The lively Finnish Spitz, the flame-colored, foxy-faced breed from the “Land of 60,000 Lakes,” is a small but fearless hunting dog whose unique style of tracking and indicating quarry has earned him the nickname the “Barking Bird Dog.”
The Finnish Spitz presents a fox-like picture. The breed has long been used to hunt small game and birds. The pointed muzzle, erect ears, dense coat and curled tail denotes its northern heritage. The Finnish Spitz’s whole being shows liveliness, which is especially evident in the eyes, ears and tail. Males are decidedly masculine without coarseness. Bitches are decidedly feminine without over-refinement. The Finnish Spitz's most important characteristics are its square, well-balanced body that is symmetrical with no exaggerated features, a glorious red-gold coat, his bold carriage and brisk movement. Any deviation from the ideal described standard should be penalized to the extent of the deviation. Structural faults common to all breeds are as undesirable in the Finnish Spitz as in any other breed, even though such faults may not be mentioned in the standard.
Size - Height at the withers in dogs, 17½ to 20 inches; in bitches, 15½ to 18 inches. Proportion - Square: length from forechest to buttocks equal to height from withers to ground. The coat may distort the square appearance. Substance - Substance and bone in proportion to overall dog.
Clean cut and fox-like. Longer from occiput to tip of nose than broad at widest part of skull in a ratio of 7:4. More refined with less coat or ruff in females than in males, but still in the same ratio. A muscular or coarse head, or a long or narrow head with snipy muzzle, is to be penalized. Expression - Fox-like and lively. Eyes - Almond-shaped with black rims. Obliquely set with moderate spacing between, neither too far apart nor too close. Outer corners tilted upward. Dark in color with a keen and alert expression. Any deviation, runny, weepy, round or light eyes should be faulted. Ears - Set on high. When alert, upward standing, open to the front with tips directly above the outer corner of the eyes. Small erect, sharply pointed and very mobile. Ears set too high, too low, or too close together, long or excessive hair inside the ears are faults. Skull - Flat between ears with some minimal rounding ahead of earset. Forehead a little arched. Skull to muzzle ratio 4:3. Stop - Pronounced. Muzzle - Narrow as seen from the front, above and from the side; of equal width and depth where its insets to the skull, tapering somewhat, equally from all angles. Nose - Black. Any deviation is to be penalized. Circumference of the nose to be 80 percent of the circumference of the muzzle at its origin. Lips - Black; thin and tight. Bite - Scissors bite. Wry mouth is to be severely faulted.
Neck - Well set, muscular. Clean, with no excess skin below the muzzle. Appearing shorter in males due to their heavier ruff. Topline - level and strong from withers to croup. Body - Muscular, square. Chest - Deep; brisket reaches to the elbow. Ratio of chest depth to distance from withers to ground is 4:9. Ribs - Well sprung. Tuck-up - Slightly drawn up. Loin - Short. Tail - Set on just below level of topline, forming a single curl falling over the loin with tip pointing towards the thigh. Plumed, curving vigorously from its base in an arch forward, downward, and backward, pressing flat against either thigh with tip extending to middle part of thigh. When straightened, the tip of the tailbone reaches the hock joint. Low or high tail-set, too curly a tail, or a short tail is to be faulted.
Shoulders - The layback of the shoulders is thirty degrees to the vertical. Legs - Viewed from the front, moderately spaced, parallel and straight with elbows close to the body and turned neither out nor in. Bone strong without being heavy, always in proportion to the dog. Fine bone, which limits endurance, or heavy bone, which makes working movement cumbersome, is to be faulted. Pasterns - Viewed from the side, slope slightly. Weak pasterns are to be penalized. Dewclaws - May be removed. Feet - Rounded, compact foot with well-arched toes, tightly bunched or close-cupped, the two center toes being only slightly longer than those on the outside. The toe pads should be deeply cushioned and covered with thick skin. The impression left by such a foot is rounded in contrast to oval.
Angulation in balance with the forequarters. Thighs - Muscular. Hocks - Moderately let down. Straight and parallel. Dewclaws - Removed. Feet - As in front.
The coat is double with a short, soft, dense undercoat and long, harsh straight guard hairs measuring approximately one to two inches on the body. Hair on the head and legs is short and close; it is longest and most dense on plume of tail and back of thighs. The outer coat is stiffer and longer on the neck and back, and in males considerably more profuse at the shoulder, giving them a more ruffed appearance. Males carry more coat than females. No trimming of the coat except for feet is allowed. Whiskers shall not be trimmed. Any trimming of coat shall be severely faulted. Silky, wavy, long or short coat is to be faulted
Varying shades of golden-red ranging from pale honey to deep auburn are allowed, with no preference given to shades at either extreme so long as the color is bright and clear. As the undercoat is a paler color, the effect of this shading is a coat which appears to glow. White markings on the tips of the toes and a quarter-sized spot or narrow white strip, ideally no wider than ½ inch, on the forechest are permitted. Black hairs along lipline and sparse, separate black hairs on tail and back permitted. Puppies may have a good many black hairs which decrease with age, black on tail persisting longer. Muddy or unclear color, any white on the body except as specified, is to be penalized.
The Finnish Spitz is quick and light on his feet, steps out briskly, trots with lively grace, and tends to single-track as the speed increases. When hunting he moves at a gallop. The angulation called for permits him to break into a working gait quickly. Sound movement is essential for stamina and agility.
Friendly, Good-Natured, Lively
Non-Sporting
The balanced, squarely symmetrical Finnish Spitz will stand not more than 20 inches at the shoulder and are easily recognized by their foxy face and prick ears projecting a lively expression, and a curving plumed tail. Their dense coat of glorious golden-red which is never monochromatic gives them the Finnish Spitz “Glow.” Finkies or Finns, as they are nicknamed, move with a bold and brisk gait. Finkies make excellent alertdogs, wary but not shy with strangers. This is a vocal breed – in Finland, owners hold contests to crown a “King Barker” – and true Finn lovers are more delighted than annoyed by their breed’s yodeling and range of vocalization. Finkies are eager canine athletes and eye-catching show dogs known to be smart, sensitive, and captivating companions.
In his native land, Finland’s most popular dog breed is called the Suomenpystykorva. Mercifully, in English-speaking countries it is known simply as the Finnish Spitz. It is assumed that when migrants from central Russia arrived in what is now Finland some 3,000 years ago, they brought their spitz-type dogs with them. For centuries these forerunners of modern Finns were employed as all-purpose hunters. In time, they began to specialize on gamebirds. Finkies or Finns have a unique bird-dogging style. Their acute nose leads them to treed birds. They then mesmerize the bird with their slow tail-wagging and distinctive “yodeling,” or rapid-fire barking (they can achieve 160 barks a minute). The swishing tail also serves another purpose — to allow the hunter to see the dog through the dense forest. This freezes the game in place until a rifle-toting human arrives to finish the job. Finkies also flush and trail birds to the trees. By the late 1800s, these hardy Norsemen faced extinction. Thanks to a promotional blitz mounted by two ardent Finnish admirers of the breed, Hugo Roos and Hugo Sandberg, the Finkie was brought back from near oblivion. By century’s end, the Finnish Spitz was recognized by the Finnish Kennel Club. England received its first exports in the 1920s. An early British devotee, Lady Kitty Ritson, coined the nickname “Finkie,” as some English-speaking fanciers still refer to the breed. They arrived in America around 1960 and began competing in the AKC Non-Sporting Group in 1988.
The Finnish Spitz presents a fox-like picture. The breed has long been used to hunt small game and birds. The pointed muzzle, erect ears, dense coat and curled tail denotes its northern heritage. The Finnish Spitzs whole being shows liveliness, which is especially evident in the eyes, ears and tail. Males are decidedly masculine without coarseness. Bitches are decidedly feminine without over-refinement.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
Fortunately, thanks to thoughtful breeding, Finnish Spitz in the U.S. and Canada are a generally healthy breed 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 avoiding early spay and neuter until maturity (3–5 years) is reached.
