The Swedish Lapphund temperament is gentle, loving, and loyal. This is an amazing breed. She is the national dog of Sweden, and for good reason.
The Swedish Lapphunds has cheerful dispositions and love for people. They make charming companion dogs.
However, the Swedish Lapphund is traditionally a working dog, serving as hunters, herders, and guard dogs. They have also worked as search-and-rescue and Army dogs.
They have also worked as search-and-rescue and Army dogs.
Today they are now more likely to be family dogs, but they still have their instinctive hunting drive.
If you are thinking of adding a Swedish Lapphund to your family, you should first understand the Swedish Lapphund temperament.
The Swedish Lapphund Temperament
Intelligent
The Swedish Lapphund is a smart breed. They need constant mental stimulation and love puzzles and games.
Independent
Like many intelligent dogs, she can have a mind of her own and think that she knows best.
Stubborn
You may see this side of the Swedish Lapphund temperament in training. She needs to learn early that she is not in charge.
Eager to Please
With the right training, she is very obedient. One of the nicest things about Swedish Lapphund behaviors is that she will naturally want to make you happy.
Brave
The Swedish Lapphund is a courageous and protective breed. They once hunted bears and wolves.
This breed has great endurance in a fight, however, she is not aggressive and will only fight if she feels it’s necessary.
Loyal
Swedish Lapphunds form strong bonds with their families. They make wonderful pets and love activities that involve the whole family.
Social
The Swedish Lapphund temperament is not suitable for homes where no one is home during the day. You should not leave her alone for long periods.
She needs to be with her people. Otherwise, she may suffer from depression and separation anxiety.
Friendly
The Swedish Lapphund temperament is friendly to children, cats, and dogs. She is a wonderful family dog.
Kind
The Swedish Lapphund temperament is sweet and gentle.
Affectionate
She will love every member of the household, and she will show it.
Adaptable
The Swedish Lapphund is an energetic breed. However, she has an “on-off switch” that allows her to go from work to relaxing at home easily. This makes her a great family pet.
Playful
She loves to play, so she enjoys children. She also enjoys canine sporting events like agility, herding, rally, and nose work.
Responsive
She is eager to please and easy to train if done early.
Protective
She is protective of her home and family and suspicious of strangers. She is not stranger aggressive, however.
Vocal
The Swedish Lapphund still has her herding and guarding instincts. You may be able to train her to bark only when necessary if you start when she’s young. She is suspicious of strangers (but not aggressive) and makes a good watchdog.
Lively
She has an energetic, enthusiastic personality. The Swedish Lapphund temperament makes her fun to be around.
Alert
She is very attentive to her environment. This instinct is bred into her from her guarding and herding days. She will let you know when a stranger approaches or she senses something out of the ordinary.
Athletic
This breed is strong and agile. Because of these Swedish Lapphund traits, she excels at organized dog sports.
Hardy
This is a tough breed. With her weatherproof coat, she is able to live and work in cold temperatures. She doesn’t do well in very warm climates, though.
Swedish Lapphund History
Historians believe that the Swedish Lapphund is more than 7000 years old. It is one of the oldest known dog breeds.
The breed originated in Lapland, an area that includes northern regions of Sweden, Norway, and Finland.
It is one of three Nordic breeds that are closely related. The other two are the Finnish Lapphund and the Lapponian Herder.
The Sámi people of the area used the Swedish Lapphund as hunting and guard dogs originally. Later they used them as reindeer herders.
These days, snowmobiles are doing most of the herding work. Most Swedish Lapphunds are now family pets.
The Swedish Lapphund is a rare breed. They were nearly extinct by the middle of the 20th century. Today, one estimate is that there are no more than 1200 in existence. Most of them are in Sweden.
Scandinavian breeders are working hard to bring the Swedish Lapphund back.
Swedish Lapphund Training
The Swedish Lapphund is a smart breed who may push your boundaries if you aren’t firm with her. She needs firm and consistent yet gentle training.
If you use short, fun training sessions and positive reinforcement, she will learn easily and happily.
Interestingly, some say she doesn’t like a leash and that you should not train her with one.
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Swedish Lapphund Appearance
The Swedish Lapphund is a beautiful medium-sized Spitz-type dog. She looks a bit like a fox and has a double coat. Her outer coat is fluffy, and her undercoat is fine and frizzy.
She has triangular ears, brown eyes, and a dark nose.
She has a neck ruff. Her tail is long and bushy and curls up over her back.
Swedish Lapphund color is usually solid black, brown, or “bear brown.” She may have white on her chest and feet and the tip of her tail.
The dark color helps the Swedish Lapphund to be visible in the snow.
Swedish Lapphund Size
Average Swedish Lapphund weight is from 43 to 45 pounds. And their average height is 16 to 20 inches.
Swedish Lapphund Must-knows
An Unusual Bark
The Swedish Lapphund has a high-pitched bark that has been bred into it. This was designed to help with reindeer herding. The reindeer recognized the unusual sound as a signal that was not threatening.
Living Environment
The Swedish Lapphund is an energetic breed that is used to working. She needs a home where she gets plenty of outdoor exercise.
The Swedish Lapphund would not make a good city dog.
She also won’t do well in a warm climate with her thick double coat.
Swedish Lapphund Health Issues
Because the Swedish Lapphund is rare, it has not been overbred. This means that they have few breed-specific defects.
However, all breeds are predisposed to some conditions. Swedish Lapphund owners need to be aware of the following:
Swedish Lapphund Lifespan
Swedish Lapphund life expectancy is 10-13 years.
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Caring for the Swedish Lapphund
Swedish Lapphund Grooming
The Swedish Lapphund needs to be brushed once a week. She has a double coat, so once or twice a year she will shed heavily, or “blow her coat.” She will need more frequent brushing then.
Some say you should never shave your Swedish Lapphund.
You will need to check her ears, teeth, and nails regularly, however.
Swedish Lapphund Diet
A good high-quality food should be all the Swedish Lapphund needs. She has no specific diet issues.
Swedish Lapphund Exercise
This high-energy breed needs a moderately high amount of exercise. If she gets enough, she will be content to relax at home with family.
Ideally, she would participate in some type of sport or recreational activity with the family. Again, she is an excellent candidate for canine sporting events.
Otherwise, she will need at least 2 hours of exercise a day.
She also needs a good deal of mental stimulation. Physical activity will cover this need as well.
If she gets bored, she will find ways to entertain herself. In that situation, she can be destructive.
Because she has both high energy and hunting instinct, the Swedish Lapphund needs a fenced-in yard.
Finding a Swedish Lapphund
Buying a Swedish Lapphund Puppy from a Breeder
If you are looking for a Swedish Lapphund puppy for sale, keep in mind that this is a rare breed. There are very few of them outside of Sweden at the time of this writing.
Finding a breeder of Swedish Lapphund puppies will be difficult, but that doesn’t mean it's impossible. You will probably have to look to Europe to find your Swedish Lapphund puppy.
The best place to start your search is the Swedish Kennel Club. They maintain a breeding program for Swedish Lapphunds. They should have information about breeders and available puppies.
The Nordisk Kennel Union is another potential resource. This organization consists of the kennel clubs of Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, and Norway.
It includes breeders of all Nordic breeds, including the Swedish Lapphund.
Stick to Reputable/Responsible Breeders and Watch out for Puppy Mills
If you are lucky enough to find a breeder, you will want to proceed carefully. Never consider buying a puppy online without a trustworthy recommendation. You could be getting a puppy mill dog.
Puppy mill dogs are never a good purchase decision. A rare breed like the Swedish Lapphund would be a good moneymaker for disreputable breeders.
These breeders usually keep their dogs in inhuman conditions. They will breed a female so many times that it will destroy her quality of life.
They don’t concern themselves with the health of the pups or the parents. And they rarely spend money to vet them or even to immunize them.
A responsible breeder will guarantee the health and genetic soundness of their puppies. They will even offer to take the dog back if you ever need to rehome it for any reason.
You will get no guarantees with a puppy mill dog.
The breed organizations mentioned above would be the best resource for recommendations for reputable Swedish Lapphund breeders. You could also try online forums or social media groups for Swedish Lapphund owners.
You can find groups for almost every breed online.
Talk to people who already own one and ask where they found it. This would also be a great opportunity to learn more about the Swedish Lapphund. It’s the best way to be sure the Swedish Lapphund is the right breed for you.
Swedish Lapphund Adoption – Shelter or Rescue
Unfortunately, finding a Swedish Lapphund for adoption will also be difficult. There are few available outside of Sweden, though this may change as time goes by.
Numbers of Swedish Lapphund are increasing in North America and elsewhere. It might pay to do an online search for Swedish Lapphunds for adoption periodically.
You should also contact local shelters in your area and let them know that you’re looking for one.
If you’re interested in a Swedish Lapphund rescue, again, try the Swedish Kennel Club and Nordisk Kennel Union. They would know of any Swedish Lapphund rescue organizations.
Rescuing a Swedish Lapphund might your best chance of finding one. People have to rehome their dogs for lots of reasons. Most of the time, this is not because of problems with the dog.
Sometimes the owner had to move and couldn’t bring the dog. Or the owner may have passed away. You could make a difference in the quality of life of a great dog who needs a loving home.
Puppy vs Full Grown Swedish Lapphund
There are many other advantages to rescuing a dog. Most of the time, a rescue dog will be an adult. This is great because they are easier to care for than a puppy.
Training a puppy is time consuming and a lot of work. When you adopt an adult dog, the prior owner may have done the hard work for you. The rescue will spay or neuter the dog if they are not already.
She will probably be housebroken and have at least basic obedience training. Her immunizations will be up to date.
Best of all, the price of adopting a rescue dog will probably be a lot less than the cost of purchasing a puppy. Swedish Lapphund price from a shelter or rescue would probably be between $75 and $300.00.
Swedish Lapphund cost from a breeder is difficult to estimate. There is no reliable information online at the time of this writing.
Why the Swedish Lapphund?
Now that you understand the Swedish Lapphund temperament, you can decide if this is the right breed for your family.
Hopefully you’re an active outdoors family. Your Swedish Lapphund needs to be mentally stimulated and physically active.
You will need to commit to offering the kind of firm training the Swedish Lapphund needs with gentle methods.
Ideally, you are prepared to deal with the Swedish Lapphund’s instinctive barking.
You will not live in a very warm climate.
If you have considered all of this, then congratulations! This special breed will surely enrich your life. The Swedish Lapphund temperament is so charming and engaging that she would make a wonderful addition to any active family and well worth the wait.
Paula is an experienced writer who loves dogs and had many of them through the years. Her family always had large dogs—Border Collies, Labs, and Golden Retrievers. When her beloved Golden died of cancer, she decided to practice what she preached and do some research before choosing her next breed. She now shares this knowledge with thousands of dogtemperament.com readers worldwide.