A funny face, fluffy fur and a kind mischievous character - these are the main advantages of dogs that will not leave indifferent either children or adults. In our article we will focus on the characteristics of small German Spitz breed dogs, the intricacies of caring for them, the content and type of feeding.
Description
German Spitz is one of the most ancient breeds of dogs. Its remains were found during excavations in Sweden and attributed to the X century BC. er It is believed that her distant ancestors were peat dogsthat looked exactly like big spitz, better known as wolfspitz. However, in addition to large dogs, small breeds were bred in Germany, they were first introduced in the 18th century and almost immediately won the hearts of thousands of breeders with their charming appearance. The monarchs, court ladies, gentlemen and other secular personalities showed interest to these miniature dogs. Gradually, the small-spitz from Germany moved to other European countries.
Today, the small pomeranian dog or, as it is also called, kleinspitz, must have a mass of 3-6 kg and grow at the withers 22-28 cm in accordance with accepted and approved standards. Thus, if two-month puppies weigh about 3.5 kg and have a height of 23 cm, then in front of you a typical small spitz, and the weight is not considered the main standard for the classification of these dogs - standardization is maintained for height.
An important factor when evaluating a dog at an exhibition is the quality of wool. As a rule, it is of medium length with a rather thick, almost cottony undercoat. By itself, the guard hairs are straight and rather tough; therefore, care for such hair does not pose any problems - it is not prone to tangling and tends to repel dirt and moisture from itself. The entire head, except for the muzzle, is covered with this hair, including the area near the ears, a collar is expressed on the breast. The rest of the body, in addition to the areas of the elbows, is also covered with dense, stuffed fur.
The color of dogs of this breed can be very different:
- from light sand to beige;
- tan
- with bluish tints;
- Gray;
- light chocolate;
- redhead;
- brown.
Dogs can be single and dual tone. All representatives of small German Spitz have a sharp muzzle, resembling a fox, small erect ears and black eyes. For Spitz are characterized by a raised tail, bent into a ringlet so that it fits snugly to the back. Landing torso is square-like or straight.
Advantages and disadvantages of the breed
The undoubted advantage of the dog is its naughty appearance, due to which it evokes the warmest feelings. The small size makes the pet truly versatile - the dog can be held in your arms and even enter areas where access with animals is prohibited. An important advantage of dogs of this breed is a very sharp mind, which greatly simplifies the training.
Dogs literally on the fly grab all the teams and as soon as possible learn a variety of tricks, which is why small spitz are very popular when staging circus acts.
At the same time, pets are very sensitive dogs, they have a fine mental organization, they are allowed only restrained and affectionate treatment. Angry and irritable people cannot become good owners for such a spitz, because they remember even the slightest offense.Building a relationship with a dog that was shouted and beaten at will be very difficult.
Another plus of small Spitz dogs is a dedicated nature, therefore such a pet can be an ideal companion for both a lonely person and a large family. The pet is friendly towards children of school age, and the dog’s obtrusive attention and sometimes careless attitude may not be to its liking, and it will begin to show aggression.
We can not say that the spitz well along with other pets. Of course, they cannot harm cats or other dogs, but they are capable of causing conflicts. Being extreme owners, they will not tolerate the "sharing" of the owner by other animals can start a vigorous showdown of relations even with larger dogs. Small Spitz - are active dogs, they are unlikely to suit older people, whose walks are reduced to rest on the bench.
When walking this animal, active games are assumed, and the shorter the walk, the more burden the dog should receive.
How many years live?
Small Spitz can be safely attributed to long-livers - the life expectancy of these room decorative pets with good care is up to 15 years. However, in the pursuit of decorativeness, two new dwarf breeds were recently presented: puppet and bear spitz, these dogs are in great demand because they resemble a plush toy, but, unfortunately, they do not meet any accepted standards and have very poor health.
So, the oblate, too short muzzle in practice makes breathing difficult for dogs and thereby weakens the pet's cardiovascular and nervous system.
However, the standard small spitz are subject to certain diseases. Among the most common can be identified:
- hip dysplasia;
- common problems when changing teeth - usually baby teeth have to be removed;
- tendency to increased tearing and suppuration of the eyes;
- tracheal collapse.
We should not forget that despite their miniature size, dogs belong to real gluttons, and if you do not keep food intake under control, they are fully able to eat without stopping, and this often leads to problems with the heart, vessels and joints of animals.
Character traits
The peculiarity of this pretty little doggie is the ability to command its owners and always strive for it, for good reason this animal resembles a sly chanterelle that can always beg for what it needs, whether it is a weasel of the owner or a piece of delicious delicacy. Spitz is able to ask, swear, dodge and even demand. Such a manner does not always please breeders and sometimes gives them very unpleasant emotions.
Therefore, from the very first days of a pet’s stay in the house, one should not succumb to all his tricks and make it clear that there is no - this means a final failure. Be sure that dogs learn these lessons very quickly and stop begging. In all other respect, the spitz is simply perfect, and if you can properly educate him, problems with such a pet will no longer arise, and minor cons will recede into the background.
Although in fairness, we note that it is very difficult to refuse such fluffy, so the owners most often begin to indulge them and thus make a rather big mistake.
Spitz is genuinely interested in all the actions of its owner, and whatever he does - trying to be close. However, sometimes he can find a more interesting activity - for example, to have fun with a favorite toy or spend time with small children. So what, and in the playfulness of this dog simply has no equal. Some spitzs very successfully cope with the tasks of the guard - their loud barking can scare anyone away, however, the dogs have an awesome effect only when they are not visible.But if you want to have a really watchdog - it is better to give preference to the big spitz.
How to choose?
When choosing a puppy, be sure to keep in mind that as the dog matures, its color may change, and the full color is revealed only by 3 years. The breeders who bought black and white dogs will have the hardest thing - in the second month of life, a dark fur coat may lighten, and a light one, on the contrary, may become darker or more reddish. Considering that puppies are bought at an earlier age, it is better to focus not on the color of the portions, but on the pigmentation of the mucous membranes. So, if a dog has black lips and eyelids, it means that the animal will retain its dark coloring.
When buying white puppies, you can navigate the ears - if the wool growing behind them has a brown tint, then as the dog grows, the fur coat changes its tint to cream or beige.
It should be noted that light colored spitz are considered the most expensive breed of breed, this is due not only to visual appeal, but also the complexity of breeding. The fact is that if you cross two light dogs, you get too large puppies, so the breeders reduce white and beige dogs, from litter to litter “lightening” their fur.
How and what to feed?
When feeding small German Spitz you should adhere to several principles. The dog must always have free access to drinking water. In comfortable conditions in a normal state, the health of an adult dog weighing 2.5 kg drinks up to 50 ml of fluid per day, if we are talking about small puppies or nursing females, then this figure should be increased. The spitz requires regular varied diet. The trough should be located in the same place and filled at the same time.
Feeding should be dosed. So, dogs weighing 2.5–3 kg per day need 75–85 g of food, if the animal is obese or has been overfed in the past meal, the dose is reduced by 40–50 g. If the animal has an active lifestyle and participates in tricks the dose, on the contrary, is increased to 100-120 g. Nutrition should be balanced - up to 70% of the diet should be animal proteins, they are obtained from high-quality meat and by-products. In addition, another source of protein can be a low-fat cottage cheese, it is recommended to include in the menu 2-3 times a week. All other nutrients, including carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, pets are obtained from vegetables and cereals.
It is forbidden to give dogs salted, canned, spicy and fried foods. Do not enter into the diet store sausages. As a rule, they contain preservatives and flavor enhancers, which is fraught with the most unpleasant consequences for the pet's gastrointestinal tract. If desired, you can use ready-made feed, preference should be given to expensive premium and super-premium products, which have a balanced composition and contain only natural ingredients of the highest quality.
The food offered to the pet must be biologically safe, that is, fresh. To avoid dangerous microorganisms getting inside the dog's body, you should wash the feeders and the water bottle after each meal, store the prepared food in a dry cool place and, of course, stop using doubtful products.
When feeding a pet, you should keep its weight and physical activity under control, adjusting the diet as necessary.
How to care?
Small spitz-dogs are truly miniature lap dogs that love comfort and therefore feel much better in an apartment than in an aviary. The main problem comes down to the care of wool - it must be combed every day (at least 2 times a month) and periodically trimmed. It is best to entrust your pet's haircut to professionals., but with some skills of grooming, you can walk through the hair of your pet yourself, but only with scissors.
The use of machines is unacceptable, since in this case the undercoat may be affected, and it grows very slowly in Spitz, its violation may spoil the quality of coat in general for a long time.
See a video about a small German Spitz below.
