Finnish Lapphund Colour

Finnish lapphunds come in a myriad of colours and what should be emphasised is no one colour is better or more special/rare than another.

The breed standard asks that there is a main colour or pattern – so three patterns are considered undesirable:

  • parti colour where there are large splashes of white breaking up the main colour
  • brindle where the main colour is broken by faint stripes
  • saddle – where there is a black saddle overlaying the main colour

Information on the genetics of colour inheritance 

More examples of colours and explanation on colour genetics in the finnish lapphund

Black & Tan

The most widely seen colour in the breed – but with varying amounts of tan, and intensity of tan

Photos of same dog as a puppy and an adult

Two weeks

7 weeks

3-4 months

Adult

Photos of same bitch as a puppy and an adult

One week

6 weeks

10 months

Adult

Tricolor and B&W with the Irish Spotting pattern

Irish spotting with the large patch of white

Irish spotting

Wolf Sable

Dominant to Black & Tan and therefore it requires at least one parent to be Wolf Sable to be seen in a litter

One week

5 weeks

8 weeks

4 months

Adult

Solid Black (or Black & White)

A recessive colour in our breed, so can be born to non solid black parents. Sometimes they are really B&T but tan points are small or hidden by white pattern, giving the striking B&W dogs.

All black

Black with white

Brown & Tan

Both parents must carry at least one brown gene for a litter to include brown pups, recessive to black

1 week old

6 weeks old

adult

Red Sable

Amount of black tipping in hair can vary to overlay on shoulders and back to just a few hairs – giving appearance of red coat only.

Cream/Cream Sable

The black pigment is affected by two copies of an e series gene converting the black pigment to yellow (as with yellow labs), this means cream puppies can appear to black/B&T parents

Spectacles

Unusual feature to our breed, where hair colour around eye rims is paler giving appearance of spectacles, more noticeable in darker wolf sable or solid black dogs.

Blue/Blue & Tan

Recessive colour caused by the effect of two copies of dilution gene on the black colouring giving a blue effect where black would have been expected. (Not seen in UK as yet)