Finnish Spitz - TOP 10 Interesting Facts

1) Origin
This breed was developed in Finland and they share similar ancestry with other Spitzes. This is a very old dog breed so the ancestry is not clear, but it is believed that their ancestors are Spitze that inhabited Russia several thousand years ago. Originally, they were used by Finno-Urgian tribes for hunting small game.

2) Taymyr wolf
It is true, that all the dogs are somehow related to wolves, but according to the DNA analysis, some artic dog breeds, including the Finnish Spitz, show a genetic closeness with the now-extinct Taymyr wolf.

3) Hunter
This is a true hunter and the Finnish Spitz was used to hunt a variety of small and large game. Most often they hunt small game, such as squirrels and birds, but sometimes they were used to hunt some very large and dangerous animals as well, for example elks, moose or even bears.

4) Big barker
This is a very vocal and talkative breed. Barking is a major part of their hunting activities and they have variety of barking, from sharp barks to almost melodious yodeling. The Finnish Spitz will run ahead of the hunter and when they find a prey, for example a bird, they will start barking to let the hunter know where it is. It is no wonder that one of their nicknames is Finnish Barking Bird Dog. Not only that the Finnish Spitz likes to bark, it is the official King of the barkers. Believe it or not, there is a barking competition in Scandinavia. The Finnish Spitz had to prove, that they are effective barkers on the hunt. Btw, the they can bark up to 160 times per minute.

5) Color
The typical Finnish Spitz color is golden-red with variations from pale honey to dark chestnut. But the interesting fact about their color is, that puppies are born with dark grey, grey or fawn coats with lots of black and white markings and that their coat change the color as they grow.

6) Companion
Even though in Scandinavia the Finnish Spitz is still working as hunter, they are more and more popular as household companions. And thanks to their playful, always happy and intelligent personality, they make great companions. This is a social dog and they love affection. On the other hand they hate to be left alone and can suffer from separation anxiety.

7) Size
This is a medium sized dog breed with fox like appearance. Their average height should be between 40-50 cm, which is 15-20 inch and their weight is between 7-14 kg, which is 16-31 pounds. The females are naturally little bit smaller than males.

8) Watchdogs
It is true that the Finnish Spitz is a friendly and affectionate towards its family, but they are also suspicious and alert with strangers. And as you already know they love to bark. These two characteristics make them great watchdogs, because they will most likely alert you when something suspicious is going on around your home. But they are not good protectors, since they are almost never agressive.

9) Almost extinct
During the 19th century, the Finnish Spitz almost dissapeared. During this time many other dogs were brought to the Scandinavia and the Finnish Spitz was bred with so many other breeds. This caused, that there were only few remaining Finnish Spitzes in the end of this century. Luckily, the Finnish hunter Hugo Roos decided to save the breed and he was succesful.

10) Health
If you want to have a healthy and happy Finnish Spitz, daily proper exercise is a must. This is an active breed who definitely need daily walks, task oriented playtime or some other activity. They have a good lifespan between 12-14 years. Usually this is a very healthy breed, but they can ocassionaly suffer from hip and elbow dysplasia, patellar luxation or epilepsy.