SFLS Open Show 2025

Judge: Christian Lauluten

I would like to start by thanking the SFLS for the invitation. It was a great experience for me, and I also learned a lot. How shows are organized around the world varies a great deal, and it was interesting for me to experience judging the way it is done in GB. However, I probably have included some of the Scandinavian judging culture both in my judging and my critiques.

When I am judging Finnish lapphunds, I always have a sentence from the old judge’s guide in the back of my head: “There are many lovely, almost perfect Finnish Lapphunds that, however, clearly are individuals when it comes to temperament and appearance. The beauty of the breed is in its uniqueness there are no two Finnish Lapphunds that are exactly alike, and this is the way it should be in the future, too.”

For me it is important that we keep the variation that is allowed within the standard but also keep the most important features that contribute to breed type. For me the three most important features are sound movement, correct coat and a typical head and expression. Sound movement and correct coat is essential for a working dog in a harsh environment, while the head and expression is important for the breed type, and should distinguish a Finnish lapphund from all other spitz breeds, even the Swedish lapphund.

There is some sentences in my critiques that may seem a bit repetitive. Why mention something if it seems to be the same in basically every dog? This and the previous year I have been fortunate to judge the breed in Norway, Sweden, Finland and USA. Some faults have been more prevalent in one country than others. I decided to include some sentences even if most of the dogs present at this show showed to be excellent in just these details.

Class 1 BABY PUPPY DOG (0 Entry) Abs: 0

Class 2 BABY PUPPY BITCH (1 Entry) Abs: 0
1st: SAMITE TAIGA OF SOTKA (IMP EST) (NAF) (MRS N BIRKS). Nearly 5 months old and naturally has a lot of maturing left to do. Feminine head and expression. Lovely dark eyes. Excellent stop. Well placed ears of correct size and with correct hair on the inside of the ears. The skull should still develop more compared to the rest, which is natural for this age. Well-shaped ribcage. Excellent loin, croup and tail set. Well angulated in front and rear, but hocks are slightly too high. Promising puppy coat. Movements are still puppylike, but with promising reach and drive. Lovely temperament.

Class 3 PUPPY DOG (1 Entry) Abs: 0
1st: ELBERETH NUKA (MR K JARVIS). 8 months old, with a lot of breed type. Lovely proportions and substance in the head already. The muzzle is already well filled out. Medium dark well shaped eyes. Well set ears that are just slightly too pointy. Wonderful front construction, excellent layback of shoulder and angulation in upper arm. The angulation in the back is in perfect harmony with the front. Well-shaped ribcage. Excellent loin, croup, and tail set. The quality of the coat is already quite harsh, and he already has promising coat on the back side of front legs and hocks. Movements are still puppylike, but with excellent reach and drive. Lovely temperament.

Class 4 JUNIOR DOG (1 Entry) Abs: 0
1st: ELBERETH NUKA (MR K JARVIS) – As previous.

Class 5 YEARLING DOG (1 Entry) Abs: 0
1st: OBERITZ VALONVÄLKE AT RAJARANI (MRS B GREENLAND). 16 months old brown wolf sable dog. I appreciate the natural presentation, in no way over groomed. Closer to square proportions. Good head and expression. Light eyes, but in harmony with the coat colour. The shoulder could be better placed with a better layback. The fore chest could be slightly more prominent. Well-shaped ribcage. Excellent loin, croup and tail set. Absolutely perfect coat quality. Stable movement, but would like to see more reach and drive. Lovely temperament.

Class 6 NOVICE DOG (1 Entry) Abs: 0
1st: ELBERETH NUKA (MR K JARVIS) – As previous.

Class 7 POST GRADUATE DOG – No entries.

Class 8 LIMIT DOG (1 Entry) Abs: 1

Class 9 OPEN DOG (2 Entries) Abs: 0
1st: JSY CH ELBERETH OREOKEKSI AT LAPPINESS (MRS J BRACHE). Lovely overall impression. Powerful masculine head with a full muzzle, excellent stop and lovely oval shaped dark eyes. Acceptable ear placement and shape, with excellent hair on the inside. Excellent proportions and bone. Well-shaped ribcage. Excellent loin, croup and tail set.  Moderately angulated, but in perfect harmony. The coat is of excellent quality with correct profuse coat in all the right places. Moves are steady and soundly seen from all directions. Lovely temperament.

2nd: OBERITZ KAAMOKSEN RUHTINAS JW (MRS N J ALLISON). Gives a different look than the winner but despite that, they share many of the same positive qualities. This one also had an excellent masculine head and expression, with lovely oval shaped dark eyes. Slightly more rectangular proportions, but still excellent and within what is typical for this breed. Excellent loin, croup, and tail set. Excellent angulation and movement. Lovely temperament. Ultimately the slightly softer coat quality was the deciding factor for me when placing this class.

Class 10 SPECIAL VETERAN DOG (7-9 YEARS) (1 Entry) Abs: 0
1st: INFINDIGO LINTU HENKKA (MR M RUDD). 8 years old masculine male. Excellent proportions. Excellent head and expression. Could have a better shoulder placement and more layback, which likely would give him more steady movement in front as well. Well-shaped ribcage. Excellent loin, croup and tail set. Good coat quality. Lovely temperament.

Class 11 SPECIAL VINTAGE DOG (10+ YEARS) (2 Entries) Abs: 0
1st: CH LECIBSIN UKAS TO ELBERETH (IMP FIN) (MR S JACKSON). 10,5 years old. Masculine and still in excellent condition. Lovely head and expression. Full muzzle, excellent stop and lovely dark eyes. Excellent front construction. Lovely angulation all over. Still very lively and playful and it is obvious he enjoys his time in the ring. The coat could have a slightly coarser quality.

2nd: BRIDUS HEIKKI (MRS S H A LOCK). 11 years old. Good head and expression. Slightly more rectangular proportions than the winner of the class, but well inside what I consider typical for the breed. The length of the body consists of a long well shaped ribcage while the loin is of correct length. Excellent strength and bone. Moves very well for his age.

Class 12 GOOD CITIZEN DOG SCHEME DOG (2 Entries) Abs: 1
1st: KAIJARTUU IHMISSUSI JW (MR A LEE). 6.5 years old. Just enough strength and masculinity in the head. Could be better filled out under the eyes. Lovely oval shaped dark eyes. Soft expression. Lovely breed feature with the frontal furrow visible through the coat. Excellent proportions and well angulated. Long well-shaped ribcage and excellent loin, croup and tail set. Moves well. Lovely temperament.

Class 13 PUPPY BITCH (4 Entries) Abs: 1
1st: ELBERETH LUMIKRISTALLI AT LAPPINESS (MRS J BRACHE). Young, and naturally should mature and get a bit more substance in skull and body. Lovely soft expression and dark eyes. The coat quality is already excellent with the right coarse quality on the outercoat, and enough undercoat. Correct proportions, and a good frame to grow into. Steady movement from all sides. Lovely temperament.

2nd: OBERITZ TAHDENTUIKE (MRS N J ALLISON). Excellent type. Very promising head and expression with the right proportions. Lovely small ears with good coat. Good proportions in body, even if she is slightly more rectangular than the rest of the class, she is well within the standard. Puppy coat, that naturally has a softer texture to it. Very promising, but today the deciding factor in placing the class was stability in movement. Just now, the elbows is turning out on the move, and the topline should be firmer. This is of course faults that often get better with age. Lovely temperament.

3rd: OBERITZ TAHTIEN HURMAAMA (MRS N J ALLISON). At the same developmental state as 2^nd in the class and could basically get the same critique besides slightly different proportions.

Class 14 JUNIOR BITCH (4 Entries) Abs: 1
1st: WHINFOSS KESANLEHVISTO AT LAPINRUSKA (MISS A FOWLER). Young bitch that needs to mature and get a bit more substance. Excellent outline and proportions. Besides slightly rounded eyes, she has a lovely head and expression. Excellent loin, croup and tail. Excellent coat quality. Moves steadily and sound from all directions. Lovely temperament.

2nd: OBERITZ TAHDENTUIKE (MRS N J ALLISON) – As previous.

3rd: OBERITZ TAHTIEN HURMAAMA (MRS N J ALLISON) – As previous.

Class 15 YEARLING BITCH (2 Entries) Abs: 1
1st: CH SAMERAJERNA’S ZALUDA OF MORVAL JW (IMP SWED) (MR R & MRS S MOORE). Soon 2 years old with excellent breed type. The head is nearly perfect in every way. She has an especially well-developed underjaw, that contributes to the right expression. Excellent proportions. Very good coat quality, with enough undercoat. Excellent topline. Excellent ribcage, loin, croup and tail. Moves sound from all directions with excellent reach and drive. Lovely temperament.

Class 16 NOVICE BITCH (4 Entries) Abs: 0
1st: MUZOKU BLACK OPIUM (MRS S H A LOCK). Excellent type. Besides slightly rounded eyes she has a lovely head and expression. Very well filled out under the eyes, that contributes to the breed’s typical head. Sound overall anatomy, especially well constructed front for this breed. Excellent bone. Very good coat quality. Sound and steady movement. Lovely temperament.

2nd: ELBERETH LUMIKRISTALLI AT LAPPINESS (MRS J BRACHE) – As previous.

3rd: OBERITZ TAHDENTUIKE (MRS N J ALLISON) – As previous.

Class 17 POST GRADUATE BITCH (7 Entries) Abs: 2
1st: TABANYARUU ZINI KUKKI (MRS S CROFT). Winner of a class with overall excellent quality. Lovely head and expression, excellent underjaw. Overall, very sound with good anatomy. Excellent fore chest, shoulder placement and angulation in upper arm. Well developed ribcage, and a short muscular loin. Excellent croup and tail set. Very good coat. Very sound and effective movement from all sides. Lovely temperament.

2nd: ELBERETH VAIN YKSI LISÄÄ (MRS P REYNOLDS). Excellent bitch, it was a hard decision to place the first and the second in this class. Another bitch with a lovely head and expression. Excellent proportions in body. Very good coat. Steadyand sound in movement. Lovely temperament. Ultimately the deciding factor was that the 1^st had slightly more drive coming from the hindquarters.

3rd: AATELI KOIRA VAKKER YUNA AT LUMENICO (IMP FRA) JW (MRS N CLARK). Even the third in this class had excellent breed type. Excellent outline. Excellent head and expression. Excellent length of muzzle. Well-shaped dark eyes, small ears. Lovely breed feature with the frontal furrow visible through the coat. Shoulder could be placed further back, and with a stronger angulation in the upper arm, otherwise, excellent anatomy all over. The coat is in excellent condition with excellent quality. When standing she was easily a competitor for first place. On the move, steady but still quite narrow both coming and going, which was ultimately the deciding factor when placing the class.

Class 18 LIMIT BITCH (3 Entries) Abs: 0
1st: ELBERETH YKSI JA AINOA (A.I.) (MRS F MACVICAR COLLINGWOOD). Yet another class where the overall quality was excellent. Excellent breed type. Lovely head and soft feminine expression, with breed type but without anything being overdone. Lovely, dark, well-shaped eyes. Excellent proportions. Sound anatomy all over. Very good coat quality, with excellent amount of under coat. Sound, steady movement with excellent reach and drive. Lovely temperament. Although colour didn’t influence my decisions (I only had colours allowed by the breed standard in the ring this day), I have to say that it brings me joy to see excellent dogs of the rarer colours. When I started out with this breed about 20 years ago, I was told more than once that it was impossible to get a good cream-coloured Finnish lapphund. Nowadays there are plenty of examples of excellent Finnish lapphunds in many different colours.

2nd: TABANYARUU AURORA AHKERA (MISS L PELLING). Another excellent bitch. Very powerful head and a lot of bone, but still feminine enough. Lovely details in the head, especially the frontal furrow visible through the coat. Excellent anatomy all over. Excellent sound steady, movement. Ultimately the placement was done in appreciation of moderation, especially in the head.

3rd: PAVOSKAS HIILI HELMI (MRS S CRITCHLOW & MR M RUDD).

Class 19 OPEN BITCH (3 Entries) Abs: 0
1st: CH MORVAL HELINA KEIJU (MRS S GRAYSTONE). Yet another high-quality class. The winner of this class was one of the three I considered giving best bitch. Lovely head and expression. Very feminine. Excellent proportions. Excellent coat quality and amount of undercoat but could have benefitted from being more thoroughly brushed before the show, especially on the back side of the thighs. Lovely anatomy all over. Excellent movement with good reach and drive in the class, but in best bitch didn’t quite show her movement as well as the winners from yearling and limit.

2nd: CH ELBERETH UNISIEPPARI JW (MR S JACKSON). Excellent bitch. Besides a bit high set ears, she has excellent proportions in the head. Excellent proportions. Sound anatomy, which shows on the move. Moves steady with excellent reach and drive. Very good coat quality. Lovely temperament.

3rd: CH OBERITZ TUMMA RUHTINATAR (MRS N J ALLISON).

Class 20 SPECIAL VETERAN BITCH (7-9 YEARS) (5 Entries) Abs: 1
1st: GLENCHESS KIURU OVER PAVOSKAS (MRS S & MR P CRITCHLOW). The fourth class in a row where the whole class held very high quality. Besides slightly rounded eyes, this bitch had all the right virtues in the head for a Finnish lapphund. Despite the eye shape she had a lovely soft and feminine expression. Good coat quality, with a dense undercoat. Excellent proportions in body and well angulated. Sound movement from all sides. Lovely temperament.

2nd: CH KAIJARTUU HOPEA NOITA JW (MR A LEE). Veteran bitch in great condition. Good proportions in the head, but could be more filled out under the eyes to give an even softer expression. Lovely dark well-shaped eyes. Well angulated all over. Moves with good reach and drive. Lovely temperament.

3rd: CH ELBERETH LUMENLUMO JW (MRS F MACVICAR COLLINGWOOD).

Class 21 SPECIAL VINTAGE BITCH (10+ YEARS) (2 Entries) Abs: 1
1st: CH TILKKUTURKIN HALLANTUOMA TO ELBERETH JW SHCM VW (MR P JACKSON). Lovely bitch that clearly doesn’t know her age. Still very lively and moves with energy and drive. Lovely head and expression, but a bit high set ears. Long neck, excellent fore chest, well placed shoulder and excellent angulation in upper arm. The front is unusually well constructed, which we don’t see too often in this breed. Lovely happy temperament.

Class 22 GOOD CITIZEN DOG SCHEME BITCH (4 Entries) Abs: 2
1st: CH ELBERETH HUURREHUNTU JW (MR S JACKSON). Excellent head and expression. Lovely dark, well-shaped eyes. Slightly large ears. Lively and happy temperament. Very good coat. Sound anatomy which she uses on the move, excellent reach and drive.

2nd: CH BRIDUS PIKKUMIMMI JW VW (MRS S H A LOCK). 12 years old, still very sound. A more rectangular shape, but not too long for a bitch in this breed. Lovely head and expression. Excellent coat quality. Calm temperament. Had she lost just a little bit of weight, she would have made an even better impression.

Class 23 BRACE (4 Entries) 1 withdrawn
1st: MRS F MACVICAR COLLINGWOOD. Consists of the Best in Show winner from limit bitch and 3rd in special veteran bitch class. Even if I liked the bitch from limit class the best, seeing these two together really showed how much they had in common in both details and overall type. The special veteran bitch showed much better in the brace competition than she did in the class.

2nd: MR S JACKSON. Consists of the best veteran dog and the 2^nd in open class bitch. They showed very well together and is also of the same type. Especially the heads were of the same type, just different genders.

3rd: MRS J BRACHE. Consists of the best dog and the best puppy bitch. All three brace pairs held a high standard. These two matched each other very well. The dog was very masculine, and the bitch very feminine, but of the same type. They were in two very different developmental stages compared to the two other brace couples.

Class 24 PROGENY (1 Entry) 1 withdrawn.

Class 25 BREEDERS (2 Entries) 1 withdrawn
1st: ELBERETH. A group where all three individuals show what I consider the three most important hallmarks of the Finnish lapphund. Excellent powerful heads, but with a soft and friendly expression. Excellent coarse coat quality, with dense undercoat. Sound and effective movement from all sides. Congratulations to the breeder with a very consistent litter!

Class 26 SPECIAL OPEN DOG – No entries.