German Spitz

Zwergspitz, Pomeranian

Lively, attentive and always attached to his master, this breed of dog is very receptive and easy to train. The good temperament and strong courageous character of this superb dog makes him a pleasant companion but also an excellent guard dog despite his small size. This dog will make all kinds of owners happy. Once well trained, he becomes a wonderful, loyal and devoted companion for many years.

Height 18 to 50 cm
Weight 3 to 20 kg
Life expectancy 13 to 15 years
Hair Loss High
Excercise Need High
Home country Germany

Quick Overview of the German Spitz

Temperament

  • Affectionate and friendly
  • Very playful
  • Jovial and close to his family
  • Reserved with strangers

Appearance

  • Straight and solid build
  • Elegance and a little snobbish look
  • Several sizes
  • Smooth and full coat

Health

  • Rather robust
  • No particular pathology
  • Feeding to be monitored, can easily put on weight

Temperament of the German Spitz

Regardless of the type of Spitz, this little dog is affectionate, friendly, jovial, playful and very close to his family. Rather reserved with strangers, he is very wary and tends to be vigilant when strangers approach.

Naturally stubborn and rather dominant, the German Spitz-type dog must be trained very young with firmness, but very gently. He is easy to train and becomes an excellent companion even with children, as long as they learn to respect him.

Spitz allemand

Breed Appearance

German Spitz

All German Spitz-type dogs share the same physical characteristics with a few differences. His cheeky appearance is characteristic of this entire group of breeds.  German Spitz-type dogs are mostly small or medium size but very sturdy, with a straight, solid build. Their magnificent ruff is a common characteristic.

Wolf Spitz
The size of a male or female adult dog is between 45 to 60 cm (18 to 24 inches).
The coat is usually wolf gray or silver gray with darker hair at the tips.

Large Spitz
The size of an adult dog is between 42 and 50 cm (17 to 20 inches) for both male and female.
The coat may vary. The colors allowed are black, brown, wolf grey, white and orange.

Medium Spitz
The size of a male or female adult dog is between 30 and 38 cm (12 and 15 inches).
Accepted coat colors are black, brown, orange, white and wolf gray.

Small Spitz
The size of a male or female adult dog is 23 to 29 cm (9 to 11 inches).
The colors of his coat can be black, wolf grey, brown, sable orange (lighter), orange, cream, mixed (white background with one color spots) and black and tan or beige and black.

Dwarf Spitz
The size of a male or female adult dog is between 18 and 22 cm (7 to 8 inches).
The colors allowed for the coat are white, wolf gray, brown, black, orange, sable orange (lighter), cream and black and tan as well as mixed.

Height

Between 18 and 50 cm (7.09 to 19.69 inches) for the male
Between 18 and 50 cm (7.09 to 19.69 inches) for the female

Weight

Between 3 and 20 kg (6.61 to 44.09 pounds) for the male
Between 3 and 20 kg (6.61 to 44.09 pounds) for the female

Color

Size and color differ according to each variety of the breed and the weight can vary between 3 and 20 kg (7 and 44 pounds) depending on each specimen.

Hair

The German Spitz is characterized by a dense and smooth coat. His head is trimmed with a magnificent ruff and his tail resembles a thick panache. His undercoat is also very rich.

Morphology

The Spitz's head reminds one of a fox. He has a broad skull with a moderately marked stop. His medium size eyes are slightly elongated and dark color. His small ears are erect and triangular in shape. His nose is black. His mixed color and bushy tail is well erect and then folded forward and curled gracefully over the back.

According to the FCI breeds nomenclature, this breed belongs to group 5, section 4 and is #97

Characteristics of the German Spitz

Does this dog suit your lifestyle?

Every dog breed has its own characteristics. However, the actual character of a dog can vary from one to another within the same breed.

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Life in an apartment
Good first dog
Tolerates solitude
Tolerates cold weather
Tolerates hot weather
Affectionate
Friendly with children
Friendly with strangers
Friendly with other animals
Hair loss
Drooling level
Easy to care for
Robust health
Easy to train
Intelligent
Tendency to bark
Tendency to nibble
Protective
Instinct to hunt
Adventurous spirit
Energy level
Level of intensity
Need for exercise
Playful

Price and monthly budget

Price you can expect to pay for a German Spitz puppy: between and
These prices are indicative and may vary from breeder to breeder

German Spitz puppies near me

German Spitz pictures

Tips About this breed

Although he doesn't fear the cold, he is an apartment dogs, especially the small and dwarf ones. The adult dog can live outdoors, but will prefer to be close to his owners most of the time.

He can live anywhere, in the city or in the country, but he must remain at all times close to his masters whom he loves above all.

His upbringing must be very firm and the family hierarchy instilled at a very early age. He has a dominant nature and if his education is not adequate, he will run the whole household as he pleases.

His dominating tendency and stubbornness must be mastered at an early age.

Despite his size, he is an excellent and brave guardian. His distrustful nature allows him to react quickly and he is very vigilant.

A firm and sustained education will enable him to know his position in the family and thus avoid becoming unnecessarily aggressive towards strangers.

Health of the German Spitz

Rather robust, no particular pathology is linked to the German Spitz. It is however necessary to pay particular attention to his diet to avoid him gaining weight that could harm his health. Otherwise, this magnificent specimen generally has an excellent health and enjoys a very good life expectancy.

GROOMING

The dog's abundant fur requires regular brushing. It is recommended to brush the coat at least once a week to maintain it healthy. No other special maintenance is necessary.

History of this breed

These ancient breeds of dogs are believed to be direct descendants of the Canis familiaris palustris Rüthimeyer, which lived in the Stone Age in the peat bogs, as well as of the Spitz-type dogs already existing in the Neolithic period and the dogs of the water cities.

The Wolf Spitz is probably the common link of origin to all the breeds listed under the name of German Spitz. The selection as well as type the diversification of the types increased in the second half of the 19th century during the Victorian era.

The German Spitz would thus be the oldest surviving breeds in all of Eastern and Central Europe.

Selection has led to the creation of smaller and smaller specimens, thus eliminating hunters in favor of companion dogs more suited to city life. The Spitz is nowadays very much appreciated as a life companion.

The German Spitz is therefore a group of breeds that share many morphological characteristics but differ in color and size. The five varieties included in the German Spitz are the Wolf, Great, Medium, Small and Dwarf Spitz.

Having almost disappeared in the 1920s, they managed to survive thanks to Baroness Van Handenbroek who, in 1925, introduced them to England. It was only five years later that the American Kennel Club officially recognized them.

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