnic to a Lappie ;) . And everyone forgets that Finland has a summer too . So yes, they will survive the weather you get in Adelaide just fine (keep in mind there are some living in the NT and far north QLD, or further afield in the south of the USA, and I know of one that was living in Arizona). They won't love the hot weather, but they will survive it. It is just about being careful (as you would with any dog). No exercise in the heat of the day. Cool areas to rest. Plenty of fresh water. Be prepared for nesting holes to be dug under bushes and shrubs etc etc. Access to the indoors is always best on the really hot days.

[Esky the husky]

How long do Lappies take to reach maturity?

[armahani]

How long do Lappies take to reach maturity?

Depends what you mean by "maturity".

[Esky the husky]

Should have specified

Physically: how long does it take to reach adult size?

(just random questions, I'm trying to learn as much as possible)

[~*Shell*~]

I'll have to get you to pronounce Suomenlapinkoira for me one day Armahani!

I'm not sure if someone had asked this but roughly how many lappies in the country at the moment?

[TerraNik]

I'm not sure if someone had asked this but roughly how many lappies in the country at the moment?

Roughly 300.

[armahani]

Should have specified

Physically: how long does it take to reach adult size?

(just random questions, I'm trying to learn as much as possible)

They'll generally be full height about 9 to 12 months of age. However, they won't have "filled" out by that age, and will still look quite puppy-like. Around 18 months you see a change in terms of filling out, but they do still change and mature long after that, and you'll notice differences each year until they are about 4.

[Esky the husky]

More Lappie questions

What's a good hip score for a Lappie?

Is 0/0 ideal?

Or is that an impossible hip score to have?

I've been looking at heaps of breeders websites and now I'm just getting confused by fractions.

Oh and OT but Armahani your website keeps telling me this

Error: This page contains expired VisitorVille tracking code. Please notify the webmaster. Thank you.

Just thought you should know

[lappiemum]

More Lappie questions

What's a good hip score for a Lappie?

Is 0/0 ideal?

Or is that an impossible hip score to have?

I've been looking at heaps of breeders websites and now I'm just getting confused by fractions.

Oh and OT but Armahani your website keeps telling me this

Error: This page contains expired VisitorVille tracking code. Please notify the webmaster. Thank you.

Just thought you should know

Hey Ho Esky-

Generally speaking, you would use dogs that are below the breed average, which is 12. Be aware though, that we don't know all the factors that can lead to hip dysplaisa - some are environmental, some may be related to over exercise and diet, and others are genetic - but we don't know all the genetic factors either. What I am saying is you may have two dogs with low hip scores throw a litter where there is a pup (or more) with a high hip score. You may have a high hip scored dog breed consistently low scoring littters. You may have several litters from a pairing, and all fine except for one puppy. So while breeders would select for low hip scores you need to be aware that there is no 100% guarantee.

If you want to know more about the actual methods of scoring let me know.