FCI
Breed
Standard
Deutscher
Spitz
Wolfspitz/Keeshond,
Grosspitz,
Mittelspitz,
Kleinspitz,
Zwergspitz/Pomeranian
Translation:
C.
Seidler
Origin:
Germany
Date
of
Publication
of
the
Original
Valid
Standard:
5.3.1998
Utilization:
Watch
and
Companion
Dog
Classification
F.C.I.:Group
5
Spitz
and
Primitive
Types
Section
4
European
Spitz.
Without
Working
TrialBrief
historical
summary
:
German
Spitz
are
descendants
of
the
stone
age
«
Peat
Dogs
»
(Torfhund)
«
Canis
familiaris
palustris
Rüthimeyer
»
and
the
later
Lake
Dweller's
(Pfahlbau)
Spitz;
they
are
the
oldest
breed
of
dog
in
Central
Europe.
Numerous
other
breeds
have
been
produced
from
them.
In
non-German
speaking
countries
Wolfspitz
are
known
as
Keeshonds
and
toy
Spitz
as
Pomeranians.
General
appearance:
Spitz
breeds
are
captivating
on
account
of
their
beautiful
coats,
made
to
stand
off
by
plentiful
undercoat.
Particularly
impressive
is
the
strong,
mane-like
collar
round
the
neck
(ruff)
and
the
bushy
tail
carried
boldly
over
the
back.
The
foxy
head
with
alert
eyes
and
the
small
pointed,
closely
set
ears
give
the
Spitz
his
unique
characteristic,
cheeky
appearance.
Important
proportions:
The
ratio
of
height
at
withers
to
body
length
is
1
:
1.
Behaviour
and
character:
The
German
Spitz
is
always
attentive,
lively
and
exceptionally
devoted
to
his
owner.
He
is
very
teachable
and
easy
to
train.
His
distrust
to
strangers
and
lack
of
hunting
instinct
make
him
the
ideal
watchdog
for
home
and
farm.
He
is
neither
timid
nor
aggressive.
Indifference
to
weather,
robustness
and
longevity
are
his
most
outstanding
attributes
Head
Cranial
region:
The
Spitz's
medium
size
head,
seen
from
above,
appears
broadest
at
the
back
and
tapers
in
wedge
shape
to
the
tip
of
the
nose.
Stop:
Moderate
to
marked,
never
abrupt.
Facial
region:
Nose:
The
nose
is
round,
small
and
pure
black,
dark
brown
in
brown
Spitz.
Muzzle:
The
muzzle
is
not
overlong
and
stands
in
pleasing
proportion
to
the
skull.
(in
Wolfspitz/Keeshond,
Giant
Spitz
and
Medium-size
Spitz
the
ratio
length
of
the
muzzle
to
length
of
the
skull
is
approximately
2:3,
in
Miniature
Spitz
and
Toy
Spitz
approximately
2:4.).
Lips:
The
lips
are
not
exaggerated,
close
fitting
to
the
jaws
and
do
not
form
any
folds
to
the
corner
of
the
mouth.
They
are
completely
black
in
all
colours,
brown
in
brown
Spitz.
Jaws/teeth:
The
jaws
are
normally
developed
and
show
a
complete
scissor
bite
with
42
teeth,
corresponding
to
the
teeth
formula
of
the
dog,
i.e.
the
upper
teeth
closely
overlapping
the
lower
teeth
and
set
square
to
the
jaws.
Pincer-bite
is
permissible
in
all
varieties
of
Spitz.
Cheeks:
The
cheeks
are
gently
rounded,
not
protruding.
Eyes:
The
eyes
are
of
medium
size,
longish
shape,
slightly
slanting
and
dark.
The
eyelids
are
black
in
all
shades
of
colour,
dark
brown
in
brown
Spitz.
Ears:
The
small
ears
are
set
high
and
relatively
close
to
each
other,
triangular
and
pointed;
they
are
always
carried
upright,
stiff
at
the
tips.
Neck:
The
medium
length
neck
is
set
broadly
into
the
shoulders,
slightly
arched
without
throatiness
and
covered
by
a
thick,
profuse
coat
forming
a
large
ruff.
Body:
Topline:
The
topline
starts
at
the
tips
of
the
erectly
carried
prick-ears
and
merges
in
a
gentle
curve
win
the
short,
straight
back.
The
bushy,
sweeping
tail,
which
partially
covers
the
back,
rounds
off
the
silhouette.
Withers/back:
The
high
withers
drop
imperceptibly
into
the
shortest
possible,
straight,
firm
back.
Loin:
Short-coupled,
broad
and
strong.
Croup:
The
croup
is
broad
and
short,
not
falling
away.
Chest:
The
deep
chest
is
well
sprung,
the
forechest
well
developed.
Lower
line::
The
brisket
reaches
as
far
back
as
possible;
the
belly
has
only
a
slight
tuck
up.
Tail:
The
tail
is
set
on
high
and
of
medium
length.
It
reaches
upwards
and
rolls
forward
over
the
back,
straight
from
the
root.
It
lies
firmly
over
the
back
and
is
covered
with
very
bushy
hair.
A
double
curl
at
tip
of
tail
is
tolerated.
Limbs
Forequarters:
General:
Straight,
rather
broad
front.
Shoulders:
The
shoulder-blade
is
long
and
well
laid
back.
The
upper
arm,
which
is
approximately
the
same
length,
forms
an
angle
of
90
degrees
to
the
shoulder-blade.
The
shoulder
is
well
muscled
and
firmly
connected
to
the
brisket.
Elbow:
The
elbow
joint
is
strong,
close
fitting
to
the
brisket
and
turns
neither
in
nor
out.
Forearm
The
forearm
is
of
medium
length
in
relation
to
the
body,
sturdy
and
completely
straight.
The
back
of
the
forearm
is
well
feathered.
Metacarpus
(Pastern):
The
strong,
medium
length
front
pastern
stands
at
an
angle
of
20
degrees
from
the
vertical.
Front
feet:
The
front
feet
are
as
small
as
possible,
round
and
closed,
so
called
cat
feet,
with
well
arched
toes.
Toe-nails
and
pads
are
black
in
all
shades
of
colour,
but
dark
brown
in
brown
dogs.
Hindquarters:
General:
The
hindquarters
are
very
muscular
and
abundantly
feathered
to
the
hocks.
The
hind
legs
stand
straight
and
parallel.
Upper
and
lower
thigh:
Upper
and
lower
thigh
are
of
about
equal
length.
Stifle:
The
stifle
joint
is
strong
with
only
moderate
angulation
and
is
turned
neither
in
nor
out
in
movement.
Metatarsal
(Hock):
The
hock
is
of
medium
length,
very
strong
and
vertical
to
the
ground.
Hind
feet:
The
hind
feet
are
as
small
as
possible,
tightly
closed
with
well
arched
toes,
so
called
cat
feet.
The
pads
are
coarse.
The
colour
of
nails
and
pads
is
as
dark
as
possible.
Gait/movement:
The
German
Spitz
moves
straight
ahead
with
good
drive,
fluid
and
springy.
Skin:
The
skin
covers
the
body
tightly
without
any
wrinkles.
Coat:
Hair:
The
German
Spitz
has
a
double
coat:
long,
straight,
stand
off
top
coat
and
short,
thick,
cotton-wool-like
undercoat.
Head,
ears,
front
side
of
front
and
hind
legs
and
the
feet
are
covered
by
short,
thick
(velvety)
hair.
The
rest
of
the
body
has
a
long
rich
coat.
Not
wavy,
curly
or
corded,
not
parted
on
the
back.
Neck
and
shoulders
are
covered
by
a
thick
mane.
The
backside
of
the
front
legs
is
well
feathered,
the
hind
legs
have
ample
feathering
from
croup
to
hocks.
The
tail
is
bushy.
Colour:
A)
Wolfspitz/Keeshound
:
grey
shaded.
B)
Giant-Spitz:
black,
brown,
white.
C:
Medium-size
Spitz:
black,
brown,
white,
orange,
grey-shaded,
other
colours.
D)
Miniature
Spitz:
black,
brown,
white,
orange,
grey-shaded,
other
colours.
E)
Toy
Spitz/Pomeranian:
black,
brown,
white,
orange,
grey-shaded,
other
colours.
Black
Spitz:
In
the
black
Spitz,
the
undercoat
and
skin
must
also
be
black
and
the
colour
on
top
must
be
a
shining
black
without
any
white
or
other
markings.
Brown
Spitz:
The
brown
Spitz
should
he
uniformly
dark
brown.
White
Spitz::
The
coat
should
be
pure
white
without
any
trace
of
yellow
in
particular,
which
often
occurs,
specially
on
the
ears.
Orange
Spitz:
The
orange
Spitz
should
be
evenly
coloured
in
the
medium
colour
range.
Grey-shaded
Spitz
Keeshond
/
Keeshond:
Grey-shaded
is
a
silver
grey
with
black
hair-tips.
Muzzle
and
ears
dark
in
colour;
round
the
eyes
well
defined
«
spectacles
»
shown
as
a
delicately
pencilled
black
line
slanting
from
outer
corner
of
eye
to
lower
corner
of
ear,
coupled
with
distinct
markings
and
shading
forming
expressive
short
eyebrow;
mane
and
ring
on
shoulder
lighter;
fore-
and
hindlegs
without
any
black
marking
under
the
elbows
or
stifles,
except
slight
pencilling
on
the
toes;
black
tip
of
tail;
underside
of
tail
and
trousers
pale
grey.
Other
coloured
Spitz:
The
term
«
other
colours
»
covers
all
shades
of
colour,
such
as:
cream,
cream-sable,
orange-sable,
black
and
tan
and
particolour
(with
white
always
as
main
colour).
The
black,
brown,
grey
or
orange
patches
must
be
distributed
over
the
whole
body.
Size
and
weight:
Height
at
the
withers
:
a)
Wolfspitz/Keeshond
49
cm
+/-
6
cm
b)
Giant
Spitz
46
cm
+/-4
cm
c)
Medium
size
Spitz
34
cm
+/-
4
cm
d)
Miniature
Spitz
26
cm
+/-
3
cm
e)
Toy
Spitz/Pomeranian
20
cm
+/-2
cm
Dogs
under
18
cm
undesirable.
Weight:
Each
variety
of
German
Spitz
should
have
a
weight
corresponding
to
its
size.
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.
Serious
faults:
-
Faults
in
construction.
-
Head
too
flat;
distinct
apple
head.
-
Flesh-coloured
nose,
eyelids
and
lips
-
ln
Wolfspitz/Keeshond,
Giant
Spitz
and
Medium
size
Spitz
missing
teeth.
-
Faults
in
movement.
-
In
grey-shaded
Spitz
missing
of
distinct
markings
of
the
face.
Eliminating
faults:
-
Gap
in
fontanel.
-
Over-or
undershot
bite.
-
Ectropion
or
entropion.
-
Semi-pricked
ears.
-
Definite
white
patches
in
all
not
white
Spitz.
N.B.
Male
animals
should
have
two
apparently
normal
testicles
fully
descended
into
the
scrotum.