The history of the origin of the Finnish Spitz and its purpose, exterior standard, character, health, care tips, interesting facts. Price when buying a puppy. The Finnish Spitz is a cute, fun-loving Laika dog with a friendly, combative temperament and thick dark orange coat. One of the few native northern breeds of Lapland and North Karelia. Well, for the patient Finns, this red dog is an old friend and proven helper, a universal and familiar hunting dog in everyday life, not only honored with a mention in the ancient poetic epic Kalevala, but eventually becoming a national symbol and pride of Finland.
The origin story of the Finnish Spitz
The Finnish Spitz (English - Finnish Spitz; Fin - Suomenpystykorva) is one of the few indigenous breeds in Finland, leading its history from the ancient Finno-Ugric northern dogs of Scandinavia. From the earliest times, smart and sensible red dogs, somewhat similar to large foxes, helped the Ugric and Finnish tribes on the hunt, protected their homes and livestock from wild animals, pulled sledges with luggage. So, the history of today's Finnish Spitz goes back centuries for several millennia.
One of the first Europeans to tell the whole world of dog lovers about northern red huskies was the French physician, explorer and traveler Pierre-Martin de La Martini? Re in his book Travel to the Nordic Countries, published in 1653. In it, he described in a fascinating form his impressions of a trip made in Northern Europe in the middle of the 17th century. Pierre Martin described in extraordinary detail the manners, customs, superstitions and way of life of the semi-wild peoples of Scandinavia and Northern Russia, still unknown to Europeans in those years, backing up his notes with many drawings.
Many years have passed since then, and in the history of Finnish dogs there was a period when the population of Finnish red huskies began to randomly interbreed with other breeds of dogs that appeared on the Scandinavian Peninsula with the arrival of new settlers from Russia and Sweden. The national aboriginal Finnish husky began to lose its bright personality of the exterior. Pedigree purebred dogs sharply decreased in number and by the middle of the 19th century almost disappeared altogether.
The planned revival of an endangered species and pedigree breeding of Finnish Spitz began only at the end of the 19th century. Finnish historians and dog handlers ascribe a special merit for the revival of the native breed to the sportsman and hunter Hugo Roos from Helsinki. It was he who, appreciating during the hunt in 1879, many of the merits of genuine Finnish aboriginal dogs, in 1880 decided to start independently breeding fiery red hunting dogs, giving this business thirty years of his life.
In 1892, the revived breed was finally presented to the Finnish Kennel Club and entered into the Studbook of the national club. It is not surprising, but in Russia (and the Grand Duchy of Finland became part of the Russian Empire back in 1809) a wide circle of Russian dog lovers and hunters met the red Finnish husky only in 1895, with the publication of the Album of Northern Dogs (huskies) Prince A. A. Shirinsky-Shikhmatov.
In 1897, changes and clarifications were made to the standard of the Finnish Laika, which made it possible to further concretize the breed, separating it from similar types of Laikas in Scandinavia. Then the name of the breed was changed. The breed finally became known as "Finnish Spitz".
The First World War, which began in 1914, and then the 1917 revolution in Russia and the Civil War that began after it, made people forget about dogs for a long time. The majority of the population of Europe and Russia was not up to them.
Again, the existence of red hunting Spitz dogs was remembered only in the middle of the 20s of the XX century. In 1927, the first breeding Finnish dogs with fluffy orange fur were brought to the UK by Sir Edward Chikister, who became their first breeder. In 1935, the newly minted breed of orange hunting dogs was officially recognized by the British Kennel Club. In 1950, the Finnish dog-spitz with the complex nickname Callabine-Rudolph was first introduced to the United States, becoming the progenitor of almost all currently existing "Finns" in the United States. And since 1952, these dogs have been bred in the Netherlands.
In Soviet Russia, the breed of Finnish Laikas was called in its own way - the Karelian-Finnish Laika, in fact, mixing different breeds of dogs in this name. It is likely that this name was associated with the Karelo-Finnish Republic (which existed within the borders of the USSR), where these red dogs penetrated even before 1917. Subsequently, the Karelian-Finnish Laikas received their own breeding line of development in the Soviet Union and, ultimately, were singled out as an independent breed in 1960. In 2006, an agreement was signed between the Finnish and Russian kennel clubs on the recognition of the Russian livestock of Finnish Laikas in the FCI system in compliance with all international standards.
In 1974, the Canadian Kennel Club also included the Finnish Spitz in its Studbook. In 1975, the American Club of Finnish Spitz lovers was created, and in 1983 the Finnish dogs were registered with the American Kennel Club.
The official recognition of the national spitz of Finland by the International Cynological Federation (FCI) took place in 1987. The last changes to the international breed standard were made in 1999.
Since 1979, the Finnish Spitz has been recognized as the national dog of Finland.
Purpose and use of the Finnish Spitz
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 were 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" are more often used as companion dogs or dogs for participation in shows and championships.
Finnish Spitz external standard
The Finnish Laika (Spitz) is a cute, dark-reddish dog, slightly below average (for Laikas) height, with a proportional lean build and excellent posture. Outwardly and in color, young individuals somewhat resemble a fox. In the future, this similarity disappears. An adult Spitz male reaches a maximum of 50 centimeters at the withers and weighs up to 13 kg. Females of this breed are noticeably smaller - up to 45 centimeters tall and weighing 7-10 kg.
- Head rather voluminous, gradually expanding towards the ears. The skull is widest between the ears. The brow ridges, occipital protuberance and frontal furrow are barely marked. The stop (transition from the forehead to the muzzle) is not very pronounced, but the ledge itself between the skull and the bridge of the nose is distinct. The nasal bridge is elongated, straight, of medium width. The nose is small, but well defined, and has a black color. The muzzle is narrow, smoothly tapering, dry. The lips are thin, dry, tight-fitting with good pigmentation. The jaws are strong. The teeth are strong, white with developed canines. Scissor bite, tight.
- Eyes almond-shaped, of medium size, set slightly obliquely. The color of the eyes is brown or dark brown (the darker, the better when judging). The look is attentive, lively.
- Ears high set, clearly erect, triangular-pointed, medium-sized. The ears are very mobile and very sensitive to any, even insignificant sound.
- Neck in Finnish Spitz of medium length (in males, due to the presence of a fluffy "collar" it makes the impression of a short one), strong and muscular with a well-defined nape.
- Torso square-rectangular type, strong, muscular, not inclined to be overweight. The chest is long, moderately wide, well developed. The back is short, strong and straight. The back line is straight. The croup is strong, of medium length, slightly sloping. The belly is tucked up.
- Tail set high, of medium length, curved in a ring on the back, richly covered with fur.
- Limbs straight, parallel, strong, well muscled. Paws are oval or round, "tightly knit", with pressed toes.
- Leather fits snugly to the body, without depressions.
- Wool rather long on the body, standing and raised, gives the impression of fluffiness. The fur is somewhat harsh, with a dense undercoat. The hardest fur is on the neck, shoulder blades and back. The hair on the head, muzzle and limbs is short and close to the skin. On the thighs of the hind limbs, there are stripes in the form of “trousers”. The hair on the tail is long and thick. On the neck of Spitz males there is a rich "collar" of long guard hair. The undercoat is dense, short and soft, in contrast to the coarse guard hair, and lighter than the rest of the fur.
- Color Finnish huskies have a reddish red, dark orange or golden red color. Preference for assessing during championships is given to individuals with a brighter and more saturated color of wool.
The lighter coat is found on the throat, chest, abdomen, inner surfaces of all limbs, inner ears, cheekbones and tail. The darker areas are located on the head, ears and along the spine of the animal. A white "tie" on the chest and small spots on the front legs are acceptable.
Finnish husky character description
Dogs of this breed are very active, mobile and have a rather noisy behavior, which creates a lot of difficulties with neighbors in housing. The clear voice of a red-haired Spitz is an important breed component. On the hunt, these dogs simply had to inform the hunter about the discovery of the animal and their location in the forest (this is what all hunting dog-pointers and huskies do). In modern Finland, special competitions are even held between dogs of different breeds to determine the "King of Lai" (the winner of the competition is a dog that not only barks louder and loudest, but is also able to bark as often as possible). So, the Finnish Spitz breed is always among the leaders in such competitions.
The dog is perfectly adapted to the harsh climate, cold winds and low temperatures. A long stay in the winter forest does not negatively affect her health in any way. She is hardy, brave, persistent and has superbly developed hunting instincts. Able to accompany a skier-hunter for a long time and tirelessly and chase game even in deep snow. In places with hot climates and high temperatures, it feels much worse. Although over time, it is able to adapt to such conditions.
Can be an excellent watchman, alert and loud-voiced. In this case, it is better if it is not on a chain, but freely moves around the yard. "Finca" does not like a leash and a muzzle at all. She needs a long energetic and free range, which is not always possible in a city.
Easily finds contact with other dogs and people, is able to perfectly hunt in a pack or in a pair with another dog. She always willingly makes contact with people, especially with children. Requires attention to itself. If the Finnish Spitz is not noticed or ignored, he is able to take offense for a long time, becoming stubborn and disobedient. And then, and completely leave.
The Spitz dog has a typically Finnish character - independent, durable and even a little tough and distrustful of strangers, but at the same time soft, sensitive and affectionate in relations with the owner. At the same time, he is not aggressive towards people, is quite good-natured and exclusively devoted to the owner.
Males have more dominant tendencies than females. Therefore, they need to educate an experienced dog handler or a person with extensive experience in working with Finnish Spitz. Needs a strong and domineering owner, able to clearly control this intelligent and incredibly intelligent dog.
However, despite some nuances of behavior, a playful, intelligent, curious and restless husky with a beautiful stately exterior, loyal and kind character wins more and more fans around the world. Well, the hunters of Russia and Finland have long held a special account of it, as one of the most capable and talented universal Laika dogs, indispensable for hunting a wide variety of animals.
Finnish Spitz health
The Finnish Spitz, being an aboriginal breed bred by nature itself, is considered a fairly healthy breed of dog. However, in practice, some problems common to the breed have been noted, such as dysplasia of the hip elbow and knee joints, various dislocations of the limbs and epilepsy (rarely). The average life span of these wonderful animals is about 11-12 years.
Finnish Spitz grooming tips
Despite the fact that the "Finnish" are rather large dogs with thick fur, caring for them does not cause much trouble to the owner. Standard grooming (once or twice a week) is enough to keep the animal looking great. During molting (twice a year), it is necessary to comb out the orange dog more often, especially if it lives in a city house or apartment (which, in general, is not desirable). Bathing this dog is not at all problematic and is necessary only as it gets dirty.
The best conditions for maintenance are a country house with the possibility of long and unrestrained walks in the forest or meadow. Be sure to pay attention to the development of the dog's hunting skills. Without even an imitation of hunting, the Finnish Spitz withers and gets bored. Dogs feel better in climatic conditions with a cool climate.
There are no difficulties with feeding. The dog is not pretentious in food, and during the hunt it is able to do with the very minimum. However, it is desirable that the animal's diet is balanced, abundant and meets all the daily needs of the dog for vitamins and minerals. It is also advisable to give the dog (at least periodically) lean meat or fish, which he loves very much.
Interesting facts about the Finnish Spitz and the purchase price
The Finnish Spitz is probably one of the loudest and most sonorous dogs in the world. After all, its main hunting purpose is to notify with loud frequent barking about the position of the game. Therefore, the sonorousness of this breed is extremely appreciated by connoisseurs-hunters. Any show championships in Finland end with a competition to determine the dog - "King Lai". This competition, held annually in Finland, is sometimes referred to as the “King of the Barkers”. So, it was during one such competition at the "King of Barkers" that it was found that the unique red-haired dog-pomeranian is capable of barking at a speed of 160 times per minute.
Currently, the number of Finnish Spitz in Russia is quite large. This is especially true in relation to Moscow and the Moscow region, St. Petersburg and Karelia. There are nurseries in the city of Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk region, the city of Cherepovets, Vologda region, as well as in Perm, Yekaterinburg and the region. Therefore, getting a thoroughbred Finnish Spitz puppy is not a problem. The average cost of a puppy for such a dog is around US $ 400–500.
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