My dog ​​is often called a Pomeranian. It makes me very tired of explaining to people over and over again that my dog ​​is a "Kleinspitz" and not a Pomeranian. Not everyone knows the difference and these are indeed present.

 

Let's get started

 

The Spitz has a very large family. There is the European Spitz family and the Asiatic. These include the following.

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German Spitze
Zwergspitz - Pomeranian
Kleinspitz  - Little Spitz

Mittelspitz  - Medium Spitz

Großspitz - Large Spitz
Wolfspitz  - Keeshond

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Jämthund (Swedish dog breed)

Volpino Italiano (Italian dog breed. differs from others in having a more domed skull and longer ears)

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Asiatische Spitze

Akita

American Akita

Chow - Chow

Eurasier

Hokkaido

Japan - Spitz

Kai

Kintamani-Bali-Dog

Kishu

Korea Jindo Dog

Shiba

Thai Bangkaew Dog

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As you can see, the Spitz family is pretty big.

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With many Asian Spitz you can hardly see any physical resemblance to the European Spitz, but look at the tail, it has the same shape on all of them.

But where does the Spitz originally come from. The Spitz is descended from the Torfhund (Canis palustris, Canis familiaris palustris Rütimeyer) and was first described in 1861 by the Swiss zoologist Ludwig Rütimeyer, based on finds in Swiss lake dwelling settlements from the Neolithic period (that's why it is also called the Lake Dwelling Spitz.

(Pfahlbautenspitz).

 

According to the first descriptions, this dog resembled the Wolfspitz. That is why it was believed for decades that he was the direct ancestor of all Nordic dogs, the German Spitz and, through various stages, other dog breeds as well.
The original race theory goes back to the cynologist Theophil Studer and is now outdated.

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The peat dog already existed in the Neolithic and Bronze Age. Finds extend all over Europe, as far as Asia and North Africa. The description as an independent breed or subspecies goes back to finds in pile dwellings on Lake Biel (Schafis site). As early as 1880, finds from the Dümmer and the Watten in the Oldenburger Land were known and attributed to the Torfspitz.

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In this lesson, however, we will not go back to the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. That would be a somewhat long journey through time.

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In this lesson I want to educate about the sizes of the European Spitz family.

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So, as you now know, there are different sizes of every Spitz.

I've met many dog ​​friends who had a Spitz, but they told me they had a Pomeranian that had grown a little too big.

If you also think that your Pomeranian is a bit too big, then I can tell you here and now that you don't have a Pomeranian, but you have a Spitz, maybe a small or medium-sized Spitz, that would be explained well if you think your Pomeranian is a bit overgrown.

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Dog owners buy a Pomeranian from breeders but then get a Spitz. Maybe because the breeder doesn't know any better, or because Pomeranian's are very popular and sell better because of their small size. So you get the wrong information of the breeder and the breeder got your money.

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Be careful when buying a puppy! Be aware of which breed you would like to have and deal with it and also inquire about possible diseases to which your desired breed is susceptible! For example, the Pomeranian is susceptible to the CM/SM. Where the breeder is not obliged to test the Mother dog for it.

There is always the possibility of adopting a Spitz from an animal shelter.

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However, if you do go to a breeder, be sure they are a responsible breeder.
You will find criteria that a responsible breeder must meet on www.thekennelclub.org.uk

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I hope that you now know a little more about the Spitz family.

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