German Spitz

The German Spitz probably descends from peat bog dogs of the Stone Age. Traces are found in Antiquity and, in the Middle Ages, in a miniature of the Très Riches Heures of the Duke of Berry. It is likely that the original type is close to the current Wolfspitz. The diversification and miniaturization of types actually became more pronounced, by selection, from the Victorian era (second half of the 19th century). The German Spitz and especially the Toy Spitz is a highly prized companion dog and many personalities have owned one: Georges Courteline, Mozart, Michelangelo, Émile Zola, Catherine II of Russia, Marie-Antoinette or Joséphine de Beauharnais. Only white and black Spitzes were known at first; the orange color appeared later. Thomas Gainsborough in the 18th century painted Toy Spitzes, but it was not until the reign of Queen Victoria in the early 19th century that the Small Spitz, or Pomeranian as it was called at the time, dethroned the Pug at the British court. The popularity of the Spitz was accompanied in the early 20th century by a tarnishing of its image. Only the Toy Spitz variety is known as the "Pomeranian" or "Pom." In Paris, it is nicknamed the "doorman's dog" because every doorman's lodge had to have its Pom who would alert them to the presence of a stranger in the building. In France, the other varieties of Spitz were registered for the first time in the French Book of Origins (LOF) in 1935 for the Medium and Small Spitz, in 1937 for the Wolfspitz and in 1986 for the Large Spitz.

The German Spitz is described in the FCI standard as attentive, lively and attached to its master. It is not always easy to train and sometimes wary of strangers, it is nevertheless very friendly. The hunting instinct is absent. It is neither fearful nor aggressive. All Spitzes are characterized by a certain propensity for barking or yapping at the slightest occasion.

The German Spitz is a Spitz-type dog, for which the standard admits five sizes. All German Spitzes have a body that fits within a square, with a tail attached high, carried rolled on the back. The head in the shape of a wedge recalls that of a fox with lively, medium-sized eyes and dark-colored small triangular ears and closely spaced together. All German Spitzes have a double coat: as topcoat, long, stiff and erect hair, and as undercoat a kind of thick and short wadding. This double coat does not cover the head, ears or the front faces of the limbs and feet, covered with short and dense hair resembling velvet. The German Spitz has an imposing ruff, like a mane and a plume tail. The Spitz's coat does not wave, does not curl and is never unkempt. German Spitzes exist in five different sizes, admitting different coat colors:

The German Spitz is a dog that easily tolerates being alone and is therefore well-suited to apartment living.