Finnish Lapphund Feeding Guide: How Much, What and When

When I brought Timber home to Castlegar, I stood in the pet store aisle holding two bags and wondering which one would let my puppy down. Two Lappies later, I have learned that feeding a Finnish Lapphund well has almost nothing to do with finding the perfect brand. It is a handful of habits, repeated. Here is the guide I wish someone had handed me that first day.

This is general information from one owner to another, and not veterinary advice. Your vet knows your dog and should sign off on portions, diet changes and any supplement.

How much should I feed a Finnish Lapphund?

Start with the feeding chart on the bag for your dog's current weight, then adjust to body condition. The Finnish Lapphund is a smaller than medium spitz. No breed standard sets an official weight, and adults commonly land between 15 and 24 kg (33 to 53 lb), with many on the lighter end. That means most Lappies need fewer calories than people expect from a dog that looks this substantial.

For a sense of scale, the World Small Animal Veterinary Association publishes calorie ranges for an average healthy adult dog in ideal body condition (WSAVA, Calorie Ranges for an Average Healthy Adult Dog). The wide bands are the point. The lower figure suits an inactive adult and the upper figure an active one.

WSAVA is clear that these are guidance only, and that individual dogs may need more or less. Weigh your dog, follow the bag, then watch the waistline and adjust every couple of weeks. One practical note: Measure meals with a proper cup or a kitchen scale. Eyeballing scoops is the easiest way to overfeed a Lappy without noticing.

Feeding by life stage: puppy, adult and senior

Amounts and food change as your Lappy grows. Puppies need frequent meals of a growth formula. Adults settle into twice a day maintenance. Seniors often need slightly fewer calories as they slow down, and the American Animal Hospital Association notes there is no separate AAFCO nutrient profile for senior diets, so senior foods vary widely between brands (AAHA, Age-Specific and Breed-Specific Diets).

One note for this breed. Lappies are compact and can be a little greedy, so the slide from lean to chunky happens quietly under all that coat. Change foods gradually over about a week, mixing increasing amounts of the new into the old, to save yourself an upset stomach. For the wider picture on keeping a Lappy well, see our Finnish Lapphund health problems and Finnish Lapphund lifespan guides.

What is the best food for a Finnish Lapphund?

Any complete and balanced diet for your dog's life stage, made by a company that invests in real veterinary nutrition. There is no magic brand for this breed. Two checks matter far more than the picture on the bag.

First, find the nutritional adequacy statement on the label. A food described as complete and balanced has either met the AAFCO nutrient profiles or passed an AAFCO feeding trial for that life stage (AAFCO, Selecting the Right Pet Food). Foods labelled for intermittent or complementary feeding are not meals.

Second, judge the company. The WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee gives owners four questions to ask a brand (WSAVA, Guidelines on Selecting Pet Foods). Do they employ a qualified nutritionist, with a PhD in animal nutrition or board certification? Who formulates the recipes? What quality control runs on ingredients and on the finished product? And do they publish peer reviewed research? If a manufacturer will not answer, WSAVA says to be cautious about feeding that brand. Unregulated marketing words such as premium carry no meaning at all.

Kibble, fresh or raw: which is right?

All three can work and none is automatically best. Here is the even handed version.

• Kibble. Convenient, shelf stable, easy to measure and usually the cheapest. A good complete and balanced kibble is a sound choice for most Lappies.
• Fresh or gently cooked. Often very palatable and easy to digest. Choose a brand that states complete and balanced for the life stage rather than an unformulated home recipe, which can quietly miss nutrients.
• Raw. Some owners love it. It carries food safety risks for the dog and the household, and it is easy to unbalance. If you go this way, use a properly formulated diet and involve your vet.

How do I know if my Lappy is at a healthy weight?

Use body condition scoring rather than the scale alone. On the common nine point scale, the target is a 4 or 5 out of 9. At that score you can feel the ribs easily under a thin layer of fat, see a waist from above, and see a tuck in the belly from the side (VCA Animal Hospitals, Body Condition Scores).

This is the tool behind follow the bag, then adjust. The chart gives you a starting portion. Your hands give you the answer. A Finnish Lapphund's dense double coat hides a great deal, so do not trust what the floof looks like. Feel the ribs every couple of weeks and weigh your dog at the vet now and then. Keeping a Lappy lean is one of the kindest things you can do for its joints and its years.

What if my Lappy needs to lose weight?

Do it slowly, with your vet, and measure everything. VCA advises starting a weight reduction plan with a veterinary exam to rule out medical causes. Your vet then sets a target weight, a calorie allowance and regular weigh ins (VCA, Creating a Weight Reduction Plan for Dogs). Crash dieting a dog is unsafe, and simply cutting the current portion can leave the diet short on nutrients.

Three things make it easier in a Lappy household. Weigh the food rather than scooping it. Take the treat calories out of the meal, so a training day does not become a surplus day. And add movement in the cool parts of the day, because a double coated dog will not exercise hard in July. Our Finnish Lapphund exercise guide covers what a sensible daily hour looks like.

What is a good feeding schedule?

Two measured meals a day suits most adult Lappies, roughly morning and evening. VCA recommends feeding an adult dog once or twice a day, and dividing a puppy's daily total into three or four meals while it is growing (VCA Animal Hospitals, General Feeding Guidelines for Dogs). A predictable routine also helps house training and lets you notice an appetite change early, which is often the first sign something is off.

Scheduled meals beat leaving a full bowl out all day. With food always available, an efficient breed like this one tends to overeat, and you lose your best early warning system. Pick set times, measure each meal, and lift the bowl after fifteen or twenty minutes if it is not finished.

Does the bowl actually matter?

A little, and in ways people rarely think about. Stainless steel is the easiest material to keep genuinely clean, because it does not scratch into grooves the way plastic does, and it goes through a dishwasher without warping. Plastic bowls scratch, hold bacteria, and are a known trigger for contact irritation on some dogs' chins.

Size and depth matter more for a Lappy than for most breeds. A deep, narrow bowl pushes that thick neck ruff into the food, and a wet ruff stays wet. A wider, shallower bowl keeps the mane out of the gravy. If your dog inhales meals, a slow feeder or a snuffle mat spreads it out, which helps digestion and gives that herding brain a small job. Gastric dilatation and volvulus, the emergency owners call bloat, is most associated with large deep chested breeds. Every owner should still know the signs. A swollen abdomen, unproductive retching and obvious distress mean an emergency vet, immediately (VCA, Bloat in Dogs). I make our own stainless Finnish Lapphund dog bowls because I could never find one drawn in the right coat, and the Kootenay Mountain bowl is the one on our own kitchen floor.

What about treats?

Keep treats to no more than 10 percent of daily calories. The other 90 percent should come from that complete and balanced diet (VCA Animal Hospitals, Dog Treats). WSAVA puts real numbers on it: a 20 kg dog has a treat budget of about 79 calories a day, and a single tablespoon of peanut butter carries 81 (WSAVA, Feeding Treats to Your Dog). One spoonful is the whole allowance.

So reach for small, low calorie rewards. A few pieces of the day's kibble saved back for training works perfectly, and so do dog safe vegetables like green beans or carrot. If you like baking your own, and I do, our homemade Finnish Lapphund treat recipes keep the pieces small on purpose. Count them toward the daily total and trim the meals to match.

Which foods are toxic and must be avoided?

Several common human foods are dangerous to dogs. Keep these out of reach, and if your Lappy swallows any of them, call your vet or a pet poison line straight away (ASPCA, People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets).

• Chocolate, cocoa, coffee and anything else with caffeine. Dark chocolate is the worst of them.
• Grapes, raisins, currants and sultanas, which can cause acute kidney failure with no known safe dose (VCA, Grape, Raisin and Currant Poisoning in Dogs).
• Xylitol, also labelled birch sugar, found in sugar free gum, candy, some peanut butters and baked goods. It causes a dangerous blood sugar crash and liver damage (AKC, Xylitol Is Toxic To Dogs).
• Onions, garlic, leeks and chives, which damage red blood cells.
• Alcohol, raw yeast dough, macadamia nuts, and large amounts of salt.

Save your vet's number and a pet poison control line in your phone before you need them. Minutes matter with several of the items above.

Does my Finnish Lapphund need fresh water all the time?

Yes. Clean, fresh water should be available at all times, refreshed daily, in a bowl you wash as often as your own dishes. Water drives digestion and every other system. Dogs on kibble rely on the bowl especially, because dry food carries very little moisture. A Lappy who has been out in the snow still needs it, since cold weather work is thirsty work. If you notice a sudden change in how much your dog drinks, in either direction, mention it to your vet.

A last word from our kitchen

Feeding a Lappy well comes down to a short list. A solid complete and balanced food, measured meals, treats kept in check, fresh water, and your hands on those ribs every couple of weeks. Do that and you give your dog the best shot at a long, bouncy life. Every dog is an individual, so let your vet make the call for yours. If you are still getting to know the breed, our puppy guide and care guide are the next reads. And while the kibble gets weighed out here, the coffee goes in a breed true Finnish Lapphund mug, because somebody in this kitchen has to be fed properly. From Timber, Tundra and me, happy feeding.

Related Finnish Lapphund guides

• Homemade Finnish Lapphund treats: 5 simple recipes
• The complete Finnish Lapphund care guide
• Finnish Lapphund health problems and DNA testing
• Finnish Lapphund dog sports: agility, rally, herding and nosework
• Finnish Lapphund lifespan and senior care
• The complete Finnish Lapphund breed guide

Finnish Lapphund feeding: quick answers

How much should I feed my Finnish Lapphund per day?

Start with the amount on the bag for your dog's weight and life stage, then adjust to keep a lean body condition. WSAVA's guidance ranges put an 18 kg (40 lb) adult at roughly 730 to 918 calories a day, with the lower end for an inactive dog. Confirm the right amount with your vet.

How many times a day should a Finnish Lapphund eat?

Most adults do well on two measured meals a day. VCA recommends feeding puppies three or four meals daily while they are growing, easing down to two as they mature. Scheduled meals beat leaving a bowl out all day.

What is the best dog food for a Finnish Lapphund?

Any complete and balanced food suited to your dog's life stage from a company that meets WSAVA's standards. Look for the AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement on the label, and choose a brand that employs a qualified nutritionist, runs quality control and publishes research.

Do Finnish Lapphunds get fat easily?

They can. The breed is compact and efficient, and the thick double coat hides extra weight, so it is easy to overfeed without noticing. Measure meals, limit treats, and check body condition by feeling the ribs every couple of weeks.

Can Finnish Lapphunds eat raw food?

Some owners feed raw, but it carries food safety risks for the dog and the household and is easy to unbalance. If you choose raw or home cooked, use a properly formulated complete diet and work with your vet.

How much of my dog's diet can be treats?

No more than about 10 percent of daily calories. WSAVA puts a 20 kg dog's treat budget at roughly 79 calories a day, which one tablespoon of peanut butter already exceeds. Trim meals slightly on heavy treat days.

Sources

• AAFCO, Selecting the Right Pet Food
• AAFCO, Reading Pet Food Labels
• WSAVA, Global Nutrition Guidelines
• WSAVA, Calorie Ranges for an Average Healthy Adult Dog
• WSAVA, Guidelines on Selecting Pet Foods
• WSAVA, Feeding Treats to Your Dog
• AAHA, Age-Specific and Breed-Specific Diets
• VCA Animal Hospitals, General Feeding Guidelines for Dogs
• VCA Animal Hospitals, Body Condition Scores
• VCA Animal Hospitals, Creating a Weight Reduction Plan for Dogs
• VCA Animal Hospitals, Dog Treats
• VCA Animal Hospitals, Grape, Raisin and Currant Poisoning in Dogs
• VCA Animal Hospitals, Bloat: Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus in Dogs
• ASPCA, People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets
• American Kennel Club, Xylitol Is Toxic To Dogs

Written by Jill, co-founder of Lapphund Designs. Jill lives in Castlegar, BC with her husband and their two Finnish Lapphunds, Timber and Tundra.