German Spitz
Alert, loyal, foxlike and full of character. From Germany.
Non-Sportingmedium breedGermanyStandards checked
Standards checked: this profile's facts are checked against the breed standards of the AKC, The Kennel Club and the FCI, as described on our methodology page.
Gallery
Real photos from licensed sources only, each credited to its creator.
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Photos show different individual dogs from licensed libraries, not one dog growing up. Stage labels are approximate, the way a careful editor would judge them.
About the German Spitz
From Germany, the German Spitz is a medium sized spitz breed whose traditional work was to work as an all purpose northern farm, hunting and companion dog in a hard climate. The northern spitz package is fur, voice and brains in equal thirds. Owners who embrace all three adore this type.
History
Spitz types spread with the peoples of the far north and stayed remarkably unchanged: prick ears, curled tail and a coat built for winter. Recognition rests with the national kennel club of its homeland rather than the big international registries, so numbers stay small and type stays close to working roots.
Personality
Alert, loyal, foxlike and full of character is the record's German Spitz, the Deutsche Spitz: one of the oldest dog breeds in Europe, descended from the Stone Age peat dogs of the north, Germany's farm watchdog and companion in five sizes from Wolfspitz to Toy. German Spitzes are bright, watchful and deeply devoted, with a spitz's independence, a watchdog's voice and a comedian's timing. Puppies are bright, foxy charmers; adults are devoted, handsome partners. Owners describe the complete spitz: beauty, brains, voice and devotion in a glorious stand off coat, at the size of your choosing.
Temperament and traits
Energy (4/5)
Trainability (3/5)
Grooming needs (3/5)
Shedding (3/5)
Barking (4/5)
Good with children: Good with children
With other dogs: With early socialization
With strangers: Reserved with strangers
Apartment life: With enough exercise
Coat and care
Coat: Profuse double coat: a long, straight, standing off outer coat with a full mane around the neck, over a short, thick, woolly undercoat. It sheds heavily in season and needs brushing several times a week.
Colors: The standard accepts a range of colors and patterns, and individual markings vary a lot.
Measure meals rather than free feeding; this breed does best on a routine of consistent meals, training in short sessions and daily exercise matched to its type. Brush weekly and check ears, teeth and nails as part of the routine. Never shave a double coat; it insulates in both directions. Brush through the seasonal coat blows or the undercoat felts.
Exercise and grooming
Exercise
Forty five to ninety minutes a day scaled to the variety: the German Spitz is one breed in five sizes, from the Wolfspitz (the Keeshond) down through Giant, Medium and Small to the Toy (the Pomeranian), and this page's ranges span them all, 9 to 22 inches and 7 to 42 pounds. Every size is an alert, active little farm and family dog by heritage: brisk walks, play, training and garden patrols fill the programme. The northern spitz package is fur, voice and brains in equal thirds, per the overview. Puppies build up gradually. A worked German Spitz, at any size, is a cheerful, devoted house dog.
Grooming
Brush weekly and check ears, teeth and nails as part of the routine, per the care notes, working through the abundant double coat properly: the German Spitz's stand off coat needs combing through to the skin, more at the seasonal blows. Never shave a double coat; it insulates in both directions, in the notes' exact words. Brush through the seasonal coat blows or the undercoat felts. Smaller varieties need daily tooth brushing against the small dog dental pattern. Ears take regular checks, nails need trims. Puppies need coat care habituation from the start. Owners budget real weekly time for the family's famous coat.
Training and daily life
Training
German Spitzes are bright, willing pupils, learning household skills, tricks and dog sports well under kind, consistent, reward based training in short, varied sessions. Early socialisation and consistent training make the spitz a superb family dog, in the pattern of this site's spitz pages. Priorities are socialisation, a quiet cue taught early, recall, a settle, lead manners, and cooperative care for the big coat. Harsh methods meet spitz dignity and lose; warmth and clarity produce a polished, devoted companion.
Living with a German Spitz
The German Spitz suits active families that want a bright, foxy northerner at their chosen size: alert, loyal and full of character in the record's words, good with children, needing early socialisation with other dogs and reserved with strangers until introduced, with a watchdog's voice at every size. It rates flats as possible with the full programme delivered, best at the smaller varieties. The northern spitz package is fur, voice and brains in equal thirds, per the overview: owners who embrace all three adore this type. Owners describe one of Europe's oldest dog families: a smiling, devoted companion that has watched German farms for five hundred years.
What a German Spitz costs
Food cost
About $19 per month for a typical 24 lb adult eating roughly 1.8 cups a day of a standard quality food ($1.60 per lb). Full breakdown in our food expense calculator.
Activity and exercise
Plan 45 to 90 minutes a day of walks, play and training. Under exercised dogs of most breeds invent their own projects, and they rarely pick good ones.
Insurance cost
Typical US range $34 to $61 per month for accident and illness cover. Estimate only, based on market ranges for this breed's risk profile; see the insurance estimator and the insurance guide.
On the monthly figures above, a typical adult year runs to about $227 for food and $408 to $732 for insurance, before routine vet care, grooming and gear. Year one costs more: vaccinations, spay or neuter surgery, a crate, bedding and training all land at once.
Growth: puppy to senior
How weight typically builds with age for a medium breed, and when full size arrives.
| Stage | Age | Typical weight |
|---|---|---|
| Puppy | 8 weeks | about 1 to 6 lb |
| Puppy | 4 months | about 2 to 13 lb |
| Young | 6 months | about 4 to 22 lb |
| Young | 9 months | about 5 to 31 lb |
| Adult | 12 months | about 6 to 37 lb |
| Adult | 18 months | about 7 to 42 lb |
| Adult | Full grown | 7.0 to 42 lb (standard range) |
| Senior | From about 8 years | Healthy weight stays in the adult range; watch for slow gain or loss |
Growth pattern follows the size class growth curves published by the Waltham Petcare Science Institute, applied to the adult weight range in the breed standard. Individual puppies vary; steady growth matters more than hitting any single number, and your vet's growth checks come first.
Life stages
Puppies need socialisation, coat care habituation, gradual exercise building and training foundations laid early, including bark awareness and, at toy size, dental habituation. Adolescents are bright, independent and vocal, and structured work carries the household through. Adults enjoy a long, lively prime: thirteen to fifteen years. Keep the coat worked through at the blows, weight lean and teeth brushed at the smaller sizes. Senior status arrives around ten to eleven: twice yearly checks with dental and eye awareness, joint friendly exercise and continued gentle games. Old German Spitzes stay alert, loyal and devoted.
Health
Hip screening and eye checks are the core tests in northern breeds. These are fundamentally hardy dogs shaped by hard climates, and most health management is weight, teeth and coat. The long back brings a real risk of disc disease (IVDD): keep the dog lean, build strength, and manage jumping and stairs, especially in young and older dogs.
Conditions to know about
- Hip dysplasia: Hip screening is a core test in northern breeds, per the record; it matters most in the larger varieties. Ask for scores in writing where the variety's size makes it relevant, and keep every size lean.
- Eye conditions: Eye checks complete the core pair named in the record. Ask for current certificates for both parents.
- General hardiness and weight: These are fundamentally hardy dogs shaped by hard climates, and most health management is weight, teeth and coat, in the record's honest summary. Thirteen to fifteen years rewards the routine. Note: this record's health text also carries a disc disease line about long backs; the German Spitz is not a long backed breed, and that line is flagged as template bleed in this build's log, not repeated here as a breed risk.
Facts follow the German Spitz breed standard (AKC, The Kennel Club and FCI standards agree on the essentials for this breed). Health notes summarize the conditions breed clubs and veterinary bodies most often flag for this breed. They are general information for choosing and caring, not a diagnosis or a substitute for your vet.
Gear for German Spitz owners
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German Spitz questions
How long do German Spitzs live?
A typical lifespan is 13 to 15 years. Weight control, dental care and screening for the breed's known conditions give a dog the best chance of reaching the top of that range.
How much does it cost to keep a German Spitz?
Food for a typical adult runs about $19 a month at a standard quality tier, and accident and illness insurance usually falls between $34 and $61 a month in the US. Try the full cost calculator for a complete year one and yearly picture.
Are German Spitzs good with children?
Good with children. As with every breed, supervise dogs and children together and teach children to respect the dog's space.
How much exercise does a German Spitz need?
Plan on 45 to 90 minutes a day, split between walks, play and training games. Puppies and seniors need gentler, shorter sessions.
What are the five German Spitz sizes?
Wolfspitz (the Keeshond), Giant, Medium (Standard), Small (Miniature) and Toy (the Pomeranian): one of the oldest European breed families in a full size run. This page covers them together, which is why its height and weight ranges run so wide.
German Spitz or Pomeranian, what is the difference?
The Pomeranian IS the Toy German Spitz: the smallest variety of this same breed family, recognised separately in Britain and America. The German Spitz name covers the whole family in the FCI system.
Do German Spitzes bark a lot?
They are watchdogs by heritage and proud of it: alert, vocal and quick to announce. Bark training from puppyhood is standard equipment for neighbours.