The is a small to medium

breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

of dog of the

Spitz Spitz (derived from the German word ''spitz'' 'pointed') is a type of domestic 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. While all of the breeds rese ...

type. There are varying standards around the world as to the ideal size of the breed, but they are always larger than their smaller cousins, the Pomeranian. They were developed in Japan in the 1920s and 1930s by breeding a number of other Spitz type dog breeds together. They are recognized by the vast majority of the major kennel clubs, except the American Kennel Club due to it being of similar appearance to the white Pomeranian,

American Eskimo Dog The American Eskimo Dog is a breed of companion dog, originating in Germany. The American Eskimo Dog is a member of the Spitz family. It is considered an ancient dog breed due to its recent admixture with wolves. The breed's progenitors were Germ ...

and Samoyed. While they are a relatively new breed, they are becoming widely popular due to their favorable temperament and other features. The major health concern is patellar luxation, and a minor recurring concern is that the breed can be prone to runny eyes. They can act as reliable watchdogs, but are a type of

companion dog A companion dog is a dog that does not work, providing only companionship as a pet, rather than usefulness by doing specific tasks. Many of the toy dog breeds are used only for the pleasure of their company, not as workers. Any dog can be a compa ...

and prefer to be an active part of the family. Although they might appear fluffy, they are a low maintenance breed as dirt does not stick to the coat.

Appearance

The Japanese Spitz is a small dog, around 33 cm (13 ins) at the

withers The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, it is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, cattle a ...

, with a somewhat square body, deep chest, and a very thick, pure white double

coat A coat typically is an outer garment for the upper body as worn by either gender for warmth or fashion. Coats typically have long sleeves and are open down the front and closing by means of buttons, zippers, hook-and-loop fasteners, toggles, ...

. The coat consists of an outer coat that stands off from the soft inner coat, with fur shorter on the muzzle and ears as well as the fronts of the forelegs and the hindlegs. A ruff of longer fur is around the dog's neck. It has a pointed muzzle and small, triangular shape prick ears (ears that stand up.) The tail is long, heavily covered with long fur, and is carried curled over and lying on the dog's back. The white coat contrasts with the black pads and nails of the feet, the black nose, and the dark eyes. The large oval (akin to a ginkgo seed) eyes are dark and slightly slanted with white eyelashes, and the nose and lips and eye rims are black. The face of the Japanese Spitz is wedge-shaped. They share a common resemblance with the white Pomeranian, Samoyed and

Size variations

Description of the ideal size of the breed varies. In Japan, the ideal size for males are described as 30–38 cm at the

, with females somewhat smaller; (the Japanese standard is the one published by the

Fédération Cynologique Internationale The Fédération cynologique internationale (FCI) (English: International Canine Federation) is the largest international federation of national kennel clubs. It is based in Thuin, Belgium. History The FCI was founded in 1911 under the auspices ...

for international dog competitions.) In the UK, the Kennel Club describes the size as 34–37 cm (13.5–14.5 in) at the

with females 30–34 cm (12–13.5 in), which is the same for the

Australian National Kennel Council The Australian National Kennel Council is the coordinating kennel club of Australia.Encyclopedia Britannica"Dog breeds", ''www.britannica.com'' retrieved 23 December 2018. It is a member of the Fédération Cynologique Internationale. Role The ...

. In New Zealand (

New Zealand Kennel Club The New Zealand Kennel Club (now known as Dogs News Zealand, and also known as Dogs NZ and NZKC) is the primary kennel club responsible for dog pedigree registration services in New Zealand. They also provide training services, judging for dog ...

), the ideal size is 30–40 cm (12–16 in) for males, 25–35 cm (10–14 in) for females. The

Canadian Kennel Club The Canadian Kennel Club (or CKC), founded in 1888 and chartered under the Animal Purebred Act, is one of the national kennel clubs of Canada. It maintains breed registry, breed registries services for those purebred dogs approved for its control b ...

states that the size for dogs is 12 inches (30 cm) with females slightly smaller, and the

United Kennel Club The United Kennel Club (UKC) is a kennel club founded in 1898 in the United States. In contrast with the American Kennel Club, which is non-profit and which only clubs can join, the United Kennel Club is a profit-making corporation, open to individ ...

in the U.S. describes the ideal size as 12 to 15 ins (30.5–38.1 cm) for males and 12 to 14 ins (30.5–35.6 cm) for females. Minor kennel clubs and other organizations may use any of these ideal sizes or create their own. Japanese Spitzes are generally considered larger than their cousin, the Pomeranian.

History

Dog breeders in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

in the 1920s and 1930s created the Japanese Spitz by

crossbreeding A crossbreed is an organism with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. ''Crossbreeding'', sometimes called "designer crossbreeding", is the process of breeding such an organism, While crossbreeding is used to main ...

a number of other Spitz breeds to develop the Japanese Spitz.''Dog: The Complete Guide'', by Sarah Whitehead, Barnes & Noble, Publisher, 1999, pg 211, . Breeders began with white German Spitz dogs, originally brought over from northeastern China to Japan; they were first exhibited at a dog show in Tokyo in 1921.Japanese Spitz breed standard
from the

Japan Kennel Club The Japan Kennel Club (ジャパンケネルクラブ) is the primary registry body for purebred dog pedigrees in Japan. It hosts the FCI ( Fédération Cynologique Internationale) Japan International Dog Show held annually at the Tokyo Big Si ...

(in Japanese) andJapanese Spitz breed standard from Nippon Spitzs Club (in English)
/ref> Between 1925 and 1936 various small white Spitz breeds were imported from around the world and crossed into the developing breed, with the goal of producing an improved breed. The final

Standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object th ...

for the breed was written after World War II, and accepted by the

. The breed gained popularity in Japan in the 1950s, and was exported to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

in the early 1950s. From there the breed went to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, and the Kennel Club recognized the Japanese Spitz in 1977 in the Utility Group. The Japanese Spitz has spread around the world including to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

, and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

and is recognized by most of the major kennel clubs in the English speaking world; by the

in Group 6, Non-Sporting, by the

(Non-Sporting Group), by the

in Group 7 (Non Sporting), and by the

(U.S.) in the Northern Breeds Group. In April 2019, the

American Kennel Club The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States. In addition to maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions events for purebred dogs, including the Westminster Ke ...

added Japanese Spitz breed to Foundation Stock Service that means is yet to be recognized by the AKC. The breed is also recognized by minor registries and clubs.

Health

They are a healthy breed with very few genetic problems. The main health concern for Japanese Spitz is the development of Patellar luxation, a condition in which the kneecap dislocates out of its normal position. They can also be prone to runny eyes, which is most commonly due to having tear ducts that are too small, or an allergy to long grass or stress. It is rarely caused by any serious eye defect.

Mortality

Life expectancy is estimated at 10–16 years. This makes it one of the longest-lived dog breeds.

Temperament

Active, loyal, and bright, the Japanese Spitz are known for their great courage, affection, devotion and amiability making them great watchdogs and ideal companions for older people and small children. Most Japanese Spitz are good watch dogs, despite their relatively small size, and they have a tendency to bark to warn of arriving strangers.New Zealand Kennel Club, Japanese Spitz
/ref> The Japanese Spitz is first and foremost a

and thrives on human contact and attention, preferring to be a member of the family. They are known as very loyal dogs. They enjoy being active and love to be in the outdoors. They are intelligent, playful, alert, and obedient, and particularly excellent and loving toward children.

Care

Japanese Spitz can tolerate cold weather but, as it was bred as a companion dog, prefers to live in the house with the warmth of its human family. Though they can live in apartments, they need some time running around outside off-leash in a safe environment.

Grooming

Due to the texture of their coat, mud and dirt falls off or can be brushed out very easily. However, due to the breed's thick coat, regular brushing is essential. The Japanese Spitz's coat is relatively dry as compared to other breeds. Their coat should be groomed twice a week using a pin brush that reaches to the undercoat, preventing formation of knots. Grooming this breed is relatively easy in contrast to other dog breeds. Their white fur coat has a non-stick texture often described as being similar to

Teflon Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene that has numerous applications. It is one of the best-known and widely applied PFAS. The commonly known brand name of PTFE-based composition is Teflon by Chemo ...

Gallery

Japanese Spitz Puppy.JPG, A Japanese Spitz puppy File:Japanese Spitz 025.jpg, Profile of a Japanese Spitz File:Japanese spitz (Nihon Supittsu) Simba Tsar Zverei, Kiev Ukraine.jpg , A two-year-old Japanese Spitz (Ukraine)

References

External links

* {{Spitz Companion dogs Dog breeds originating in Japan FCI breeds Spitz breeds