Origin Finland Rank Breed | Higher classification Dog | |
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Similar Seskar Seal Dog, Lapponian Herder, Tahltan Bear Dog, Hare Indian Dog, Finnish Lapphund | ||
The Lapponian Shepherd (Lapinpaimenkoira) or Cockhill's Finnish Lapphound (Kukonharjunkoira) is an extinct dog breed originating from Finland. Despite its name, it didn't come from Lapland, but from southern parts of the country. It should not be confused with the related Lapponian Herder.
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Etymology
The name Lapinpaimenkoira ("Lapponian Shepherd") refers to the fact that the ancestors of this breed came from Lapland. During the 1950s to the 1970s, Kukonharjun Kennel was one of the most remarkable breeders and this is where this breed or variety received its second name Kukonharjunkoira (literally "Cockhill's Dog", but referred by Desmond Morris as the "Cockhill's Lapphound").
History
In the 1930s, Lapponian reindeer-herding dogs - namely the Finnish Lapphund - were taken to Southern Finland and crossed with the long-haired Karelian Bear Dog. This is how a new breed called the Cockhill's Finnish Lapphound was developed and in 1945, it was officially registered as the Lapponian Shepherd. However, the Finnish Lapphund and the Lapponian Herder were soon added under the same breed name and therefore all these three breeds began to cross with each others.
In 1967, the Finnish Kennel Club (Suomen Kennelliitto) decided to split the Lapponian Shepherd breed into two separate breeds called the Finnish Lapphund and the Lapponian Herder. They didn't take the Cockhill's Finnish Lapphound on count and in the beginning of the 1980s, it finally vanished due the popularity of the Finnish Lapphund. However, it can still be found behind the bloodlines of today's Finnish Lapphunds.