German Spitz

Names and terminology

The German name of the breed group is Deutscher Spitz, or in the plural Deutsche Spitze. The individual varieties are known as the Wolfsspitz (also ulvespitz, wolf spitz, or Keeshond in non-German-speaking regions), the Großspitz (Giant or Large Spitz), the Mittelspitz (Medium or Standard Spitz), the Kleinspitz (Miniature or Small Spitz) and the Zwergspitz (Dwarf or Toy Spitz), the last also called Pommer, Pommeraner or Pomeranian. Malay usage renders these as spits serigala, spits besar, spits sederhana, spits kecil and spits kerdil.^[1][2]

In the Middle Ages the concept of a "spitz" did not yet exist; the small rural watchdog of this type was called a mistbella, "the one that barks on the dungheap". The word Spitz appears for the first time in the Lower Rhine region in the famous household rules of Count Eberhard von Sayn, dated to about 1450, in which he forbade his servants to insult each other as Spitzhundt. It may be concluded that the spitz was not then held in high regard; even in modern times yapping spitz have been compared to nagging women. In Old High German spiz meant a summit or mountain peak and spizza a point, spike, thorn or hill; the name referred to the dog's pointed ears, wedge-shaped head and tapering muzzle. Travelling vagrants found the breed's excellent guarding qualities unwelcome, and from this their secret language, Rotwelsch, derived the word Spitzel, meaning "spy" or "informer".^[8][13]

Johann Georg Krünitz mentioned the spitz in his Oekonomische Enzyklopädie in 1773, the same year in which Carl Linnaeus first used the term Pomeranian; the breed was only named "spitz" by Schreber in 1778, although all the terms of the period effectively denoted the Pomeranian (canis pomeranus). The Briton Pennant used the English form "Pomeranian dog" for the first time in 1781, and Bechstein described the spitz in 1793 in his Getreue Abbildungen naturhistorischer Gegenstände. Buffon described a "wolf dog" (chien loup) in 1772, which Sydenham Edwards in 1800 named the Pomeranian or "fox dog"; a similar description appears in the Sportsman's Cabinet of 1804. At that time the commonest colour was cream or pale white-yellow with a lighter undercolour; white and black spitz were also mentioned, and particolours as a rarer variant. In a French description published by Gayot in 1867 the white spitz is called the "Alsatian wolf dog" (louploup d'Alsace) in distinction from the wolf-coloured "Pomeranian dog" (chien de Pomeranie).^[8]

The oldest name for the German Spitz is Pomeranian, but although Pomerania appears repeatedly in the breed's history not all German spitz came from there. Pomerania was famous above all for breeding beautiful white spitz, whereas black Kleinspitz were correspondingly called Mannheimer. A mainly white herding dog from the region was known in the literature until recently as the Pommerscher Hütespitz; it was very common there in the early 18th century, which led to the belief that white herding spitz originated in Pomerania. In his Naturgeschichte der Stubentiere Bechstein divided the spitz into several sub-groups: the house dog or spitz (Heidehund, Pomeranian), the short-haired spitz, the fox spitz (Wiesbadener Spitz) and the wolf dog (the white spitz). At that period the dog now called the German Spitz was known among other things as the "wolf dog"; it was the commonest of all breeds and was found in every village in the countryside, especially in Thuringia. In older literature it also appears as Heidehund or Haidehund; it is uncertain whether this refers to an old tradition about its origin or to the travelling people it accompanied, who were called Heiden or Haiden and kept a spitz-type dog known as the Haidhund.^[8]

Origin and early history

The show judge Kull held that the German Spitz is Germany's oldest breed of dog and that it developed from the era of the prehistoric Alpine pile dwellings to the present day without planned breeding.^[9] The theory goes back to the bone remains found by Rütimeyer in the pile-dwelling areas of southern Germany and Switzerland, on the basis of which breed enthusiasts believe the dog dates from at least 3000 BC.^[8] The ancestral form is taken to be the ancient "peat dog" (Torfhund) or "peat spitz" (Torfspitz), in Latin Canis familiaris palustris Rütimeyer, and the FCI standard, the Russian national breed club, Czech, Slovak, Lithuanian, Hungarian and Serbian sources all describe the German Spitz as the descendant of that Stone Age dog and the later pile-dwelling spitz, and as the oldest breed in Central Europe and the ancestor of many other breeds.^[1][15][40]

The only person who actually studied the peat dog, however, was not Rütimeyer but the Bernese professor Theophil Studer. According to him the Neolithic pile-dwelling sites yielded several different dog types that differed from one another in both size and shape; the commonest was a rather small animal resembling a medium-sized spitz in size and form. For this reason Rütimeyer's term Torfhund was replaced by Torfspitz, and in the eyes of researchers it became the earliest pedigree dog in Europe. Studer, who drew up a family tree of dog breeds in 1901, named the peat dog the ancestral breed of all present-day spitz, pinschers and terriers. The tree has been much criticised, because ancient breeds can only be distinguished from one another on the basis of skulls up to a certain limited point; closer study showed that the skull and skeleton of the modern German Spitz and of the peat dog are in fact fairly different, and their genetic characteristics are not similar enough for the two to be regarded as equivalent.^[8]

German, Swedish and Norwegian sources state the case more bluntly: the theory that the spitz family descends from the prehistoric peat dog is today considered obsolete, and although the anatomy of the German Spitz does resemble Stone Age peat-dog bone finds, modern DNA research has shown that there is no evidence for a direct line of descent.^[21][23] The Norwegian edition adds that it is probably more accurate to say the breed arose in continental Europe rather than in Germany alone, and that the type of dog is undoubtedly old even though type and breed are two different things. It has been assumed that the breed shares its origin with the Nordic spitz breeds, among them the Samoyed, which is probably one of its early ancestors; this is supported by a genetic study published in Science on 21 May 2004, which also showed a substantial contribution from at least one other breed, apparently of herding type, without identifying it.^[18][20]

Even so, the German Spitz is unquestionably ancient in origin, not strictly as a breed but as a breed type. It developed in primitive form wherever dogs were kept, and has a longer history than most other breeds. The dog now called the German Spitz emerged as a concrete concept in ancient Greece, where coins and vases depict spitz of the period; they resembled modern spitz so closely, with pricked ears, a tail curling over the back and a longish coat, and were shown in situations suggesting a companion role, that they would probably be called spitz today. The curled tail therefore developed at a very early stage. The ancient Pompeian dog of the cave canem mosaic probably corresponded to a spitz.^[8] French sources likewise trace the type in Antiquity and in a miniature of the Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry in the Middle Ages, and suggest that the original type was close to the present-day spitz-loup.^[16]

According to one theory, or rather myth, the roots of the German Spitz lie in the north. Ludwig Beckmann thought that spitz came from Scandinavia, spreading first to the Baltic and from there to Pomerania; he did not, however, appreciate the clear differences between the German Spitz and the northern spitz, the latter having been used for hunting while the former shows no hunting drive. Richard Strebel, by contrast, believed the spitz came from central Germany and spread both north and south. The most likely explanation is that a widely distributed basic prototype of the spitz existed in the northern hemisphere, from which local variants developed over the centuries, which would explain the similar external characteristics of the various spitz breeds.^[8] Several other editions repeat the popular account that spitz-type dogs were brought to Germany and the Netherlands by the Vikings and are descended from thick-coated Arctic or Scandinavian herding spitz that were also the common ancestors of the Samoyed, the Finnish Spitz and the Swedish Lapphund, these dogs spreading through northern Europe and as far as Britain during the Middle Ages.^[6][31][39]

In the Middle Ages the spitz was one of the most widespread breeds and occurred practically everywhere in northern and central Europe. Despite this popularity it was regarded as the dog of the common people, which is why it was hardly ever portrayed in the art of the time. In Germany hunting was reserved for the nobility, and if commoners owned dogs suitable for hunting these had to be made unfit for it, for example by tying a thick wooden stick around their necks; this is why a German spitz without hunting tendencies was developed. After the Thirty Years' War there are virtually no references to dogs at all; it may be assumed that almost all dogs perished, and that those which survived probably ended up as food.^[8]

Farm dog and regional types

The German Spitz remained the dog of ordinary people throughout Germany until the 20th century. It assisted farmers, carters, tradesmen and boatmen, for whom it represented a burglar alarm, a reliable companion, a playmate for the children, a driver of cows, a herder of geese and a killer of rats. Traditionally white dogs were used as herders so that wolves would not distinguish them from the livestock, while dark dogs were used as yard guards so that thieves could not make them out in the dark of night.^[8] Originally there were only two size varieties, gross and klein.^[10]

The Kleinspitz, also known as the Mannheimer Spitz, was bred mainly in southern Germany, the Großspitz in the Rhineland and Westphalia, and the Wolfsspitz in the Black Forest and Westphalia. The black Großspitz was especially common in the wine-growing districts of southern Germany, where it guarded the farm by day and the vineyard by night, against people as well as birds and predators, whence the name Weinbergspitz. The white Großspitz most often served as a farm guard and a herder of sheep, its colour making it easier for the farmer to tell it from a wolf at night and at a distance; the Wolfsspitz too was originally used as a herder and farm watchdog.^[8] Swedish sources likewise report that the white dogs were the first to become fashionable in upper-class circles, while the blacks are believed to have come from Württemberg, where they were used in the vineyards.^[30]

Around 1886–1891 the Großspitz, in white, yellowish, wolf-coloured and black, was still often found guarding carts. According to Jean Bungartz the spitz was at one time the commonest breed in the Düsseldorf, Cologne and Aachen areas, 75 per cent of them wolf-grey, yet already in his day, in 1884, it was difficult to find an excellent, typical purebred specimen. Although the European spitz was distributed over a wide area from St Petersburg to Italy and few breeds were then as widespread, the number of breeders remained very small for a long time.^[8] At the 1895 Munich dog show the judge Kull observed that he had seen many excellent representatives of the breed while walking in Württemberg but had not seen a splendid specimen at a show for years, and criticised judges for rewarding dogs that resembled a spitz "only from 100 metres away". He summed up his observations on the breed by saying that it seemed to thrive better on a country road than in a salon.^[9]

Clubs, registries and the making of the modern breed

At the end of the 19th century the larger spitz were covered by the Phylax society, which was concerned with standardising the "German shepherd dog", because in many places they were kept as sheepdogs, while the small spitz were classified under toy dog organisations. In 1899 the Verein für Deutsche Spitze was founded on the initiative of Charles Kammerer of Vienna. A separate register for spitz followed, and in 1900 the first breed characteristics were recorded; a booklet on spitz was published in 1905 and the club's breed magazine from 1908. From 1900 there were special judges who assessed only German Spitz, although at that time they also had to belong to the official breed organisation. Membership was small and fell still more sharply after the First World War.^[9][27]

In the late 19th century practically any innkeeper could organise a dog show on his own terrace: the organiser charged a small entry fee and someone was chosen to judge the dogs and hand out prizes. This practice caused such an outcry that show rules began to be agreed in more detail. In 1878 an organisation for the breeding of purebred dogs was founded, relied upon by clubs that had no register of their own; delegates of five associations met and the Delegierten Commission was established, which founded the first German breed register, a complete copy of the English Kennel Club's. Because it was feared that English breeds would be favoured over German ones, German dog clubs founded their own organisation in 1906, the Kartell der stammbuchführenden Spezialklubs für Jagd- und Nutzhunde; it kept its own register, and most German spitz organisations joined it in 1910. In practice the Kartell was the forerunner of the German Kennel Club, the Verband für das Deutsche Hundewesen (VDH).^[9]

By 1910 no fewer than seven separate breed organisations for German Spitz had been established, each holding its own shows: the Verein für Deutsche Spitze (Elberfeld), the Deutscher Spitzer-Klub (Frankfurt am Main), the Schoßhundklub Berlin, the Erste Mannheimer Zwergspitz- und Schoßhund-Klub, the Vereinigung für Züchter und Liebhaber Deutscher Spitze (Frankfurt am Main), the Erster Württembergischer Schoßhund-Klub Stuttgart E.V. and the Schoßhundklub Ludwigshafen a. Rhein. In the Kartell's early years its member organisations recognised only three varieties: Wolfsspitz (at least 45 cm), Großer Spitz (about 40 cm) and Kleiner Spitz (at most 28 cm). At the "Kartell days" of 1920 the Verein für Deutsche Spitze finally obtained registration rights for all German spitz, and in the same year the general meeting included the training of guide dogs among the club's aims.^[9]

Under National Socialism the reorganisation of the dog clubs proceeded rapidly. In 1933 all dog organisations that kept a register, the Kartell included, were to be dissolved, and in 1935 organisations without a register were banned as well; the Delegierten Commission, the Kartell and the Verband von Vereinen zur Prüfung von Gebrauchshunden zur Jagd were merged into the Reichsverband für das Deutsche Hundewesen, and the breed clubs were renamed Fachschaften and subordinated to it. The last general meeting of the Verein für Deutsche Spitze before the Second World War was held in Cologne in April 1936. From January 1939 the veterinarian Dr Miller edited the magazine Der Deutsche Spitz; he worked hard for the future of the white, brown and black Großspitz and also promoted the introduction of the Wolfsspitz as a police and army service dog.^[9]

Development of the size and colour varieties

At the club meeting of 1902 the first changes to the previously defined breed characteristics were decided: the word "grey" was removed from the definition of the Wolfsspitz, since there were no longer separately grey Wolfsspitz but only Wolfsspitz, and every colour other than grey, for instance the previously permitted brown, was forbidden. From 1905 it was decided to breed the spitz larger, on the principle "the bigger the better" as long as the general type did not suffer; the Wolfsspitz was defined as at least 45 cm and the Großspitz as at least 40 cm high. Previously the Großspitz had been defined as 27–40 cm, corresponding mostly to today's Mittelspitz, which did not yet officially exist; as late as 1955 a proposal for a Mittelspitz size class was rejected. At a meeting in July 1906 Carl Wolfsholz proposed that fox-red, brown and blue be accepted as colours, but also that patched individuals among the large spitz be rejected as colour faults; it was then decided to accept all colour varieties, particolour included, and all sizes, so that dogs of 27–39 cm could from then on be shown and placed, although they competed in the same category as the Großspitz.^[9]

The Wolfsspitz has always stood clearly apart from the other German Spitz in size, colour and certain other characteristics, and many believe it to be the oldest variety of the breed. The 1905 booklet described how the Wolfsspitz should differ from the Großspitz, apart from size, mainly in skull shape, though in future a uniform head shape, the so-called "Wolfsspitz head", should be sought for both.^[9] In 1922 the term Zwergspitz was abandoned, and until 1974 the smallest variety was the Kleinspitz, at that time with a maximum height of 26 cm. In 1933 the words "the smaller the better, but not crippled" were removed from the breed standard. At the 24th general meeting, held in Cologne in 1936, the club's representative Dr Manger expressed concern that Wolfsspitz were being bred too large and Kleinspitz too small, since they would lose not only their type but also their characteristic temperament, a view generally shared at the meeting; it was also noted that black and white Großspitz had declined in both quality and numbers in recent years.^[9]

Even before official standards existed, attention was paid to such points as the fullness of the ruff and the bushiness of the tail. A square build has always been considered important, and elongated dogs were classed as unsuitable for breeding. A round, domed skull was originally favoured, which is no longer the case, and flat-skulled dogs, the Wolfsspitz excepted, were rejected as untypical. Colour varied greatly: white, cream, golden yellow, fox-red, brown, blue, greyish, black or patched and particoloured. In the Großspitz, however, breeding already concentrated on white, brown, black and greyish, because these colours were connected with its traditional duties.^[9]

At the first post-war annual meeting in Cologne in September 1947 the minimum breeding age of males was raised to 15 months for the Kleinspitz and 18 months for the Großspitz; it was decided that all colours were permitted, only self-coloured dogs with white patches on the forehead, chest and paws being rejected, and the studbooks were closed. The studbook keeper Dr Heller described the colour variations of the brown Großspitz as rust-brown, brown with yellow patches, cinnamon-brown, amber-yellow, brown-patched, red-brown-patched, orange-cream and brown-cream, only two of the registered dogs being recorded as genuinely "brown". The magazine also discussed the testing of sharpness; the Aron vom Dörfle Prize had been awarded to the sharpest or hardest dog of the breed, and Dr Heller received countless letters demanding that hardness and firmness of character, and not conformation alone, be used as selection criteria. At about the same time the Braunschweig spitz club advertised in the local paper to gather enthusiasts; 45 people came and almost all wished to join, many owning spitz without pedigrees or registration papers, some lost during the war and some born unregistered, but the club could not register them because the studbooks had been closed.^[9]

At the FCI meeting of April 1955 it was decided that the German Spitz would be judged according to the German breed standard in all FCI member countries. In 1958 it was ruled that the different colours could no longer be interbred, the only exception being crosses between the black Großspitz and the Wolfsspitz, and the category "other colours" was abandoned, as a result of which particoloured and patched dogs decreased markedly; from then on only the self colours white, orange, brown, grey and black were permitted in all varieties. The purpose was to prevent the increasing dilution of certain colours, but particularly in view of the already small Großspitz population it went too far. In 1965 the Großspitz and Wolfsspitz were separated and crosses between them were no longer allowed; until then Wolfsspitz could be born in Großspitz litters and vice versa, as the two varieties had still been interbred relatively often around the time of the Second World War. The new restriction drove the Großspitz to the brink of extinction, since Wolfsspitz could no longer be used in its breeding.^[9]

A second reason for the radical decline in Großspitz numbers was incompetent training and a lack of understanding of the typical spitz temperament. In 1968 in Switzerland only one of the country's few Großspitz died a natural death, all the others being shot; the white dog Guido von der Norisschanze was put down at its owner's request because it had begun to nip in situations where it was frightened owing to poor socialisation, while Flora von der Norisschanze and her son were put down because their owner went into hospital for a long period.^[9]

In 1969 the Mittelspitz variety was officially accepted, since for decades there had been no official size class in the range 28–40 cm at the withers. Recognition had previously failed for financial reasons: a fourth variety would have required a total of 40 classes at dog shows, as the colours were judged separately, and the winner of every class received prize money, which the club could not afford. The new size class applied only to oversized Kleinspitz and not to undersized Groß- and Wolfsspitz, which were excluded from Mittelspitz breeding; only Mittelspitz were used, their puppies were registered as Kleinspitz, and they were transferred to the Mittelspitz category only if they were still too large for Kleinspitz, a practice maintained for six generations.^[9]

Between 1969 and 1979 the German Spitz was moved several times between FCI Group 2, which then comprised sheepdogs, guard and protection dogs, and Group 9, companion and toy dogs. In 1969 the German Kennel Club had to define a single group for all varieties because of the FCI show rules and passed the question to the breed club, whose board decided in July 1969 that the breed was best placed in the companion and toy group, on the grounds among others that it had served as a companion since ancient times. Breeders and enthusiasts were dismayed, and because of the conflict a meeting in May 1970 decided to move the breed back to Group 2; at that time it comprised four varieties, the Großspitz in all colours, the Wolfsspitz, the Mittelspitz in all colours and the Kleinspitz in all colours. After years of dispute the breed nevertheless ended up in the toy group again, which caused its working qualities to be questioned. Finally, in 1990, the Swiss cynologist Dr Hans Räber created FCI Group 5, spitz and primitive types, in which the breed has been placed ever since.^[9]

The name Zwergspitz, dropped in 1922, was restored in 1974 so that the Pomeranian could be included in the German Spitz standard. The change was made without a decision of the club's general meeting, by a board decision alone, probably under pressure from the German Kennel Club, and resulted in the FCI standard being extended to cover the Zwergspitz or Pomeranian variety. The club soon realised that the foreign type of Pomeranian did not meet the colour requirements of the purebred German Spitz and that its head shape and temperament differed from those of the German Zwergspitz; an untypical high tail carriage, apple head, short muzzle and short jaws were also typical faults of imported dogs. Some imports were unable to reproduce at eighteen months and many bitches had to have caesarean sections. For these reasons an application was made in 1987 to register the Pomeranian as a spitz breed of its own, which in practice would have classified it as a separate foreign breed in the manner of the Volpino Italiano or the Japanese Spitz, but the commission set up for the purpose could not agree. As an alternative the board proposed merging the Zwergspitz and Kleinspitz into a single variety to widen their gene pool, a proposal rejected by most breeders and enthusiasts at the general meeting of 1990.^[9]

In 1994 the Keeshond was incorporated into the Wolfsspitz standard. The German Spitz breed club opposed a separate standard for the Keeshond, so the FCI decided that the Keeshond had to be accommodated within the Wolfsspitz definition. The club was unhappy with this as well, regarding the Keeshond as purely a show dog and the complete opposite of the old Wolfsspitz working breed. Its board received letters from Sweden and Finland demanding that it accept that the Wolfsspitz existed only in central Europe and that elsewhere in the world the dogs were Keeshonden. On the initiative of Nordic breeders and breed clubs the Keeshond was to have been listed by the FCI as a Dutch breed existing alongside the Wolfsspitz, but the Dutch spitz organisation, which was directly affected, was not informed at all. A standard had already been drafted for the Keeshond, but the whole project was discontinued and representatives of the various organisations met to find a compromise acceptable to all. The FCI's main reasons for a joint standard were the similarity of the ideal types of the Wolfsspitz and the Keeshond and their close relationship, as they had a common ancestral stock and had frequently been interbred in the course of history. As a result the maximum height of the Wolfsspitz was lowered by 2 cm from 60 to 58 cm, and the Keeshond's somewhat rounder head was included in the standard alongside the fox-like head typical of the Wolfsspitz.^[9][12]

The combination of colour-pure breeding imposed in 1958, the separation of Wolfsspitz and Großspitz in 1965, the creation of the Mittelspitz class in 1969 and of the Zwergspitz class in 1974, and the ban on crossing the sizes introduced in 1974, narrowed the already very limited gene pool of the Großspitz still further. By the 1970s the variety was almost extinct and the last remaining dogs could only reproduce through a high degree of inbreeding: some 30 dogs a year were still registered in the 1950s and 1960s, but in 1973 only a single puppy was registered, and registrations returned to over 30 a year only in the late 1980s before falling again to about 20 at the end of the century. Between 1997 and 1999 not a single black Großspitz was registered in Germany. In 1994 the last brown Großspitz litter was born in the von der Kesterburg kennel, after which the brown Großspitz became practically extinct; brown dogs reappeared only in 2007 through back-crossing and remain fairly rare.^[9]

One kennel in particular, Willy Wintzheimer's von der Norisschanze, became famous for reviving the white Großspitz and succeeded in bringing the variety to public notice. He bred unusually large Großspitz, one of which a Dutch judge at the international show in Utrecht took for a cross between a Samoyed and a German Spitz and graded close to disqualified, although the dog had by then already earned the title of world winner. In 2002 two American Eskimo Dog bitches were imported to Germany from the United States and used there for Großspitz breeding; although other breeds besides the German Spitz lay behind the American Eskimo Dog, the two imports were transferred directly into the white Großspitz population. In 2003 a Großspitz litter from the white bitch Buffy vom Steingarten and the black dog Brit z Bratislavy was born in the von den fidelen Pfoten kennel, the first colour-cross litter registered with the German Kennel Club since 1958; it consisted of three black males, one black male with grey markings and one black bitch with white markings. Since 2019 the colours may again be crossed under certain conditions, and crossing of the size varieties is permitted once more, chiefly Großspitz with Mittelspitz and Mittelspitz with Kleinspitz.^[9][29]

History in other countries

Austria

Before the First World War the German Spitz was the most popular breed of dog in Austria. It was bred mostly outside the dog clubs and mainly in black and particolour. After 1918, however, it began to lose ground to other breeds, while at about the same time the systematic breeding of the Zwergspitz began, since with urbanisation keeping a small dog was felt to be easier than keeping a large one. Charles Kammerer, one of the founders of the Verein für Deutsche Spitze, was an important pioneer of the breed in Austria and was known for his first-class black Zwergspitz. After his death and with the Second World War, German Spitz breeding in Austria suffered many setbacks: the Großspitz disappeared from the country almost entirely after the death of the last specimen, the black male G'spenti v. Gude, and the same fate threatened the Kleinspitz, of which only one black stud dog remained, and that from Germany. Mrs Linhart, head of the Österreichischer Spitzclub, eventually ensured that cooperation with German breeders continued and that the Kleinspitz became re-established in Austria.^[9]

Switzerland

At the turn of the 20th century the German Spitz became comparatively popular in Switzerland, especially among mountain farmers, and was then commonly called Wolfshund, "wolf dog". Jules Hoffman, chairman of the Schweizerischer Spitzerclub, claimed that mountain farmers had formerly crossed their spitz with mountain foxes in order to make the dogs more aggressive and sharper. Mainly Großspitz and Kleinspitz were bred in Switzerland at that time, and both world wars brought German Spitz breeding almost entirely to an end. After the wars it took nearly ten years before the Swiss dared to trust the Germans again and resume cooperation with them.^[9]

United Kingdom

Pomeranian spitz were exported to England as early as the 18th century and gradually developed there into the modern Pomeranian.^[8] Thomas Gainsborough painted dwarf spitz in the 18th century, but it was during the reign of Queen Victoria in the early 19th century that the small spitz, then called the loulou de Poméranie, displaced the pug at the British court.^[17] Norwegian sources describe the Pomeranian as a smaller variant of the Kleinspitz created by British breeders in the 19th century and named after Pomerania, where its origin is presumed to lie, with Queen Victoria credited with making it known and popular; although it counts as a German breed, it was the English who purified and further developed the little dog. The striving for ever smaller dogs in recent decades has reduced its size further: formerly a weight of about 3.5 kg was usual, whereas today about 2 kg is more common.^[18] Japanese sources add that in the 19th century Mittelspitz exported from Germany to Britain were miniaturised there and that the resulting dog, closest to the original Pomeranian, also bears the name Victorian Pomeranian, a name likewise reported by the Persian edition for the German Spitz that reached England from Pomerania and became the ancestor of the modern Pomeranian.^[41] The German Spitz was recognised as an official breed by the Kennel Club of the United Kingdom in 1984, and is registered there in the Utility group as German Spitz (Klein) and German Spitz (Mittel).^[9]

France

The popularity of the spitz in France was accompanied in the early 20th century by a tarnishing of its image. Only the dwarf variety was known, under the name loulou de Poméranie or simply loulou; in Paris it was nicknamed the chien de concierge, the "caretaker's dog", because every concierge's lodge was expected to have its loulou to warn of the presence of a stranger in the building. In France the other varieties of spitz were entered in the Livre des Origines Français for the first time in 1935 for the Mittelspitz and the Kleinspitz, in 1937 for the spitz-loup and in 1986 for the grand spitz.^[17] According to the Norwegian edition the first breed club was founded in France in 1935 and the breed standard dates from 1990.^[18] In the early 20th century many white spitz were exported to France, where they were unfortunately crossed with the Samoyed; one result of these crosses, Prince LuLu, even attained the title of French conformation champion.^[8]

United States

In the early 19th century German emigrants took Großspitz with them to the United States, where the American Eskimo Dog was developed from them. Present-day American Eskimo Dogs still resemble German Spitz fairly closely, although they have a somewhat different temperament that may sometimes include a hunting instinct.^[9] Polish and Swedish sources likewise record that spitz taken to America were given the name American Eskimo Dog and that the breed has been crossed back into the German Spitz to broaden its genetic base.^[29][36] In the United States the German Spitz is recorded in the American Kennel Club's Foundation Stock Service.^[1]

Japan

Around 1970 German Spitz were exported to Japan in large numbers. In old magazines the Japanese Spitz was also called the "Japanese Grosspitz", and probably because of the Second World War the term "German Spitz" was avoided, which is why the Japanese claimed to have developed the breed from the Samoyed; it is nevertheless likely that the German Spitz, specifically the Großspitz, lies behind it.^[9] The Japanese edition notes that the claim that the German Mittelspitz was the ancestor of the Japanese Spitz involves some inconsistencies in the import route and that many competing accounts exist, so that the ancestry is not firmly established. Since 1988 the German Spitz breed club has also acted as the breed club for the related Japanese Spitz, and Germany's first Japanese Spitz litter was born in September 1990 in the von der Böhmerwies kennel.^[9] Mittelspitz were imported into Japan in 2004 and registered with the Japan Kennel Club in 2005.^[41]

The Netherlands and the Keeshond

The Keeshond, called wolf spitz elsewhere in Europe because of its coat colour, takes its name from the Dutchman Cornelis (Kees) de Gyselar, who in the 18th century revolted against the Dutch crown, the House of Orange, and afterwards acquired a kind of hero status in his homeland; he is said to have had a keeshond, or a dog resembling one, in his coat of arms. He lost his struggle against the crown, which is said to have caused the "breed" to all but disappear for more than a hundred years. It reappeared in the 19th century, when breeding programmes were begun in both Holland and England to bring it back into the light, so that it is probably correct to date these dogs as a breed to that period even though the varieties have ancestors going much further back in time. Although the Keeshond is recognised as German by the FCI, it is the national dog of the Netherlands.^[18]

Czech Republic

In the Czech Republic the brown Großspitz did not occur at all, as was also the case abroad between 1988 and 2003; a single brown individual has been present in the country since 2014, and in 2017 two brown bitches were born there from an experimental mating of a wolf-grey bitch with a black dog, carried out to widen the very narrow genetic base of this variety. The black and white varieties are likewise threatened with disappearance and breeders are trying to save them. Two clubs cover the German Spitz in the Czech Republic: the Klub chovatelů špiců, founded in 1967, and the Klub chovatelů německých špiců, founded in 2020. For a dog to be admitted to breeding it must undergo veterinary screening, hip dysplasia scoring in the case of Wolfsspitz and Großspitz and patellar luxation examination in the other varieties, both by an approved veterinarian, and be presented at a so-called bonitace to a committee consisting of the breeding adviser, an international conformation judge and a member of the club committee, which assesses whether the dog conforms to the standard and is free of disqualifying faults.^[40]

Nordic countries and the Baltic

The Pomeranian reached Norway before the First World War and has been a popular dog there since.^[18] In Sweden the breed is covered by the Svenska Klubben för Tyska Spetsar and by the Keeshondringen under the Svenska Spets- och Urhundklubb; grosspitz and mittelspitz have been treated as vulnerable domestic animal genetic resources in the breed's homeland since 2003.^[29] In Finland the Kleinspitz was the most registered of the German Spitz varieties in 2024, followed by the Mittelspitz and the Pomeranian; the Keeshond also reached the list of the hundred most popular breeds, unlike the rarest variety, the Grosspitz.^[14] In Lithuania the breed is not popular: about twenty Kleinspitz and Zwergspitz were registered with the Lithuanian Kennel Club according to 2003 figures.

Description

The German Spitz is a long-haired, double-coated spitz-type dog whose five varieties differ significantly in size. The body fits into a square, the ratio of height at the withers to body length being 1:1, and the whole outline is rounded off by an abundant, plumed tail that is set high and carried firmly curled over the back, partly covering it. The body is compact, with a deep, well-developed chest, a short, straight back, a slightly tucked-up underline and a broad, short, powerful loin; the neck is of medium length with tight skin; the forelegs are straight with good bone and the hindquarters are very muscular and richly coated down to the hock, standing straight and parallel; the feet are small with tight toes.^[1][3][15]

The head is of medium size and wedge-shaped, recalling that of a fox, with a broad, rounded forehead, a muzzle of medium length tapering towards the nose but not pointed, and small, triangular, high-set and closely placed pricked ears. The eyes are of medium size, dark and almond-shaped, and the nose and lips are black, or dark brown in brown dogs. The jaws are well developed with a scissor bite; a level bite is also permitted, and in the Mittelspitz, Kleinspitz and Pomeranian the absence of some premolars is tolerated. The Italian edition stresses that the nose must always be black and that the dentition must be complete and correct.^[1][15][37]

The coat consists of a long, straight, stand-off outer coat and a short, thick, cotton-wool-like undercoat, and does not wave, curl or look shaggy. The double coat does not cover the head, the ears, the front of the legs or the feet, which carry a short, dense, velvet-like coat, while the neck bears an imposing mane-like ruff and the hindquarters well-developed breeches. In winter the undercoat becomes dense, soft and highly insulating, and the stand-off outer coat gives the dog a considerably greater volume than it actually has.^{[1][3][4][18][19]}

The German Kennel Club's classification of coat colours distinguishes white, the "old colours" brown and black, and the "new colours" orange, grey-shaded and "other colours"; the last term covers cream, cream-sable, orange-sable, black and tan, black and brown, black and silver, and particolour. Particoloured dogs must have a white ground colour, and their patches must be uniformly of one of the colours listed in the standard, preferably distributed over the whole body. The black dog must have black undercoat and skin without white or other markings, brown must be dark brown, grey-shaded is silver-grey with black hair tips, and white must be free of any yellow tinge.^[1][15]

Frequently occurring faults listed by Italian and Lithuanian sources include a dog too high on the leg, incorrect movement, a faulty rear, dentition faults, monorchidism and cryptorchidism, a head not resembling a fox's, badly carried ears, a depigmented nose, light nails, a light eye, excessive or insufficient angulation, a timid character and obesity; the Lithuanian edition adds a flat or round skull, very large, protruding eyes, light nose leather, lips and eyelids, a tail not lying on the back and wavy coat.^[37]

Varieties

The FCI standard defines five size varieties, each with its own permitted colours. The German and Russian editions give the heights as Wolfsspitz/Keeshond 49 ± 6 cm, Großspitz 45 ± 5 cm, Mittelspitz 35 ± 5 cm, Kleinspitz 27 ± 3 cm and Zwergspitz/Pomeranian 21 ± 3 cm, while the French and Czech editions, following an earlier version of the standard, give 49 ± 6 cm, 46 ± 4 cm, 34 ± 4 cm, 26 ± 3 cm and 20 ± 2 cm; the Nordic, Portuguese and Polish editions quote the corresponding ranges as 43–55, 42–50, 30–38, 23–29 and 18–22 cm. Weight is required only to correspond to the size of the variety.^{[1][3][15][32][34]}

The Wolfsspitz or Keeshond is the largest variety, standing some 43–55 cm at the withers according to the breed standard, and its coat is silver-grey with black shading and a black mask, without white markings. In some English-speaking countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, the Keeshond and the German Wolfspitz are classed as two separate breeds, with weights in the range of about 27–32 kg for the German Wolfspitz and 25–30 kg for the Keeshond, while other sources give 15–20 kg or about 20 kg for the variety as a whole.^[1][4][32]

The Giant Spitz or Großspitz is a medium-sized dog usually weighing 17–18 kg, or 15–20 kg according to Brazilian sources, and its coat may be white, black or brown; black and brown dogs may have white spots on the chest, paws and tip of the tail. The Portuguese edition notes that it differs from the Keeshond in coat, and German sources describe it as an excellent house guard and companion dog, a compactly built dog with the pointed muzzle of a fox and medium-length, soft, dense hair.^{[1][4][5][32]}

The Medium Spitz or Mittelspitz usually weighs between about 7 and 12 kg, the English text giving 10.5–11.5 kg, the Fogle-based infobox 11–12 kg, Polish sources 11.3 kg and Portuguese sources 5–10 kg, and it may be white, black, brown, orange, grey-shaded or of other colours including mixtures of these. The Japanese edition states that, unlike the other varieties, its outer coat is harsh and fine while the undercoat is soft as in the others, and that brown and chocolate dogs with eye rims and nose of the same colour as the coat are especially favoured; it adds that because the Mittelspitz is neither too large nor extremely small it is comparatively popular within the German Spitz group.^{[1][4][34][41]}

The Miniature or Small Spitz (Kleinspitz) is a small dog usually weighing 3–5 kg, though the Fogle-based infobox gives 8–10 kg, Japanese sources 4–6 kg, Polish sources 3.1 kg and Portuguese sources 5–10 kg; its coat may be white, black, brown, orange, grey-shaded or of other colours. The Japanese edition describes its ears as slightly different in shape from those of the modern Pomeranian, rounded but with a tip pointed like the tip of a broadleaf leaf.^{[1][4][34][41]}

The Pomeranian, Dwarf or Toy Spitz (Zwergspitz) is the smallest variety, standing 18–24 cm and usually weighing 1.4–3 kg, with figures of 2–3 kg, 1.9–3.5 kg, 1.0–3.5 kg and about 3 kg given in other editions; its coat may be white, black, brown, orange, grey-shaded or of other colours. In recent years an even smaller variant, the so-called teacup Pomeranian, weighing less than 1.9 kg, has appeared, but it is not recognised as a separate variety by the major studbook registries.^{[1][4][18][32][35]}

The Japanese edition treats the group as comprising six size types rather than five, listing a German Toy Spitz of about 21 cm and 1.7–2 kg in particolour only between the Klein Spitz and the Zwerg Spitz, which has been renamed Pomeranian. It notes that there was formerly a dispute over which of the two should bear the name Pomeranian, and that when the name was given to the Zwerg Spitz the other dog received the name Toy Spitz, becoming the only German Spitz variety apart from the Wolfspitz to have an English name. According to the same edition, expert classifications of the group vary and have been given in as many as ten or as few as four grades, the FCI recognising five varieties excluding the Toy Spitz; how the gap between the Klein Spitz and the Pomeranian is to be resolved has not been decided, the Toy Spitz filling it provisionally, and Toy Spitz enthusiasts protest that because the dog has characteristics of its own it should not be merged with either neighbour.^[41]

Temperament

The German Spitz is lively, alert, extremely attached to its owner and easily trained, and the FCI standard adds that it is neither fearful nor aggressive and lacks any hunting instinct. It is often described as robust and usually very calm, yet also somewhat independent and often a little suspicious of strangers; it forms strong bonds with its owner and may become slightly jealous if it is not given clear guidelines from puppyhood. The larger types are often very courageous and can be forward towards strangers and dominant towards other dogs, while the smallest type, the Pomeranian, is a self-confident dog that does not necessarily show more respect for dogs larger than itself.^{[1][3][15][18]}

The breed has been used for many different purposes, but traditionally above all as a farm watchdog, and sharpness and a suspicious attitude towards strangers are therefore essential elements of its character. Modern breeding has produced increasing numbers of dogs that are too soft and would greet a burglar cheerfully, and some breeders have begun to produce individuals with a hunting drive, which in that respect are untypical representatives of the breed. Outside Germany the trend has long been towards a more companion-like type, a situation commented on as early as 1969 by Werner Jäger, then breeding inspector of the German breed organisation, who said that enthusiasts in other countries found German Grosspitz and Wolfsspitz too sharp, but that this should be ignored and soft, weak-nerved or "characterless" dogs should not be bred.^[11]

Besides greater size and different colour, the Wolfsspitz differs from the Großspitz in its more compact build and different coat; the former is more open in character, though also more stubborn, more independent and more serious, while the latter is sharper and more hot-tempered, but also keener to please.^[8][10]

The original purpose of the breed was to announce the approach of strangers by barking, so spitz tend to react with loud barking to unfamiliar sounds, to people they do not know in the street, and when frightened. This quality has earned the spitz the reputation of a yapper and has brought it into some disrepute, though a correctly brought-up dog can be taught to bark only on command.^[15] Russian and Italian sources describe the dogs as very intelligent, affectionate and eager, excellent friends and companions, and note that they get on well with children and, unlike some other breeds, adapt well to noisy surroundings; they also warn that the smaller varieties are prone to obesity and gain weight extremely easily, so that diet requires constant attention.^[15][38]

Uses and activities

Today the German Spitz is first and foremost a popular family dog and secondarily a capable working dog for a range of purposes; from of old it was traditionally used as a farm dog and it still has excellent qualities as a watchdog.^[18] The Czech edition describes the breed as very temperamental and therefore suited to any sport or canine discipline: even the smallest, the Zwergspitz, win agility competitions or take part in classic obedience training and dogdancing, while the larger sizes are also used in search and rescue work and coursing, spitz being very successful in all of these. It adds, however, that the spitz does not actually need any of these things for a contented life and is happiest doing whatever its owner does, so that it may equally well be simply a companion in everyday life.^[40] The Lithuanian edition, by contrast, states that spitz do not take part in circus performances or in dog agility competitions, and ranks the breed twenty-third among dogs for intelligence.

French sources note that the German Spitz tolerates being left alone easily and is therefore well suited to life in a flat, and the Persian edition likewise recommends it for apartment living, adding that it is active indoors and that even a small yard is adequate, while it needs a daily walk and will happily accompany its owner over one mile or twenty. The Italian edition considers the smaller sizes house dogs while the larger can live perfectly well in a garden.^[16][38]

Care and grooming

The heavy coat requires some regular work, though perhaps less than might be expected. Czech sources describe the coat as self-cleaning: the Zwergspitz, Kleinspitz, Mittelspitz, Großspitz and Wolfsspitz need no scissoring at all, only regular combing, which must be more frequent during the moult, whereas the so-called Pomeranians and Keeshonden do require some trimming and very careful, regular coat care. The FCI standard requires that any trimming of a spitz be unnoticeable.^[15][40] Brazilian sources state that despite the long coat the breed's ease of care has contributed to its popularity, needing only periodic brushing and monthly baths, with no breed-specific clip, only the whiskers on the muzzle and the hair under the paws being tidied; they add that many breeders consider a square dog, as high as it is long, the perfect lulu, since this gives it the appearance of a ball of fur.^[32][33] The Persian edition recommends daily brushing to prevent the coat matting and advises accustoming the dog to grooming from puppyhood, while the Georgian edition notes that many dogs of the breed dislike having their coat combed and that the breed does not tolerate heat well, adapting easily to cold and to city life.

Health

The German Spitz is generally of good health and balanced character and is convenient to keep.^[15] Czech sources give an average life span of 13 to 15 years and note that representatives of the breed commonly reach a respectable age in comparison with other dogs, while the Norwegian edition gives 10 to 14 years, the Georgian edition 12 to 13 years and the Western Punjabi edition 11 to 13 years. The same Czech source lists the conditions that nevertheless affect these active dogs more often than others: like many smaller breeds, the Kleinspitz and Zwergspitz in particular are prone to patellar luxation; elbow dysplasia is another unpleasant condition of similar type; the breed may be inclined to various forms of allergy, including food allergies; eye diseases are not exceptional; many dogs of the breed suffer from tartar and gum problems, especially in advanced age; and epilepsy occurs rather rarely.^[40]

Hip dysplasia screening was introduced in Germany after proposals from the Bavarian and Cologne branches of the breed club in September 1981: from the beginning of 1983 all Großspitz and Wolfsspitz used for breeding had to have their hips x-rayed. By April 1983, 132 dogs had been examined, and on the basis of the results 33 per cent of those x-rayed had moderate or severe hip dysplasia and could no longer be used for breeding.^[9] In the Czech Republic hip scoring is required for Wolfsspitz and Großspitz and patellar luxation examination for the other varieties before a dog may be admitted to breeding.^[40]

Conservation status and population

In 2003 the Großspitz and Mittelspitz, together with the German Pinscher, were declared endangered domestic breeds threatened with extinction by the German Society for the Conservation of Old and Endangered Livestock Breeds (GEH), the Großspitz being classified as "extremely endangered".^[24] A dog breed is classed as endangered if fewer than 300 puppies are registered annually. Almost all remaining Großspitz are more or less related to one another, and the Mittelspitz too is classed as critically endangered.^[9] Since 2003 the Swedish Kennel Club has likewise treated grosspitz and mittelspitz as vulnerable domestic animal genetic resources in the breed's homeland.^[29]

According to some sources all German Spitz are in danger of disappearing in their original form and each variety appears on the GEH red list: the original Zwergspitz has in practice been completely replaced by the Pomeranian and the Wolfsspitz by the Keeshond. This is attributed to modern show trends that govern breeding purely on the basis of appearance: first each variety begins to change, for example towards a softer, lapdog temperament, after which the whole breed type begins to flatten out.^[12] In Germany registration figures during and after the Second World War fluctuated sharply: about 1,000 puppies were registered in 1938 and about 2,500 in 1944; after a fall to about 500 in 1945, numbers returned to some 2,500 in 1946 and as many as 4,000 in 1947. There was a clear reason for these high figures, since spitz puppies were sought-after "currency" for city dwellers travelling to the countryside to barter for food; stories survive of townspeople descending on farms with at least six puppies in exchange for potatoes and the like. Breeding for barter was not ethical and bitches were bred to the limit. From 1948 German Spitz were shown again, with an unprecedented 632 entries that year, of which 305 were at a single specialty show at Mühlheim an der Ruhr in April 1948, though in later years only about 300 a year were shown.^[9]

Despite the rarity of the largest varieties, the breed as a whole remains numerous: in a survey of worldwide registration figures in 2012/2013 the German Spitz was named one of the twenty most popular dog breeds in the world.^[22] The Bulgarian edition notes that spitz are extremely popular in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, while Persian and Georgian sources describe the German Spitz as rare and declining in fame even in its homeland.

Legal status in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands the breeding of short-nosed dogs of all breeds, crossbreeds included, is in principle prohibited as torture breeding (Qualzucht) where the length of the nose is less than one third of the length of the head. A communication from the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality announced that enforcement of this law by means of inspections would begin, the focus being in particular on all brachycephalic breeds because of the possible brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS).^[25][26]

The breed in culture

The small varieties are the best known and are much appreciated as companion dogs, and the breed accompanied high society and many famous figures. French sources name among owners of German Spitz, and of the dwarf spitz in particular, Georges Courteline, Mozart, Michelangelo, Émile Zola, Catherine II of Russia, Marie-Antoinette, Joséphine de Beauharnais and Queen Victoria.^[16][17] The Norwegian edition credits Queen Victoria with making the Pomeranian known and popular, and Brazilian sources likewise note that the lulu became popular because the queen kept it as a companion breed.^[18][31] At first only white and black spitz were known, the orange colour appearing later.^[17]

Related breeds

Spitz have been bred throughout Europe for centuries and spread from there to other parts of the world, giving rise to breeds such as the Japanese Spitz and the American Eskimo Dog.^[23] Hungarian sources list the Volpino Italiano, the Eurasier, the Elo and the Finnish Spitz as related breeds, and Armenian and Estonian sources place the German Spitz alongside the Danish Spitz, the Japanese Spitz, the Indian Spitz and the Finnish Spitz.^[39] The Simple English edition, treating spitz-type dogs generally, notes that skeletons about 2,000 years old from Switzerland show that spitz-type dogs have lived in central Europe for thousands of years and that these dogs are the ancestors of the European spitz types such as the German Spitz and the Schipperke; it adds that the extinct Silky Spitz (Seidenspitz) was a long-haired, silky-coated white variety said to derive from a mixture of Pomeranian and Maltese, and that the Bologneserspitz and Seidenpudelspitz are likewise extinct toy dogs.

References

1. FCI-Standard No 97: Deutsche Spitze, Fédération Cynologique Internationale, 12 November 2019
2. FCI-Standard Nr. 97 Deutsche Spitze (German-language version), Fédération Cynologique Internationale, Thuin, 12 November 2019
3. Standard FCI N°97 (French-language version), Fédération Cynologique Internationale, 17 January 2013
4. Fogle, Bruce. The Encyclopedia of the Dog. New York: DK Publishing, 2009, pp. 118–135
5. Morris, Desmond. Dogs: The Ultimate Dictionary of Over 1,000 Dog Breeds. North Pomfret, VT: Trafalgar Square Publishing, 2001, pp. 428–439, 521–523, 525–526
6. Wilcox, Bonnie; Walkowicz, Chris. Atlas of Dog Breeds of the World. Neptune City, N.J.: TFH Publications, 1995, pp. 436–438
7. Alderton, David. The Encyclopedia of Dogs. Bath: Parragon Books Ltd, 2008, pp. 116, 130, 345
8. History of the German Spitz: From antiquity to the 19th century. Preußenspitz – all about the German Spitz breed
9. The history of the German Spitz from the 20th century: Milestones from 1900 to the present. Preußenspitz – all about the German Spitz breed
10. The Giant Spitz: A breed portrait. Preußenspitz – all about the German Spitz breed
11. R.I.P. Giant Spitz! About the disappearance of an ancient breed of dog. Preußenspitz – all about the German Spitz breed
12. The "Keeshond" case – About the replacement of the German Spitz by his foreign cousins. Preußenspitz – all about the German Spitz breed
13. The German Spitz is German. Preußenspitz – all about the German Spitz breed
14. Rekisteröinnit 2020–2024. KoiraNet breeding database, Finnish Kennel Club (Suomen Kennelliitto), accessed 4 January 2025
15. НКП Немецкий шпиц (National Breed Club for the German Spitz), breed standard page, nkp-spitz.org
16. Spitz – Description. Société centrale canine, accessed 16 November 2013
17. Historique et origine du Spitz Allemand. Club Français du Spitz Allemand et Italien, accessed 16 November 2013
18. Adlercreutz, Carl-Johan. Teknologisk forlags store hundeleksikon. Oslo: Teknologisk forlag, 1998
19. Bailey, Gwen. Velg rett hund for deg. Oslo: Orion, 2004
20. Parker, Heidi G. et al. "Genetic Structure of the Purebred Domestic Dog". Science, vol. 304, no. 5674, 21 May 2004, pp. 1160–1164
21. Ostrander, Elaine A. "Genetics and the Shape of Dogs". American Scientist, September–October 2007
22. Registration figures worldwide – from top thirty to endangered breeds. Fédération Cynologique Internationale, republished by dogwellnet.com
23. Zimen, Erik. Der Hund – Abstammung, Verhalten, Mensch und Hund. Munich: Goldmann, 1992, pp. 145 f.
24. Groß- und Mittelspitz. Rassebeschreibungen, Gesellschaft zur Erhaltung alter und gefährdeter Haustierrassen (GEH e.V.), 2021
25. Letter from Minister Schouten on dog breeding (Hondenfokkerij), Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality
26. Report on the Dutch ban on breeding short-nosed dogs, Süddeutsche Zeitung
27. Die Deutschen Spitze. Verein für Deutsche Spitze
28. Rasselexikon: Großspitz, Mittelspitz, Kleinspitz. Verband für das Deutsche Hundewesen (VDH)
29. Rasspecifik Avelsstrategi (RAS) för tysk spets. Svenska Klubben för Tyska Spetsar / Svenska Kennelklubben
30. Willes, Renée. All världens hundraser. Bromma, 2003
31. Fogle, Bruce. Cães. 1st ed., Brazil: Jorge Hazar, 2009
32. Padrão oficial da raça Spitz alemão (e suas variedades). Confederação Brasileira de Cinofilia / FCI
33. "Spitz alemão: uma bola de pêlos". UOL in partnership with Cães & Companhia
34. Palmer, Joan. Psy rasowe; 235 ras. Warsaw: Agencja Elipsa, 1995, pp. 34–35
35. Cunliffe, Juliette. The Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds. Parragon, 1999, p. 262
36. Fournier, Alain. Ilustrowana encyklopedia psów rasowych. Warsaw: Carta Blanca / Grupa Wydawnicza PWN, 2012, p. 187
37. Hall, Derek. Cani: Guida illustrata a tutte le razze. Novara: De Agostini, 2008, pp. 226–227
38. Scheda Razza Completa dello Spitz. allevamentirazze.it
39. Dér Andrea. "Spitzek minden méretben". A kutya magazin, vol. LXXII, March 2009
40. Standard plemene 97 (breed standard) and breed information, Českomoravská kynologická unie (ČMKU)
41. Morris, Desmond. デズモンド・モリスの犬種事典 (Japanese edition, trans. Fukuyama Hideya and Ōki Taku). Seibundo Shinkosha, 2007
42. "Немецкий шпиц" (German Spitz), okdoctor.ru, 22 September 2021
43. Subirana, Josep Cuello. Mój przyjaciel pies, mój najwierniejszy towarzysz. Warsaw: Bellona, 1998, p. 129