A Rare Glimpse at the Reindeer Dog

No, these are not Santa's watch dogs! They also did not get their name from a resemblance to the reindeer. Rather, the Lapponian Herder or Reindeer dog gets its nick-name from its ability to heard reindeer.

How the Reindeer Dog Came To Be

Originating in Finland, the Lapponian Herder came about from the need to heard reindeer. The Lapponian reindeer hunters of Finland found it increasingly difficult to find reindeer as their population diminished. They decided on breeding and herding Reindeer to ensure their availability. In order to care for these Reindeer a dog was needed that not only had herding instincts, but also the endurance.

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The Lapponian hunters decided to cross the strong dog of their native Finland with the smart herding dogs from Europe. This is how the Reindeer dog came to be.

Breed for outdoor work, the reindeer dog is able to work in all kinds of weather conditions. It is said that reindeer dogs were able to run 60 miles a day in deep snow if need be, in order to perform their duty. By instinct these dogs would bring in stray Reindeer and were not afraid of working to do so.

However, in the 1960's the reindeer dog almost went into extinction. The advent of the snow mobile stood to displace the reindeer dog. But once the Lapponian herders realized expensive fuel and maintenance costs, the fervor to use the reindeer dog was stronger than ever.

A Rare Sighting of a Reindeer Dog

If you are lucky enough to see one of these rare dogs, you will notice that they are mostly black and tan. Some do have different coloring, but these are the most common colors. They also have markings on their chest, feet and cheeks. These markings are generally either brown or grey.

Sometimes the term "double eyes" is used when referring to a reindeer dog because of markings right above their eyes.

Not surprisingly, these dogs are known for their endless energy and willingness to serve. They are a sound dog with a curved tail. They also tend to bark while herding. It is part of how they perform their job.

When training these dogs it has been said that "They will do anything to please and when they do something wrong, it is you who have failed." At least an owner can have confidence that eventually their dog will be trained accordingly.

As with most breeds, female reindeer dogs are a bit more submissive. Other than slight personality differences, there is very little to tell the two sexes apart. Appearances do not vary by gender.

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