The Japanese Spitz is a breed that is increasingly growing in popularity. Japanese Spitz are as charming in nature as they are in appearance, making them a wonderful companion and family pet. Japanese Spitz are friendly dogs and are generally great with children and other dogs. Small in stature, the Japanese Spitz has a big personality and is known to be an effective watchdog with a natural instinct to protect their family. The Japanese Spitz is a reasonably low maintenance breed, one good walk per day should suffice. The Japanese Spitz is an alert and affectionate breed, they are eager to please and intelligent, making them easily trainable in the right hands. Undeniably attractive in appearance, Japanese Spitz are renowned for their brilliant white fluffy coat and vibrant amber eyes. Some highlights:
Japanese Spitz are devoted companions.
The Japanese Spitz is generally low maintenance and happy to be left alone, providing they are not left alone for too long.
Japanese Spitz are lively, affectionate and good with children.
The Japanese Spitz is intelligent and easily trained.
Some downsides to the Japanese Spitz:
The Japanese Spitz is known to be vocal and may bark when meeting strangers.
Japanese Spitz require regular grooming to maintain their pure white, fluffy coats.
The Japanese Spitz may be stubborn and wilful at times.
The Japanese Spitz has been a much-loved breed in Japan for many years and is fast becoming a firm favourite in the UK. The Japanese Spitz is thought to be a descendant of the German Spitz (now extinct) and developed in the 1920s and 1930s in Japan through crossbreeding various Spitz-type dogs. The Japanese Spitz breed standards weren’t formally finalised until after World War II. The Japanese Spitz definite history is unclear and it is also thought that the breed is a descendant of the Samoyed. The Japanese Spitz was gradually bred to be smaller and smaller over time, eventually resulting in the breed that people know and love today. The Japanese Spitz was introduced to Sweden and the UK initially in the 1950s, and the popularity of the breed has grown since then in many countries around the world.
The Japanese Spitz average size is between 30 to 36cm in height.
The Japanese Spitz generally weighs between 6 and 7kg.
The Japanese Spitz is renowned for a pristine white coat.
Japanese Spitz are known to be courageous for their size and are natural watchdogs, they will alert their owners in the presence of strangers and have a surprisingly loud bark considering their small stature.
The Japanese Spitz is known to be vocal and may bark when confronted by strangers, however, they are not aggressive and will be easily reassured by their owners.
The Japanese Spitz is an intelligent breed and they are eager to please people, making them trainable and quick to learn commands.
Japanese Spitz are happy and playful dogs who love to be involved in any activities and adore human attention.
The Japanese Spitz is known to be very good with children of any age, although care should always be taken to ensure that children are mindful when around dogs.
Japanese Spitz are good with dogs and other pets, however, they should be socialised at a young age, like most dogs.
Japanese Spitz are sociable dogs and thrive from human interaction, they form strong bonds with their family and although they don’t mind being left alone for a brief period, they may become mischievous when bored.
Japanese Spitz generally love swimming and will naturally take to the water, especially on warm days. However, they are small and delicate dogs and care should be taken to not let them leap into deep or dangerous water.
Japanese Spitz are generally happy and healthy dogs who often have a longer than average lifespan, with an average expectancy between 12 and 15 years.
The Japanese Spitz is an active and energetic dog who will enjoy a trip to the park amongst other dogs and will often run happily off the leash. One hour of exercise a day should be enough to keep them happy and healthy.
Like many breeds, the Japanese Spitz is known in some cases to suffer from a few hereditary health issues such as allergies, runny eyes, and patellar luxation. The former can usually be remedied by bathing the eyes with warm water.
Japanese Spitz are perfect apartment dogs as they are compact in size and don’t require a huge amount of space, although a small garden and enough space to roam and play is recommended.
As with all puppies, the Japanese Spitz will require a nutritious diet to grow and mature into a healthy dog. A reputable breeder will provide a feeding schedule that should be followed and an adult Japanese Spitz diet should be formulated to suit a small-sized breed with average energy. As a guide, an adult Japanese Spitz weighing 6kg may be fed 80g to 89g depending on the amount of exercise.
The Japanese Spitz boasts a beautiful white plush coat that requires regular brushing and grooming to keep the coat healthy. The Japanese Spitz will benefit from regular trips to the dog groomer throughout the year to keep the coat tidy. Japanese Spitz are known to be clean dogs and will often groom themselves after a walk to clean their coat.
The Japanese Spitz is a relatively low-maintenance breed and shed their coat once a year. Regular brushing will remove any dead hair during the shedding, which usually lasts about ten days.
As a rough guide in pricing: Cost to buy: roughly £200 - £500 for a well-bred Japanese Spitz puppy Other costs (Vet, Food etc): £50 - £80 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 Japanese Spitz Puppy, seeing it with its mother, and checking the quality of the breeder. More specifically, here is some Japanese Spitz puppy buying advice:
When purchasing a puppy, care should always be taken to avoid any online scams or non-reputable breeders. The dam should always be seen with the puppy and full history and medical certificates should be provided. Japanese Spitz are becoming a popular breed and because of this, well-bred puppies may be expensive. It is vital that the welfare of the puppy and dam is considered first and always request evidence of lineage and vaccinations.
A big thank you to the following sources who helped to shape this article: https://www.puppyfinder.org.uk/utility/japanese-spitz/ https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/search/breeds-a-to-z/breeds/utility/japanese-spitz/ https://www.northernjapanesespitzclub.co.uk/jsrescue.htm
