The Finnish Lapphund, originally from Finland, is a Spitz type dog breed with a very heavy double coat, furry upright, pricked ears, and a heavily furred tail carried curving over the backs.
What are the origins of this breed you might ask? They herded reindeers! So does that mean they were Santas helper? Hummmmmmmm....
In Finland this is a very popular dog breed however it is not very well known outside that country in other areas of the world.
These medium sized dogs are longer in shape than tall with a very distinctive facial markings on most of these dogs - the spectacles many of these dogs have are very reminiscent of the spectacles on the Keeshond but they are often much more pronounced on the Lapphund.
Watch one of these guys in the snow
These dogs, like all other herding dog breeds, are very intelligent and love to work and are very easy to train. They are an active dog breed and have done quite nicely in various dog trials such as obedience, agility and herding.
The Finnish Laphund likes to bark and can be a very good watchdog since they often bark at things which are new to them, so just be forewarned about their vocal nature. They are also a good companion dog breed and are very good with families with children.