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Finnish spitz

The Finnish Spitz is Finland's national dog, a red-gold hunting spitz used to find game birds, particularly capercaillie, and then to hold them in a tree by barking continuously until the hunter arrives.

The bark is the working tool, and it is the single most important thing to understand about the breed.

It stands 39 to 50 centimetres, weighs 11 to 16 kilograms and lives thirteen to fifteen years, with a dense double coat. A working Finnish Spitz can bark over 150 times a minute, and Finland holds competitions for the best barker. In a house that instinct does not switch off, and it is why the breed suits rural homes and not terraced ones.

Origin
Finland; the national dog, a barking bird hunter
Size
39–50 cm; 11–16 kg
Lifespan
13–15 years
Coat
Dense red-gold double coat; heavy seasonal moult
Voice
Bred to bark continuously — over 150 times a minute at work
Health
Generally robust; hip dysplasia, patellar luxation

Related: Finnish lapphund · German spitz · Japanese spitz

2 finnish spitz photos, newest first

Finnish spitz feed
  • Cardamom II, a finnish spitz

    Cardamom II

    Cardamom II was promoted to gardener confronting a wheelbarrow full of one enormous vegetable; unfortunately, a basket of yarn unravels around everything.

    FrostyOtter · 1 week ago

  • Cardamom II, a finnish spitz

    Cardamom II

    I have never once won a staring contest with Cardamom II.

    MerryBadger · 2 weeks ago

Living with a finnish spitz

The barking is the breed, not a fault to train out. It can be moderated with early work on a quiet cue and by meeting the dog's needs, but anyone expecting silence has chosen the wrong dog.

They are independent hunters, so recall is unreliable around wildlife and fencing needs to be secure.

The double coat moults heavily twice a year; brush weekly and daily through it.

They are generally healthy and long-lived. Ask for hip and patella evaluations.

They are good with family and reserved with strangers, and they need real daily exercise plus something to occupy the nose.

General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual dogs vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.

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