The Finnish Lapphund is a friendly, thickly coated herding spitz developed by the Sami people of Lapland to move reindeer across the Arctic. What makes it special among the northern breeds is its temperament: where most spitz dogs are independent and aloof, the Lapphund is gentle, soft, and genuinely eager to please, which makes it one of the most trainable spitz breeds in the world. Underneath the teddy-bear coat is a quick, agile herder that worked alongside people in harsh conditions for centuries.
That blend of biddability and herding instinct is the key to living with one. A Lapphund is affectionate, calm in the house, and friendly with just about everyone, including children and other animals. It is also vocal, movement-sensitive, and built for cold, three things that shape its training and daily care. Work with that nature and you have a delightful, responsive companion. Ignore the breed's need for exercise, enrichment, and early barking management and you get a noisy, restless dog.
This guide covers what works with a Lapphund, week by week, built around how a gentle, intelligent herding spitz actually learns.
What Makes Training a Lapphund Different
Four breed traits shape your approach.
1. Friendly and biddable, unusually so for a spitz. The Lapphund is soft, sensitive, and eager to please, so it takes to reward-based training quickly and enjoys it. This is a real advantage, but it also means the breed wilts under harsh handling. Keep your tone upbeat and your methods reward-based and the dog will give you its best.
2. A strong barking tendency. Sami herders worked reindeer partly by voice, so the breed was selected to bark, and that instinct lives on. Lapphunds bark at movement, at sounds, and out of excitement. It is very manageable, but only if you start shaping quiet early rather than after the habit sets in.
3. A herding drive aimed at movement. The breed may chase and try to gather running children, cyclists, and other dogs. This is instinct, not naughtiness. Given a legal outlet and a reliable interrupter, the drive becomes an asset; suppressed and bottled up, it leaks out as nuisance chasing.
4. Built for the cold, sensitive to heat. That profuse double coat is made for the Arctic, which means a Lapphund overheats far more easily than a short-coated dog. Train and exercise in the cooler parts of the day, watch closely in warm weather, and never push a Lapphund hard in the heat.
Week-by-Week Training Plan for Your Lapphund
Below is the framework we use at TailorPup for a Lapphund-specific 12-week plan. Run it at home; the structure and emphasis are what matter.
Weeks 1 and 2 : Foundation and Socialization
Building engagement is easy with this friendly breed, so use that head start. Run three to four five-minute sessions a day: say the name once, mark eye contact, reward. Socialize broadly and begin barking awareness immediately, rewarding quiet and calm from day one so it never becomes a problem.
Weeks 3 and 4 : Core Commands
Lapphunds learn fast. Lure sit and down, mark, reward, and add the cue once the behavior is consistent. Because the breed is so willing, you can move on to stay and a few tricks early, which gives this clever herder the mental work it craves.
Weeks 5 and 6 : Leash Work and Herding Redirection
Use stop-and-stand for pulling: stop the instant the leash tightens, move forward only when it loosens. A harness helps. Crucially, practice redirecting the herding and chase response: reward your Lapphund for looking at a moving trigger and then back at you, building an "ignore it and check in" habit instead of a chase.
Weeks 7 and 8 : Barking and Recall
Now formalize the quiet work: reward calm at windows and doors, manage triggers, and teach a clear "quiet" cue rather than shouting over the noise. Build recall on a long line in low-distraction areas first, paying every success generously. See our barking guide for the full protocol.
Weeks 9 and 10 : Channeling Energy
Give the herding brain a job: herding-style games, agility, fetch with rules, and scent work all suit the breed. Add daily walks and thinking games, and keep the harder exercise to cool conditions because of the coat. A satisfied Lapphund is a quiet, settled one.
Weeks 11 and 12 : Generalization
Prove the skills in the real world: loose-leash past distractions, recall in a fenced area with temptation present, calm and quiet behavior in busier places. The friendly Lapphund usually generalizes well, so these two weeks are about consistency and proofing the quiet and recall around real movement.
Common Lapphund Training Mistakes
Three mistakes show up most often with this breed.
Mistake 1 : Letting the barking become a habit. Because the breed is genetically vocal and quick to learn, a few unmanaged weeks can cement serious barking. Shape and reward quiet from the very beginning, and meet the dog's exercise needs, rather than waiting until the noise is a problem and then reacting to it.
Mistake 2 : Suppressing the herding drive instead of channeling it. Punishing a Lapphund for chasing movement just creates a stressed, confused dog. Give the drive a legal outlet and teach a reliable interrupter, and the instinct stops landing on joggers and the kids.
Mistake 3 : Overexercising in the heat or using harsh methods. The heavy coat makes heat a genuine risk, and the soft temperament makes harsh corrections counterproductive. Keep exercise cool and your training warm and reward-based. The full list is in our Finnish Lapphund training mistakes guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Finnish Lapphunds easy to train ? Yes, unusually so for a spitz. The breed is gentle, friendly, and eager to please, so reward-based training is both effective and enjoyable. The main challenges are barking and the herding drive rather than trainability itself.
Why does my Lapphund bark so much ? Because it was bred to herd reindeer partly by voice, so vocalizing is genetic. You can substantially reduce nuisance barking by managing triggers, rewarding quiet, teaching a "quiet" cue, and meeting exercise needs, but expect a naturally communicative dog.
How much exercise does a Lapphund need ? Around 60 minutes of activity daily plus mental work, ideally in cool conditions. This is a herding spitz with real energy, and the heavy coat means you must take care in warm weather.
Are Finnish Lapphunds good family dogs ? Excellent ones. They are gentle, friendly, and good with children, and far more easygoing than most spitz breeds. They suit active families who can give them exercise and enrichment.
Do Finnish Lapphunds shed a lot ? Yes. The dense double coat sheds year-round and blows heavily a couple of times a year. Regular brushing keeps it manageable, and the coat should not be shaved, as it protects against both cold and heat.
Is positive reinforcement effective for Lapphunds ? It is ideal for the breed. The friendly, sensitive, eager temperament thrives on reward-based training and shuts down under harshness.
Why does my Lapphund try to herd the kids ? Because gathering and moving things is the breed's instinct, triggered by running and excitement. Redirect it with a sanctioned outlet and a reliable interrupter rather than punishing it, and teach the dog a calm default around movement. Our recall guide helps build that reliability.
Why TailorPup Was Built for Finnish Lapphunds
A generic plan does not prioritize the two things that actually matter with this breed: early barking management and a healthy outlet for the herding drive. That is why standard advice often leaves Lapphund owners with a noisy, chasing dog.
TailorPup builds a 12-week plan around your specific dog: its herding instincts, its age, and the behaviors you are seeing. For a Lapphund that means leaning on the breed's friendly trainability, a dedicated barking protocol, herding redirection, and cool-weather exercise planning to protect that heavy coat.
Daily 12-minute sessions plus weekly adjustments based on your dog's progress. Free for 7 days, no card required.
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Related: Finnish Lapphund Training Mistakes · Barking Solutions · Recall Training · Leash Pulling