Keeshond, Wolfspitz or Wolf Spitz - as you probably already guessed, these are the same breed of dog. This is the largest Spitz of all varieties of this breed.

History of the Keeshond breed

The ancestor of the Spitz is considered to be the peat dog, which lived in the Stone Age. Based on this, the Spitz is one of the most ancient dog breeds. The homeland of these dogs are Holland and Germany, where the Wolfspitz was first identified as a separate breed of the breed. The wolf-spitz was especially popular in the Netherlands, where it got its magnificent name keeshond or barge dog, the purpose of which was to guard barges and catch rats. Therefore, be careful about the friendship of your furry friend with representatives of the rodent family, because genetically fixed features of behavior can lead to the accidental death of the latter. In addition, the Keeshond breed was also actively used to guard dwellings, livestock and even hunting.

 

There is still an opinion among the people that Wolfspitz and Keeshond are different breeds of dogs with different appearance and behavior. However, the International Kennel Organization has recognized them as one breed, having approved a single standard for them. Therefore, at shows these dogs are evaluated and compared in general breed rings.

Positive features of the breed:

• tendency to train;
• easy care of wool, which does not roll into tangles at all;
• cheerful friendly character;
• intelligence and ingenuity;
• the presence of guard qualities (they warn of the approach of strangers by barking);
• sensitive hearing and excellent scent;
• love for children;
• propensity to play sports (frisbee, agility, etc.);
• medium universal size.

 

Description of the Wolshpitz breed or wolf spitz - appearance 

The Keeshond or Wolfspitz is a medium-sized dog, 49 + (-) 6 cm high at the withers (according to the standard FCI).

Weight ranges from 12 to 30 kg.

Life expectancy: 11-13 years.

DESCRIPTION OF APPEARANCE. Dogs of the Keeshond breed have a harmonious constitution, a chic abundant coat with a thick undercoat and a wolf color typical of the Wolfspitz breed. Therefore, the Keeshond breed is called a wolf spitz, and not because they are direct descendants of a wolf or, even worse, have wolfish habits. Especially in appearance, the Keeshonda strikes with a thick mane-like collar around the neck and a thick fluffy tail, which is always thrown over the back and tightly pressed against it. The Keeshond's muzzle resembles a fox, but should not be excessively elongated and narrow or, on the contrary, voluminous like that of the Chow Chow breed. Ears are small, sharp, close-set and should be raised. If the ears are lowered and pressed to the head, this means the dog is scared or does not feel comfortable. The ears may be pinched while the dog is moving.

In the photo you can see our wonderful Keeshond Severnaya Orkhideya First Olympic Gold (just Phil at home), which is a striking representative of its breed with a very abundant thick coat and a chic collar that forms a luxurious mane. On the front legs there are beautiful feathering, and on the hind legs - thick pants. He has short hair only on the head.

A characteristic feature of the Keeshond's appearance are "glasses" - the so-called spots around the eyes. When the Keeshond breathes, opening his mouth and sticking out his tongue, it seems that the Spitz is smiling. Therefore, Wolfspitz was nicknamed "Ulybaka Dog" or "Smiling Dutchman".

On our website in the Photogallery section you can see photos of our dogs.

 

Keeshond - description of the breed, character and behavior

Wolfspitz is very attached to his owner, very mobile, active and fearless. Dogs of this breed are very quick-witted and easily lend themselves to various types of training. Moreover, they can pass standards for the general course of obedience no worse than German shepherds, if, of course, they are accustomed to patience and perseverance. Keeshond is a very mobile dog with a lively temperament, which should be given the opportunity to release its energy in long walks and games, because they do not sit quietly at all on the spot. Therefore, the Keeshond breed is not recommended for people with a sedentary lifestyle or retirees. On the contrary, for families with children, a wolf spitz will be the most suitable pet. Keeshonds love children very much, they will never allow themselves to offend a child, they will protect and protect him, and they will also become inseparable friends and keep company in all active games. On our website there is a whole section on this topic with a wonderful photo gallery about Keeshonds and children, which we constantly replenish with new photos.

However, the Keeshond is distrustful of strangers, which makes it an excellent guard dog for an apartment and a private house, which will always warn the owners about strangers, who are treated with suspicion and distrust. In the absence of an object for protection, the Keeshond is friendly and sociable with everyone. In addition, the Wolfspitz is not at all cowardly or aggressive either towards humans or towards all other animals. Therefore, it interacts well and gets along with everyone. A wolf-spitz will never become the instigator of a fight without good reason (rivalry or provocation), but he will never allow himself to offend, regardless of the size of the offender. In addition, the remarkable qualities of a dog of this breed include unpretentiousness, the ability to endure cold and heat equally well, natural endurance and excellent health.

Keeshond puppies are so active that they constantly create vigorous activity around themselves, therefore they require long walks, active games, and physical activity. A young keeshond will tear in different directions on walks and climb to everyone around him. But in fact there is no problem with this, you just need to properly educate your dog from childhood, persistently teaching it to discipline and not making indulgences. One has only to allow an undesirable action once and the sly Wolfspitz will periodically check you for weakness of character. With age, the dog will become much calmer in character, but a lively and energetic temperament will remain for life. Especially for the readers of our site, we have prepared a Memo (Caring for a Keeshond puppy).

Keeshond understands well the mood of the owner, carefully observes the change in his mood, is able to very quickly determine what they want from him and what cannot be done. If the wolf spitz sees that the owner is not up to him, then he will not impose and interfere.

The Keeshond breed in Russia originally appeared in the circus, where these dogs were used as artists. At the current time, the wolf spitz is gaining more and more popularity in Russia and throughout the world, because finds its application in virtually all spheres of human life: smart wolfspitz are easily trained in various tricks, participate in obedience competitions, dog sports (agility, frisbee, etc.), work as search dogs, are used in guard duty and even work with sick people in psychotherapy sessions.

As previously mentioned, the Keeshond or Wolfspitz (whichever you prefer) is quite unpretentious and easily takes root in any environment or conditions, be it a private house or apartment. However, you should certainly not keep this dog on a chain, because it can cause irreparable damage to her psych.

Regardless of gender, the wolf spitz has a fluffy and thick undercoat that protects the dog from heat and cold. Due to the spiral structure of the axial hair, the Keeshond's hair never rolls into tangles, if the dog is simply scratched at least once a month. It is optimal to brush the Keeshond wool once a week or even every two weeks. What devices should be used for this you will find in the section of our website Keeshond puppy care.  

Wolfspitz is very clean, rarely gets dirty, and does not need regular bathing.

Please note: the Keeshond breed is not intended for shearing, because the natural heat balance of the body will be disturbed and the dog will be sick!

On the pages of this site, we use only photographs of our dogs, namely: Severnaya Orkhideya First Olympic Gold "Phil" - our excellent manufacturer, who became the inspiration for the idea for creating the site, his wonderful descendants and other graduates of our kennel, presented on our website in section Our puppies Keeshond, Wolfspitz in childhood, and already adult Keeshond dogs.