Spitz
Reflections

Southern Spitzes / Primitives

Generally speaking, the spitzes are dogdom's jacks of all trades, capable of herding, hauling, hunting, and haunting human laps. Even the tiny Pomeranian can do all these things, if only with small sheep (I've seen the photos), small loads (I've seen this, too!), and small prey (mine are death on bugs); any size human will fit perfectly.

In physique, the spitz breeds carry the stamp of their wild ancestry. My basic mental picture of a spitz includes a wedge-shaped head with a pointed muzzle, prick ears, and almond-shaped eyes. Those of the Northern type sport a double coat, and a tail that may curl to varying degrees (excepting that many Schipperkes and Swedish Vallhundar are born without tails); those of the Southern type (primitives and pariahs) generally lack the double coat.

It would be a mistake (probably) to assume that all spitz breeds are related in the sense of developing one from another from another (though some certainly are known to have done so). The spitz group of dogs are breeds with a common general phenotype. At present it is believed that domestic dogs arose several times, in several different places, from the Old World gray wolf gene pool, and the spitz / primitive / pariah type appears to be the natural first step from the wolf phenotype. This theory is supported by the results of genetic research showing the oldest breeds to be spitzes, followed only fairly distantly by the development of the first sighthounds. Development of phenotypes other than that ur-dog type, though not inevitable, comes about when humans start breeding dogs for specialized jobs without regard to appearance, considering only fitness for the desired function.

There is no single authoritative and agreed-on listing of spitz breeds. The FCI, for instance, lumps the spitz breeds in with other primitive breeds, some of which are well on the way to developing into sighthounds or other types. The further I went in choosing the breeds for this list, begun with the picture of a generic Northern spitz in mind, the more I found that the choice isn't always obvious. Where is the line between a spitz and a non-spitz? I decided to retain my original focus on the Northern spitz for this set of bibliographies while creating another set for southern spitzes and other primitive breeds. But I will have to admit I haven't been perfectly consistent about the process of dividing the breeds between those two headings.

And even after making that division, the process was not always easy.

I am unenthusiastic about my inclusion of both the Chinook and the Eurohound. Both sled-pulling breeds were developed from multiple breeds, among whom were spitzes, and while not of spitz type the Chinook is considered a spitz breed by a number of registries. The Eurohound is hardly spitzy at all in type, but is still in development and may possibly end with a stronger resemblance to the Alaskan Husky portion of its ancestry. I include them for the nonce, but will probably move them to another section of the website in the future.

Noting that several Northern spitzes are herding dogs, and that a number of herding dogs show spitz influence in their appearance, I have begun work on bibliographies for pastoral breeds, and linked to some of those breeds from this page. For instance, some authors consider the Cardigan and Pembroke Welsh Corgis spitzes. The Pembroke does show clear signs of spitz heritage; however, the Cardigan is clearly more distant. Because I am loath to split up the two breeds—and because if one includes the Cardigan Corgi it would then be [too?] easy to include the Lancastrian Heeler, which is only a step away from including Dutch, Belgian, German (etc.) Shepherds—I have elected to put both Welsh Corgis in with the pastoral dogs. My decision to exclude the Corgis on that basis is, though, a position that may be hard to defend when paired with my choice to include the Swedish Vallhund, which some writers do not count as a spitz and which is probably closely related to at least the Pembroke. The Caucasian Mountain Dog finally came to rest in that section as well, though with its spitzy double coat, upright ears (they are traditionally cropped nearly off), curlyish tail, and wolf-like markings, it isn't very far from the spitz archetype.

The Shar-Pei has come and gone on this list several times as I dithered between spitz body type and the atypical ears and muzzle (not to mention skin and coat), but research has led me to the conclusion that this breed is indeed spitz in its relatively-recent ancestry. Old photographs show a much more spitzy dog, and DNA studies show its close relationship to unquestioned spitzes, such as the Chow Chow. I would argue that the Shar-Pei has almost entirely ceased to be a spitz, but will also admit that I don't know what it is becoming.

Did I mention this wasn't as easy as I thought it would be?

Then we get to the Silky Spitz and the Elo. Deliberate mixing of spitzes with non-spitzes produced a long, silky Maltese-type coat shaved to mimic the spitz growth-pattern in the former case, and a rough-coated variety (the Rauhaar) of the latter. These dogs are spitz in form, at least 50% spitz in recent heritage, but...well, the aesthetic is just quite different with these odd coats. In the case of the Seidenspitz, I went with the name (besides, they were cute as buttons). With the Elo, I categorized it in keeping with the Glatthaarige (completely spitz-looking) variety and the fact that even the Rauhaarige form appears to be a normal spitz beneath the hair.

Perhaps my worst offense is including a link to the Pumi in this listing. Resulting from a cross in the 17th Century between the Puli and "prick-eared shepherd dogs" from Germany and France (the Pomeranian—in this context, read German Spitz—and Hudespitz are mentioned as probable ancestors), this breed has a tail with a tendency to curl, but an unspitzy haircoat and what appears from photographs to be more of a Puli structure. My only defense for ever considering them for this group, aside from relatively distant spitz ancestry, is that they're cute.

As a sidenote, every time I see a photograph of a Tibetan Mastiff (another ancient breed) from a distance or sideways, I can't help but think "spitz" despite the tipped ears. I would dearly love to know if anyone else has the same reaction, or any helpful information.

If I've left out a breed you think belongs here, please let me know. If you think I'm crazy to have included one, let me know that, too—I am very willing to entertain dissenting opinions and might possibly even change my mind. Also, if I've missed or misrepresented some published resource, or have made any other errors, please educate me.