LAPPONIAN HERDER. the Breed Standard & How to Interpret it

Transcription

1 LAPPONIAN HERDER the Breed Standard & How to Interpret it

2 TRANSLATION: Finnish Kennel Club. ORIGIN: Finland. DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE OFFICIAL VALID STANDARD: UTILIZATION: Reindeer herder. FCI-CLASSIFICATION: Group 5 Spitz and primitive types. Section 3 Nordic Watchdogs and Herders. Without working trial. BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY: For hundreds of years the Lapps have used dogs of the same type as Lapponian Herder asr eindeer herders. Acceptance to the breed register was started in the 1950 s. At that time the modern Finnish Lapphund and the Lapponian Herder were still recognized as the same breed. The Lapponian Herder was separated into its own breed , as it had been noted that two different reindeer herding breeds existed. GENERAL APPEARANCE: A herding spitz, medium sized, clearly longer than the height at the withers. The bone and muscles are strong. The dog is muscular, however must not give the impression of being heavy. The sex should be clearly stamped. The coat is suitably adapted for the arctic climate. IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS: The length of the body is about 10% longer than the height at the withers. The depth of the body is about half of the height at the withers. BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT: Docile, calm, friendly, energetic and willing to serve. Barks readily when working. HEAD: Elongated; the muzzle is slightly shorter than the skull. CRANIAL REGION: Skull: Only slightly convex. The frontal furrow is marked and the superciliary ridges are clearly defined. Stop: Gently sloping. FACIAL REGION: Nose: Preferably black, yet harmonizing with the coat colour. Muzzle: The nasal bridge is straight. Viewed from above and in profile the muzzle tapers evenly towards the nose. Lips: Tight. Jaws/Teeth: Jaws and teeth are strong. Scissor bite. Normal dentition. Cheeks: The zygomatic arches are clearly marked. Eyes: Preferably dark in colour, yet harmonizing with the coat colour. Lively and set rather apart. Oval shaped. The expression is keen, in bitches also devoted. Ears: Pricked, medium in length, set rather apart, rather broad at set-on. The inside of the ear is covered with profuse hair, particularly at the base. NECK : Strong and medium in length, set smoothly into the shoulders. Without dewlap.

3 BODY: Withers: Marked. Back: Strong and muscular. Loin: Short and muscular. Croup: Rather long and slightly oblique. Chest: Deep, long and spacious, not very broad. The ribs are clearly arched. Underline: Gently tucked up. TAIL: Medium in length, low set and covered with profuse hair. In repose the tail is hanging; in movement it is held in a loose curve, but may not raise over the back. The tail action may also be circular. LIMBS FOREQUARTERS: General appearance: Powerful, attached to the body with strong muscles, yet free in movement. Muscular and well angulated. Viewed from the front straight and parallel. Shoulders: Oblique and muscular. Elbows: Turning neither inwards nor outwards, close to the body, pointing straight backwards. Forearm: Vertical. Carpus: Sinewy and flexible. Pastern: Seen in profile slightly oblique, enabling the flexible movement. Fore feet: Rather oval with all sides, also underneath, covered with dense hair. The toes are well arched, the pads elastic and thick. HINDQUARTERS: General appearance: Well angulated. Viewed from behind straight and parallel. Upper thigh: Rather long and broad with well developed muscles. Stifle: Pointed forward, the angulation is clearly marked. Hock joint: Set rather low; the angulation is clearly marked. Metatarsus: Rather short, vertical and parallel. Hindfeet: As front feet. Preferably without dewclaws. GAIT / MOVEMENT: Free, flexible, effortless and sound. The trot is tireless. At a fast trot tends to single-track. SKIN: Tight overall without wrinkles. COAT HAIR: The outer coat is of medium length or long, straight, rather erect and harsh. The undercoat is fine and dense. The hair is often more profuse and longer on the neck, chest and on the backside of the thighs. COLOUR: Black in different shades, even greyish or dark brown with a lighter shade than the basic colour, greyish or brownish colour markings often on head, the lower parts of the body and legs. White markings on neck, chest and legs are permitted. The undercoat is black, greyish or brownish.

4 SIZE: Height at withers: Ideal height for males 51 cm, Ideal height for females 46 cm. With a tolerance of ± 3 cm. FAULTS: Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog. Males not masculine and females not feminine. Very light eyes in black dogs. Ears with slack tips (tipped ears). Tail curled or curved over the back. Soft, wavy or flat coat. Without undercoat. DISQUALIFYING FAULTS: Aggressive or overly shy dogs. Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified. Overshot or undershot mouth. Drop ears. N.B.: Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum. Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed typical conformation should be used for breeding.

5 BREED STANDARD & HOW TO INTERPRET IT LAPPONIAN HERDER Lapphund Club of Finland FOREWORD As a Finnish Kennel Club-recognised breed, the Lapponian Herder is still young, nevertheless its type is already relatively well-established. The register is still open for new dogs, and new blood is taken in from the indigenous canine population of Lapland on a regular basis, which, of course, brings some variation into the breed type and appearance. As the Lapponian Herder and the Finnish Lapphund share the same background, it is not unusual for Finnish Lapphund-like features to be present in Lapponian Herders. In particular, dogs whose pedigree is well known several generations back are very even in type. However, certain variation and diversity should be maintained in the breed. GENERAL APPEARANCE The Lapponian Herder is clearly a (durable) trotting dog. Thus, it must be rectangular in shape, clearly longer than its height at the withers, medium strong, and relatively well- angulated. The coat is of medium length or long, harsh and specifically dense, and it should protect the dog in cold and wet conditions. A Lapponian Herder should create an image of a sound, hardy, hard-working, co-operative dog that moves effortlessly. Furthermore, it is placid, calm and usually rather indifferent to strangers. PROPORTIONS The Lapponian Herder is clearly longer than tall: a male is approximately ten per cent and a bitch fifteen per cent longer. There are short-bodied, even square-proportioned dogs in the breed, which often goes hand in hand with insufficient angulation. When estimating the body length, attention must be paid on the following features in particular: a Lapponian Herder must have a well-angulated, strong front, a long rib cage, a strong rear with broad thighs, and a short loin and back. A correctly constructed, but somewhat short-bodied dog is better than a long-bodied dog with a long back and loin, since the latter type is not a durable working dog. The depth of the chest is approximately half of the height at the withers. Therefore, a Lapponian Herder should not appear rangy or high-legged, though such dogs can sometimes be seen. When evaluating the general appearance of a Lapponian Herder, the top priorities should be soundness, balance and durability both in conformation and movement. A Lapponian Herder should be able to work for lengthy periods of time in hard and rough conditions, often in a tough climate.

6 DOGS OF EXCELLENT TYPE Strong male in a good coat. Sound well-constructed male. Excellent proportions; a male of proper strength and substance. Black male - note how the absence of tan marks affects the general appearance.

7 BITCHES OF EXCELLENT TYPE Well-constructed bitch, photographed in too short a coat. Strongly-built bitch in a good coat. An older bitch of excellent type. Note the clearly visible anticline (dip behind the withers). Wolf sable bitch in a thick coat of correct length. Brown and tan bitch with good angulation and proportions.

8 Short-bodied male, insufficiently angulated. Light-boned and rangy bitch; slightly too long in loin. Too heavy and strong.

9 HEAD Elongated, somewhat wedge-shaped, never light or dainty. A male's head must be masculine and a bitch s feminine. The skull must be sufficiently broad between the ears and, what is more, only slightly convex. The stop is rather open, yet clearly marked. The superciliary ridges (eyebrows) are clearly defined, a male's more clearly than a bitch's. The zygomatic arches are marked, though not exaggerated. Light head, ears set too far apart EARS Erect, of medium size, set rather far apart from each other, yet not too far apart. Rather broad at the base, not entirely pointed. It is essential that the insides of the ears are covered with profuse hair, providing protection against insects. Too large ears are a common mistake in the breed; furthermore, sometimes faulty, semi-erect ears occur (a dog possessing such ears should not be graded 'excellent' at shows). Drop ears are a disqualifying mistake. EYES Tipped ears Oval in shape, set rather far apart from each other, brown in colour. Brown dogs have slightly lighter eyes, though never yellowish. Blue eyes are a disqualifying mistake. MUZZLE Slightly shorter than the skull, evenly but only slightly tapering towards the nose, never pointed. The nasal bridge is straight. Too weak and light muzzles occur, as well as insufficient bottom jaws. Lips must be tight. NOSE Dogs with black pigment must have a black nose. Brown dogs, however, always have a brown nose. BITE Scissors bite. A level bite is acceptable for older dogs in particular. A clearly overshot or undershot mouth is a disqualifying fault. Missing teeth must be at least mentioned in the written critique.

10 EXPRESSION Intelligent and restful. A bitch may even express submissiveness. Young male with well-set ears and a pleasant expression. Beautiful feminine profile. A Lapponian Herder may have a blaze on the foreface. An older bitch with a good expression. Good masculine head.

11 BODY Relatively sturdy, though never heavy. Withers are clearly marked, but not exaggerated. Often, the anticline (dip behind the withers) is clearly visible, and it should never be mistaken for a swayback. The topline is strong, level and never sloping. The loin is short and the croup long as well as slightly oblique. Thus, the thigh is broad and muscular. Also, the croup is sufficiently broad, especially on bitches. A common mistake in Lapponian Herders is an upright and/or short croup. In that case, muscles on rear legs are not fully developed, and the dog is not able to move efficiently and powerfully. The rib cage is long and deep; nevertheless, it should never go below elbows. The chest is marked, but not exaggerated. Short-bodied, insufficiently angulated male with a short upright croup. Insufficient angulation, short upright upper arm and loose front, causing the body to 'collapse'. This dog's construction lacks durability. This dog demonstrates a good front.

12 TAIL Of medium length, low set. Hanging at rest. A Lapponian Herder uses its tail to balance its movement. The tail is carried on a level with the topline or slightly above it on the move. A sickle-shaped tail is acceptable on the move, but the tail should never curl over the back. A Lapponian Herder often expresses its mood with its tail, which makes it quite easy to 'read' the dog. Especially when it is saying hello the tail action is circular. The tail is covered with profuse, dense hair. A kink (i.e. vertebrae grown together) is a disqualifying fault. LIMBS AND MOVEMENT and 2: Acceptable tail set on the move 3: Faulty, should affect the grade given by the judge Limbs are strong-boned and muscles well-developed. Angulation is clearly marked. When standing, the limbs are straight and parallel, seen both from the front and rear. On the move (at a fast trot in particular), the tendency towards single-tracking must be taken into account, and it should never be mistaken for narrow rear movement. Angulation is sufficiently strong. What is more, it is important that front and rear angulation are in balance; only such a dog is capable of trotting in a sound and efficient manner. Shoulders are oblique and the upper arm is as long as the shoulder blade. Elbows are tight and set close to the body. Sometimes, Lapponian Herders have too short upper arms and thereby hackneyed movement (a dog lifts its front quarters high up on the move). Pasterns are slightly oblique. They are flexible, but not loose, thereby serving as efficient 'shock absorbers'. Rear quarters are well-angulated. The thigh is broad and muscular. The hock is rather low, which is why the rear movement is powerful.

13 Feet are oval in shape and strong. They must be covered with dense, protection-providing hair between the pads. Movement must be efficient, flexible, sound and effortless. A Lapponian Herder must possess a durable, long-stepping, ground-covering and low trot. A powerlessly moving, short-stepping dog is not capable of herding reindeer in tough conditions. Good movement COLOUR Black and tan, wolf sable (grey), brown, brown and tan, and solid black. Cream, sable and brindle are disqualifying colours. White markings may occur on the head, chest, neck and limbs. SIZE Height at the withers: dogs 51 cm (+/- 3 cm), bitches 46 cm (+/- 3 cm). A minor deviation from these measurements is acceptable if a dog is of excellent type. TEMPERAMENT As important as conformation and type are, the most important feature in a dog, however, is the temperament. A beautiful but ill-tempered Lapponian Herder is not worth a lot. At a dog show, the temperament can only be assessed superficially as the time allocated to each dog is limited. The Lapponian Herder is an intelligent and receptive dog. Even though these features cannot be fully evaluated in the show ring, a dog's essence does give some indication of its characteristics within a short time as well. A Lapponian Herder is docile and friendly. It is rather indifferent towards strangers, a bitch can even be reserved. Any, even slightest aggressiveness towards people is disqualifying. What is more, Lapponian Herders shall not spar with each other.

14 COAT The outer coat is of medium length or long, straight and harsh. The undercoat is fine, thick and plentiful, so that a Lapponian Herder survives even in arctic circumstances. The coat is rather erect, never flat or skin-tight. Furthermore, it has to be weatherproof and damp-repellent. A common mistake in Lapponian Herders is either too short or too soft a coat. This should be paid more attention to. The Lapponian Herder is definitely not a short-coated breed; instead the coat should be at least of medium length.