German Spitz

While the German Spitz is certainly a breed of dog, it is mostly classified as a type of dog. This is because there is no single dog breed here, but what has happened over time is that a number of different breeds of dogs have come to be registered as varieties or breeds of the German Spitz. All dogs that are Spitz type dogs and have originated in Germany are called the German Spitz type dogs. There are a number of different breeds of the German Spitz like the Kleinspitz and the Mittelspitz, but to the English speaking world, all these breeds of Spitz type dogs are called the German Spitz.

Keeshound or Wolfspitz- giant sized dog, wolf grey color
Great Spitz- large size dog- Black, brown or white color
Mittelspitz- medium sized dog- Black, brown or white color
Kleinspitz- miniature sized dog- Black, brown, white, orange or grey color with shades of other colors
Zwergspitz- dwarf sized dog- any color

All the various breeds within the German Spitz type dog are similar in their appearance. The color of most medium to large sized Spitz types tends to be white, but in the case of the largest breed, it is usually grey and in smaller sizes, any coloration is generally acceptable. All German Spitz have pointy ears that are triangular in shape. Their head is almost wolf like in appearance. Their tail usually tends to curl upwards from the back. They all also have double coats of fur that keeps that warm, insulated and dry in cold, wet or snowy weather. Their fur also tends to be feathery at the ends.

It is a surprise for many to know that the German Spitz has descended to us all the way from the Stone Ages. The Spitz are the oldest breed of dogs to be found anywhere across Central Europe. The other fact that people may not be aware of is that soon after the German Spitz was brought to America, dissent against Germany rose to unprecedented levels and in keeping with public sentiment at that time, the dog was called the American Eskimo dog from then on. However, the American Eskimo dog is no longer the same dos as the German Spitz that was originally brought to America, but is now considered a distant relative as it was further red with other dogs like the Japanese Spitz and the Pomeranian.

As the size of the German Spitz breeds get smaller, they tend to resemble each other a lot more than the medium or large size Spitz. But, even medium and large size breeds of the Spitz from around the world continue to resemble each other even today. Some other famous Spitz around the world include the Finnish Spitz, the Japanese Spitz, the Indian Spitz, the Russian Spitz (Laika), the Italian Spitz (Volpino Itliano), among others.