Finnish Lapphund vs Icelandic Sheepdog: An Honest Comparison

Somebody left a comment under a photo of Tundra last winter insisting he was an Icelandic Sheepdog. I understood the guess. Two small Nordic herders, two curled tails, two sets of pricked ears. Then I started reading both standards side by side and found the differences pile up faster than you would think.

What is the difference between a Finnish Lapphund and an Icelandic Sheepdog?

Start with weight, because that is the thing your arms notice. Both breeds stand around the same height at the shoulder. The Finnish Lapphund is the more substantial dog underneath the coat, commonly 15 to 24 kg (33 to 53 lb). PetMD, whose breed page is reviewed by Michelle Diener, DVM, puts the Icelandic Sheepdog at 11 to 14 kg (25 to 30 lb).

Then look at the back feet. The Icelandic standard says well developed double dewclaws on the hind legs are desirable, and a complete lack of hind dewclaws is listed as a fault. The Finnish standard simply says nothing about them. If a stranger's dog has two extra claws on each hind leg, that is a strong tell.

Third, check the coat length across the litter. The Icelandic Sheepdog has two recognised coat variants, short and long. The Finnish Lapphund has one, long and harsh over a soft dense undercoat, and a flat coat is a fault. A short-coated Lappish herder is a different breed entirely, which I unpack in my Lapponian Herder comparison.

Where did each breed come from?

The Finnish Lapphund is the reindeer dog of the Sami, developed across Lapland in northern Finland, Sweden, Norway and north-west Russia. It herded, it watched camp, and it moved animals with its voice. Finland wrote the first standard in 1945 and adopted the name Suomenlapinkoira in 1993. My history guide tells that story properly, and the Reindeer Herder at Heart tee exists because I could not stop thinking about it.

The Icelandic Sheepdog arrived on longships. The FCI standard describes it as the descendant of dogs brought to Iceland by the original Viking settlers between AD 870 and 930. It rounded up sheep and ponies across lava fields and open hill country, which is very different terrain from a reindeer migration route.

Both breeds nearly disappeared. The Icelandic Sheepdog Association of America records an 1869 dog tax that cut Iceland's dog population from roughly 24,000 to about 10,000 by the 1880s, followed by imported breeds diluting what was left. By the 1950s the enthusiast Mark Watson found the breed almost nowhere outside remote farms. Organised breeding restarted in 1967 under Sigridur Petursdottir, the Icelandic Kennel Club formed in 1969, and international cooperation through ISIC followed in 1996. The Finnish Lapphund came through its own near-loss in the same century. Two small breeds, two rescues, two clubs still counting carefully.

Finnish Lapphund vs Icelandic Sheepdog: size and appearance

The Finnish standard gives an ideal height of 49 cm (19.5 in) for males and 44 cm (17.5 in) for females, with a tolerance of 3 cm either way. The Icelandic standard gives 46 cm (18 in) for males and 42 cm (16.5 in) for females. The AKC standards mirror those figures in inches.

Side by side, the Lappy reads heavier in the head and heavier in the coat. Males carry an abundant mane. The Icelandic Sheepdog reads lighter and more rectangular, with a gentler wedge to the head and an expression the standard calls gentle, intelligent and happy. Both have erect triangular ears and a tail curled over the back.

Finnish Lapphund vs Icelandic Sheepdog: colour and markings

The two standards approach colour from opposite directions. Finland allows everything and asks only that one basic colour dominates, with other colours permitted on the head, neck, chest, underside, legs and tail. Iceland lists four colour families and then adds a requirement: white markings always accompany the main colour.

That requirement is the useful part. An Icelandic Sheepdog carries white somewhere, usually a blaze, a collar, socks or a tail tip. A Finnish Lapphund may carry white, and plenty do, though a solid black or solid brown Lappy with no white at all is perfectly correct. Colour on or near the ears is preferred in the Icelandic standard, which gives many of them a capped look.

The overlap that fools people is the pale end. A cream or light sable Lappy with a white chest and white toes can pass for a fawn Icelandic Sheepdog at forty paces. Our colours guide covers the seven Lappy coat words in detail, and the cream coat designs are drawn for the pale dogs that cause the confusion.

Finnish Lapphund vs Icelandic Sheepdog: temperament and energy

Both breeds are friendly, people-focused and useless as guard dogs. The Icelandic standard calls the breed cheerful, friendly, inquisitive, playful and confident with a gentle temperament, and notes that it announces visitors without being aggressive. The Finnish standard asks for intelligent, courageous, calm and docile, plus friendly and faithful.

Energy is where owners feel the difference. PetMD describes the Icelandic Sheepdog as a high-energy breed that thrives on hiking, long walks and mental work. The Finnish Lapphund needs moderate daily exercise plus real mental work, and most owners report a genuine off switch indoors. Timber does his job on the trail, then melts into the rug for four hours. If you want the honest numbers, my exercise guide breaks it down by life stage.

Both bark, and both bark for the same reason. The Icelandic standard states outright that the breed barks, which made it useful for driving sheep. The Finnish Lapphund used its voice on reindeer. Anyone choosing between these two on the basis of quiet is choosing between two loud options.

Both are sensitive, reward-based learners. Harsh corrections shut down a Lappy fast, and the Icelandic community says much the same about theirs. My temperament guide covers what that sensitivity looks like in daily life.

Finnish Lapphund vs Icelandic Sheepdog: grooming and shedding

Neither breed is low maintenance, and neither is hypoallergenic. Both carry a weatherproof double coat and both shed year round with a heavy seasonal blow in spring and often again in autumn.

The Finnish Lapphund is the bigger brushing job, mainly because there is more coat and only one length of it. Brush a couple of times a week, daily during the blow, and bathe roughly monthly or as needed. PetMD recommends weekly brushing for the Icelandic Sheepdog with a bath every month or two, and the short-coated variety is lighter work again.

Neither coat should ever be shaved. The double coat insulates against heat as well as cold, and shaving it damages the way it regrows. My shedding guide explains what a coat blow actually looks like on a kitchen floor.

Finnish Lapphund vs Icelandic Sheepdog: health, lifespan and price

This is general information, not veterinary advice. Ask your vet, and ask any breeder for results you can look up yourself.

Both breeds are considered healthy for their size. The Icelandic Sheepdog Association of America health statement, approved in December 2024, requires OFA or PennHIP hip testing and OFA CAER eye certification, with elbows, patellas, cardiac exams, BAER hearing tests and dentition offered as optional screening. The club's health page lists hip dysplasia, cataracts, cryptorchidism, distichiasis and patellar luxation as the conditions it tracks. PetMD adds elbow dysplasia and retinal dysplasia.

The Finnish Lapphund screening list looks similar with one addition. Parent clubs ask for a hip evaluation, an annual eye exam by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist, and DNA tests for prcd-PRA and Pompe disease, with elbow evaluations common in North America. A DNA test never replaces the eye exam. My health guide goes through each test and what a carrier result means.

Lifespans sit close together. The Finnish Lapphund typically reaches 12 to 15 years and PetMD gives the Icelandic Sheepdog 12 to 14.

On price, PetMD quotes 1,200 to 2,500 USD for an Icelandic Sheepdog puppy. A Finnish Lapphund from a health-testing, club-affiliated breeder runs about 1,500 to 3,000 USD, or roughly 2,000 to 4,000 CAD, with show or breeding prospects and imports higher. Both breeds have waiting lists measured in months to years, and both produce small litters. The full cost picture is in my Finnish Lapphund price guide.

Which breed is right for you?

Pick the Icelandic Sheepdog if you want a lighter, higher-energy dog, if you hike or run most days, and if the short coat option appeals. Pick the Finnish Lapphund if you want a slightly heavier dog with a calmer indoor default, a wider colour range, and a bigger breeder network in North America.

I am biased and I will say so once. After three years of Lappy hair in my coffee, the trade I would make again is the calm indoor dog with the loud outdoor opinion. If your floor already looks like mine, the Lappy coasters are drawn coat by coat, so the one on your table can actually match the one under it.

Related Finnish Lapphund guides

• Finnish Lapphund vs Swedish Lapphund
• Finnish Lapphund vs Samoyed
• Finnish Lapphund history and origins
• How much exercise does a Finnish Lapphund need?
• Finnish Lapphund temperament explained
• The complete Finnish Lapphund breed guide

Finnish Lapphund vs Icelandic Sheepdog: quick answers

Are Finnish Lapphunds and Icelandic Sheepdogs related?

They sit in the same FCI group and section, Nordic Watchdogs and Herders, and they share a spitz body plan. Their working histories are separate. The Finnish Lapphund herded reindeer for the Sami in Lapland, while the Icelandic Sheepdog came to Iceland with Viking settlers between AD 870 and 930 and worked sheep and ponies.

Which is bigger, a Finnish Lapphund or an Icelandic Sheepdog?

The Finnish Lapphund. Ideal heights are 49 cm (19.5 in) for males and 44 cm (17.5 in) for females, against 46 cm (18 in) and 42 cm (16.5 in) for the Icelandic Sheepdog. The weight gap is larger than the height gap, at roughly 15 to 24 kg (33 to 53 lb) against 11 to 14 kg (25 to 30 lb).

How can I tell an Icelandic Sheepdog from a Finnish Lapphund?

Check three things. Icelandic Sheepdogs always carry white markings alongside the main colour. They often have double dewclaws on the hind legs, which the standard calls desirable. They also come in a short-coated variety, which the Finnish Lapphund does not have.

Which breed has more energy?

The Icelandic Sheepdog. PetMD describes it as high energy and best suited to active homes with daily hiking or long walks. The Finnish Lapphund needs moderate daily exercise plus mental work, and most owners find it settles well indoors once its needs are met.

Do both breeds shed a lot?

Yes. Both carry weatherproof double coats, shed year round, and blow their undercoat heavily in spring and often again in autumn. The Finnish Lapphund is usually the bigger brushing job because it has more coat and only one length of it. Neither breed is hypoallergenic and neither should ever be shaved.

Which costs more, a Finnish Lapphund or an Icelandic Sheepdog?

The Finnish Lapphund is usually a little dearer. Expect about 1,500 to 3,000 USD, or roughly 2,000 to 4,000 CAD, from a health-testing, club-affiliated breeder. PetMD quotes 1,200 to 2,500 USD for an Icelandic Sheepdog puppy. Both breeds have small litters and waiting lists that run months to years.

Sources

• FCI Standard No. 289: Islenskur Fjarhundur (Icelandic Sheepdog)
• FCI Standard No. 189: Finnish Lapphund (Suomenlapinkoira)
• Icelandic Sheepdog Association of America: breed history
• Icelandic Sheepdog Association of America: health
• Icelandic Sheepdog Association of America health statement (2024)
• PetMD: Icelandic Sheepdog health and care, reviewed by Michelle Diener, DVM
• American Kennel Club: Icelandic Sheepdog history
• Finnish Lapphund Club of America: the AKC breed standard
• American Kennel Club: most popular dog breeds of 2024

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