Basic care of your Japanese Spitz
The basic care requirements for a Japanese Spitz are pretty much the same for any other dog breed. They will need to have their vaccinations at 6, 12 and 16 weeks old and then a booster every year or second year depending on the advice of your vet. They will need to be treated for fleas and worms and this can be done with the one product that does both of these at the same time or you can use a separate wormer and a flea control product. When using a flea control product it is usually best to use one that comes in the form of a chewable tablet or that is a liquid that is placed at the back of your dog’s neck. Stat away from flea collars as most are ineffective in controlling fleas, but more importantly, can cause many Japanese Spitz to develop a skin reaction to the chemical sitting on their neck for weeks. Also if you live in an area that has ticks, a flea collar will not work to repel ticks while most of the newer flea treatments generally provide tick protection but always check the information provided on the label.
Feeding a Japanese Spitz
Japanese Spitz are not fussy eaters and being a relatively small dog breed, they are generally cheap to feed. It is important however to feed your Japanese Spitz a premium dry food if you choose to feed dry food as Japanese Spitz generally eat small amounts so need this small amount to provide all the nutrition that they require. This is especially important for growing puppies where for just a couple of dollars more per week that you would spend on a borderline supermarket dry food you can provide your Japanese Spitz with a complete diet premium dry food. Always consult the Japanese Spitz breeder or previous owner as to what they have been feeding your puppy and how often so you can keep the same diet and then gradually change their diet if you need to.
A safe home for your Japanese Spitz
Your Japanese Spitz puppy will need to have a comfortable and safe environment. Most new Japanese Spitz owners keep their puppy inside the house at first and many allow their Japanese Spitz to have free access inside. If you are going to have your Japanese Spitz outside, you will need to make sure that he or she has a warm, sheltered, comfortable and safe place that they can go to escape any adverse weather. This can be a kennel placed in a sheltered spot in your yard such as a patio or outdoor room or even in the garage. Be sure to make your yard safe for your Japanese Spitz puppy or adult by checking that there are no holes or gaps in your fences or nasty poisons or chemicals where your new addition can get access to them. Japanese Spitz are a very adaptable breed that can tolerate the cold very well due to their thick undercoat that is a great insulator but they still do very well in the heat. This allows the Japanese Spitz to be an inside or outside dog but most commonly they are kept as both inside and outside dogs.
Japanese Spitz coat care
One of the most commonly held beliefs of new owners of Japanese Spitz or people meeting a Japanese Spitz for the first time is that it must take so much work to look after such a beautiful white coat. This is not true as Japanese Spitz are quite easy to care for although they do look like they would take an enormous amount of work to look after thanks to the structure of their coat. Japanese Spitz only need a brush about once a week as adults but it is advisable to brush a puppy more regularly for a few minutes at a time (once per day for 5 minutes for example) to get your Japanese Spitz puppy accustomed to the brush and the actual brushing procedure. This will make things much easier for their weekly brush as adults. The only exception to this is when Japanese Spitz moult their coat, twice per year for females and once per year for males in general but some males will also have a light shedding of their coat a second time. Japanese Spitz do not need have their coat clipped and clipping a Japanese Spitz will reduce their coat’s ability to insulate them from both the heat and cold. Japanese Spitz do not need to be washed often and the more they are washed the more of their natural oils that help to maintain their beautiful coat will be removed. Japanese Spitz only need to be washed about twice a year and washing them more than once per week will lead to our Japanese Spitz having dry skin and a dry flat coat.
Exercise for a Japanese Spitz
Although the Japanese Spitz is an animated and lively little dog, they do not require a large yard or have to be walked everyday. Japanese Spitz tend to use their energy throughout the day keeping themselves amused and busy but due to their sociable personalities they do love a walk. Japanese Spitz don’t need a very long walk when they do go out (just remember that for each one of your steps they will need to take many more!) and a brief walk under 30 minutes will usually suffice. Even a short walk however does provide a highly intelligent breed such as a Japanese Spitz with a huge amount of mental stimulation as they will gain all the information about what other dogs have passed through the area and what they have been up to (a bit like a dog’s version of Facebook!). Providing your Japanese Spitz with a range of different toys will also go a long way in keeping them stimulated and occupied while you are away from home