For the discerning owner, expressions of interest are welcome. 
Breeding, Show and Sports/Performance prospects are the future of the breed and our first priority.
General enquiries regarding immediate puppy availability will be directed elsewhere. 

When you're ready, Please enquire with us using our Puppy Application form on this website or through Right Paw. 

Dolce (left) with daughter Alleria (right) and her daughter Sheya (centre) from the Diamond Litter


There are litters planned throughout most states of Australia. Check DOGZONLINE for a list of breeders.
Most registered, preservation breeders in Australia, on average, have 1 or 2 litters most years. Some breeders have litters even less frequently.  In spite of this, from 2018 onwards, approximately 200 Finnish Lapphund puppies were born in Australia each year. The closure of a large volume puppy producer had little impact as we've seen an uptick in new breeders and more established breeders trying to get programs back on track after the stress of COVID uncertainty so we now expect this number to remain steady for the foreseeable future. Once you've decided this is the breed for you, Please do your research on the breeder as well. We're all different, the puppies we produce are different, and you need to make a good match to find the puppy who will be perfect for you and a breeder who will support you both for the next 15 years. We encourage you to ask questions and support ethical, responsible breeders.

 

Canine Reproduction: A simplified view

People seem to think dogs are like people and can be impregnated every month. But dogs are nothing like people. 
Female dogs come into season approximately every 6 months. (4-10 months is still normal). Seasons last approximately 3 weeks and during that time they ovulate. Gestation is 64 days from ovulation.
A breeder can only estimate when the girl is due in season. Once she is mated, they’ll know the expected due date (when ovulation is known, the due date is very accurate. Where breeders don't test for ovulation they can estimate the due date). 
Puppies are not legally allowed to leave before they are 8 weeks old. 

So even if a girl came into season now she wouldn't have puppies available to go to their homes for approximately 4.5 months. Just something to keep in mind.


When no other puppy will do, we encourage you to get in touch.
If you are interested in having a puppy from us in the future, please have a read of our About pages, especially Finnish Lapphunds, Health and this page, then get in touch via Right Paw or through our Puppy Application

Our Planned Litters

 

Please Note:

We raise our puppies using the protocols from Puppy Culture and Avidog. Click the Heart to learn more. 

Caleebra Puppies do not leave home until after 8 weeks of age. 

 

Health

Prospective parents are health checked including hips, elbows and eyes tested and cleared, prior to mating. Health test results for our dogs can be seen on their pages and we are always happy to show original documents and records to prospective Caleebra puppy owners. 

DNA Testing

Puppies will be DNA Profiled. We do this to verify parentage, and therefore pedigree. Our puppies will be registered to parents confirmed by DNA. This is our assurance to both our breeding program and to owners of our Puppies. 
Further DNA screening will be done to determine the Carrier or Clear status of individual puppies for known inherited diseases and traits as required. We will not mate known Carriers to Carriers (for inherited diseases) and will regularly screen our dogs for new diseases as the tests become available. Remember, a Carrier is not a sick dog and, with regard to that disease, will live a perfectly normal life, not afflicted with the disease for which he carries one copy of a mutated gene. The Carrier or Clear status of a puppy is only relevant when making breeding choices. 

Desexing

We want our puppies to enjoy long and healthy lives with their families, It is our recommendation that our Puppies are not desexed until after they've reached full physical maturity, however, this may be discussed on a case by case basis. Studies have shown some health risks associated with early sterilisation with particular concern for the development and growth of the bones. Early desexing can result in an abnormal skeletal structure that increases the incidence of orthopedic problems like hip dysplasia and patellar luxation. Working and performance dogs, if neutered before maturity, risk the inability to perform the jobs they were bred for. You can visit this link for a decent overview but feel free to do your own research to learn more about the risks of early desexing.

Those puppies placed into pet homes will be sold with an agreement that the puppy will be desexed, ideally only after reaching physical maturity. 

Inclusions:

Puppies leave home with a folder containing the following records:

  • ANKC Registration Certificate

  • Birth and Weight Charts

  • Microchip record

  • Vaccination record

  • DNA reports* (when available)

  • Eye Check Clearances* (when available)

  • An Info pack (USB or access to Google Drive with Puppy info, training articles and photos, parents health results)

Our puppies also take home an assortment of toys, training items and a blanket which smells like home to help them settle.
Local Puppies who are collected usually go home with food samples. These can be more difficult to send with puppies flying interstate.
Puppy owners are also signed up for 6 weeks free pet insurance with PetCover,

Mandatory desexing of puppies is becoming legislation across some states or councils throughout Australia. We can't keep on top of all of the changes so we ask you to check your area and let us know.
Membership to the Canine Council in your state will usually protect your puppy from mandatory desexing requirements so in those instances, we ask owners to take out membership for 12 months to provide protection for their growing puppy until a more appropriate age for desexing.

You'll be invited to join the Caleebra puppy owners Facebook group, where you'll find ongoing support and advice to help you get the most out of your relationship with your puppy.

Exports 

We are happy to discuss shipping puppies throughout Australia and New Zealand but won't export pet puppies further overseas. There's just no need. Pet Finnish Lapphund puppies can be found in most countries, including the US, which is where a lot of our overseas enquiries come from. Even if you can't find a local breeder, the rules for exporting a puppy from Australia make it easier and cheaper to enquire in just about any other country in the world. If you're interested in a Show, Sports or Breeding prospect, you're likely not going to see this anyway, but please know we're open to the discussion if we can't help you find what you want, locally.


Are you ready for a new Puppy?

A guide for all prospective puppy parents. This free download will help you decide

BEFORE you get your Puppy

 

AFTER you get your Puppy

 

INTERESTED IN A CALEEBRA LAPPIE?

We put an incredible amount of thought and research into our puppy plans and we hope you do the same. Please feel free to contact us at any time with all the questions you can think of. We have attempted to answer some of the most frequently asked questions below. 

Is a Finnish Lapphund the right breed for me? We've dedicated a page to information on the Finnish Lapphund. Please read to help you decide if a Finnish Lapphund really is the right breed for you. There truly is nothing better than meeting the breed to ensure it meets your expectations. We recommend you join the Finnish Lapphund Club of Victoria Facebook page to help you find Lappies throughout Australia whom you can meet, and we suggest you meet a lot of them as there is a lot of variation. When you're ready, get in touch with us. Please don't be offended if we ask a lot of questions. We really do place the utmost importance on finding the right home for our puppies. If we honestly feel that a Finnish Lapphund suits you but we don't think ours will be the right fit, we may recommend another breeder. If it has been suggested that a Finnish Lapphund might not be a suitable breed for you to own, please consider carefully the reasons outlined and weigh them up honestly against what you want from a canine companion. We, and other breeders, live with these dogs every day. We can tell you all the pro's and con's to Lappie ownership. There are plenty of both.

Who are the most suitable families for your puppies? Honestly, we would prefer an experienced dog home, who has a lot of time to give. If you can give them at least the first 2 years where there is daily training, daily games, tricks, play and attention, you're off to the best start and things can ease off or ramp up from there. Lappies may make good pets for first-time dog owners. There are exceptions, but Lappies are highly intelligent and manipulative and a soft and inexperienced owner could become a doormat to their Lappie. Whilst we're all for positive training and talking softly without harsh reprimands, you do need consistent training, house and life rules to help your Lappie not become a wilful jerk but a polite member of society.
Lappies can be suitable for families with young children. Usually I don't recommend getting a puppy with a child under 2 as the demands on your time may be too great. Puppies (all breeds) can become bored and destructive if they're sidelined. They definitely don't do well left alone in the backyard everyday to fend for themselves so if you just don't have the time to raise a puppy right, but you still want a Lapphund, you could consider enquiring about an older dog. These do not frequently become available but you might get lucky.

I just want a companion pet to love. That's great. A loving pet home is all we ever hope for. We don't raise our puppies any differently for pet or show homes and will try to introduce them to as many different experiences as we can before they leave for their new homes. Our intention is to have well adjusted, sociable, happy and friendly puppies, who will suit most family environments.

What are we looking for in a show, sports or pet puppy?  The differences may be subtle and include assessing both the conformation and temperament of each puppy against the ideal and against each other. We don't make these decisions on our own either, but invite other knowledgeable friends and Finnish Lapphund breeders to visit and assess our puppies to help remove any emotional bias we might bring to the table. The reason 1 puppy is chosen for show and 1 for a pet home may be very minor. Some puppies are actually better suited to be a loving companion pet in a family home and others may better suit a life of sports and performance. We are with these puppies day in and day out and use our observation of their emerging temperaments and knowledge of their pedigree to place puppies where we think they will best thrive.

Why can't I pick out my puppy? In consultation with you, we will select the puppy (or sometimes more than one puppy) we believe will best suit your family. This is based on what you've told us about you, the family home and lifestyle you're offering and your plans for your puppy. Please understand that we have the best interests of the puppy in mind when we offer one to a family, based on what we believe will be the best match for you and your family. Be honest with yourself and us when outlining what you want and what you can offer to ensure we can select a puppy to suit your family. You don't have to accept the puppy we choose for you.

Do I have to desex my puppy? Do I have to keep them entire? I used to be more black and white on this but through time and research I now offer the owner the choice to desex their pet puppy, after maturity, and only if it suits them and their puppy. In each litter, we are striving to produce the future generations who will continue the breed. Therefore, we will sometimes be seeking to co-own a puppy, placed in a family home. This is a puppy we have chosen to remain entire in the hopes that he or she will continue to contribute to Caleebra's breeding. Whilst you hold all the power, we do ask you to keep those puppies entire for a little longer and we mutually agree on desexing arrangements for those puppies. All puppy owners will be required to enter into a written agreement with us. which lay out the options

I want to do sports, obedience with my puppy. Don't they need to be registered on the main register? We're very excited when we hear that owners want to do sports with their puppy. In our experience working with your dog can be very rewarding and forges a very strong bond. Of course, some of the sports you might like to try will require your puppy to be a bit older and usually have some foundation work (and basic obedience skills) under their belt, but they're never too young to start the basics. Most of our puppies will be registered on Mains, but even on Limit, your dog can train for and compete in any sport you like whilst. The main register difference is simply showing and breeding. The world can be your playground. Go for it.

What do you expect from owners of your puppies? Ultimately we want to find loving, forever homes for our puppies, where they will be living their very best life. Keeping in mind this is a Spitz breed, with certain stubborn tendencies, we do expect that owners will take their puppies to Puppy School and also enrol them in Obedience for the first 12 - 18 months of their life. This will get them past the most willful adolescent 'teenage stage'; the age where they are most likely to attempt to push boundaries and adopt selective hearing while they see how much they can get away with. If you can get through that the rest is easy, and if you're consistent with your training, then you're in for an amazing, long and happy life with your furry companion.
Of course we'd love to receive photos and regular updates and we're always here for advice and support. It's a 2-way street and we encourage you to stay in touch as much or as little as you're comfortable with.

Wouldn't two puppies growing up together be better than one? In our opinion, this is rarely a great idea, and we generally wouldn't encourage it. There may be exceptions for a highly experienced home. There are multiple studies on why raising two puppies together is not a good idea. The biggest reason is that the 2 pups are likely to spend huge parts of their day together (while you're at work) and whilst they might greet you happily when you get home, the bond the two puppies will forge means that you will struggle to be more exciting to your puppies than they are to each other. And if you're not exciting to be around, then your puppy isn't likely to listen to you or want to work with you. Hardly makes sense to have a puppy if he'd rather spend time with someone else, does it? The variation on this is when your existing dog is 6 months old and you want to get him a play mate. What if your existing puppy doesn't like the new puppy? Don't get a puppy for your puppy. Get a puppy because you're ready for all the responsibility that comes with a new puppy and want a 2nd canine friend who will be with you for the next 12-15 years. Our general advice is don't get a 2nd puppy until your first puppy is at a level of training that you're happy with. This would mean your first puppy would be at least 12 months old and probably closer to 18 months. And don't expect your existing puppy to help teach your new puppy the house rules. That only happens in the movies. A new puppy can often make the older puppy regress into puppyhood rather than the other way around so be prepared. You will be the one teaching your new puppy the house rules and possibly dealing with an adolescent re-testing their boundaries so make sure you're ready.

Health Testing: (Read in conjunction with our Health page) Our dogs will have their eye health checked regularly throughout their lifetime. They have at least annual veterinary health check-ups and will be hip and elbow scored prior to mating.
Before importing semen, each dog will have been tested prior to collection: hips x-rayed (elbows are often not done overseas), eye screening and general health including blood test for diseases in order to import the semen.

When asking about health testing you should be given the facts. Colloquially breeders often use the words 'pass(ed) health checks/tests' but in effect there really is not a pass or fail system in all tests. Generally, a dog is considered to have passed an eye exam if there are no problematic abnormalities in the eye, though some minor eye issues such as PPMs (see Health) may be present. These are not known to be passed on to offspring, nor do they cause the dog any distress.
There are only a few breeds which have pre-requisite health checks for a litter to be registered with the National Canine body. Most health testing is not mandatory and is therefore undertaken by individual breeders or under a Breed Clubs Breeding Principles or Code of Ethics. Generally breed clubs are set up by owners of a breed who wish to see it preserved.. This breed document will include recommended testing to be undertaken and through a majority rule introduces a standard for breeders to adhere to. But just because the guidelines exist, doesn't mean a breeder is following them so never assume. Finding out if someone is a member of a breed club and what their stance is on health testing is worth asking. If it doesn't sound right, use caution. Be comfortable with your choices.

Registered Breeders: This does not mean someone who is registered with their local council. All dog and cat owners should have their pets registered with their local council. But to be a registered breeder, registered with the Australian National Kennel Council, via a State or Territory Canine Controlling Club or Association in the State or Territory of Residence means that the breeder has agreed to be bound to their regulations and is accountable to the National Canine body, through the State controlling body, for the health and welfare of their canine companions as well as for any puppies they raise.
Membership to Breed specific Clubs should generally be looked on favourably (though not all states have a Breed Club and rules change across state and territory borders so it does pay to check the details.)