Overview
The Lapponian Shepherd, also called Cockhill's Finnish Lapphound, was a Finnish breed that is now extinct. Despite its name it was developed in southern Finland, not Lapland.
It was one of several closely related Finnish spitz-type herding dogs and has since been absorbed into the Finnish Lapphund.
History
In the 1930s, Lapponian reindeer-herding dogs, notably the Finnish Lapphund, were taken to southern Finland and crossed with the long-haired Karelian Bear Dog. The result was registered in 1945 as the Lapponian Shepherd.
The Finnish Lapphund and Lapponian Herder were soon placed under the same breed name, and all three types interbred. In 1967 the Finnish Kennel Club split the registry into the Finnish Lapphund and the Lapponian Herder, leaving this type out. It faded away in the early 1980s as the Finnish Lapphund grew popular, though it remains in that breed's ancestry.
Appearance
No exact measurements are recorded. It was a medium-sized, long-haired spitz-type dog, similar to the Finnish Lapphund and showing the influence of the Karelian Bear Dog.
Temperament
Like the Lapphund, it is likely to have been alert, hardy and biddable, suited to herding and working closely with people.
