Finnish Lapphund vs Norwegian Elkhound: Which Fits You?

Put a grey Finnish Lapphund next to a Norwegian Elkhound in a parking lot and half the people walking past will guess wrong. Both are grey Nordic spitz dogs with prick ears and a tail curled tight over the back. The similarity stops at the surface. One was bred to move reindeer, and the other was bred to hold a moose at bay until a hunter caught up.

What is the difference between a Finnish Lapphund and a Norwegian Elkhound?

The jobs explain almost everything else. The Finnish Lapphund worked for the Sami people across Lapland, herding and guarding reindeer, taking direction from a person all day. The FCI standard for the Norwegian Elkhound lists its use in four words, dog for elk-hunting, which in North America means moose.

The Elkhound hunts by finding the animal, then holding it in place. The Norwegian Elkhound Association of America describes a dog that tracks silently, then holds the game at bay by barking and being an annoyance rather than a threat. The dog circles and dodges for up to an hour until the hunter arrives. That is a dog bred to make decisions alone, at distance, while a very large animal objects.

A Lappy makes decisions too, and it checks in constantly while doing it. That single difference is what owners feel on a trail, in a training class and at the end of a long leash.

Finnish Lapphund vs Norwegian Elkhound: size, coat and colour

The Elkhound is the heavier dog, though the two are close in height. The Elkhound is squarely built and thickset. The Lapphund is slightly longer than tall and lighter in bone, which the standard sums up as smaller than medium sized.

Colour is the cleanest way to tell them apart on paper. The Elkhound standard allows grey and nothing else, and it disqualifies any other colour in the ring. The grey comes from black tips on the guard hairs, with a dark mask, a pale undercoat and a lighter band called the harness marking running about 5 cm from the withers down to the elbow.

The Finnish Lapphund allows every colour, as long as one base colour dominates. Our wolf sable Lappies are the ones people mistake for Elkhounds, because the grey and the dark shading land in the same family. Look at the head. An Elkhound wears a dark mask and small pointed ears, while a Lappy usually shows tan or cream over the eyes and a broader, softer face. If that grey coat is the one you love, the wolf sable designs in my shop are drawn from it, and the Finnish Lapphund colours guide covers the other six coat words we use.

Which breed is easier to train?

The Finnish Lapphund, for most homes. The FCI describes the breed as intelligent, courageous, calm and docile, friendly and faithful. Herding dogs were selected to work with a handler, so a Lappy watches your face and offers behaviours. It is also sensitive, so harsh corrections shut it down fast. Short, cheerful, reward based sessions get you a long way.

The Elkhound is described by its own parent club as remarkably intelligent, and also headstrong and independent. The UK standard says friendly, intelligent and independent without any sign of nervousness. That is not a criticism of the breed. A dog that holds a moose alone for an hour has to back its own judgement. It does mean recall takes real work, and that an Elkhound off leash near wildlife is a different proposition from a Lappy off leash.

Both breeds are slow to take a scolding well and quick to take a reward. Both need early socialisation. Our Finnish Lapphund training guide goes through the Lappy method in detail.

Do both breeds bark?

Yes, and both were paid to. The Finnish Lapphund herds by bark, which is why a Lappy narrates the neighbourhood. The Elkhound was bred to bark steadily at a moose so the hunter could find it, and the NEAA describes a deep resounding bark to match.

In a house, they sound different. Lappy barking tends to be reactive and chatty, tied to movement and arrivals, and it responds well to a trained quiet cue plus management of the window view. Elkhound barking tends to be lower, louder and more insistent. Neither breed is a quiet apartment default. I cover what actually reduces it on the Lappy side in the Finnish Lapphund barking guide.

Exercise, prey drive and daily life

The Elkhound is the higher stamina dog. Vet reviewed guidance puts it at about an hour of real exercise a day, with walking, hiking, swimming or hunting work, plus mental stimulation to head off destructive boredom. It was built to cover rough Norwegian ground all day, and it holds that engine.

The Finnish Lapphund wants moderate daily exercise plus a job for its brain, and it has a genuine off switch indoors. Ours settle after a good walk and a training game. That off switch is one of the reasons the breed suits family life so well, and it is covered in the Finnish Lapphund exercise guide.

Prey drive is the other daily difference. A herding breed wants to move animals, so a Lappy may want to chase and circle. A hunting hound wants to find and follow animals, so an Elkhound may want to track. Secure fencing and a long line are sensible with either breed, and they matter more with the Elkhound.

Grooming and shedding

Both breeds carry a working double coat, and both blow it hard. The Elkhound sheds profusely twice a year according to its parent club, and daily brushing during those weeks keeps the house liveable. Vet reviewed care notes suggest a couple of minutes of brushing most days and professional deshedding help in spring and autumn. The coat has little odour, so baths are occasional.

The Finnish Lapphund sheds year round with one or two heavy blows, usually spring and often autumn again. Brushing a couple of times a week keeps it under control, going daily during the blow, with a bath roughly monthly or as needed. Neither coat is ever shaved, because that double coat insulates against heat as well as cold. Neither breed is hypoallergenic. My full routine is in the Finnish Lapphund grooming guide.

Health, lifespan and the tests to ask for

This is general information, not veterinary advice. Ask your own vet about any breed you are weighing up.

Both breeds are typically given 12 to 15 years. The screening lists differ, and comparing them tells you where each breed's known risks sit.

The urinalysis on the Elkhound list is worth understanding. Fanconi syndrome is an inherited kidney problem where the tubules spill nutrients into the urine instead of reabsorbing them, and catching it early changes the outcome. On the Lapphund side, the DNA tests never replace the annual eye exam, because a DNA test only looks for the specific mutations it was built to find. Our Finnish Lapphund health guide works through the whole list.

Price, rarity and finding a puppy

Both breeds sit in the same quiet corner of the registry. In the AKC's 2024 registration statistics the Norwegian Elkhound ranked 124th and the Finnish Lapphund 129th, out of 201 breeds. Neither is a dog you will find at a shelter most weeks, and both are worth waiting for.

A Finnish Lapphund puppy from a health testing, club affiliated breeder generally runs about 1,500 to 3,000 USD, or roughly 2,000 to 4,000 CAD. Show or breeding prospects and imports run from 3,000 to 5,000 USD and up. Waiting lists run six months to two years, and litters are small at four to six puppies. Elkhound breeders are easier to find in North America because the breed arrived here much earlier, though good ones still keep a list. Start with the national parent club in either case. Our Finnish Lapphund price guide and breeder guide cover the Lappy route.

Which breed suits your home?

Both are friendly, sturdy, cold loving dogs that shed. The difference is how much independence you want in the dog you live with.

My honest read is that the Elkhound suits an outdoors household that hikes hard and enjoys a dog with opinions, while the Lappy suits a family that wants a trainable companion with a settle switch. I went with the Lappy twice, and the coat colours are half the reason. If you did the same, the designs we draw run across all the coats in the whole shop, right down to the cork backed coasters. The dog on the coaster should look like the one on your floor.

Related Finnish Lapphund guides

• Finnish Lapphund vs Siberian Husky
• Finnish Lapphund vs Lapponian Herder
• Finnish Lapphund vs Icelandic Sheepdog
• Finnish Lapphund dog sports: agility, rally and herding
• How much exercise does a Finnish Lapphund need?
• The full Finnish Lapphund breed guide

Finnish Lapphund vs Norwegian Elkhound: quick answers

Are Finnish Lapphunds and Norwegian Elkhounds related?

They are both Group 5 Nordic spitz breeds, so they share an ancient regional type and a similar look. They are separate breeds from separate countries with separate jobs. The FCI files the Lapphund under Nordic Watchdogs and Herders and the Elkhound under Nordic Hunting Dogs.

Which is bigger, a Finnish Lapphund or a Norwegian Elkhound?

The Norwegian Elkhound. Its ideal heights are 52 cm (20.5 in) for males and 49 cm (19.5 in) for females, with males weighing about 23 kg (51 lb). The Finnish Lapphund's ideal heights are 49 cm (19.5 in) and 44 cm (17.5 in), and adults commonly weigh 15 to 24 kg (33 to 53 lb). The Elkhound is also the squarer, heavier boned dog.

Do Norwegian Elkhounds come in colours other than grey?

Not in the show ring. The FCI standard allows grey in various shades and disqualifies any other colour. The Finnish Lapphund allows every colour as long as one base colour dominates, which is why Lappies turn up in black and tan, wolf sable, cream, brown, sable, domino and black.

Which breed is better with children?

Both do well in family homes. The Finnish Lapphund is gentle and strongly people focused, and it is the softer dog with small children. The Elkhound is friendly and sturdy and carries more physical bounce, so supervise play with toddlers. Teach children to handle either breed kindly.

Which breed sheds more?

They are close. The Elkhound sheds profusely twice a year and needs daily brushing during those weeks. The Finnish Lapphund sheds year round with one or two heavy coat blows and needs brushing a couple of times a week, daily during a blow. Neither coat should ever be shaved, and neither breed is hypoallergenic.

Which breed is easier to recall off leash?

The Finnish Lapphund, generally. Herding breeds were selected to take direction and stay in contact with a handler. The Elkhound was bred to work independently at distance on a moose track, so its recall takes patient long term training, and a long line near wildlife is the sensible default.

Sources

• FCI Standard No. 189: Suomenlapinkoira (Finnish Lapponian Dog)
• FCI Standard No. 242: Norsk Elghund Gra (Norwegian Elkhound Grey)
• Royal Kennel Club breed standard: Norwegian Elkhound
• Norwegian Elkhound Association of America: about Elkhounds
• Norwegian Elkhound Association of America: canine health and research
• PetMD: Norwegian Elkhound health and care, reviewed by Barri J. Morrison, DVM
• American Kennel Club: Finnish Lapphund breed information
• American Kennel Club: 2024 most popular dog breeds

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