JAPANESE SPITZ ARTICLES
I have provided some documentation and articles on Japanese Spitz which may be of use to you in considering whether to buy a Japanese Spitz puppy
| Group: | Group 7 (Non Sporting) |
| History: | |
| General Appearance: | Profuse, pure white, stand-off coat. Overall quality of body firm and strong. Pointed muzzle, triangular shaped ears standing erect. Well plumed tail carried over back. Ratio of height to length, 10:11. |
| Characteristics: | Affectionate, companionable. Slightly chary at first meeting with strangers. |
| Temperament: | Alert, intelligent, bold and lively. |
| Head And Skull: | Head medium size without coarseness. Wedge shaped when viewed from above. Moderately broad. Slightly rounded skull, broadest at occiput. Well defined stop, forehead not protruding. Muzzle in proportion to the head, tapering to a small, black, round nose. Lips black, firm and tight. |
| Eyes: | Dark, moderate size, oval shaped, set rather obliquely and not too wide apart; black eye rims. |
| Ears: | Small, triangular, standing erect. Set high, facing forward, not too wide apart. |
| Mouth: | Jaws strong with perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws. |
| Neck: | Strong, arched and of moderate length. |
| Forequarters: | Moderately sloping shoulder, upper arm of sufficient length to ensure elbow is vertically below point of withers. Forelegs straight, elbows firm and tight, pasterns slightly sloping. |
| Body: | Length from point of shoulder to point of buttock slightly greater than height at withers. Chest broad and deep. Ribs well sprung, belly firm with moderate tuck-up. Back straight and short, full of flexibility. Loins broad and firm, with a slight rise. Level croup with high set tail. |
| Hindquarters: | Well proportioned and balanced. Muscular, moderately angulated. Hind legs parallel to each other viewed from rear. |
| Feet: | Small round, cat-like and well cushioned. Pads black, nails preferably dark. |
| Tail: | Moderate length, well plumed, high set, carried curved over the back. |
| Gait/Movement: | Light, nimble, active, energetic and very smooth. |
| Coat: | Outer coat straight and stand-off. Profuse, short, dense undercoat, soft in texture. Shorter on face, ears, front of fore and hind legs and below hocks. Remainder of body covered with long coat. Mane on neck and shoulders reaching down to brisket. Tail profusely covered with long hair. |
| Colour: | Pure white. |
| Sizes: | Height at shoulders: Dogs 34-37 cms (13.5 - 14.5 ins) Bitches 30-34 cms (12 - 13.5 ins) |
| Faults: | Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog. |
| Notes: | Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum. |
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PRE-ARRIVAL SHOPPING LIST AND FAMILY PRESENT LIST
Download the SHOPPING LIST FOR NEW OWNERS AND OTHERS
Download YOUR PUPPY - THE PUPPY PACK FOR NEW OWNERS AND OTHERS to learn how to care for your pup. This is the Puppy Pack booklet for owners of new puppies.
Please note that I am very happy for owners of any new puppy to access this information which is largely generic - although it does have some Japanese Spitz specific information in it.
Grooming Your Japanese Spitz
THE NORTHERN JAPANESE SPITZ CLUB OF THE U.K. HAS PRODUCED AN EXCELLENT GUIDE TO GROOMING A JAPANESE SPITZ. Family pet owners may not want to go to the trouble of trimming hocks etc. but it is a fantastic guide to regular grooming of this breed.
The original can be found on
http://www.northernjapanesespitzclub.co.uk/guide.pdf
When your pup is shedding, please refer to my notes as you generally do not want to bath a dog with loose coat with your hands massaging shampoo into it, because it matts up like a felt rug.
Download the /memberwebs/japanesespitz/uploads/documents/guide_to_grooming_the_Japanese_spitz.pdf
PATELLA TESTING
PATELLA LUXATION IS ONE OF THE THINGS YOU SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR WITH YOUR JAPANESE SPITZ PUPPY.
At KoFuji we are very mindful of the importance of breeding good healthy dogs with strong patellas to enhance their life and locomotion. New owners should always ask if the breeder screens for patella luxation and what their policy is.
My vet WHO HAS JUST RETIRED has been screening my dogs and bitches for the last 20 years - the same pairs of hands - and we only breed from good healthy parents. It is one of the tihings we have always been very fussy about and don't breed from those with loose or suspect patellas.
Unfortunately PATELLA LUXATION is a problem of small and medium dogs generally (the knee does not evolve as quickly as the rest of the dog and the knee cap is one of the last places to adapt as sizes of dogs go up and down). Again it takes many many years genetically to "fix" bad patellas, so responsible breeders try to ensure that only quality stock are bred from. Because the Japanese Spitz has a very small gene pool, some latitude is made to using those with intemittant luxation - see the directions below from The Japanese Spitz Club (UK). We are members of the the UK Japanese Spitz Club and welcome their recent advice on this issue.
Download THE JAPANESE SPITZ CLUB (U.K.) Guidelines on Patella Testing
If we have a dog or pup come to visit us as it grows older we ask if you are happy for me to take it to my vet at my expense for screening as that enhances our research on how we are going and how the pup /dog grew up, how it's status as an adult corresponded to our findings as a puppy, and the parents' records as a Japanese Spitz producer.
Owners (puppy purchasers) of Japanese Spitz should also recognise that they have a role in developing strong patellas in Adult dogs
- This includes keeping them a good lean weight (i.e. not overweight) and ensuring that they are not over-exercised or involved in Jumping activities until all the joints and ligaments finish growing at around 12-14 months of age.
- Afterwards, a dog with good patellas should be able to particpate in agility sports (which they love) and go for long walks and jogs and even for many kilometers.
MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY IN JAPANESE SPITZ
The Irish Japanese Spitz Association is participating in a research project on Muscular Dystrophy in Japanese Spitz
There has been little, if no evidence, of this problem in Australia, but it is important to keep up with the world-wide research on canine health issues.
A new genetic test for muscular dystrophy in the Japanese Spitz:
A minimally invasive genetic test using oral saliva swabs has now been developed in UCD. The new genetic test should assist us in identifying affected animals before clinical presentation and also permits carriers to be identified. It should therefore help eliminate the disease from future Japanese Spitz dogs.
Registration certificates, pedigrees and microchip numbers are collected with oral saliva swabs from Japanese Spitz dogs. Once saliva is collected, the DNA is extracted and PCR amplification of the DNA is carried out using specific primers for the mutation. So far a total of 64 Japanese Spitz dogs bred in Ireland have been tested. From those, three female carrier dogs were identified.
One adult male affected dog was also identified. The affected male is now 8 years old and has a milder disease than that seen in the seven dogs in the original study. However, there were some clinical signs present (hypersalivation, poor body condition score, stiffness on the hind limbs and muscle wastage) and a circulating muscle enzyme (creatine kinase) was elevated. He had several litters and one of his daughters is known to have inherited the mutant X chromosome and is therefore a carrier of the disease. One of his sons was also tested and was shown, as expected, not to carry the mutant chromosome.
The identification of this 8-year old affected dog indicates that the disease may also present in a milder form and confirms that breeding from such an animal can perpetuate the disease in the breed.
Conclusions:
The mutation for muscular dystrophy in the Japanese Spitz has been indentified and a genetic test has been designed at UCD.
Since no cure is available, prevention of this disease, by removing affected and carrier animals from the breeding population, is the best strategy for eliminating the disease from the breed. It is highly recommended that all dogs found to have passed on this trait, or to have been identified as affected or carriers by the genetic test, should be spayed or neutered to prevent its further transmission.
Authors:
Sabela Atencia, DVM Resident in Small Animal Medicine
Catherine M Nolan, PhD, Senior Lecturer UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science
Dr. Carmel T Mooney, MVB MPhil PhD DECVIM-CA MRCVS RCVS Specialist in Small Animal Medicine