Finnish Lapdog

The Finnish Lapdog is perhaps one of the toughest dogs in the world. The animal originally lived in extreme lapland and managed to survive well there. At the same time, this large dog a friendly character. It is striking here empathetic the animal is. However, a comment must be made. Towards acquaintances the Finnish Lapdog is very friendly. Towards strangers he can be a lot more distant.

Originally, the Finnish Raptor was used as a hunting dog. This was during the time when the original inhabitants of Finland still hunted reindeer. The inhabitants later stopped hunting reindeer. Instead, they started keeping the animals as livestock. The Finnish Raptor then effortlessly transformed itself from hunting dog to herding dog. Since northern Finland is a rather inhospitable area, the dog and man depended heavily on each other. Sometimes they literally provided each other with warmth. That is one of the explanations given why that the animal is so attached to the people around it.

The Finnish Lapdog is a real sociable animal. That is: he stands his ground when he has to. It is not a frightened dog. However, he likes to be with his owner or 'his' family. They are not very good at being alone. They prefer to go out with their owner.

This breed has a strong will of its own. You should not suppress that to a certain extent. However, it is important that the dog learns that there are limits and where those limits lie. It is important to bring the dog already at a young age in contact with other animals and people. It is however especially important that you do not leave the dog too long only. Certainly not when it is still a pup. If the dog is often alone, he can grow into a dog with rather nasty traits.