Finnish Spitz
Fearless and loyal as The Finnish Spitzs are, they are one of hounting breeds in history. However, this breed have a good-natured and lively inner world. As they still have some instincts of tracking things. You can find them in many training competitions.
| Other Names | Finnen-Spitz, Spitz Finlandais, Spitz Finlandes, Suomenpystykorva |
| Color | Black, Brown, Gray, Red |
| Height | Males: 17-20 inches. Females: 15-18 inches. |
| Weight | Males: 26-35 pounds. Females: 15-31 pounds. |
| Life Span | 13-15 years |
| Personality | Friendly, Good-Natured, Lively |
| Exercise | Needs Lots of Activity |
| Origin |
| Popularity | #183 |
| Groom Needs | Weekly Brushing and Seasonal Shedding |
| Kids Friendly | Yes |
| Dog Friendly | Yes with supervision |
| Watch Dog | |
| Family Dog | |
| Litter Size | 2-8 puppies |
Finnish Spitz Video
Introduction
The Finnish Spitz is known for its barking instinct at any out-of-place thing in its surroundings, and this is their basic mode of hunting. Like bird dogs, they hunt mainly by barking at the direction of the game bird for the hunter to notice it. Finnish Spitzes have a square build; leggier than their backs are long. Females are slightly longer in the back than males. They have a well-balanced and symmetrical body. The normal color of adult Finnish Spitzes is golden-red with little variations in shade.
A full-grown male of the breed should stand roughly 17-20 inches at the shoulder and weigh around 25-35 pounds. A similar female stands 15-18 inches at the shoulder and weighs about 20-30 pounds, at maturity. Finnish Spitz dogs have an average lifespan of 12-15 years.
Living with Finnish Spitz
It takes owners little time to bath and groom the Finnish Spitzs. Owners can perfectly groom them even without professional tools. Hardly will a owner of the Finnish Spitz visit dog hairdresser, as owners can finish all the grooming task required by the Finnish Spitzs. This breed can own perfect appearance even if owners just bath and groom them regularly. Owners don’t need to make any unnecessary move about the hair-trimming plans. As their natural coat don’t require any trimming or dying. Owners can choose to trim their feet frequently, as there might be dirt and dust build up around nails. A pin brush is suitable for the Finnish Spitzs to get rid of some mats and tangles, but owners should bath them beforehand. After bathing, owners should concern that blow-drying is not recommended, especially with a high-temperatured blower. Brush their hairs from the skin surface to the tips of hair every two to three days. The Finnish Spitzs are prone to shed alot twice a year. During the shedding season, owners can meet dogs’ need of shedding. Owners can choose to brush them every day with a comb and a slicker brush. Female Finnish Spitzs tend to shed more hairs, owners should be patient with them.
Finnish Spitzs are fond of exercising outdoor. As one of a hound group, the Finnish Spitzs are instincted to hunt some animals. So owners should especially care about the danger of having them around lawn, open ground, park, garden, and etc. Use a dog leash to avoid any probable issues. Never should owners get them untied when the Finnish Spitzs all-out run. This breed need some time and space to run off their high energy. Fenced backyard can be suitable for them to go all-out running. Owners can choose to play fetch games with them, adding more emotional connections. Finnish Spitzs will be not only physically healthy but also mentally healthy due to the interactins with owners during exercising. Adoption of this breed by busy or novice owners are not recommended, as unexperienced owners cannot meet the needs of the Finnish Spitzs’ high-intension exercise. The Finnish Spitzs will become gloomy and unhealthy when kept in an apartment for too long. Owners should take them out for some exercise for more than 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise every day.
The Finnish Spitzs are not critical about food. Owners still need to feed them with high quality food. They are of small to medium sized, so this breed need to be fed with the appropriate amount of food. Owners should get aware of some possible overweight and bloat stmptoms and measures when it occurs. Any fresh and clean water should be available. Both commercial dog food and home made dog food are applicable to them. Different amount of food should be appropriate to his size. Owners should feed them human food which is healthy. Any chocolate should get away from dogs. If owners find any difficulties, ask vet for advice can be a good idea. Feed them food which is nutrient enough can keep them in good health. To make them grow up sane, owners should them the same amount of food every day. Don’t change diet that frequently.
The Finnish Spitzs are typically in good health. This healthy breed hardly suffer from any serious diseases. Breeders will do some health screen, so that owners have some certifications to check out and decide the breeding plans. Hip dysplasia, patellar luxation, elbow dysplasia are likely to occur, however, the likeliness is very low. Finnish Spitzs in U.S. and Canada are especially healthy due to the responsible breeders. They can live up to 11.2 years, with healthy meals and regular exercise on premise. New owners can choose to ask breeders for advice if owners find something hard to get solved. Any possible feeding problems and measures should be learned about in advice for new owners. Puppies are raised by breeders and feed them specific amount of food. They might get into troubles in health if new owners don’t feed them that much or less than before. Early spay and neuter shouldn’t be ahead of 3-5 years old. In order to keep them not only mentally healthy but also physically healthy, owners should take them out to meet some dog friends, interact with them by playing and exercising together.
Total Annual Cost: $2770
Cost is estimated for the first year and may vary depending on many factors, such as dog food, health care, leash, collar, licensing, possible fencing, crates, training and obedience classes, dog-walking, grooming, treats, toys, flea, tick, and heart-worm meds, microchips, etc.
The Finnish Spitzs are smart and active. Owners can easily train them to behave well. Early socialization should be of great importance to make them face the training task afterward.This breed enjoy barking, so trainers should especially pay attention to obedience training. So that owners have have Finnish Spitzs under control. Friendly and lively as the Finnish Spitzs are, they can be aloof and indifferent around strangers, so owners should take them out regularly to meet some people and dogs. Positive-reinforcement training is an important methods, as dogs will response to things that bring them a sense of joy. Owners also need to use other methods, such as repetition and consistency. Intelligent dogs can take part in some competitions and stage performance after longlasting training. Competitions about obedience, agility and tracking can be suitable for them. Owners should also know that unprovoked aggressive or fearful directions should not be given.
History
The Finnish Spitz is easily the most popular dog with origin in Finland– it became the national dog of Finland in 1979. In Finland, they are known as Suomenpystykorva. Finnish Spitz are Spitz-type dogs that are believed to have originated from native dogs bred by the Finno-Ugrian tribes of Central Russia, some centuries ago. Primarily, these people bred dogs to serve their specific purposes which mainly involved hunting for their livelihood. Hence, the dogs were famous for hunting wild games such as boars. These clans were said to have migrated into Finland with their dogs, which were further bred into what is now known as the Finnish Spitz.
The Finnish Spitz had become a well-recognized breed in Finland and beyond, by the 1800s. Transportation was easily obtainable and there was a steady movement of these dogs across locales. This facilitated the interbreeding of Finnish Spitz with other breeds, and soon there was hardly a purebred Finnish Spitz around Finland. Most of the dogs of the breed available at the time were products of hybrid crosses. Hugo Roos and Hugo Sandberg, both Finnish sportsmen, had spotted and carefully regarded a pure-bred Finnish Spitz in the woods while on a hunt. They noted its unique features and peculiarities, then set out to find other pure-bred Finnish Spitzes to breed into a standard form. The foundation stock they formed is believed to be the basis of modern Finnish Spitz.
The Finnish Spitz came into America in the 1960s, a breed club was established in 1975, and by 1988, they had begun to compete in the AKC Non-Sporting Group.
Helpful Information
Breed Club: THE FINNISH SPITZ CLUB OF AMERICA
Breed Club Link: http://www.finnishspitzclub.org/
Breed Club Rescue: The Finnish Spitz National Rescue