Finnish Spitz: history, description, photo

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Cheerful, playful and friendly. Sensitive, independent and courageous. Educated, devoted and kind. All this characterizes a wonderful and small variety of huskies - the Finnish Spitz.

History and purpose of the breed

Suomenpistikorva, or Finnish Spitz, is a hunting breed of huskies, which originates from the dogs of the ancient Finnish Suomi people. It was originally called Finnish Barking Birddog (barking, bird-hunting Finnish dog) or Suomenpystrykorva (Finnish dog with pointed ears).

Spitz was brought to Finland over two thousand years ago, from the banks of the Volga River (at that time the area was part of Central Russia, and today belongs to Finland). The breed was purposefully bred for hunting all kinds of game (from squirrels and other small rodents to wild boars and bears).

Special attention in the breeding of the breed was paid to hunting qualities, a typical exterior for huskies and a bright red color. As a result of the selection work carried out, an unpretentious medium-sized dog with excellent working qualities turned out to be a Finnish Spitz.

This breed is quite versatile in hunting practice and specializes in ducks and upland birds. The task of the spitz is to detect and bark the game until the hunter arrives. Also, the dog is able to work quite adequately for a fur-bearing animal after appropriate training. Previously, the Finnish Spitz was used to drive an elk, and dogs brought to the USSR could also work on a bear, although they were somewhat inferior in hunting passion to other huskies.

One of the important working indicators of the breed is the frequency and continuity of barking at the moment of marking the game. The frequency with which a good hunting husky should bark is about 160 times per minute.

Training

Finnish Spitz is a fairly smart dog, very easy to train. However, if he is frightened or overexcited, then he can become wayward and stubborn. Classes should be interesting, positive, calm, but short, as this breed gets bored very quickly. Only positive rewards and reinforcements are applied. Also, you will have to stock up on a lot of patience, because the Finnish Spitz matures rather slowly, and therefore it will be able to learn a new command only after 20-35 repetitions. By nature, this breed is very independent, and therefore you should treat the dog in such a way that he sees you as a leader and respects.

One of the drawbacks can be the loud and frequent barking that the Finnish Spitz has. Reviews of breed owners are very negative about this. But we should not forget that this is one of the main working qualities of a good hunting husky, howeverthis problem can be controlled through training, but should start at an early age.

Features of maintenance and care of wool

Finnish Spitz are hunters by nature and need daily long walks on a leash or in a safe place without one. All sorts of physical activity is also required so that the dog can use as much of its inexhaustible energy as possible.

Finca's coat is tight-fitting and thick, remarkably protects the animal from the cold, allowing it to endure very severe frosts. Dogs are able to live in cold and temperate climates, but they do not tolerate heat very well.

Wool is easy to care for as it is self-cleaning. It is enough to comb the Finnish Spitz a couple of times a week with a comb and a massage brush. During the seasonal molting period, you will have to comb out the coat every day.

Bathing dogs spend no more than three or four times a year. To avoid all kinds of irritations and infections, you should regularly check and clean the eyes and ears, as well as trim the nails if they are not worn down enough on the dog during walks.

Feeding

Future owners of puppies of the Finnish Spitz breed need to take care in advance to find out how to feed their pets. The puppy's diet should not include pork and chicken. It is considered that this meat is fatty and therefore should not be used in feeding. Pets can be given raw meat. What to feed him, you can ask the breeder at the time of purchasing the puppy. But with any selected diet, bones should be given with extreme caution, as some of them the dog simply may not chew. In general, it is not recommended to feed the animal to everyone in a row, since the stomach of this breed is rather weak.

And finally…

Dogs of this breed are, of course, one of the most beautiful representatives of the whole variety of huskies. Their small size and fiery red coat favorably distinguish them from their brethren. You will not find a better and more devoted friend than the Finnish Spitz. Photos from joint walks in nature or just in a close circle at home will look much better if your mischievous and faithful four-legged friend flaunts on them as a full member of the family.