Professional trainers say that Finnish Spitz can be manipulative and too smart for their owners, so you need to be persistent and firm. Their intelligence makes them become easily bored with repetitive training, so keep your training sessions short. They are best trained with a soft voice and touch. Training these independent, strong-willed dogs can be a challenge. If yours is primarily a companion and you have close neighbors, you'll need to train your dog to stop barking on command, or hope that your neighbors are very tolerant. Finnish Spitz have been recorded as barking 160 times per minute in competitions.īy now, you've probably guessed that barking is an important part of the Finnish Spitz makeup. In Scandinavia, barking competitions are held for the King of the Barkers.
This is the reason these dogs are called "Bark Pointers."Įlkhound and similar Spitz breeds hunt in a similar fashion. If the bird flies off before the hunter reaches it, the Finnish Spitz stops barking and follows it until it lands, then starts barking again. The bird generally doesn't notice the hunter approaching because of the noise and action of the dog. It's thought that the bird is lulled into a sense of security by the dog's movements, at which point the Finnish Spitz begins to bark, softly at first and gradually getting louder.
Then he follows the bird until it settles in a tree, and attracts the bird's attention by running back and forth under the tree, wagging his tail. He runs ahead of the hunter until he finds a bird. In their native Finland, however, they're still used for hunting, mostly for a large game bird called a capercaille and for black grouse. In America, Finnish Spitz are primarily companion dogs. They're good watchdogs and protect their families, but they rarely show aggression unless it's warranted. Friendly, they get along well with children. They make good companions for active families. The head is wedge-shaped and resembles that of a fox.įinnish Spitz have a lively, light gait, and are as intelligent as they are animated. Their necks are shorter than some of the other Spitz breeds because Finnish Spitz look up to point their game. These are rather small hunting dogs, being about 17 1/2 to 20 inches tall at the shoulder. They've mostly been used to hunt small game, such as squirrels and grouse, but they've also hunted moose, elk, and even bear. They are "bark pointers," meaning they indicate where the game is by barking to attract the hunter's attention. In 1891, the name was officially changed to Finnish Spitz, and the nickname Finkie became popular after the dog's arrival in England in the 1920s.įinnish Spitz dogs have a square build and a fox-like look. He's also been called the Finnish Barking Bird Dog because of his unique hunting habits, and in England, he's known as Finsk spets. In Finland, he's known as the Suomenpystykorva (pronounced SWOH-men-pi-stih-KOR-vuh), which means Finnish Pricked Ear Dog, and he can't compete there for a show title until he has proved himself in hunting trials. The Finnish Spitz has the distinction of being the national dog of Finland, where this ancient hunting breed is still used to hunt a wide variety of game. Young children and dogs of any breed should always be supervised by an adult and never left alone together, period.Ĭlick here for more information on this characteristic No matter what the breed or breed type, all dogs have strong jaws, sharp pointy teeth, and may bite in stressful circumstances.
Dogs from any breed can be good with children based on their past experiences, training on how to get along with kids, and personality. Our ratings are generalizations, and they're not a guarantee of how any breed or individual dog will behave. Small, delicate, and potentially snappy dogs such as Chihuahuas aren't always so family-friendly. You may be surprised by who's on that list: Fierce-looking Boxers are considered good with children, as are American Staffordshire Terriers (which are considered Pit Bulls). Being gentle with children, sturdy enough to handle the heavy-handed pets and hugs they can dish out, and having a blasé attitude toward running, screaming children are all traits that make a kid-friendly dog.