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Finnish spitz

Finnish Spitz Breed of Dog:

The Finnish Spitz dog is one of the oldest breed of hunting dogs and was primarily used in the tracking of small game such as squirrels and grouses.



These dogs are known to use a bark and point technique where they alert their master to the presence of prey through barking. Although rarely used for this purpose, the Finnish Spitz dog is equally adept at tracking other, bigger game such as moose and deer. It derives its name from the fact that the animal was first bred in Finland.



Due to this proud heritage, the Finnish Spitz dog is currently Finland’s national dog and is still very commonly used in this land as a hunting dog. The dog, though, has adapted to the role of being a house pet in almost all other countries over the world. The animal is considered to be a double coat breed where the coat is made up of a rather soft undercoat and a much coarser upper coat.



The fur is rather long and will measure about two inches normally. The Finnish Spitz dog is considered to be of a square build meaning that the length of the body is proportionate to the height of the withers to the ground. Probably the first thing you will notice when confronted by a Finnish Spitz dog is the close resemblance that it has to the fox. The ears will usually stand erect and point straight ahead and the animal will usually come in either a yellow – red color combination or a red – brown combination.

The Finnish Spitz temperament is very friendly and brave while their natural hunting instincts also make them very alert dogs. However, Finnish Spitz dog training requires a lot of patience as they are notoriously renowned for their mischievousness. It is essential that they are handled by a strong owner as, if the dog were to develop any kind of alpha dog supremacy over the human, they can be significantly disobedient. However, the good thing about the Finnish Spitz dog is that it generally knows its place and will adapt well. Socialization of your animal is very important to get them used to strangers and prevent them from becoming rather aloof with strangers. The animal requires a daily amount of exercise to prevent it from becoming very disobedient and destructive. While hip dysplasia is a common problem in most dogs, it has a very low occurrence rate in the Finnish Spitz dog.

 
  Submitted on May 7, 2010  
 
 
 

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