Kulta, or “Cool-ta” as he has been referred to, is my first Finnish Lapphund, and the reason for my obsession with the breed.  Mr Smooth, Mr Ladies-man, in reality he is just my big-baby away from the eyes of the girls. 

From Theldaroy Kennels in Queensland, he was born from the second litter from imported pair Finn and Mish.  One of the smaller pups in the litter, he certainly grew, and now, standing close to 52cm (20.5 in), is about as tall as a male lappie is allowed to be to still be within standard.

Structurally very sound, of lovely type and true movement, his stand-out feature is his strong masculine head, beautiful as an adult but gaining him the nickname of “Mr Potato-Head” as a gawky adolescent.

He hit the show ring with a bang, gaining a baby-in-group at his first outing.  Then he lost all his puppy coat and started growing in all different speeds and directions *grin*.  Now just over three years of age, he is really starting to come into his own.

Kulta is happiest playing at the dog park, flirting with the girl dogs and being extremely tolerant of the desexed boys (and the other entire boys as long as they are either clearly "superior" or know their place).  When ever a new dog arrives it is always Kulta who approaches first to “meet and sniff”.

At home he turns into my baby boy.  He’ll usually be found cuddled in his bed (if we’re watching tv), laying at my feet (if I’m on the computer), crawling into my lap if something scary happens (like the smoke alarm going off), or sneaking off to have a sleep on one of our beds (usually with his head resting on the pillow).  He also has a large collection of soft-toys, his “teddies”, which he rarely tries to destroy, just carries around and sleeps with.

As well as showing we dabble at herding, obedience and agility.  He has his Herding Instinct Certificate and his first obedience title, Community Companion Dog. He has a lovely, smooth, naturally efficient jumping style, and the balance of a cat (he has been know to climb a large tree and walk along a limb before), but is a little too cool to put in the effort for great speed (chasing a rabbit is another thing entirely!).

A real nose-dog, he loves exploring, and I wouldn’t mind giving him an attempt at tracking in the future.  If his effortlessness in picking up an obedience “Seek Back” is anything to go by, he should be a natural.

Kulta literally translates as “gold” in Finnish, and is used as a term of endearment like “darling” or “sweetheart”.

For more photos of Kulta, CLICK HERE