The Finnish Lapphund or Suomen Lapinkoira, as they call it in Finland, is a Nordic herding dog originating from Lapland, a vast land in the Arctic circle, which encompasses northern regions of Scandinavia and the Karelian district of Russia. The breed originated in antiquity, approximately 7.000 years ago, judging by some fossil remains discovered in Lapland, and was developed by semi-nomadic Sámi people that have been inhabiting these lands for thousands of years. Lapinkoira, together with the Swedish Lapphund, Swedish Elkhound, Lapponian Herder, and Norwegian Elkhound, belongs to a group of Nordic breeds that were, after their domestication, further developed through hybridization of male dogs and female wolves. The primary use of these dogs was for hunting and reindeer herding, but today they are mainly used for sheep and cattle herding as well as family companions. The Finnish Lapphund is included by the FCI in the Nordic Watchdogs And Herding Dogs group in the class of primitive dogs. Continue Reading →