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Japanese Spitz

loyal, playful, smart
Foundation Stock Service >>

Average sizes and life
expectancy of the breed.

Height

12-15 inches

Weight

10-25 pounds

Life Expectancy

10-14 years

Breed Traits & Characteristics

Affectionate With Family
  • Independent Lovey-Dovey
    60% 60%
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
  • Not Recommended Good With Children
    100% 100%
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
  • Not Recommended Good With Other Dogs
    100% 100%
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

  • No Shedding Hair Everywhere
    60% 60%
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

  • Monthly Daily
    60% 60%
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

  • Less Likely to Drool Always Have a Towel
    20% 20%
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

  • Reserved Everyone Is My Best Friend
    100% 100%
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

  • Only When You Want To Play Non-Stop
    60% 60%
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

  • What's Mine Is Yours Vigilant
    60% 60%
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

  • Lives For Routine Highly Adaptable
    100% 100%
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

  • Self-Willed Eager to Please
    100% 100%
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

  • Couch Potato High Energy
    60% 60%
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

  • Only To Alert Very Vocal
    60% 60%
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

  • Happy to Lounge Needs a Job or Activity
    60% 60%
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.

Affectionate With Family

  • Independent Lovey-Dovey
    60% 60%

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

  • Not Recommended Good With Children
    100% 100%
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

  • Not Recommended Good With Other Dogs
    100% 100%
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

  • No Shedding Hair Everywhere
    60% 60%
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

  • Monthly Daily
    60% 60%
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

  • Less Likely to Drool Always Have a Towel
    20% 20%
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

  • Reserved Everyone Is My Best Friend
    100% 100%
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

  • Only When You Want To Play Non-Stop
    60% 60%
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

  • What's Mine Is Yours Vigilant
    60% 60%
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

  • Lives For Routine Highly Adaptable
    100% 100%
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

  • Self-Willed Eager to Please
    100% 100%
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

  • Couch Potato High Energy
    60% 60%
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

  • Only To Alert Very Vocal
    60% 60%
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

  • Happy to Lounge Needs a Job or Activity
    60% 60%
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

The little comedians known as Japanese Spitz are here to make you smile and laugh. They are wise and incredibly devoted, and they make great friends. They are up for an adventure and will accompany you on a trek, a drive, or a trip to the lake or beach. They simply enjoy being with their humans and love them.

As a companion breed, Japanese Spitz enjoys their families’ company and are genuine little comedians. They constantly have a smile on their face and are ready to learn because they want to please their family. Their pure white coat, which has a mane-like appearance around their neck, is one of their distinguishing characteristics. They have gorgeous hair plumes that curl over their backs, just like other spitz breeds do. They have a pointed muzzle that resembles a fox, dark eye rims, a pointed triangle-shaped nose, and ears that stand upright and move like radar towers, hearing everything around them and making this breed extremely vigilant.

 

What To Expect When Caring For a Japanese 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

Japanese Spitz, in general, are a healthy, active breed that can live a happy life of up to 12 to 14 years of age. Some cases of Patella Luxation have been found within the breed and this can be tested for by your veterinarian. Puppies should be bought only from responsible breeders as by working with a reputable breeder, prospective owners can gain the education they need to learn about specific health concerns within the breed.

Grooming

The Japanese Spitz has a profuse, white, double coat. The undercoat, which they shed twice per year, is thick and generous, with an outer coat that is longer. When they ¿blow¿ their coat (aka shedding), the entire undercoat is shed in the span of about 2 to 3 weeks. Daily brushing will be required to remove the fur, but the hair will inevitably be on your clothes, furniture, and floor. For most of the year though, this breed is low maintenance and only requires weekly brushing with infrequent baths unless the dog gets into something messy. Bathing too often can cause them to lose their natural oils and can irritate their skin, so once per season is sufficient. Luckily, the Japanese Spitz has a Teflon-like coat ¿ that is to say, mud and dirt don¿t stick to their fur. If they do get muddy, you simply wait for it to dry and then brush it out. As with all breeds, the Spitz¿s nails should be trimmed regularly.

Exercise

The Japanese Spitz adapts to many environments. They do well with lots of room to run like on farms and ranches, but also fare well in little spaces like apartments. Either way, they do need regular exercise and enjoy being with their families. A free, interactive run outside or a nice daily walk will benefit them physically and mentally. Afterward, they will be glad to climb up on the sofa with you while you read or watch TV. An essential thing to remember about Japanese Spitz is that they are companion dogs; they just want you to spend time with them and they will make you laugh and smile in return.

Training

The Japanese Spitz is an intelligent breed and their eagerness to please makes them highly trainable. They crave companionship and interaction with owners so, if left alone for long periods of time, they may develop problem behaviors. Early socialization and puppy training classes are recommended. Without training they will learn things, but not necessarily what you had in mind.

Nutrition

The Japanese Spitz needs a well-balanced diet. Good quality food either store-bought or homemade is fine.    Feeding twice daily is the most commonly suggested feeding. Treats can be an important aid in training, but giving too many can cause obesity. Learn about which human foods are safe for dogs, and which are not. Check with your vet if you have any concerns about your dog¿s weight or diet. Clean, fresh water should be available at all times.

History

The white German Spitz, which was imported to Japan via Siberia and China around 1920, is thought to be the ancestors of the Japanese Spitz. Since the records were destroyed during World War II, the breed’s complete history is unclear. However, it is known that two white spitzes were imported from Canada in 1925 and that the first Japanese Spitz exhibit took place in 1921 at a show in Tokyo. Between the middle of the 1920s and the middle of the 1930s, white Klein Wolfsspitz (Keeshond) shipments came from Canada, the US, Australia, and China. The Japan Kennel Club established the Japanese Spitz breed standard in 1948 based on the offspring of this crossbreeding.