(Nihon Supittsu) The Japanese Spitz is a small breed, with slightly slanted, large oval eyes, over a tapering muzzle with black nose and lips. The face itself is wedge-shaped, the ears are small and pointed upright. The Spitz has a long-haired coat of pure white, with a thick under-layer. The overcoat sticks out in all directions - the Spitz always looks as if its having a bad hair day.  The long-haired tail curls over the back.  The Spitz has short hair on the bottom half of the legs, with breeches on the hind legs feathering on the forelegs, and dense feathering on the paws.

The Japanese Spitz is lively and playful, and very intelligent. It learns quickly, and enjoys playing games. It should be treated as a member of the family and not be neglected, as depression will ensue. The Spitz makes an excellent watch dog as it is suspicious of strangers and will bark immediately. Indeed, it does like to bark a lot. It is a friendly breed, and is patient with children and other dogs and household pets. The Spitz should be provided with obedience training from an early age, as this will act as mental stimulation. They are willing to learn and very eager to please their masters.

The Japanese Spitz has only one constant health problem - Luxating patella (trick knee).They can be prone to runny eyes for a variety of reasons, from too-small tear ducts to an allergy to long grass. With proper care, a Spitz can live up to 12 years.

No one really knows the origin of the Japanese Spitz, but it is thought to be descended from the Siberian Samoyad, with creation of the breed beginning in the late 1800s. The breed was exported to Europe in the late 1970’s and wasn’t introduced to the United States until the late 1980’s.

About the breed being introduced to the US till the late 1980's. This is wrong as I had a Japanese Spitz that was born in 1971 to the breeder in southern California. She had been breeding them for several years before I got mine. There was info that the breed had come from somewhere in Ohio to California. I wish I had the breeders name, but I was only 10 when I got mine. The breeder had other breeds also, so it may not be too hard to find them in the Riverside, Corona of California.

Despite the fact that the Spitz is a white dog, it is not that difficult to keep its coat clean. Indeed, it usually will need a bath only every six months. Japanese Spitz's coat are relatively dry and require bathing once every 6 months. The coat has a non-stick texture - which experts describe as similar to Teflon. Should the Spitz roll in a mud bath, for example, once the mud dries it will flake right off. They do need to be groomed twice a week - using a pin brush to reach the undercoat. This will prevent knots from forming.

The Japanese Spitz is an active little breed, but will do okay in apartments as long as they are not left alone for extended periods of time. The Spitz needs human companionship. They enjoy long walks, and regular chances to run.

	How often do the females go into heat and how long does it last, my japanese spitz is 8 months old? Well the average is three weeks (21 days). However, it can be shorter (two weeks) or longer (four weeks). Assume the longer period if in doubt.
	How much do they shed? Are they light shedders or average??? They do not shed as mush as most dogs and depending on their diet and heath they hardly shed at all. They really only shed ALOT once a year but when that happens I recommend using a firm brush and combing him/her once a day until it stops.
	How Much Do They Shed? We've had our puppy since January 09, and he sheds a little bit here and there, in the summer months, its worse. There are balls of fur rollling around the house. But if you bring him outside and brush him twice a day it should be okay. After the shedding season, hes got a new fur and sheds less again :)

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