The lively Finnish Spitz, a small but fearless hunting dog from the “Land of 60,000 Lakes,” is distinguished by its flame-colored coat, foxy face, and prick ears that project a lively expression, as well as by its curving plumed tail. The Finnish Spitz has been dubbed the “Barking Bird Dog” for its special way of tracking and indicating prey. The Finnish Spitz, often known as a Finkie or a Finn, is a breed of spitz known for its rich, magnificent golden-red coat that is never monochromatic. Finkies make great alert dogs since they are suspicious of strangers but not afraid of them. This is a vocal breed; in Finland, owners compete to name a “King Barker”; true Finn lovers are more amused than offended by the yodeling and variety of vocalization of their breed. Finkies are intelligent, sensitive, and alluring friends who are keen dog athletes and eye-catching show dogs.
Finnish Spitz
good-natured / friendly / lively
Average sizes and life
expectancy of the breed.
Height
17.5-20 inches (male)
15.5-18 inches (female)
Weight
25-33 pounds (male)
20-28 pounds (female)
Life Expectancy
13-15 years
Breed Traits & Characteristics
Shedding Level
How much fur and hair you can expect the breed to leave behind. Breeds with high shedding will need to be brushed more frequently, are more likely to trigger certain types of allergies, and are more likely to require more consistent vacuuming and lint-rolling.
Coat Grooming Frequency
How frequently a breed requires bathing, brushing, trimming, or other kinds of coat maintenance. Consider how much time, patience, and budget you have for this type of care when looking at the grooming effort needed. All breeds require regular nail trimming.
Drooling Level
How drool-prone a breed tends to be. If you're a neat freak, dogs that can leave ropes of slobber on your arm or big wet spots on your clothes may not be the right choice for you.
Coat Type
Corded
Curly
Double
Hairless
Rough
Silky
Smooth
Wavy
Wiry
Canine coats come in many different types, depending on the breed's purpose. Each coat type comes with different grooming needs, allergen potential, and shedding level. You may also just prefer the look or feel of certain coat types over others when choosing a family pet.
Coat Length
Long
Medium
Short
How long the breed's coat is expected to be. Some long-haired breeds can be trimmed short, but this will require additional upkeep to maintain.
Affectionate With Family
How affectionate a breed is likely to be with family members, or other people he knows well. Some breeds can be aloof with everyone but their owner, while other breeds treat everyone they know like their best friend.
Good With Young Children
A breed's level of tolerance and patience with childrens' behavior, and overall family-friendly nature. Dogs should always be supervised around young children, or children of any age who have little exposure to dogs.
GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS
How generally friendly a breed is towards other dogs. Dogs should always be supervised for interactions and introductions with other dogs, but some breeds are innately more likely to get along with other dogs, both at home and in public.
Shedding Level
How much fur and hair you can expect the breed to leave behind. Breeds with high shedding will need to be brushed more frequently, are more likely to trigger certain types of allergies, and are more likely to require more consistent vacuuming and lint-rolling.
Coat Grooming Frequency
How frequently a breed requires bathing, brushing, trimming, or other kinds of coat maintenance. Consider how much time, patience, and budget you have for this type of care when looking at the grooming effort needed. All breeds require regular nail trimming.
Drooling Level
How drool-prone a breed tends to be. If you're a neat freak, dogs that can leave ropes of slobber on your arm or big wet spots on your clothes may not be the right choice for you.
Coat Type
Corded
Curly
Double
Hairless
Rough
Silky
Smooth
Wavy
Wiry
Canine coats come in many different types, depending on the breed's purpose. Each coat type comes with different grooming needs, allergen potential, and shedding level. You may also just prefer the look or feel of certain coat types over others when choosing a family pet.
Coat Length
Long
Medium
Short
How long the breed's coat is expected to be. Some long-haired breeds can be trimmed short, but this will require additional upkeep to maintain.
Openness To Strangers
How welcoming a breed is likely to be towards strangers. Some breeds will be reserved or cautious around all strangers, regardless of the location, while other breeds will be happy to meet a new human whenever one is around!
Playfulness Level
How enthusiastic about play a breed is likely to be, even past the age of puppyhood. Some breeds will continue wanting to play tug-of-war or fetch well into their adult years, while others will be happy to just relax on the couch with you most of the time.
Watchdog/Protective Nature
A breed's tendency to alert you that strangers are around. These breeds are more likely to react to any potential threat, whether it's the mailman or a squirrel outside the window. These breeds are likely to warm to strangers who enter the house and are accepted by their family.
Adaptability Level
How easily a breed handles change. This can include changes in living conditions, noise, weather, daily schedule, and other variations in day-to-day life.
Trainability Level
How easy it will be to train your dog, and how willing your dog will be to learn new things. Some breeds just want to make their owner proud, while others prefer to do what they want, when they want to, wherever they want!
Energy Level
The amount of exercise and mental stimulation a breed needs. High energy breeds are ready to go and eager for their next adventure. They'll spend their time running, jumping, and playing throughout the day. Low energy breeds are like couch potatoes - they're happy to simply lay around and snooze.
Barking Level
How often this breed vocalizes, whether it's with barks or howls. While some breeds will bark at every passer-by or bird in the window, others will only bark in particular situations. Some barkless breeds can still be vocal, using other sounds to express themselves.
Mental Stimulation Needs
How much mental stimulation a breed needs to stay happy and healthy. Purpose-bred dogs can have jobs that require decision-making, problem-solving, concentration, or other qualities, and without the brain exercise they need, they'll create their own projects to keep their minds busy -- and they probably won't be the kind of projects you'd like.
About the Breed
What To Expect When Caring For a Finnish Spitz
Owning a dog is not just a privilege; it’s a responsibility. They depend on us for, at minimum, food and shelter, and deserve much more. When you take a dog into your life, you need to understand the commitment that dog ownership entails.
Health
Fortunately, thanks to thoughtful breeding, Finnish Spitz in the U.S. and Canada are generally healthy breeds and don't present many health issues. Responsible breeders screen potential breeding stock for patella, elbows, hips, and eyes, with the numbers of affected dogs very low. New owners are urged to have a conversation with their breeders about care for growing puppies, including the need to limit vigorous exercise and avoid early spay and neutering until maturity (3-5 years) is reached.
Grooming
The Finnish Spitz is a "natural" breed that some owners refer to as "wash and wear." The breed standard is very specific: "No trimming of the coat except for feet is allowed. Whiskers shall not be trimmed. Any alteration of the coat by coloring, dying, trimming, scissoring or other means must be severely faulted." Lightly spraying the coat with water and brushing the coat using a pin brush every two to three days is adequate. Hot blow-drying will dry the outer coat. During their twice-yearly shedding season, daily brushing or a bath followed by a cool-temperature blow-dry and brushing will speed up this process, and a good quality comb and a slicker brush are very useful in getting out the undercoat. The shedding is more severe in an intact female. The coat of a spayed female can become softer and denser and can take more grooming.
Exercise
Finnish Spitz were bred to hunt all day in dense woods, giving them the stamina to range far, making a solidly fenced yard a must. A Finnish Spitz must never be kept away from his people, as he becomes deeply bonded with his family. They require a moderately high degree of exercise. A daily walk, long or short, on a leash is always a reward in and of itself.
Training
This is a very intelligent breed, and as such they can present a challenge to train. Keep sessions short and fun, being generous with praise and reward. Food seems to be the universal motivator. They'll let you know when they've had enough. Early socialization and puppy training classes are recommended for the new puppy.
Nutrition
The Finnish Spitz's metabolism is extremely efficient for a primitive breed,' notes one breed expert. This means that overfeeding the breed will result in obesity fairly quickly. High-quality dry dog food works well to maintain good condition and weight. Treats can be useful in training but should be given sparingly. Give table scraps sparingly as well, if at all, especially avoiding cooked bones and foods with high-fat content. Learn about which human foods are safe for dogs, and which are not.
History
The Suomenpystykorva is the most well-liked dog breed in his native Finland. Thankfully, it goes by the name “Finnish Spitz” in English-speaking nations.
It is believed that spitz-type canines were transported by immigrants from central Russia to what is now Finland some 3,000 years ago. These early Finns were used as general-purpose hunters for many years. They eventually started to specialize in gamebirds.
Finkies or Finns have a distinctive approach to bird-dogging. Their keen nose guides them to birds in trees. Then, they captivate the bird with their trademark “yodeling,” or rapid-fire barking (they can produce 160 barks per minute), and slow tail-wagging. The hunter can see the dog through the dark forest because of the dog’s swishing tail, which also serves another purpose. This stops play until a human with a rifle shows up to do the job. Birds are flushed and led to the trees by finkies as well.
These hardy Norsemen threatened extinction by the late 1800s. Hugo Roos and Hugo Sandberg, two devoted Finkie fans from Finland, organized a marketing campaign that helped save the species from extinction. By the end of the century, the Finnish Spitz was known.