meet the...Finnish Spitz
Breed Summary
Breed Group Group 2: Spitz and Nordic Breeds
Sub-group 2-E: Nordic Hunting Dogs
Origin Country Finland
Weight Males: 26-35 pounds. Females: 15-31 pounds.
Height Males: 17-20 inches. Females: 15-18 inches.
Other Name(s) Finnen-Spitz, Spitz Finlandais, Spitz Finlandes, Suomenpystykorva
Breed Type Pure
click here for FULL BREED STANDARD
Origins
The origin of the Finnish Spitz has been traced back thousands of years to the tribal dogs of the Finno-Ugrian tribes, which spanned Europe’s vast northern regions in what is now recognized as modern-day Russia. The settlers of modern-day Finland brought these ancient spitz-type dogs with them. For centuries, the dogs played an integral role in the lives of settlers by assisting them in hunts, providing security, and offering companionship.
The dogs were used to hunt large and small game, although their unique hunting style is better suited for small game birds. They locate the quarry using their exceptional scenting abilities. Once located, the Finnish Spitz would bark incessantly, effectively rendering the birds motionless until the hunter could arrive to dispatch them. They are mostly used for hunting capercaillie birds and black grouse. In fact, he is so well-known for his signature bark that his nickname is “the barking dog.”
Eventually, efforts to preserve the breed and prevent it from being diluted by imported lines were set in place in the late nineteenth century. The first breed standard was written, and the first show for the breed was held in 1892. The first bird dog trial followed just five years later. In 1979, the Finnish Spitz became the official dog of Finland. The Karelian Finnish Laika and the Finnish Spitz were once considered two separate breeds, but they were combined as the Finnish Spitz in 2006, further deepening the breed’s gene pool.Breed Characteristics
Head: Mesaticephalic skull type, moderate in size, wedge-shaped, characteristically foxlike, and always in proportion to the rest of the body. The topskull is fairly broad, being approximately equal in length or slightly broader (measured across the top in front of the ears) to the length (measured from stop to occiput). Gently arched to almost flat in profile and from the front. The median furrow is slight, starting at the stop and disappearing toward the occiput. The occiput and superciliary ridges are only slightly prominent. The head is clean-cut and without excess skin or wrinkles.
Eyes: Moderate in size, opened oval to almond-shaped, and preferably dark brown in color. The eyes are set just slightly obliquely. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. The eyes are never bulging. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes. Any signs of entropion or ectropion are incorrect for this breed.
Ears: Fairly small to medium in size. Set fairly high on the skull. Triangle in shape, with pointed tips. Firmly erect in type. The ears are never long, overly large, or broken.
Muzzle: The muzzle is full, deep, and broad at the base, tapering somewhat toward the nose. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight and level. The upper and lower jaws are well-developed, approximately equal in length, and have good bone substance, never appearing snipey or weak.
Nose: The nose is well-pigmented and black. The nostrils are well-opened. The nose is flush with the vertical line of the end of the muzzle.
Neck: Moderate length allows for good head carriage. It is strongly muscled with a slight arch. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut and without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
Chest: Deep and broad, but never wider than deep. The brisket extends approximately to the point of the elbows. The forechest is well-developed without being excessively pronounced. The brisket's depth equals one-half the dog's height or just slightly less.
Body: Compact, solid, and of good substance. The body is never racy and overly refined or heavy and cloddy. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
Feet: Oval to round and compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.
Tail: Set just below the level of the topline, or neither high nor low on the croup, but as a natural extension of the topline. It is thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. The tail is carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level in a single curl up over the back, with the tip falling to either side of the loin or croup. The tail is never tucked. The tail is of a moderate length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down.
Movement: Smooth, flowing, energetic, effortless, and efficient. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the center line of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.
Temperament: The Finnish Spitz breed is a lively, loyal, and active dog. They are known to be indifferent toward strangers and protective of their families and properties, so early socialization and training are recommended. To those who know and love them, they are affectionate, clownish, and very vocal, expressing their excitement and distaste vocally. They are highly intelligent, making excellent companions and excelling at events such as obedience and tracking. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.
Breed Standard
BREED GROUP 2: Spitz and Nordic Breeds
Proportions: Square to off-square, with the length of the body, measured from the point of the forechest to the point of the rump, being just slightly greater than or equal to the height at the withers. The ideal body-height-to-length ratio is between 1:1 and 10:9. Females may be slightly longer. The body is well put together, with sturdy substance and medium bone. Males should appear masculine, being more substantial in size and mass, while females should appear more feminine and slightly less substantial. Neither should lack overall type. The weight of males or females is always in proportion to height.
Head
General Appearance: Mesaticephalic skull type, moderate in size, wedge-shaped, characteristically foxlike, and always in proportion to the rest of the body. The topskull is fairly broad, being approximately equal in length or slightly broader (measured across the top in front of the ears) to the length (measured from stop to occiput). Gently arched to almost flat in profile and from the front. The median furrow is slight, starting at the stop and disappearing toward the occiput. The occiput and superciliary ridges are only slightly prominent. The head is clean-cut and without excess skin or wrinkles.
Expression: Foxy, intelligent, watchful, alert, and lively.
Stop: The stop is moderate to slightly pronounced, never abrupt or shallow.
Skull: The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio is between 4:5 and 3:4, with the topskull being slightly longer than the muzzle.
The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis is parallel or may be slightly convergent.
Muzzle: The muzzle is full, deep, and broad at the base, tapering somewhat toward the nose. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight and level. The upper and lower jaws are well-developed, approximately equal in length, and have good bone substance, never appearing snipey or weak.
Lips or Flews: The lips are well-pigmented, clean, and fit tightly over the teeth and jaws. The lips should never extend beyond the lower plane of the bottom jawline.
Nose: The nose is well-pigmented and black. The nostrils are well-opened. The nose is flush with the vertical line of the end of the muzzle.
Cheeks: The zygomatic arches are fairly broad, and the cheeks are smoothly muscled. The cheeks should not appear chiseled or coarse.
Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, and white teeth. The bite may be level, scissor, or reverse-scissor. Contact must be made between the top and bottom incisors. Missing or broken teeth due to routine work are not to be penalized.
Eyes: Moderate in size, opened oval to almond-shaped, and preferably dark brown in color. The eyes are set just slightly obliquely. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. The eyes are never bulging. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes. Any signs of entropion or ectropion are incorrect for this breed.
Ears: Fairly small to medium in size. Set fairly high on the skull. Triangle in shape, with pointed tips. Firmly erect in type. The ears are never long, overly large, or broken.
Body and Tail
General Description: Compact, solid, and of good substance. The body is never racy and overly refined or heavy and cloddy. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
Neck: Moderate length allows for good head carriage. It is strongly muscled with a slight arch. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut and without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
Chest: Deep and broad, but never wider than deep. The brisket extends approximately to the point of the elbows. The forechest is well-developed without being excessively pronounced. The brisket's depth equals one-half the dog's height or just slightly less.
Topline: Straight and level from withers to croup. The back is short, broad, strongly muscled, and straight, yet supple. The loin is taut, flat, level, or slightly arched, yet supportive. The back is never elongated, swayed, or roached.
Croup: Gently sloped.
Underline: A slight to moderate tuck-up is present. The underline is taut and firm, without any indication of sagging or excess weight.
Ribs: Long, well-sprung, well-laid-back, and oval-shaped, never barrel-chested or slab-sided.
Tail: Set just below the level of the topline, or neither high nor low on the croup, but as a natural extension of the topline. It is thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. The tail is carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level in a single curl up over the back, with the tip falling to either side of the loin or croup. The tail is never tucked. The tail is of a moderate length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down.
Forequarters and Hindquarters
Forequarters: The forequarters are always balanced with the hindquarters and well-angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. The shoulder blades are long and approximately equal in length to the upper arm and forearm, or they may be just slightly longer than the upper arm.
Elbows: The elbows are close to the body. The distance from the withers to the brisket may be equal to, or just greater than, the distance from the elbows to the ground.
Forelegs: Frontal View: Straight, of good muscle, of moderate bone, and parallel to one another.
Side View: The forelimbs appear straight with strong pasterns.
Pasterns: Never weak or broken.
Hindquarters: The upper and lower thighs are equal in length, or the first thigh may be longer than the second thigh, strong, of moderate bone, and well-muscled.
Rear View: When viewed from the rear, the rear pasterns are parallel to one another.
Side View: Good angulation will allow the rear toes to align with the point of the rump or within one to two paw-lengths behind the point of the rump, with the rear pasterns remaining perpendicular to the ground and parallel to one another.
Stifle Joint: Well-angulated with a good bend to well-let-down rear pasterns.
Angulations: The angulation of the hindquarters is always in balance with the angulation of the forequarters.
Feet: Oval to round and compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.
Coat
Skin: Well-fitted, yet supple. The skin should never obstruct the outline of the dog.
Coat Type: Double-coated, with a soft, dense undercoat. Outercoat is shorter on the muzzle, face, head, ear tips, and front of the forelegs and hindlegs. The coat on the body is longer, being medium in length, no longer than approximately two inches. It is straight, stiff, and somewhat stand-offish, especially more so on the neck, shoulders, and chest. The coat may be denser and more profuse in males than females, forming a moderate ruff and mane. The back of the thighs and the tail is dense, stiff, and long, forming a plume and breeches. Trimming or clipping of the coat in the Finnish Spitz is strictly prohibited.
Coat Color or Pattern: CKC recognizes two color varieties of the Finnish Spitz breed: the standard and nonstandard.
Standard coat color variety: Any shade from pale honey, gold, red, reddish brown, or deep auburn is permissible. All with or without lighter shadings inside the ears, on the cheeks, throat, chest, belly, inside the legs, back of the thighs, and tail. Small patches of white on the chest or toes are permissible. Some darker shading is permissible on the muzzle around the lips or on the dorsal of the tail.
Nonstandard coat color variety: Large white markings on the chest, white socks, “muddy,” smut, or sable dogs, or large patches of white on the feet, legs, or body.
Movement
Smooth, flowing, energetic, effortless, and efficient. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the center line of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.
Temperament
The Finnish Spitz breed is a lively, loyal, and active dog. They are known to be indifferent toward strangers and protective of their families and properties, so early socialization and training are recommended. To those who know and love them, they are affectionate, clownish, and very vocal, expressing their excitement and distaste vocally. They are highly intelligent, making excellent companions and excelling at events such as obedience and tracking. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.
Faults
All dogs should be in proper healthy condition, free from disease or defect. Any departure from this description is considered a fault. Unless altered, all male dogs should have two fully descended testicles.
