The German Spitz is a lively and active dog that loves to play games. These playful dogs enjoy being the centre of attention and are happiest when spending time with their humans. They are also alert and curious. They know when strangers are around and they will bark at their presence. This makes them useful as watchdogs as well as being great fun to have around the home. Some highlights:
German Spitz are lively and energetic dogs. This makes them playful housemates that are enormous fun to spend time with.
German Spitz are good watchdogs because they are so alert. They always let their humans know when there are strangers around, by barking a message.
The German Spitz breed is known for its friendly nature once it has a bond with a person who it shares a home with. This bond is normally very strong.
Some downsides to the German Spitz:
Although German Spitz are known for being friendly with the humans that they know, they are wary of strangers. They are distrustful of people they do not know. This can make them slightly aggressive with humans that they do not recognise.
German Spitz are small dogs. This makes it easy for them to become injured by over boisterous young children. This means that German Spitz puppies are not an ideal choice for a home where there are small children present.
German Spitz have strong personalities. This means that they often enjoy testing boundaries. Their humans need a lot of patience in order to deal with this.
There is evidence that Spitz-type dogs existed as far back as 6,000 years ago. Since then, refinements had taken place that have mainly affected the size of Spitz breeds. The German Spitz first became popular in other countries in the 1800s. Today, this breed is most popular as a companion around the home.
The German Spitz is not a large dog. Females usually measure between 23 and 29 cm in height. Males are slightly larger in size. They usually measure between 30 and 38 cm in height.
The German Spritz is a dog breed that is known for being lightweight. These little dogs usually weigh between 5 and 11 kg. There is no danger of them knocking anyone over.
The coat of a German Spitz has two layers. The outer layer is harder and longer. The secondary hairs are dense and have cotton wool-like texture. The coat of the German Spitz can contain several different colours including, black, brown, white, orange and silver-grey.
German Spitz are not likely to chase off any strangers that approach a home. However, they do make good watchdogs because they are alert enough to spot strangers and they bark to warn their humans when they know that a stranger is approaching.
The German Spitz is not a dog that barks all the time. However, these little companions can make a big noise if they hear an unfamiliar sound. This can be a problem if the neighbours are disturbed as a result.
It's vital that German Spitz puppies are socialised as soon as possible. These little dogs have a large personality and they love to test the boundaries. It's a lot easier to deal with this if a puppy is trained early. This training should be firm but fair, so that a German Spitz learns to show respect for the humans that they share a home with.
Buying German Spitz puppies is not an ideal choice, if there are young children in the family. This is because these small dogs can easily be injured by over enthusiastic young children. They prefer to be welcomed into a home where there are only adults or older children.
Like many other dogs, German Spitz prefer to always have company. They do not adjust well to being left alone for longer periods of time. For this reason, this is a breed of dog that suits a home where someone is around for most of the day.
Most of the time, German Spitz enjoy spending time in the water. They love to swim. This can lead to them becoming muddy if they come into contact with dirt while they are still wet.
German Spitz can be friendly companions for a good number of years. They usually live for between 13 and 15 years. Their length of life can be optimised by providing a healthy diet and the exercise that they need.
German Spitz puppies and older dogs are happy enough spending time inside with their humans. However, they also enjoy long walks. They should get between 30 minutes and an hour of solid exercise each day. They should also be provided with shorter walks and periods of play. This level of exercise is important as German Spitz are energetic little dogs.
German Spritzes are among the healthiest dog breeds around. However, there are some health problems that this breed can be susceptible to. These problems include:
Collapsing trachea which results in the diameter of the main airway being reduced. The diameter tends to fluctuate, so this is not normally a life changing problem. However, it can be a nuisance for a German Spitz as it can result in heavy breathing and a bad cough.
Epilepsy is a brain disorder that can affect the German Spitz breed. It leads to seizures and an altered state of consciousness.
Patellar Luxation results in the kneecap slipping out of position. It makes weight bearing difficult for a short period of time.
Progressive Retinal Atrophy can lead to blindness in young adult German Spitz. There are tests available to detect this problem.
These little dogs do not need a lot of space. They can quite happily live in an apartment or a small house. However, they are lively dogs, so they do need to be taken out for a walk at least once every day. The rest of the time, they use their energy to follow their humans around the home.
German Spitz shed their coat on a continuous basis. This means that they should be brushed at least twice a week. However, brushing these dogs is not normally difficult as their coat does not easily tangle. In addition to brushing, a German Spitz should be bathed at least once a month and their nails should be clipped every few weeks.
As a rough guide in pricing: Cost to buy: roughly £700-£800 for a well-bred German Spitz puppy Other costs (Vet, Food etc): £70 per month
You can read our general buying guide here (/advice-on-buying-a-puppy/), with the most important thing being going to view your German Spitz Puppy, seeing it with its mother, and checking the quality of the breeder. More specifically, here is some German Spitz puppy buying advice:
German Spitz puppies can be distrustful of strangers, as can adult dogs. It makes sense to choose a puppy that has been in a social environment, in order to reduce this distrust as much as possible. Doing this makes it a lot easier to continue socialising the puppy after it is taken home.
Choosing to buy a German Spitz puppy is not a good idea if there is no one in the home during the day. This is because these dogs do not enjoy being on their own. They like to have company for most of the time.
A big thank you to the following sources who helped to shape this article: https://www.germanspitzclubofgreatbritain.com/ https://www.gsboc.co.uk/ https://www.dogzone.com/breeds/german-spitz/ https://www.germanspitzworld.co.uk/index2.php?page_ID=8 https://www.perfectdogbreeds.com/german-spitz/ https://www.pdsa.org.uk/taking-care-of-your-pet/looking-after-your-pet/puppies-dogs/small-dogs/german-spitz
