Swedish Lapphund - TOP 10 Interesting Facts

1) Origin
It is believed, that the Swedish Lapphund is one of the oldest of all dogs we know today. These dogs originated in Northern Scandinavia in region called Lappland where Sami people lived. Because the breeds history is so old it is impossible to say what is the exact date of origin or what are the breeds ancestors, but it is believed that this is a result of a female wolf-male dog hybridization that occurred post-domestication and it is believed tha they share this ancestry with other Sami-related breeds, such as Finnish Lapphund, Norwegian Elkhound, Lapponian Herder or Swedish Elkhound.

2) Utilization
This is very versatile breed and Sami people used this dog for variety of purposes. Initially for hunting and guarding, but later these dogs were used for herding reindeer. And even the Swedish Lapphunds today still have strong herding instinct and some of them are still used for this purpose. Today, this breed is also used in army and as a rescue dog.

3) Companion
Of course, the Swedish Lapphund is not only a working dog, because today they are more and more popular as companion dogs. They are not for everyone, but if you are an active person who like outdoors, than this might be a perfect dog for you. This is quite active breed who needs proper daily outdoor exercise. The Swedish Lapphund is always ready for a long walk, hike or good playtime. This is definitely very faithful, affectionate and friendly dog that loves it family. These dogs also gets well with other pets and children.

4) Coat
This dog just must have a thick double coat that protects it from cold and harsh climate of Northern Scandinavia. Amazing fact about its coat is, that it does not have much of the typical doggy odor. You can find this breed in black or bear brown colors. This dark color makes it much easier to spot them in snow. Some Swedish Lapphunds can have white spots on the chest, feet and tail.

5) Spitz
On the first sight, you can say that the Swedish Lapphund is a Spitz. They have all the typical Spitz characteristics, such as erect pointy ears and very dense furry coat, long foxy like muzzle and often times curly tail.

6) Size
The Swedish Lapphund is a medium sized dog breed with average height between 16-20 inches, which is 40-50 cm and weight should be between 30-45 pounds which is 13-20 kg. There are no extreme size differences between males and females.

7) Rarity
The Swedish Lapphund is a very rare dog breed and it is very hard to find them outside Scandinavia. It is believed that there are only something above 1 000 purebred Swedish Lapphunds these days, most of them in Sweden. But their popularity, as well as their numbers are slightly raising and this breed is not on the verge of extinction.

8) Barking
The Swedish Lapphund has a specific, very high pitched bark. They achieve this kind of a barking by rapidly pushing air through their diaphragms while restricting their vocal cords. The result is high pitched squeeky bark. This kind of a barking was popular among sami people, because it deter predators, but it didnt scare the reindeer.

9) Maintenance
Even though the Swedish Lapphund has a very thick and dense coat, the grooming and maintenance is not very hard. They can keep themselves clean and even without any grooming they will keep the coat in good shape. As you can probably imagine, this dog does shed, so if you want to minimize the shedding, you should brush their coat regularly to remove the dead hair. Just like with all dogs, you should regularly check the dogs ears, eyes, teeth and nails and clip them or clean them if needed.

10) Health
This is usually pretty healthy dog breed with average lifespan between 12-13 years. Of course, just like all dogs, they can suffer from some health issues, which includes progressive retinal atrophy, diabetes and some allergies.