Finnish Spitz

The Finnish Spitz is a red-coated hunting dog from Finland. It is a bark pointer: when it finds game it barks to show the hunter where it is and to hold the animal’s attention while the hunter comes up. It was first used on game that takes to the trees, such as grouse and capercaillie, and on everything from squirrels to elk. In Finland it is still mainly a hunting dog. It has been the country’s national dog since 1979.

History

The breed is thought to come from spitz-type dogs that arrived from central Russia with migrants some 3,000 years ago.

By 1880, better transport was bringing different peoples and their dogs together, and the Finnish Spitz was being crossed out of existence. Around then a sportsman from Helsinki, Hugo Roos, saw pure native dogs while hunting in the northern forests and set out to revive the breed from them. Thirty years of careful breeding produced the modern Finnish Spitz.

Appearance

The Finnish Spitz is square in build, its body as long as it is tall at the withers or slightly shorter. Males stand about 44–50 cm and weigh 12–14 kg; females stand 39–45 cm and weigh 7–10 kg.

The double coat has a soft, dense undercoat and harsh guard hairs 2.5 to 5 cm long. It is longer and stiffer on the neck, back, thighs and the plume of the tail, and shorter on the head and legs. Adults are golden-red, anywhere from pale honey to dark chestnut, as long as the color is bright and clear. The coat is shaded, darkest along the back and lighter on the chest and belly. A small white patch on the chest is allowed. The nose, lips and eye rims are black.

Temperament

This is an active, alert, lively dog. It is good with people and especially with children, though it will usually walk away if ignored. It is independent, attached to its family and aloof with strangers, and tends to be protective. As hunters they are unreliable around small animals and pet birds, though some live well with cats they were raised with.

The breed barks at anything out of the ordinary, as many as 160 times a minute, and in Finland a dog must prove its barking in the field before it can become a show champion. The Finnish Spitz is strong-willed and intelligent, and does best with a soft voice, a light touch and positive reinforcement.

Care and health

The breed needs one or two long walks a day and does not suit life in a kennel. It sheds its undercoat twice a year, and the loose coat has to be brushed out so that the new one can grow in; undercoat left in place can cause skin problems.

The Finnish Spitz is generally healthy. Conditions known in the breed are hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, patellar luxation and epilepsy, which is more common in males. The median lifespan is about 11.2 years.

Facts on this page were checked against Wikipedia and may have changed since.