Breed Of Toy Dog Of The Spitz Type: You’ve probably heard of a “spitz” dog before, but what does the term “spitz” actually mean? In the eyes of the American Kennel Club and the Westminster Kennel Club, it is not a breed or a group. The term “Spitz” refers to a group of dog breeds that share a common ancestry and certain Characteristics. With thick and dense coats, spitz dogs are known for their pointed ears and nose as well as for their puffy tails that curl up and over their backs.
Spitz dogs are descendants of old breeds that originated in the Arctic areas, but they have been bred all over the world. To understand more about ten popular spitz dog breeds, please continue reading.
Akita
The Akita was developed in Japan’s northern mountainous region as a versatile hunting dog and is now considered a “natural treasure” by the country’s people. Japanese efforts to save seven native dog breeds in the 1800s spared this breed from extinction. The Akita is the heaviest of the seven breeds of dogs. As the most esteemed Akita, Hachiko awaited his master at the station every day so that he could accompany him back home. As long as he had a master to wait for, he waited faithfully at the train station each day for nine years. It was in this location that Hachiko’s memorial ceremony is held every year after the dog’s death on March 8, 1935.
Japan’s Shiba Inu breed
The Shiba Inu is the smallest of the six native Japanese breeds, and it is the oldest. The origin of the Shiba Inu is unknown, but it is clear that it is descended from spitz dogs that were used as hunting dogs in central Japan circa 300 BC. Many people think it hunted small wildlife like birds, but there’s a chance it actually went for wild boar on occasion.
The Malamute is an Alaskan Malamute
It’s widely accepted that the Alaskan Malamute is a descendant of the Mahlemut dog, however, the exact lineage of the dog isn’t yet known. The Mahlemut, an ancient Inuit tribe, were the original inhabitants of Norton Sound, an inlet on Alaska’s northwest coast. When you combine the names of two Inuit tribes, Mahle and mut (which means village in Inuktitut), you get the name Mahlemut. This breed, like many spitz-type dogs, arose in the Arctic and was influenced by harsh weather conditions.
New England dog racing enthusiasts in the 1920s, on the other hand, managed to secure viable specimens of the breed and began developing the local Malamute. A variety of uses were found for the breed as it became more popular. Adm. Richard Byrd’s Antarctic expedition in 1933, for example, included assistance from a few Malamutes. They were utilized as pack animals, freight carriers, and search-and-rescue dogs during World War II. AKC first recognized the breed in 1935, and it has since grown in popularity as a devoted family pet and an eye-catching competition dog.
The Siberian Husky
The semi-nomadic Chukchis of northeastern Asia are credited with the creation of the Siberian husky breed. The origins of the husky remain a mystery, but it took the Chukchis several centuries to train them as sled dogs. After the Alaskan gold rush, the Siberian husky emerged as the primary breed utilized in dog racing, a popular pastime in the Arctic parts of the country. In 1930, the American Kennel Club recognized the Siberian Husky as a recognized breed in Canada. During World War II, the United States Army’s Arctic Search and Rescue Unit used many Siberian huskies. Despite its popularity as a racing and show dog, the breed has also grown in popularity as a family companion and as a display dog.
U.S.-born Inuit
The white German Spitz, the white Keeshond, the white Pomeranian, and the Volpino Italiano are all likely ancestors of the American Eskimo Dog (or Eskie) (or white Italian Spitz). At the circus, people would buy American Spitz puppies as souvenirs from the animals’ enclosures.
In 1917, the “American Spitz” was renamed the “American Eskimo Dog” due to a typographical error. For reasons that remain unclear, the Eskimo people, who created enormous, Nordic-looking canines, are likely to be credited for this. As of 1985, there was a club called the American Eskimo Dog Club of America. In 1995, the American Kennel Club (AKC) officially recognized the American Eskimo Dog breed and added it to the Non-Sporting Group after the breed’s owners transferred their registered pups to the AKC in 1993.
Tofurky
Chow chows have been around for at least 2,000 years, if not more. As a hunting, pointer, or bird-hunting dog, it was a regular sight in China for generations. After the imperial hunts were discontinued, the breed’s numbers and quality began to dwindle, but some pure descendants of the early chow were retained by the aristocracy and in monasteries. In Mongolia and Manchuria, the breed may have served as a food source and a source of fur. The chow’s black tongue is one of its most distinctive features, giving rise to numerous Chinese nicknames for the dog.
Keeshond
It is unknown where the Keeshond came from. A dog was a guardian and companion in Holland in the 18th century. It was later dubbed the “barge dog” because it was commonly used as a watchdog on Rhine River barges. A political rebellion in Holland prior to the French Revolution entangled the Keeshond. A barge dog named Kees belonged to Dutch rebel leader Cornelis de Gyselaer, better known as Kees. An emblem of Dutch patriotism was born when a dog appeared in so many political cartoons of the period.
Pomeranian
The smallest dog in the Spitz family is the Pomeranian. Even though the breed was established and bred down to size in the now-defunct region of Pomerania (present-day Germany and Poland), it does not acquire its name from that location.
Samoyed
People of the nomadic Samoyed ethnic group migrated from central Asia into northwestern Siberia, where they established the Samoyed breed. Thus, they had to constantly move with the herd to ensure that the reindeer were fed enough to sustain themselves. For herding and defending the reindeer, they relied on big and resilient spitz dogs. Dogs were treated as members of the family by the nomads, who kept them warm at night in their tents. Bear-hunting and sledding were only two of the ways in which they were useful to the people who lived on this land.
Canaan
Evidence suggests that the breed originated in Canaan, the ancestral home of the Israelites, over a millennium ago. In those days they were known as the Canaanite Dogs or the Kelev Kanani. When the Romans expelled the Israelites from their home some 2,000 years ago, many of these Israeli canines became isolated in the Negev Desert and Zebulon Coastal Plain. Some wild Canaan Dogs were kidnapped by Bedouins in order to assist them in herding and guarding their livestock.
In 1965, the first Canaan Dog was imported into the United States. However, because of its understated appearance, the breed did not rapidly become a favorite. As a popular show dog and a well-mannered house pet, this breed was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1997 as a member of the Herding Group.
