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About the Finnish Spitz

Origin: Finland
Typical life span
12-15 years
Size
Medium — from its typical weight
Weight
Male
11-15 kg
Female
9-13 kg
Height
Male
44.5-51 cm
Female
39-46 cm
FCI status
Recognised by FCI
FCI group
Spitz and primitive types
Origin
Finland
Also called
Spitz Finlandes
Known hereditary risks
Not researched yet

About

What is a Finnish Spitz?

Medium-sized fox-like spitz hunting dog with dense golden-red double coat, erect ears, curled plumed tail, and alert expression. Known as Finland's national dog and called the 'barking pointer' for their distinctive hunting style.

Finnish Spitz history and origins

Ancient Finnish breed developed through centuries of selective breeding to hunt all types of game from squirrels to bears. Nearly extinct in late 1800s before restoration efforts. Became Finland's national dog in 1979, bred specifically for barking ability and stamina in harsh climates.

Finnish Spitz appearance and size

Males typically weigh 11-15 kg and stand 44.5-51 cm at the shoulder; females 9-13 kg and 39-46 cm.

What the breed standard says

Bred for
A hunting dog mainly for forest game birds, also predatory small game, waterfowl and elk. Eager hunter; rather independent, yet works co-operatively to game, marking game by barking
Behaviour and temperament
“Lively, vigorous, brave and determined. Might be a little reserved towards strangers, but never vicious”

Quoted from FCI standard n°49. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.

Breed reference from The Dog API.

Characteristics

Size
Medium
Exercise needs
4 of 5
Easy to train
—
Amount of shedding
3 of 5
Grooming needs
4 of 5
Good with children
—
Cost to keep
—
Tolerates being alone
—
Intelligence
—
Health of breed
Not researched yet

Pros & cons

Pros & cons for the Finnish Spitz

What you get with the Finnish Spitz

  • Purpose stated in the standard: “A hunting dog mainly for forest game birds, also predatory small game, waterfowl and elk”
  • The standard describes the breed as: “Lively, vigorous, brave and determined. Might be a little reserved towards strangers, but never vicious”

What you are taking on

  • High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “On the trousers and on the tail the hair is long and dense.”

Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.

Characteristics

FCI standard · Finnish Spitz

Coat and colour

As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording, tagged permissible.

Coat

Moderately long on the body, stand-off coat, semi or fully, stiffer stand-off on the neck, shoulders and back.

On the head and the legs, except the back of the hindquarters, coat is short and close-lying.

The stiff hair on the shoulders, especially in males is noticeably longer and coarser.

On the trousers and on the tail the hair is long and dense.

The undercoat is short, soft, dense and light in colour

Colour

  • Preferred
  • Permissible
  • Undesirable
  • Disqualifying

Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.

  • The hair on the back is bright red- or golden red, preferably a bright colour.
  • A lighter shade is inside the ears, on cheeks, throat and chest, belly, inside the legs, back of the thighs and on the tail.
  • Permissible: A small white spot on the chest and small white markings on the feet

Shortened from FCI standard n°49 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.

What the breed standard says

Size
“Height at the withers: Males 44–50 cm, females 39–45 cm. Ideal height: Males 47 cm, females 42 cm”
FCI distinguishes an ideal from what is permitted.

Quoted from FCI standard n°49. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.

What the standard penalises

What a judge marks the Finnish Spitz down for, and what puts one out of the ring, in the registry’s own words. This describes the breed standard — it is not a checklist for the animal in front of you, and a pet with a disqualifying fault is an unshowable dog rather than an unhealthy one.

Disqualifying faults

Puts an animal out of the ring altogether.

  • Other than erect ears.
  • Other than black nose.
  • Eyes bright yellow or wall eye.
  • Overshot or undershot mouth.
  • Kinked tail.
  • Large white markings on the chest and/or a white sock.
  • Colours differing severely from the basic colour.
  • Wavy or curled coat.
  • Height other than given in the standard.
  • Several missing teeth

FCI standard n°49

Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Finnish Spitz in general; any individual animal can differ.

Health guide

What to ask for in a Finnish Spitz

No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Finnish Spitz on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.

Gallery

No photographs yet

This is where Finnish Spitz owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.

A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.

Puppies

No puppies listed right now

No Finnish Spitz breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.

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