The Japanese Spitz was bred to be a Companion
The Japanese Spitz was developed and bred to be a companion dog breed to fit in with the extended families that are common in Japan and as such have a nature that is very family centric. Due to this intended purpose Japanese Spitz have a natural tendency to like to socialise with people, animals and other dogs. Anyone who has met a Japanese Spitz might think that they are a bit snobbish when they first meet them as they can be a little aloof with strangers on their first meeting, but Japanese Spitz quickly warm to new people. This is a trait that is highly valued by many Japanese Spitz owners who do have frequent visitors as they tend not to run and jump all over a new person who visits their home. Many visitors are also pleased not to have an unknown dog jump all over them also, particularly those that are not fond of dogs or have had bad experiences with dogs in the past. Japanese Spitz are a people magnet and will quickly gain much deserved attention from just about everyone they meet from young children to senior citizens and their cheeky antics endear them to new and familiar people alike. This is why it is very important to socialise them with new people and other dogs from an early age.
Japanese Spitz and children
Japanese Spitz are great with children and are quite tolerant of, and often actually enjoy the boisterous play that kids are often fond of. Japanese Spitz are a very loyal breed that displays remarkable intelligence while still being an obedient dog. They are a breed that likes to please their family and will take instruction from all members of the family and are not a “one man dog” breed. However, due to their unbelievably good looks and cuteness of Japanese Spitz puppies and their intelligence even as puppies, they can manipulate their owners into getting away with murder! It is important to set the rules that you want them to follow from the day your Japanese Spitz puppy comes home and stick to them so that they know what is expected of them. Japanese Spitz puppies will often only need to be shown what is required only a few times before they know what is expected.
Japanese Spitz as watchdogs
Japanese Spitz are an alert and inquisitive breed. They make fantastic watchdogs that will alert their family to unknown visitors to their home by barking. They are not guard dogs and will not attack or bite unknown people but will alert neighbours to the presence of strangers. Japanese Spitz are also reasonably protective of children and many owners find that they will place themselves between children and any perceived threats such as unknown strangers or aggressive dogs.
Japanese Spitz are very clean dogs
Japanese Spitz are very clean dogs and have been compared to cats in their cleanliness and dislike of being dirty. They will get dirty and like most dogs will enjoy playing in mud if they come across it. This would seem be a nightmare to clean such a beautiful white coat that they possess but this is where the Teflon coat of the Japanese Spitz is almost an unbelievable miracle. When Japanese Spitz get dirty, they will often find a quiet spot out of the elements and dry off. Once the mud has dried off, it will begin to fall off the coat of the dog and your Japanese Spitz will need minimal grooming to get them back to looking their best. The Japanese Spitz has little to no doggy smell or doggy odour even when wet which is again attributed to their coat. The coat of a Japanese Spitz also seems to cause minimal allergic reactions to people that are normally allergic to dogs. While this low allergy trait of Japanese Spitz is not fully understood and allergic reactions differ between individuals to the point of different reactions to different pups in the same litter, their Teflon-like fur and low shedding qualities are believed to greatly contribute.
Japanese Spitz are highly adaptable
Overall Japanese Spitz are a highly adaptable breed and can live in just about any type of living arrangements from a country property with a large extended family to a small apartment with a single elderly owner and everyone in between. They do love the attention of all in the household but can be left alone during the day so long as adequate stimulation is provided to prevent these intelligent dogs from becoming bored. There is more information about keeping your Japanese Spitz entertained while they are alone in the Japanese Spitz care section of this site. The relatively small size of the Japanese Spitz allows them to be easily transported in the car or even public transport without too much difficulty. The fantastic temperament and low maintenance of the Japanese Spitz has contributed to their very low rate of being dumped or abandoned by owners and hence they do not turn up very often in pounds and shelters. Japanese Spitz are so loved by owners that have owned them that most owners state that they will never have any other breed other than a Japanese Spitz for the rest of their lives!