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Spitz


Spitz are a type of dog characterized by long, thick, and often white fur, and pointed ears and muzzles. The tail often curls over the dog's back or droops.

The exact origins of spitz dogs are not known, though most of the spitz seen today originate from the Arctic region or Siberia. The type was described as Canis pomeranus by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revision of Systema Naturae in 1788 (printed in English in 1792).

Skeletal remains around 2,000 years old unearthed in Switzerland indicate that spitz dogs have inhabited Central Europe for millennia. These dogs are almost certainly the ancestors of the European spitz, such as the German Spitz. Many spitz also migrated into Siberia and Mongolia. Over the centuries, many of these dogs were transported by humans to Japan, most likely from Manchuria.

These Asian spitz are the ancestors of today's breeds such as the Chow Chow and the Akita Inu.

Through selective breeding, spitz have been developed to help humans in three ways: hunting, herding, and pulling sleds.

The larger and more powerful breeds—such as the Akita Inu, Karelian Bear Dog, Norwegian Elkhound, and Swedish Elkhound—are used for big game hunting, helping humans kill moose and brown bears. Smaller breeds—such as the Norwegian Buhund, the Finnish Spitz and the Lundehund—were used in Scandinavia to hunt birds and smaller mammals.


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