The Finnish Spitz is a hunting dog breed, native to Finland. It is a versatile hunting dog capable of working both on birds and rodents, as well as on large and dangerous animals such as bears and wild boars. At the same time, its main function is to find the beast and point at it to the hunter or to distract him. At home, it is widely used today for hunting, although by nature it is friendly, loves children, and gets along well in the city. It is the national breed of Finland since 1979.

History of the Breed

For the first time, bright red dogs, common in Finland, were described back in 1675 by the French traveler Pierre la Martinard. For a long time, the breed developed as an indigenous one, since there was no purposeful selection. And only at the end of the 19th century, two Finnish enthusiastic breeders Hugo Roos and Hugo Sandberg took up the revival of the almost extinct breed. Their efforts were crowned with success, and a few years later the Finnish Kennel Club officially recognized the breed.

The main purpose of the Finnish aboriginal dog is hunting.

Since ancient times, this is an excellent dog-pointer, calling the hunter to the place of finding the game with its barking bark. The dog’s pose, the turn of her head always clearly indicated the direction to the target for the hunter. Basically, the Finnish Spitz is used to work on wood grouse, black grouse, partridge, as well as in the hunt for squirrels, martens, sables. However, there are cases when red Spitz was used to hunt more serious animals such as elk and bear.

In Finland, the working qualities of these dogs are so appreciated that not a single Spitz can become an exhibition champion without proving his hunting talents.

In the USA, in places where hunting with a dog is not very developed, “Finns” is more often used as companion dogs or dogs for participation in shows and championships.

Appearance

They are medium-sized dogs with a typical appearance for this group of breeds. The muzzle is sharp, the ears are erect, the chest is convex, voluminous, the hair on the neck and chest is longer. The limbs are of medium length, the tail is medium, curled up and lies on the back.

Characteristics and Personality

The Finnish Spitz is considered to be a ringing dog, which hunters especially appreciate. Their purpose is to notify the owner of the finding of the game. Among the winners of the exhibition championships in terms of loudness and frequency of barking is certainly the Karelian-Finnish Spitz. Its 160 times the number of votes per minute is appreciated by professional experts.

Dog owners report that barking is a joy for their pets, they love the sound of their voices. By training, you can achieve the maximum manifestation of the dog’s capabilities and ability to control oneself.

For many years, the improvement of the breed was aimed at the formation of the necessary qualities of a dog for hunting games, small rodents, and even a large fur-bearing animal. Unpretentious in content and hardy in work, the husky is distinguished by intelligence and benevolence.

In relation to a person, the Spitz is very friendly, attached to the owner’s family. Raising puppies requires patience and rigor, since natural curiosity, energy, and independence of character should not dominate in relationships with people.

The dog requires active communication during walks, in games, training exercises. She is characterized by manifestations of courage, agility, resourcefulness. The Finnish Spitz loves to play with children, can perform the functions of a guard and protector, if required, although he does not have aggressive qualities.

Care and Maintenance

These dogs need space, freedom, regular long walks, outdoor games, bird hunting. If you can provide all this to the Karelian, then you can safely keep it in the apartment. However, if the dog does not move enough, it will have a lot of energy, then furniture and household items in your home will be in danger. Pay a lot of time and attention to Karelian-Finnish huskies. The coat of these dogs often looks very neat, it does not need to be combed out often, once a week will be enough. During the period of wool renewal, you need to comb out the carriages more often. Washing your dogs often is not recommended. Trim your pet’s nails monthly, trim the paws a little between the toes. Keep his ears and eyes clean.

Education and Training

The Finnish Spitz is a very smart, quick-witted, understanding dog. However, at times he can be overly stubborn. There’s nothing you can do about it. For this dog to always obey you, be sure to encourage it. A treat is the best way to train and train these dogs. If you bought a Finnish Spitz for hunting, take your dog out to the forest early so that the atmosphere and sounds of nature will not frighten him in the future. The Karelian-Finnish huskies have such a developed hunting instinct that they perform their duties well without special training. If you take a puppy for hunting with experienced dogs, he will quickly get used to and learn all the intricacies of the hunting craft.

Health

Finnish Spitz is prone to rapid weight gain, so keep a close eye on the portions of your pet. Try not to feed your dog between meals. Remember that the number of servings should depend on the energy input of the animal. The health of the Karelian-Finnish huskies is excellent, they are hardy, with a strong immune system, they have no genetic diseases. However, do not forget to vaccinate your dogs in a timely manner, because they can easily pick up some kind of infection in the forest.

How to Choose a Puppy

Before choosing such a pet for yourself, you should definitely study the existing breed standards, and only after that, you can make a final decision.

Here’s what you should definitely pay attention to:

• If any of the puppy’s parents are substandard or generally non-purebred, your puppy will be the same. Therefore, you need to inquire about the pedigree and documents of the parents of the future pet.
• Puppies should be playful, clear-eyed, very agile. They show interest in the stranger, but they are careful with him.
• The dog should have a perfectly white coat, without any dirt or foreign inclusions. The nose is cold, the stomach is soft, the skin is intact.
• The puppy must be vaccinated. Vaccination marks can be found in documents.