Our Philosophy

​We will always breed with the aim of producing sound, healthy and happy puppies. Our ethics and quality of care are of the utmost importance to us.

Our puppies are raised in our home following Puppy Culture protocols, amongst general household sounds, socialised and prepared as much as we can for all that a new family has to offer.

We want our puppies to go to homes where they will be integrated as a core part of the family. To us, dogs are family members and should be included in every day life. Our weekends and mornings are often dedicated to training sessions, we put a heavy amount of time and money into their nutrition and making their lives as fun as they can be.

​​We would not like to breed any of our girls more than three times except on very rare occasions, with the majority only having one to two (especially those in co-ownership), so that they get to enjoy the majority of their lives nursing/pregnant free and doing what they love with their family, whether this be with us or homes in partnership. We also will not breed our females before a minimum of 18 months at mating date, preferably closer to 2 to 3 years.  This is to ensure that the dog is both physically and mentally mature for puppies.  

All of our puppies are seen by an ACES eye specialist and have an Orivet full breed profile (including parentage conformation) performed on them before leaving us, along with having a veterinary check, vaccination and worming protocol performed.

Our puppies will come registered with ANKC, either on the limited register if a pet, or mains register if in a partnership agreement with us, a show home or to a registered breeder. Their pedigrees will be provided, along with a change of microchip ownership form, eye screen data, Orivet full breed DNA profile and parentage confirmation, worming sheet, vaccination certificate, vet check certificate, copies of parent health information and testing, and 6 weeks free insurance with PetPlan. These files will be sent out with their puppy packs.

Health testing is performed on all breeding dogs here at Tundrai. Our breeding dogs at home and produced by us will undergo a hip and elbow X-ray, ACES eye testing, DNA profiling and disease panel, and if possible an echocardiogram performed. We do not breed carriers to carriers of PRA-prcd, Pompes or CMR3.

Puppies will go out on contracts and will not be sent to their new homes without a signed contract stipulating what is expected by both parties. In the case of limited register dogs, this will include a desexing clause.

We require spay/neuter at or before 24 months for all limited register puppies.

We are very fortunate to have such a diverse number of lines available of Finnish Lapphunds around the world. We believe heavily in breed diversity and aim to celebrate the variety in styles that have come to be in Finnish Lapphunds, whilst producing sound, healthy and typey individuals. As per the Finnish guidelines, we aim for a COI (Co-efficiency Index) of under 6.25% per 8 generations.

We do not often make ‘profits’ from our breedings and whatever money we do ‘make’, goes back into further breeding plans, bringing in new lines in the form of frozen semen or imports, into raising litters and/or improving our breeding facilities and providing additional health testing for our breeding stock, especially as we do not have many dogs at home ourselves and often pay or part-pay for dogs in breeding arrangements to have health testing performed before they are utilised in our breeding program. 

We select our lines based on health, temperament, drive/workability, type, structure, breed diversity and COI, amongst many other considerations.

Tundrai dogs will always have a home here with us, and in any instance where an owner can no longer care for their dog, it is our policy to have them returned to us.
 
FAQ:

• Can I see my puppy before I get her/him?
  -   With some hygienic preventative measures, we do allow puppy parents to see the litters when they are over 4 weeks old. We do not allow people to come see the puppies prior to this as this is a critical period for the puppies, being rather vulnerable.
  
  
• Do I get to choose my puppy?
   -  This is a tricky one. First and foremost our aim is to better the breed and our lines, so we will be choosing puppies that closest conform to the ‘breed standard’ at 7.5 weeks to go on to be shown, to performance homes, be in co-ownership or staying with us and potentially (pending health results and conformation as an adult) bred from when they are mature. The remaining puppies will not be ‘ugly’ or ‘not as nice’, it is just that they don’t conform to what we would like to see in our breeding program in the future, as well as what we deem to be a show potential  puppy. These ‘show potential puppies’ will only go to homes willing to work with us in a partnership agreement or to another ANKC registered breeder or exhibitor. The remaining puppies that are not chosen to be a part of our breeding program will then be hopefully allocated based on the information you have provided to us, in regards to what you are looking for in a dog and your plans for them. Of course there may always be a time that someone who spends a lot of time with the litter may fall in love with a puppy, and this will be taken into consideration, but you may be offered another puppy in the litter after assessments if we think they may be better suited for you and your family, and the puppy you like may be better suited to someone else and their family.  So although you may very well be offered the puppy you were hoping for, you also may not, depending on the situation.
  
  
• Can I get two puppies at the same time?
  -  Here at Tundrai we advise heavily against raising two puppies at the same time, and waiting at least 12 months between dogs. Not only are the first 12 months critical for raising and socialising a puppy, and this time is better spent on a single puppy, but raising two puppies together can create behavioural issues within your pack. For further information please look into 'littermate syndrome'.
  
  
• Do you fly puppies?
  -  Although we prefer people to pick up their puppy in person, we do fly our puppies interstate where and when necessary. This cost is the responsibility of the new owner, however we will forward details of several transport companies that we recommend. We will happily drop off puppies to either Brisbane airport or the Gold Coast airport.
  
  
• How do I apply for a puppy?
  -  After reading the information on this page, if you would like to proceed in applying for a Tundrai Finnish Lapphund, head to our Puppy Application page.
  
  
• What if I am interested in a partnership agreement, or would like to get into showing / registered breeding?
  -  Please visit our Partnership page HERE and read more.

Are you ready for a puppy?

• A puppy is for life.
  -  Although there may be some circumstances where rehoming cannot be avoided, once a puppy is brought into the world, they may live up to 15 or 16 years, and we of course prefer that our puppies go to their forever homes and are not rehomed. While 15 years is a decent amount of time to us, it is still a fraction of our lives, but it is the dog's WHOLE life. It is important to plan and look ahead into your future. Where will you be in 5 years? 10 years? 15? Where would a dog lie in your priorities? What happens if you want to have children? Or go on a long vacation around the world? It is even worth planning ahead for unexpected health complications etc. We want our home bred dogs to be part of the family, just like ours are for us​. Please heavily consider all of the factors that may affect the likelihood of you having to rehome your dog before buying a puppy. Make sure you are fully prepared for a dog before committing to a new family member.
  
  
• Is a lappie the right breed for you?
  -  First of all. Lappies bark. And trust me when I say this can be pretty difficult to train away. They require more attention/human companionship than your average breed and can be prone to separation anxiety, tend to suffer in the heat and need to be indoors, need a lot of socialisation and can be quite difficult teenagers. Depending on the lines they can be very highly strung and driven, and be full of a maintenance heavy coat that requires regular grooming. Please do your research and learn as much about the breed as possible - visit breeders at your local dog show (You can check if any are entered at shows near you here (check by state, click on breed numbers (The BN tab - usually only becomes available within a week of a show) for an upcoming show and check for Finnish Lapphunds under the Working group, group 5)). Join your state's lappie facebook group (there is one for almost each state / territory) where upcoming lappie picnics may be announced, ask questions, speak to multiple breeders and owners. Lappies are fantastically versatile and adaptable breed however they are still not for everyone, and meeting some in person may give you a better idea of even which sort of lines you may be after in a lapphund. 
  
  
• Selecting a breeder.
  -  As above, use tools like facebook groups or message individuals to visit nearby breeders and owners, attend local lappie events and shows etc. You may choose to go to a breeder within your state so you can visit and meet the parents and stay in local touch with your breeder, or have a puppy flown from interstate.  Be sure to make sure you see plenty of videos, photos etc of where the dogs are living and do ask to visit the litter and parents if you are able. Ask plenty of questions to the breeder you are interested in about their dogs, set up, breeding program, socialisation program etc. Most breeders will allow visitors with some hygienic measures as the socialisation is likely to be nothing but helpful to the puppies. Do ask for health results before committing to a puppy, and look for at the very least hip and elbow x-rays for each parent, clear eye tests (ACES) and DNA clearance with no carrier to carrier matings (particularly of Pompes and prcd-PRA). Ask a breeder that you are interested in for potential health issues in their lines. A well researched and ethical breeder should be able to tell you even minimal health risks with their breeding dogs and problems that have arisen in the breed and their preferred lines. Research what to expect on such health results so you know how to read them and what is acceptable. Although we are fairly lucky in lappies here in Australia, there are unscrupulous breeders of many breeds and it is good practice to do your research and aim for the very best fitting dog for your family. If you ever feel uncomfortable with a breeder, ask around and speak to both puppy owners of the breeder and people who may have dealt with them. 
  
  
• Do you have time for a dog/puppy?
  -  Puppies are like having babies, children and teenagers all over again, although nicely condensed into somewhat of a 2 year timeframe. Do you have the time for crate training your puppy, toilet training, puppy preschool, continued obedience, to spend time with your dog and set them up for success? Many people rush the decision of getting a puppy for a particular event, for example Christmas, only to be overwhelmed. Often the best puppy is a planned puppy. Organise to have time off work for the arrival of your puppy, time for training and free up your travel calendar. Take your time and find a reputable and ethical breeder, do your research and plan out your training before your puppy arrives.
  
  
• Do you have the finance available for a puppy/dog?
  -  Dogs these days usually have a decent price tag to them, and Finnish Lapphunds are no exception. In Australia most breeders import dogs and semen regularly which is a ridiculously expensive process to add breed diversity and bring in better qualities and health to our lines, and this reflects in the price. But purchase price aside, puppies and dogs alike are expensive. Just for the cost of an average pet, you are looking at around $6000 a year. You need to budget for food, vet bills, training, possible behaviourists, toys, crates, beds, bowls, grooming equipment, leashes, collars, and what about whatever your puppy may destroy while they are growing? Although some of these may be one off purchases for either each dog or your pack as a whole, they still must be considered as many of these are a necessity. Ensure that you have the appropriate funds when bringing a puppy home and also throughout your dogs' life to cover the unexpected.
  
  
• What if not everyone in the house / my landlord is not in agreement with me having a dog?

1. ​Please make sure that all occupants in your house are in agreement with you adding a Lappie member to your family, or at least that compromise is made. It is important to make good with those around you as you may at some time be relying on them to help you with pet sitting etc. If someone in the family/household isn’t entirely enthusiastic about the idea of you getting a dog, maybe offer to take them to meet some Lappies, show them what you intend to do with your Lappie and explain to them them why it means so much to you. Puppies are easily influenced and bad experiences CAN impact on puppies and how they mentally develop for their lives, much like children. A house with negative energy, constant arguing and tension can influence your puppy, and this is not something you want to bring them into when you could be concentrating on socialising them to the best of your ability!
   
   
2. One of the main reasons people need to rehome their animals is because of rental properties. In Sydney for example, it is becoming increasingly harder to afford to buy a house and the competition for pet friendly rentals is fierce. It is extremely difficult to find a rental that is pet friendly these days, even harder than searching for properties with children.