The Finnish Lapphund got their name from an area in far northern Finland called Lapland which is where they originated and where they were used for herding reindeer. Also known as a Lappie or Lappy, the Finnish Lapphund is a beautiful dog renowned for his/her voluminous coating that can make him/her look bigger than he/she actually is.
The height of a Finnish Lapphund ranges from 16 to 21 inches tall at the shoulder, generally making this a medium sized dog breed. Some choice colors for a Finnish Lapphund coating include white, black, red, and brown. The Finnish Lapphund coating can also be found in combinations of colors such as black and tan. If you are looking for help with Finnish Lapphund grooming, you have come to the right place.
The Finnish Lapphund Grooming Process
1. Brush Your Finnish Lapphund’s Hair
Finnish Lapphunds are known to be heavy shedders of their hair, especially during the fall and spring seasons. So, you will want to be proactive about getting rid of your Finnish Lapphund’s dead hair by brushing his/her coating.
That is because if you don’t brush your Finnish Lapphund’s coating, all of the hair that is shedded from it will end up on your floor or furniture. Finnish Lapphunds have dense double coatings and so matting is another concern for you.
Matting can be painful for your Finnish Lapphund by pulling at his/her skin. So, you will want to proactively brush your Finnish Lapphund’s coating in order to get rid of the mats before they start to hurt him/her.
For brushing your Finnish Lapphund, you will want a brush that can effectively work its way through his/her dense double coating all the way to the skin so that the dead hair and mats can be swept away.
And you will want the brush to be able to do that without scratching your Finnish Lapphund’s skin in the process. With all that in mind, the Hertzko Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush is your go to brush for brushing your Finnish Lapphund’s coating.
The brush also comes with a self-cleaning feature in which you can easily clean out the brush with the press of a button. With the brush in hand, proceed to brush your Finnish Lapphund’s coating, brushing in the direction that his/her hair grows.
As for how often to brush your Finnish Lapphund’s coating, you will want to do that daily during the two heavy shedding seasons. But, as for the rest of the year, brushing your Finnish Lapphund’s coating once per week should be enough.
2. Brush Your Finnish Lapphund’s Teeth
Like all dogs, your Finnish Lapphund needs to have his/her teeth brushed. That is to prevent tartar buildup from taking form on your Finnish Lapphund’s teeth. You don’t want your Finnish Lapphund to have tartar buildup because that can result in tooth decay which isn’t good for him/her.
So, be sure and brush your Finnish Lapphund’s teeth on a regular basis – ideally daily. You will want to use the Virbac toothpaste for your Finnish Lapphund’s teeth as that is the one that veterinarians often recommend for a dog’s teeth.
You can use a toothbrush to brush your Finnish Lapphund’s teeth.
3. Bathe Your Finnish Lapphund
Your Finnish Lapphund can be bathed around once every two to three months. Be careful not to bathe your Finnish Lapphund too often because that can dry out his/her skin and dull his/her coating.
With that being said, when it is time to bathe your Finnish Lapphund, here is how you can go about doing that. Start out by taking your Finnish Lapphund to your bathtub. Once there, fill a cup with warm water and then pour it onto your Finnish Lapphund’s coating in order to get it all wet.
Now, thoroughly apply the shampoo onto your Finnish Lapphund’s coating, taking care not to get it into his/her eyes. As far as shampoos are concerned, the Buddy Wash Dog Shampoo and Conditioner is one of the best shampoos that I can find.
So, you will want to get that for your Finnish Lapphund. Once you are done shampooing your Finnish Lapphund’s coating, be sure to rinse his/her coating until every trace of the shampoo is gone.
With the bathing over, proceed to dry out your Finnish Lapphund’s coating with a bathing towel and then re-brush the coating.
4. Clean Your Finnish Lapphund’s Ears
Cleaning your Finnish Lapphund’s ears is an important part of the grooming routine. If your Finnish Lapphund’s ears aren’t cleaned out, they can become breeding grounds for wax buildup and that can cause ear infection.
So, make sure to check on your Finnish Lapphund’s ears periodically. If you notice that your Finnish Lapphund’s ears look dirty, that indicates that it is time for you to clean them out.
You will want to use the Virbac ear cleaner to clean out your Finnish Lapphund’s ears as that is the one that veterinarians often recommend for a dog’s ears. You can apply the ear cleaner onto cotton balls and then use them to clean out your Finnish Lapphund’s ears.
5. Clip Your Finnish Lapphund’s Nails
Your Finnish Lapphund also needs to have his/her nails clipped in order to keep them short. That is because you don’t want your Finnish Lapphund’s nails to grow too long as that can be painful for him/her, leading to discomfort when walking around.
So, make sure to keep an eye on your Finnish Lapphund’s nails or listen for any clicking sounds when he/she is walking around. That way, you will know for sure when you need to clip your Finnish Lapphund’s nails.
You can use a nail clipper like Millers Forge Dog Nail Clip to clip your Finnish Lapphund’s nails. Be careful not to clip the quick part of your Finnish Lapphund’s nails as that can easily result in bleeding.
Finnish Lapphund Grooming – Conclusion
There you have it for Finnish Lapphund grooming. You may be tempted to trim your Finnish Lapphund’s hair, but given that Finnish Lapphunds shed their hair heavily during the fall and spring seasons, trimming his/her hair isn’t a good idea at all as that can cause him/her to lose the ability to stay warm during the winter and cool during the summer.
So, I recommend that your Finnish Lapphund’s hair be left alone. Also, if you are struggling to get your Finnish Lapphund to cooperate with you while you are grooming him/her, this post will help you with that.
What are your thoughts? Have you groomed a Finnish Lapphund before? Feel free to leave a comment down below.