Rare Breed Monday: Finnish Spitz

Image from hundstunden.se

The Finnish Spitz is the national dog of Finland, and it is also known as the Suomenpystykorva. Say that ten times fast! These dogs were originally bred for hunting small game and birds, but they're often used for moose and even bears. 

These dogs are lively, intelligent, quick, and friendly, and love being active and spending time with the family. They're known for loving children, and usually get along well with other dogs.

Being a barking hunting dog, they bark at anything out of the ordinary, and their country of origin hosts barking competitions. A Finnish Spitz can bark up to 160 times a minute! They can be trained to bark less, but it does make them excellent watchdogs.

The Finnish Spitz is a healthy breed, and their median life span is around 11 years.