DESCRIPTION OF THE BREED
German Spitz (including the Keeshond and the Pomeraniam)
FCI Standard no. 97 of March 5, 1998
Country of origin: Germany
FCI classification: Group 5 (Spitz and primitive dogs), section 4 (European Spitz – without a work test)
Use: guard dog and companion
Brief history of the breed: German Spitz are the offspring of the peat dog Canis familiaris palustris of the Neolithic period and of the Spitz living in pillar
settlement; they are the oldest dog breed of Central Europe, most other breeds having developed from it. Outside the German language area the Wolf Spitz is also called Keeshond while the smallest Spitz are called Pomeranian.
General appearance: Spitz are known for their outstanding coat which, thanks to the rich undercoat, sticks out away from the body. Especially striking is the heavy collar on the neck which is reminiscent of a mane, and the heavily haired tail borne proudly over the back. The head is fox-like with bright eyes, small pointed ears placed near each other, and it provides the Spitz with its typical fearless appearance.
Important proportions: The ratio of withers height to body length is 1:1.
Beahaviou and character: The German Spitz is permanently watchful, lively and extraordinarily attached to its master. It learns readily and is easy to train. Its distrust of strangers and absence of a hunting instinct make it an ideal watchdog for a house or yard.. It is not fearful or aggressive. Its resistance to weather, its firm body and relative longevity belong to its most outstanding characteristics.
Head: Medium size, seen from above it is widest at the back and has a wedge shape toward the muzzle. The stop is medium-developed up to emphasized but never conspicuous. The nose is round, small and pure black. With brown spitz breeds it is dark-brown. The muzzle is not very long or coarse or pointed and is well proportioned with respect to the cranial part (with the Wolf Spitz/Keeshond, Giant German Spitz and Mittle German Spitz it is 2:3, with the small breeds/Pomeranian it is about 2:4). The lips are overhanging, firmly attached and do not crease toward the corners. With all coloured breeds they show black pigmentation, with brown breeds the pigmentation is brown.
Dentition: Jaws show normal development and display a full-value scissor-type occlusion with 42 teeth; the upper row of incisors goes over the lower jaw without any intervening space, the teeth standing perpendicularly in the jaw. With the small breeds small losses or premolars are tolerated. A pincer-like occlusion is acceptable with all spitz breeds.
Cheeks: Softly rounded, not protruding.
Eyes: Medium size, almond-shaped, somewhat obliquely placed, dark in colour. The eyeylid edges are black-pigmented with all the colours, except brown where the pigmentastion is also brown.
Ears: Small ears are placed relatively close to each other and are of triangular shape. They are always carried upright with upright points.
Neck: Medium-long, set broadly on the shoulders, slightly arched in the nape, does not form a lobe and carries a heavy hair collar.
Trunk: The upper line begins at the tips of upright ears and proceeds in a soft arch to a short straight crest. The hairy tail which covers partly the back of the dog gives it a round shape. The high withers passes gradually into a short, straight and firm back. The shoulders are short, broad and solid. The posterior is broad and short, never down-falling. The sufficiently broad chest is well arched, the front is well developed. The chest reaches as far back as possible, the belly is only slightly pulled back.
Tail: Set high, medium long, turning up and toward the head at the very root and lies firmly over the back. It has a very heavy hair coat. A double loop at its end is acceptable.
Front legs: Straight, rather broad front. The shoulders display fine muscles and are well connected with the chest. The shoulder-blade is long and lies obliquely to the back. An approximately equal-length shoulder lies at a 90° angle. The elbow joint is strong, near the chest and does not protrude either inward or outward. The forearm is medium-long, heavy with respect to the trunk and straight, with fine proportions on the back side. The strong, medium-long stopper pad lies at a 20° angle with the vertical. The forefeet are preferably small, round, with tight and well arched claws, the so-called cat paws. The claws and pads are black with all breeds, except with the brown ones where they are dark-brown.
Hind legs: They show good musculature and are covered with hair all the way to the thigh joint. They are straight and parallel. The lower thigh and the pastern are of approximately equal length. The knee joint is strong, only slightly angular and, when moving, it does not protrude either in or out. The instep is of medium length, very strong and set perpendicularly. The hindfeet are small, round with well placed adjacent claws, the so-called cat paws. The pads are rough. The colour of claws and pads is dark whenever possible.
Mechanics of motion: German Spitz move straight, smoothly and flexibly.
Skin: The skin adheres to the body without any wrinkles.
Hair coat: The German Spitz breeds have a double coat: long, protruding guard hairs and a short, thick, cotton-like undercoat. The head, ears, front part of the front and hind legs carry short and thick (velvet) coat, the rest of the body is covered with long and rich hair coat. The hair coat is not wavy, curled or shaggy, on the back it is not divided into "paths". The neck and shoulders sre covered with thick fur. The rear part of the front legs is covered with fine pendants, the hind legs are mostly covered with rich "pants". The tail carries a heavy fur.
Colour:
Wolf Spitz/Keeshond: greyish
Giant German Spitz: black, brown, white
Mittel Spitz: black, brown, white, orange, greyish, other
Klein Spitz: black, brown, white, orange, greyish, other
Pomeranian: black, brown, white, orange, greyish, other
The black spitz must have the undercoat as well as the skin dark-coloured and the surface must be rich black without any signs of white or other colour.
The brown spitz should have a uniform brown colour.
The white spitz has pure white hair, without any, particularly yellowish, tinge that may appear at the ears.
The orange spitz should have a uniform medium orange colour.
The greyish spitz is silver-grey with black tips of the long hairs. The muzzle and the ears are dark, eyes are surrounded by a clear design consisting of a fine black line which runs obliquely from the outer eye corner to the lower end of the ear; there are also striated lines. A shadow forms a short but clear eyebrow. The mane and the breast are lighter, both front and hind legs have no black marks over the elbow or knee, except for a light striation across the claws. The tail tip is black, the lower part of the tail and the "pants" are light silvery.
Spitz breeds of different colour: Here we group all the colour hues, such as cream, cream-sable, orange-sable, black and tan, and dappled. The dappled ones must have a white foundation. Black, brown, grey or orange spots must be distributed over the entire body.
Size and weight:
Wolf spitz/keeshond 49 ± 6 cm
Giant German spitz 46 ± 4 cm
German Mittel spitz 34 ± 4 cm
German Klein spitz 26 ± 3 cm
Pomeranian 20 ± 2 cm
The weight should always correspond to the height of the dog.
Defects: Gross defects: Defects in body build. Head too flat, an apple-like head. Meat-coloured nose, lips and eyelids. With the wolf, giant, and mittel spitz there may be tooth defects. Eyes may be too large and too light-coloured, or they may drip. Defects in the motion apparatus: Missing design in the greyish spitz.
Disqualifying defects: Not closed fontanelle. Hypognathism or Opistognathism. Ectropium and entropium. Dropped ears. Clear white spots on other but white spitz.