GENERAL APPEARANCE
Shoulder height: Klein (small) 23-28cm (9-11”).
Mittel (middle) 29-35.5cm (11½ - 14”).
Colour: All whole or parti-colours acceptable.
Coat: Long, harsh and off standing. Good mane on the neck. Short on the face, ears and lower legs.
Gait: Lithe, springy and free. Head carried high.
This well knit member of the Spitz family, must be compact with an almost square outline. Like most members of the Spitz family, the ears are erect, pointed and set high on the skull. The head is wedge shaped with a slightly shorter muzzle. The nose is black or may conform to the coat colour (pink noses are to be faulted). The eyes are obliquely set and oval. The moderately short neck runs into a compact body and a high set tail that curls up from the root and over the back. The forelegs are straight and there is only moderate angulation at the stifle, the feet must be small and catlike.
CHARACTERISTICS AND CARE
Hallmarks for this member of the Spitz family are loyalty, activity, and alertness and they make excellent watchdogs (as opposed to guard dogs). Their devotion to their family is unquestionable and they should never be aggressive or nervous. They love to join in games and are so responsive, that they even imitate the human smile - never mistake this for a snarl. Like most Spitz breeds, the German Spitz is free of doggy odours and an easy dog with which to live. With the thick undercoat, regular brushing is required.
HISTORY
Fossils of Spitz type breeds have been found far and wide through Asia, Europe and Africa with a preponderance of evidence found in the northern Asiatic area. In what is now North Germany and Denmark, some 6,000 years ago people lived in stilt houses above swamps.When they died they were buried with their dogs in what turned into peat-bogs which also happened to preserve them perfectly. Centuries later excavations found them in an excellent state. Closely allied to the present day Pomeranian, the breeds were eventually separated by a division of sizes.