
Finnish Spitz
The Finnish Spitz looks as much like a fox as it does a dog. These compact little guys pack quite a punch and have been around Northern Europe for thousands of years.
Illustration courtesy of the Swedish Kennel Club
About this Breed
The Finnish Spitz is a foxy-looking fellow with boundless energy. The breed can be affectionately called Finkies for short. The spitz-type dog can be traced back thousands of years ago to Northern Europe and Russia. Finkies were nearly extinct by the 1880s because of interbreeding, but have since recovered. They were bred as “bark pointers” to identify wild game, while also serving as a distraction so the hunter’s movements would go unnoticed.
The Finnish Spitz has a thick double coat, so they shed quite a lot. They are great with people, but can weary of strangers at first. Finkies are very vocal and can make excellent guard dogs.
Finnish Spitzes on Embark
Explore some Embark dogs that share Finnish Spitz ancestry.

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Norrbottenspets
The Norrbottenspets descends from the ancient spitzes that helped humans hunt across northern Scandanavia for thousands of years. This small-medium dog has now found a new role to excel at: companionship.
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