Volpino Italiano Dog Breed - Facts and Information

Appearance
The Volpino is a typical Spitz type of a dog and you can be easily mistaken with American Eskimo dogs, Pomeranians or German Spitz. They have all the typical Spitz characteristics, like fluffy double coat, high set tail curled over the back, pricked ears and wedge shaped head.

The average Volpino height is between 9-12 inches, which is 23-30 cm and weight between 9-14 pounds, which is 4-7 kg. The females are naturally little bit smaller than males

Their undercoat is short and dense, but the outercoat is pretty long, straight and also dense. Most often, they come in solid white color, but red and champagne color is also accepted by the FCI.

Volpinos have lively and alert expression in their roundish dark brown eyes. They also have big black nose, close fitting lips, strong jaws and triangular, pricked, high set ears.


Personality

This is a friendly, affectionate, happy, playful and lively dog breed, that makes awesome family companion. They tend to create very strong bond with their owners and family. Their positive and happy nature is quite contagious and they will definitely makes you smile.

This might be a small breed, but they do have a big personality. It is true, that they are affectionate and playful when they are around their family, but on the other hand, Volpino makes a good watchdog. Just like most of the Spitzes, Volpino is an alert breed and they will most likely bark to let you know when something is going on around your home. This is pretty vocal breed.

Volpinos have a lot of energy and they need daily longer walks and playtime. Thanks to their small size it is not hard to deal with their energy. This is also pretty intelligent breed, but they are not pushovers to train. Volpinos are highly food motivated, so prepare a lot of treats before training sessions.


Interesting fact
This is very rare dog breed, with only something around 4000 Volpinos in the world. Most of them are living in their home country, Italy, but you can also find them in Scandinavian countries, Great Britain and North America.


History
Since the Bronze Age, an European Spitz existed in the central europe. Most of today Spitzes are descendants of this European Spitz and even though we can not be sure about the certain origin of Volpino Italiano, it is safe to say, that their original ancestor is the European Spitz.

This breed was definitely developed in Italy and since the 15th century, they were loved by Italian royalty and nobility. Especially the ladies with high social status loved them and the Volpino became noble ladies dog.

The breed was fairly popular since the 18th century until the first half of the 20th century. The first breed standard was written in 1913, but the breed started dissapearing during the 20th century. In the 1960s and 1970 some white specimens appeared again and the Volpino was registered again in 1972.


Health and Grooming

I already said in the video that this is lively and energetic dog. If you want your Volpino to stay healthy and happy, it is important to regularly exercise them physically and mentally.

The Volpino has great lifespan between 14-16 years, and even though they are usually very health, just like all dog breeds, they do suffer from some healht issues, most commonly from patellar luxation, cataracts and heart problems.

As you can probalby guess when looking at their long coat, this breed requires regular weekly brushing to keep the coat in good condition. Their coat can become matted, particularly around the thick neck ruff, if neglected. Just like with all dogs, you should regularly check their eyes, ears and nails and clip them or clean them if needed.