A successful Finnish Spitz dog breeder writes about life with her champion Finnish Spitz in Canada. Joan started almost forty years ago by importing the eighth dog into Canada and retired recently, after exporting the very first foreign bred Finnish Spitz into Finland. This book is a wealth of information for anyone interested in raising quality puppies or the Finnish Spitz breed. Show more Show less

The national dog of Finland, the Finnish Spitz is a devoted family companion whose claims to fame are his plush solid-red coat, fox-like appearnce, and his expressive voice. Called the “Barking Bird Dog,” Finkies use their voices while hunting forest game and are known to howl and yodel to express their moods, desires, and woes. This Comprehensive Owner’s Guide dedicated to the Finnish Spitz opens with a chapter on the breed’s history in Finland, discussing the dog’s unique hunting ability and how the efforts of two foresters rescued the breed from near extinction. The chapter also covers the breed’s introduction to Britain and the United States. Author Juliette Cunliffe describes the breed as having “the temperament and character of a much larger dog,” adding that it is adaptable, lively, friendly, and affectionate, all most desirable traits in a Nordic dog. Of great utility to potential owners of the breed, the characteristics chapter details the Finnish Spitz’s physical attributes, personality, and health concerns. New owners will welcome the well-prepared chapter on finding a reputable breeder and selecting a healthy, sound puppy. Chapters on puppy-proofing the home and yard, purchasing the right supplies for the puppy as well as house-training, feeding, and grooming are illustrated with photographs of handsome adults and puppies. In all, there are over 135 full-color photographs in this useful and reliable volume. The author’s advice on obedience training will help the reader better mold and train into the most well-mannered dog in the neighborhood. The extensive and lavishly illustrated chapter on healthcare provides up-to-date detailed information on selecting a qualified veterinarian, vaccinations, preventing and dealing with parasites, infectious diseases, and more. Sidebars throughout the text offer helpful hints, covering topics as diverse as historical dogs, breeders, or kennels, toxic plants, first aid, crate training, carsickness, fussy eaters, and parasite control. Fully indexed.

A successful Finnish Spitz dog breeder writes about life with her champion Finnish Spitz in Canada. Joan started almost forty years ago by importing the eighth dog into Canada and retired recently, after exporting the very first foreign bred Finnish Spitz into Finland. This book is a wealth of information for anyone interested in raising quality puppies or the Finnish Spitz breed. From Amazon: This review is from: Finnish Spitz: A Closer Look (Paperback) I recently purchased and read Finnish Spitz: A Closer Look. This book provides excellent information on the breed as well as insight into the breeding and selection process. I had no idea how much science and research went into producing puppies that would be healthy, good-natured, and that would conform to the breed standard. Learning this increased my appreciation for the responsible and compassionate work Joan Grant has done with this breed. Some animal rights groups have left the impression that animal breeders are hard-hearted, callous puppy mills whose only interest is the almighty dollar. Although there are disreputable people who do breed in this manner, Grant's book shows that good, responsible breeders have the happiness and wellness of the dogs at the center of their work. I've come to understand how important it is to purchase a dog from a reputable breeder. Grant sprinkles her memoir of her experience with Finnish Spitz with many personal stories and experiences from other Finnish Spitz owners. These stories give good insights into the breed and how to work with it. One of the nicest features of this book is its abundance of photographs. Grant also gives good tips on training this breed. In this book, I also learned the role that dog shows play in helping maintain the desired features in this breed that enable them to continue being the alert, gentle, and beautiful dogs that they are. The underlying purpose of dogs shows is to maintain the unique abilities and looks of each breed so that owners can have a dog that will be able to do the work the dog is bred to do and to maintain the health of the animals. I recommend this book not only for owners of Finnish Spitz, but also for anyone curious about breeding and the history of the dogs in North America. It is easy to read and very enjoyable. I got my first Finnish Spitz through a breed rescue group over a year ago. Since these were my first dogs ever and, obviously, my first Finnish Spitz, I've read stacks of books on dogs, dog training, and dog behavior so that I could be a good owner and provide an environment where they could thrive and also be a positive contribution to our family. They have become the perfect pets for us -- gentle, kind, obedient, cheerful, and very smart. I've found my dogs to be the perfect family companions and quite easy to train in obedience classes. One of them is registered with the Delta Society to do animal-assisted therapy and activities with people in hospitals, nursing homes, special needs day cares, and so forth. Some dog encyclopedias and internet sites say that this "Finnish barking dog" is very noisy. However, my dogs were easily trained to be quiet and to bark only at appropriate times.

Dog breeds, both familiar and exotic, are profiled in this series offered by Kennel Club Books. The lavishly illustrated, hardcover volumes feature information on the breed standards and the special needs of each type of dog.

This book, illustrated throughout entirely with full-color photos and drawings, presents sensible, easy-to-follow recommendations about selecting and caring for a Finnish Spitz. It concentrates on providing readers with the information they need and want -- all given in an interesting and easy-to-read style. Following is just a partial listing of the topics covered: History of the Finnish Spitz -- Description of the Finnish Spitz -- Grooming -- Selecting Your Dog -- The New Family Member -- Feeding Requirements -- Accommodations -- Housebreaking and Training -- Behavior Modification -- Health Care -- Preventive Dental Care -- Breeding -- Dogs and the Law -- Index

A comprehensive compendium of canine varieties—from purebreds to designer doodles—from the acclaimed author of The Spirit of the Dog. One glance around the local park will confirm that man’s best friend comes in many varieties. As the first animal domesticated by humans, dogs have been selectively bred for tens of thousands of years to be herders, hunters, guard dogs, and friends. The result is a plethora of breeds that are as different as the pint-sized chihuahua and the massive St. Bernard. Now there is a guide to each of them. Dogs Unleashed contains all the information required to differentiate breeds of canine. From the standard poodle to the Finnish spitz, readers will become experts of identification. Alongside beautiful photography, discover information on conformation, history, temperament, health risks, and more. This book even contains a section on today’s designer breeds like the labradoodle, the puggle, and the cockapoo. Ideal for researching a new family pet, or for general knowledge, this book reveals which dogs are the most expensive to keep, which are the best swimmers, and which breed has the longest life expectancy.

The story of the thoroughly Victorian origins of dog breeds. For centuries, different types of dogs were bred around the world for work, sport, or companionship. But it was not until Victorian times that breeders started to produce discrete, differentiated, standardized breeds. In The Invention of the Modern Dog, Michael Worboys, Julie-Marie Strange, and Neil Pemberton explore when, where, why, and how Victorians invented the modern way of ordering and breeding dogs. Though talk of "breed" was common before this period in the context of livestock, the modern idea of a dog breed defined in terms of shape, size, coat, and color arose during the Victorian period in response to a burgeoning competitive dog show culture. The authors explain how breeders, exhibitors, and showmen borrowed ideas of inheritance and pure blood, as well as breeding practices of livestock, horse, poultry and other fancy breeders, and applied them to a species that was long thought about solely in terms of work and companionship. The new dog breeds embodied and reflected key aspects of Victorian culture, and they quickly spread across the world, as some of Britain’s top dogs were taken on stud tours or exported in a growing international trade. Connecting the emergence and development of certain dog breeds to both scientific understandings of race and blood as well as Britain’s posture in a global empire, The Invention of the Modern Dog demonstrates that studying dog breeding cultures allows historians to better understand the complex social relationships of late-nineteenth-century Britain.