Native dog breeds
Finland has five native dog breeds, our national dog the Finnish Spitz, the Karelian Bear Dog, the Finnish Lapphund, the Lapponian Herder and the Finnish Hound. The Native Breeds are valuable part of Finnish culture.
The items of The Finnish Canine Museum are divided into different collections. Welcome to explore the museum's treasures by topic.
Dog hobbies
Dogs have been domesticated by humans for centuries, and all dog breeds have their own original function. Nowadays popular dog hobbies have been developed from these functions. In Finland, hunting still belongs to the category of the most popular dog hobbies alongside dog shows.
Working dogs
Dog has helped humans since its domestication acting as human's alarm systems, trackers, and hunting aides. Dogs have also long and versatile history in warfare. In nowadays dogs work with many different professions.
Dog care
Items related to dog care tell about long history of dog as a pet.
Dog in art
Dogs have interested artists for centuries and the canine figures can be found even from the early cave paintings. The art collection of the Finnish Canine Museum consists mainly of Finnish art with some exceptions.
Breeding and health
Dogs' domestication dates back 10 000-40 000 years. Most researchers link domestication to the time humans started agriculture. During the last 200 years hundreds of different dog breeds have been bred for variety of different functions.
The Finnish Kennel Club
The bilingual Finska Kennelklubben – Suomen Kennelklubi, the precursor of the Finnish Kennel Club, was established May 11th 1889. The date can be considered as the starting point of organised kennel activities in Finland.