Learn About Swedish Lapphunds

The Swedish Lapphund first served as a family guardian and hunting partner and an early working companion of the Sami people of Lappland (northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and northwestern Russia). As the nomadic lifestyle of the Sami gradually evolved from hunting to the keeping of reindeer herds, so too did the role of the Swedish Lapphund. It became a valuable herding dog helping the Sami to manage and control their reindeer. (Image: the Sami flag)

The following quote is taken from "Muitalus samiid birra" (An Account of the Sami) by Johan Turi published in 1910. At the time, Sami were referred to as Lapps, now considered a derogatory reference:

"The dog remembered, when he once had been close to a Lapp village, when the Lapp first started rounding up his herd, and the dog watched and listened. When the Lapp had difficulty, because he could not manage to keep the herd together, he started shrieking and yelling and would bark like a dog. When the dog heard this, he started to bark and charged towards the Lapp, and this made the reindeer so frightened that they huddled together in a flock. Then the Lapp started to like the dog and wanted him to surrender to him as a farm hand, he wanted him to visit, and he gave him meat broth to drink. The dog liked the food."

A characteristic of the herding Swedish Lapphund is the use of his vocal talents. It is believed the Sami favored the barking Swedish Lapphunds for two reasons - predators were deterred from coming too close and the reindeer knew the barking four legged creature was friend, not foe. The herding instinct as well as the propensity for barking are still alive and well in the modern day Swedish Lapphund.

First Official Breed Recognition

In 1903, the Swedish Kennel Club (SKK) officially recognised the breed for the first time. A Swedish Lapphund named Halli was the first dog registered by SKK. In the early 1900s, the breed was close to becoming extinct. Preservation efforts were started in the 1930s but were put on hold due to the Second World War. In the 1960s, several breeders in Sweden took up the cause and actively began working towards the preservation of the breed: Kennels Odds, Sudergatue, Strahles, Torne and Timmerfallets, to name a few. A grant from the King of Sweden supported their efforts.

Swedish Lapphunds Today

Currently, most Swedish Lapphunds are found in Sweden, Norway and Finland. Minimal numbers are also found in England, Denmark, The Netherlands, France, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Slovenia, Russia, Australia and the United States. Since the introduction of snowmobiles and helicopters in reindeer management, Swedish Lapphunds are seldom used for reindeer herding today. They are primarily companion dogs, although in Scandinavia they are still actively used in hunting.

Header photo: Norrlands Annette “Kibbie” by Chris P. Hammond