Dog Breeds 101: Finnish Spitz

Photo – Wikipedia – lic. under GNU

The lively, animated and intelligent Finnish Spitz is the national dog breed of Finland and has been around since the ancient times. The dogs were popular “bark pointers” meaning they point to the game by barking in order to get the hunter’s attention. Because they are quite vocal, they make great watchdogs since they will surely alert their humans if anything is amiss. Barking is fine if one lives on the countryside but it is certainly not ideal in a suburban setting. Teaching the dog the ‘quiet’ command will help eradicate this behavior. The breed’s average height is 17 to 20 inches and has an average weight of 16 to 22 pounds. [1] [2]

The isolated Finno-Ugrian tribes bred the Finnish Spitz as a hunting companion. By the 1880s, the Finnish Spitz was starting to become extinct as a distinct breed due to them mating with other breeds. Just before the breed completely disappeared, a sportsman named Hugo Roos came across a pure Finnish Spitz while hunting and discovered the amazing abilities of the hunting dog. He began to gather as many dogs as he can and attempted to revive the dying breed. Thanks to Roos, the modern Finnish Spitz was created after thirty years of careful breeding. [3]

Training these dogs can be a challenge due to their independent nature and the best way to train them successfully, is to do it in a soft voice and positive reinforcement. Repetitive training bores them so keeping the sessions short is also ideal. The Finnish Spitz can be wary of strangers but it is never known to be aggressive. This breed takes time to mature and will take at least four years to become an adult. The Finnish Spitz is well-suited to a calm and peaceful house – it does not do well in a place where there is a lot of tension or noise. [1]