The Lapponian Herder or Lapinporokoira (Lapland Reindeer Dog) is a Spitz type herding dog that originated in Lapland, a vast land that encompasses the northern parts of Scandinavia and Karelian district of Russia. There is no exact evidence on how exactly this dog breed is actually old, but judging by its DNA, it was estimated that it evolved from the prehistoric dogs that have lived in these lands several thousand years ago. Like the Swedish Lapphund and Finnish Lapphund, Lapsk Vallhund was developed by Sámi, a semi-nomadic people that have been inhabiting Lapland for many centuries. After they were domesticated, these three Scandinavian breeds, together with the Norwegian Elkhound and Swedish Elkhound, went through further development by the process of hybridization between male dogs and female wolves. Lapponian Herder is by the FCI included in the Nordic Watchdogs And Herding Dogs group in the class of primitive dogs. Continue Reading →