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Need to Know
- Dog suitable for owners with some experience
- Extra training required
- Generally healthy breed
- Enjoys active walk
- Some drool
- Requires frequent grooming
- Chatty and vocal dog
- Barks and alerts to visitors/anything unusual
- Generally friendly with other dogs
- Gets along with other pets with training
- May need additional supervision to live with children
- Needs a small yard but can also happily live in a city
- Can be left alone occasionally with training
- AKC Registered Breed
Personality
These striking snow angels are affectionate and loyal to loved ones and familiar friends but can become introverted around those they don’t know well. It might sound strange to call a dog funny, but this breed is down for a laugh and will try to get one out of you with their clever, witty personality. Prepare yourself for a lively, alert bark as they make excellent watchdogs. They enjoy the company of their family, and are generally an affable and friendly type, getting along with family pets and other dogs. They should be socialized often.
About 100 years old, the Japanese Spitz is a relatively modern breed descended from the white German Spitz, which first appeared in Japan in the 1920s. It’s also possible that some American Eskimo dogs from Canada and Russian Spitz were mixed into the breed at some point.
If you enjoy clicker training tricks, the Japanese Spitz is for you. They love challenges and are quick-witted and sharply intelligent. They love to be walked, no matter the weather, so prepare yourself for muddy situations. (The good news is that mud seems to “shake” off their coats easily once dry.)
These fitness lovers adore exercise and will need about an hour or more a day. They also enjoy training for fun, looking to get A+ marks whenever possible from their owners. Games and puzzles can exhaust their active minds.
They do well in any home if there is plenty of space for romping and playing. They can, however, be very alert and talkative dogs, so urban settings where you might be on top of a neighbor might not be the best for the Japanese Spitz—especially if they are overstimulated by passersby or traffic.
Despite having a pristine white coat, grooming a Japanese Spitz isn’t as much work as you might think. They need regular baths and brushings. Their soft undercoats are thick with a straight, long topcoat that looks like a lion’s mane around their necks, chests, and shoulders. A curly tail adds to their perkiness.
An eager beaver when it comes to learning, the Japanese Spitz loves to show off its intelligence. However, they do have an independent streak, so positive reinforcement as a motivator is key. Pay particular attention to recall they can default to genetics and take off on a scent at the drop of a hat.
With proper training and lots of entertainment and stimulation, a Japanese Spitz makes a suitable family dog due to their adaptability, albeit they do best when there aren’t any small children in the family who might not respect their boundaries. They bark a lot, and a busy and loud household could be stressful for them.
The cost of a Japanese Spitz from a breeder is significantly more than the cost of adopting one from a local shelter or rescue. The adoption fee usually covers additional items such as spaying or neutering, vaccines, and microchipping.
Learn more about feeding and caring for your Japanese Spitz on Purina.
Did you know?
- The Japanese Spitz is sometimes nicknamed the Cloud Dog due to their fluffy, cloud-like appearance.
- They are often described as having a “self-cleaning” coat. Once dry, mud and dirt brushes off or drops off their coats very easily.
- Despite looking like a snowball, they love the warmth and do well inside.