Indian Spitz Dog – Breed Information and How to Take Care

Indian Spitz is an attractive dog breed that needs care and pampering and has the potential to become an ideal pet. According to the zoologists, these dogs were first domesticated around thousands of years ago. As all the other canines, Indian Spitz was also evolved from the wolf.

Indian Spitz Dog- An Overview

The Indian Spitz falls under the Spitz-type dog breed and belongs to the group of Utility Dogs. As the appearance is concerned, this dog breed has similarities to German Spitz. However, these dogs are around 1.5 to 2.5 inches shorter in withers and are about 10-15 lbs lesser in weight to the Germans.

During the years of 1980’s and 1990’s, the import rules of the foreign dog breeds became harder. In the result, The Indian Spitz Dogs got a huge popularity among the dog lovers in India. This popularity is continuing among the people even today. However, this fame of Indian Spitz is bit put in the shade by the other dog breeds such as Lhasa Apso and Pugs but still this dog breed has maintained the status of being one of the most reasonably priced yet pleasing pets.

At times the people call Indian Spitz as Pomeranian Dogs although both breed have so much differences with each other. The Indian Spitz is the dog breed that belongs to the Spitz Family. Some of the other members of this family are Finnish Spitz, Elk hound, Samoyed and German Spitz.

Indian Spitz- The Origin

The British who began breeding them from a stock of German Spitzes introduced the Indian Spitz in India. After the years of frequent researches and breeding, the dog breed was produced that was perfect to be suited in the hot and humid climate of the plains in India. These Indian Spitz Dogs resembled German Spitz and Samoyeds to a large extent, however, they incorporated thick coats and were also bit smaller in size. These traits made the dog breed ideal to survive in the climatic conditions of India.

Indian Spitz- The Conduct

The Indian Spitz is the dog with great zeal, energy and enthusiasm. They are flexible to all the living conditions of India. They can adapt very well with the owner living in a small apartment and in the same way they also fit themselves perfectly and easily in the large farmhouse as well. Their diet is also highly adaptable as per the conditions. They can survive on milk, yogurt and rice. If possible, the owner can also provide them a diet of chicken and rice. The Indian Spitz is a breed that is friendly and loyal towards the members of the family. They mix up with the family very easily and they act as an awesome watchdog as well.  They greet the strangers with a thrilling and high-pitched bark. This dog breed is friendly with the other dog breeds and thus do not engage themselves in fighting with other dogs.

Indian Spitz- The Specs

Any prime Kennel Club of the world does not recognize Indian Spitz. However, the Kennel Club of India identifies it as an exclusive Indian Breed. This Indian club is working to provide this breed a recognition in the other Kennel club running throughout the globe.

In general, these dogs are separated in to Smaller/ Lesser Indian Spitz and Greater Indian Spitz. The Smaller Indian Spitz is around 5-7 kilograms in weight and is 20 to 25 centimeters at the withers. The Greater Indian Spitz is around 12 to 20 kilograms in weight and 35 to 45 centimeters at the withers. This amazing Indian dog breed is found in many colors as well. They are generally milky white. The others colors in which Indian Spitz may be found are Dusky Brown, Black and very rarely in a hybrid of white and black, as the Dalmatian dogs. Other than this trait, these dogs resemble in all the remaining qualities of appearance. The ears of this breed are erect.

Important Fact- they are not Pomeranian!

Many people in India confuse the Indian Spitz with the Pomeranian. However, this is completely a wrong notion. These two dog breeds may look somewhat similar but they are completely different from each other. Some of the basic differences can be illustrated as follows:

• The Pomeranian are the toy breeds. They are much lighter in weight when compared to Indian Spitz Dogs. They are smaller in height as well.
• The face of Pomeranian is much flatter in comparison to Indian Spitz. The snout in Pomeranian is far more conical.
• The Pomeranian has thicker and much denser coat and thus it is hard to see individual hair in them. On the other side, the Indian Spitz have less denser coat on their body and thus one can easily locate the individual hair.
• The Indian Spitz have more pointed ear than the Pomeranian Dogs.

Finding their Origin

The history of this dog breed links them with the wolves. The Indian Spitz likes to hunt down rodents and pigeons. This trait is similar to that of wolves. While hunting their prey, Indian Spitz bends their knees and moves slowly towards the food. This is the same style as their ancestors. These dogs have very old history and thus can be counted among the most significant Indian dog breeds.

The Intelligence in Indian Spitz

Indian Spitz is an extremely intelligent breed of dog. The master of this dog can make them learn various tricks in a small amount of time provided they are trained in a proper way. These dogs are very clever by mind and have the quality to understand the human intentions in an astounding way. In 1970’s and 1980’s, these dogs were used to a major extent in the circuses of India.

They need Proper Grooming

One can clean the body the body of Indian Spitz just by regular brushing. The frequent brushing of hairs can also minimize the shedding of hair. During the summers and warm atmosphere, it is advisable to check the fleas and ticks on a daily basis. Most of these dogs do not require a bath more than few occasions round the year. It is wise to remove the dirt on the soap before making them bath. Thus, these dogs need a bit of care and their body will groom in a better way if are pampered nicely.

The Lifespan of Indian Spitz

The normal lifespan of the Indian Spitz is between ten to fourteen years. Some of these dogs also lived up to an age of 16 years. There was a dog in Chandan Nagar, situated on the outer of Kolkata, who lived to the age of 18 years. Thus, it can be said that these dogs have a longer lifespan if compared to most of the major dog breeds.

Got Glamour in Bollywood!

In the famous Bollywood flick of 1994- ‘Hum Aapke Hain Kaun’, a 6 year old Indian Spitz Dog naming Redo played an important role of ‘Tuffy’. This dog belonged to the assistant director of the movie Madhukar Sawle. The actress of this film, Madhuri Dixit, later adopted Redo. The dog died in the year 2000 when it was 12 years old.