Finnish Spitz - Dog breed

A Finnish Spitz is a breed of dog originating in Finland. The breed is thought to be an old one, bred as a hunting dog. It is a "bark pointer", indicating the position of game by barking to attract the hunter's attention. It has been used mostly to bark at game that flees into trees, such as squirrels, grouses, and capercaillies, but it serves well also to hunt moose and elk. Some individuals have been known to go after even a bear, despite the dog's small size. In its native country, the breed is still mostly used as a hunting dog, but as it is very friendly and loves children.

Appearance

The Finnish Spitz has a square build, meaning that the length of the body is the same, or slightly shorter than the height of the withers to the ground. Otherwise said to be slightly longer in the leg. The Finnish Spitz is a double coated breed but the outer coat should not exceed 2 1/2 inches at the ruff. The undercoat is soft and lighter in color than the red/gold outer coat. The undercoat will shed twice a year, and if a Finnish Spitz is to be kept healthy, a good shedding of the undercoat when the dog is ready to "blow coat" is needed. Some exhibitors show dogs with undercoat that should be removed but that is the breeder, owner or handler's choice. Dew claws can appear on front and/or back feet. If back dew claws appear, they should be removed by the breeder. The front dewclaws can be removed but since they are usually small, they are not removed. If the back dew claws are present and not removed, they look like toes. The front dew claws appear to have no purpose.
Finnish Spitz are considered to interact well with people, including children. In the home, the Finnish Spitz is a happy member, playing gently with children but maybe be rougher with other dogs. Some Finnish Spitz love other dogs and some are shy or passive/aggressive around other dogs. They are very loyal to their family, therefore the Finnish Spitz can be shy or moody around other dogs. Left alone the Finnish Spitz will figure out if another dog is acceptable. The Finnish Spitz is loyal to humans, exceptionally agile and should always exhibit a refined demeanor and a reddish gold coat.

Temperament

Finnish Spitz are a lively, faithful, and intelligent breed of dog. They love playing with children, and are excellent companion dogs, which makes them an ideal family pet. They rarely show aggression unless needed (they are a breed who like to protect their family) but they do love the sound of their own voices. Careful training will need to be undertaken to teach him that his barking is both unnecessary and unwanted, although the barking does come in useful if you are looking for a watchdog, as the Finnish Spitz will very happily locate anything that is out of the ordinary and alert their owners to it.
Because of his intelligence, he is an independent and strong-willed dog and is best trained with a soft voice and touch. He will easily become bored with repetitive training and so sessions should be kept short and to the point, making patience a must-have for any owner. Obedience, agility and field training should be understood from the dog's point of view. Finnish Spitz are very obedient with a light touch and lots of "positive reinforcement" but most owners and trainers don't understand the subtle difference and use too much punishment. Top trainers have found Finnish Spitz to be manipulative and sometimes too smart for their owners, so beware, you may not own a Finnish Spitz but your Finnish Spitz may own you.
Finnish Spitz can excel in obedience, agility and rally as a companion dog.