- "Unequal contribution of sexes in the origin of dog breeds"
by A-K Sundqvist, S Björnerfeldt, JA Leonard, F Hailer, Å
Hedhammar, H Ellegren and C Vilà. In: Genetics, February
2006, volume 172, pg 1121-1128. This genetic study found that dogs could
almost always be reliably placed by breed based on its DNA profile.
Interestingly, the genetic diversity of mitochondrial DNA and the Y
chromosome was found to be notably unequal, that there were significantly
fewer male ancestors than female ancestors for all breeds, unlike the
wolf population where the numbers are fairly equal. The authors conclude
that strict separation of breeds is a recent practice; and that all
modern breeds had less crossbreeding with other-breed males in their
background than with other-breed females, indicating a male bias in
classification of puppies before the modern isolation of breeds. Dogs
of breeds classified in the FCI's Spitz/Primitive Group had the highest
number of—and greatest diversity in—Y chromosome haplotypes,
possibly reflecting more recent hybridization with wolves in spitz breeds.
- "Adrenal steroid hormone
concentrations in dogs with hair cycle arrest (Alopecia X) before and
during treatment with melatonin and mitotane" by LA Frank, KA Hnilica
and JW Oliver. In: Veterinary Dermatology, October 2004, vol
15, p 278-284. Report on a study evaluating the affect of intermediate
adrenal steroid hormones in neutered dogs with Alopecia X who are being
treated with melatonin and mitotane. Dogs in the study included 23 Pomeranians,
three Keeshonden, two Miniature
Poodles, and a Siberian Husky.
- Japanese Dogs: Akita,
Shiba, and Other Breeds by Michiko Chiba, Yuichi Tanabe, Takashi
Tojo and Tsutomu Muraoka. Kodansha, 2003. An introduction to breeds
developed in Japan, all but three of which are spitzes, including the
Akita, Hokkaïdo,
Kai, Kishu,
Shiba, Shikoku,
Ryukyu, and Jomon,
as well as the Japanese Spitz.
- Hunting Laika Breeds
of Russia by Vladimir Beregovoy, Crystal Dreams, 2003. Covers the
four hunting breeds of laika established as pure by the Russian government
in the first half of the 20th century.
- "Retrospective evaluation
of sex hormones and steroid hormone intermediates in dogs with alopecia"
by LA Frank, KA Hnilica, BW Rohrbach and JW Oliver. In: Veterinary
Dermatology, April 2003, vol 14, p 91-97. Report of a seven-and-a-half-year
study to determine if steroid hormone aberrations are involved with
alopecia in dogs who do not have hypothyroidism or hyperadrenocosticism.
276 dogs of 54 breeds were tested, and 73% had at least one steroid
hormone level higher than the normal range. Of these, Keeshonden,
Pomeranians and Siberian
Huskies stood out with high incidences of aberrant results, while
the breeds with the lowest incidence of elevated hormone levels were
Chow Chows, Samoyeds
and Malamutes. The authors concluded
that alopecia may not be connected to steroid hormone levels.
- "Wolf Attacks on Dogs
in Finland" by I Kojola and J Kuittinen. Wildlife Society Bulletin
volume 30, no. 2, 2002, p 498-501. The authors surveyed 65 reported
attacks on dogs committed by wolves in Finland between 1996 and 1999,
confirming 43. This number is rather impressive considering an estimate
of 100-120 wolves in Finland. Hunting dogs out in the wild were most
commonly attacked by two or more wolves; dogs attacked while in their
own yards were generally attacked by lone wolves. The dogs attacked
while hunting were mostly Harriers and moose-hunting dogs (which would
probably be Norwegian and/or
Swedish Elkhounds). "Spitz
was the breed" of the dogs most attacked in their own yards; I'm
tempted to assume this refers to Finnish
Spitzes. I'm not entirely sure what importance victim breeds have
in a study of wolf attacks, except perhaps as an indication of the breeds
most often kept in Finland, but no doubt the researchers found some
significance in it.
- "Genetic variability
in East Asian dogs using microsatellite loci analysis" by KS Kim,
Y Tanabe, CK Park, and JH Ha. In: The Journal of Heredity, September-October
2001, vol 92, p 398-403. This DNA study looked at samples from eleven
dog populations, including three mixed populations and eight breeds
of which six were spitzes, to determine breed relationships. Breeds
included in the study are the Akita,
the Hokkaïdo, the Kishu,
the Korean Jindo, the Shiba,
and the "Eskimo Dog",
as well as the Sapsaree and the Shih Tzu. This fascinating study proposed
two dendrograms picturing the surprising relationships among these breeds,
with the Tibetan Terrier-like Sapsaree closely related to the Jindo,
and the Shih Tzu not nearly so distant as one would expect.
- Complete Owner's Manual
to the Northern Breeds by Margaret H. Bonham. Barron's, 2001. An
introduction to the spitz breeds of the Northern type.
- "Janice Howls....The
Spitz Group" by Janice Doughtery. The Fan Hitch 2:1 November
1999.
- "Comparative histopathology
of pemphigus foliaceus and superficial folliculitis in the dog"
by KA Kuhl, FS Shofer and MH Goldschmidt. In: Veterinary Pathology,
January 1994, vol 31, p 19-27. Report of a comparative study of 50 cases
of pemphigus foliaceus and 47 cases of superficial folliculitis. Breeds
affected with pemphigus foliaceus included: Akita,
Chow Chow, Collie,
Siberian Husky, Scottish
Terrier, Chinese Shar- Pei,
"Spitz" and Shetland
Sheepdog. An increased risk of developing this disease was noted
in the Akita, Chow
Chow, Chinese Shar- Pei
and Collie.
- A Celebration of Rare
Breeds, Volume II by Cathy J. Flamholtz. OTR, 1991. Capsule descriptions
of a number of rare breeds, three of which are spitzes: the Japanese
Spitz, the Kai Ken, and
the Miniature Chinese Shar-Pei.
- Unsere Spitze: Abstammung,
Aufzuch, Haltung by Gerda M. Umlauff. Albrecht Philler, 1985. Small
handbook of history, care and training of the German
Spitz—Wolfsspitz down
to Dwergspitz—with short
introductions to the Finnish Spitz,
Samoyed, Swedish
Lapphund, Swedish Vallhund,
Schipperke, and Eurasier,
plus a short history of the Keeshond
(Wolfsspitz) in Holland. In German.
- A Celebration of Rare
Breeds by Cathy J. Flamholtz. OTR, 1985. Capsule descriptions of
a number of rare breeds, including several spitzes.
- Stubbs' Dogs by
Robert Fountain and Alfred Gates. Ackermann, 1984. A book presenting
paintings by the famous 18th-19th century artist that feature dogs,
among which are several spitzes. Stubbs was a dog-lover and it shows.
- Puppies III by Mitsuaki
Iwago. Heian, 1984. Full-page color photos and brief descriptions of
several breeds of puppy, including Siberian
Husky, Shiba Inu, and an
unspecified Spitz.
- Bogen om Spidshunde
by Linda Sørensen. Clausen Bøger, 1983. Introduction to
several well-known spitzes,
as well as the Welsh Corgis (Cardigan
and Pembroke).
In Danish.
- All About the Spitz
Breeds by David Cavill. Pelham, 1978. An introduction to several
spitz breeds and varieties, illustrated with excellent color photographs.
One chapter deals with "Eskimo Dogs", under which title he
groups the Alaskan Husky, the Greenland Husky, and the Esquimaux.
- "Genetic polymorphism
of eserine resistant esterases in canine plasma" by G Sugiura,
Y Tanabe and K Ota. In: Animal Blood Groups and Biochemical Genetics,
1977, vol 8, p 121-126. A study of six plasma eserine resistant esterase
phenotypes in 1438 dogs of 38 breeds. The authors found that the phenotypic
variations were controlled by three codominant alleles, which they named
ESA, ESB and ESC. ESB was common in most of the breeds; while ESC was
seen only in the Akita, the
Shikoku, the Hokkaido,
the Shinshu-Shiba and Mino-Shiba and "a spitz dog". ESA was
uncommon in Japanese breeds, but found more often in European dogs.
- "The Spitz Group is
the Mystery of the World of Purebred Dogs" by Edward C. Ash. In:
Pure Bred Dogs: The American Kennel Gazette, May, 1937. Six-page
illustrated article on spitzes in the AKC's own journal in which the
author speculates on the relationship and origins of the Keeshond
and Pomeranian, and the antiquity
of the spitz group. The author in quoting from old and ancient sources
does not show any understanding of genetics nor any knowledge of spitz
breeds not in the US, but it remains an amusing read. In addition to
several drawings from historical sources, there are Keeshond photographs
provided by Alice Gatacre, breeder of the Guelder Keeshonden and author
of The Keeshond.
- True Dog Stories
by Albert Payson Terhune, illustrated by Diana Thorne. Saalfield, 1934.
Short stories include "Clarkso, a 'Double Heroine' Eskimo
Dog" and "Fluffy, The Spitz
Heroine of a Queer Melodrama".
- Unsere Nordischen Hunderassen
in Wort und Bild by Thomas Althaus. In German.
- Les Chiens Nordiques
by Al Vachellerie. Introduction to some of the Nordic spitzes, covering
the Esquimaux, the Samoyed,
the Elkhounds, the Finnish Spitz,
and the Keeshond. In French.
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