The Japanese Spitz, as the name implies, is native to Japan. However, it's not entirely clear how this beautiful breed was developed. Some sources believe that the breed was created around the start of the 20th century by crossing different Spitz breeds from around the globe, in the hope of producing a ‘healthy’ breed of dog.

 

The first information we have about the development of the breed dates back to not more than 80 years ago and it has now been proved that this dog was created and developed in Japan by expert cynologists between 1920 and 1950; their starting point was a number of spitz dogs imported at different times from different countries.

 

As with many other breeds, we do not know the precise recipe for the cocktail from which the Japanese Spitz was born, so various theories have been put forward. Moreover, there is a veiled dispute between those who regard this dog simply as a descendant of the German Spitz and those who consider its origins as more distinctive and singular.

 

From the information we have collected and the arguments we have put forward it can be stated that:

 

1. The Japanese Spitz was originally created from at least 2 varieties of dogs; the American Eskimo and a white Russian Spitz (Laika) imported to Japan via Manchuria.

 

2. Direct utilization of the German Spitz to develop the original Japanese Spitz is still under debate, even if it is likely; at any rate this breed had an important part in the development of the Japanese Spitz indirectly through the American Eskimo.

 

3. It seems that the direct descendant of the Japanese Spitz from the Samoyed must be excluded, although the two breeds show remarkable similarities and some Samoyed blood may have come to the Japanese Spitz through the white Russian Spitz (Laikas) imported from Manchuria.

 

4. After the Second World War the Japanese Spitz suffered from some uncontrolled cross-breeding with other similar dogs (German Spitz, American Eskimo, Samoyed, unidentified white Japanese dog), but the efforts of the breed fanciers managed to save this dog from significant debasement in time.Others believe that the Japanese Spitz descended from the Samoyed, which is another Spitz breed that is also native to Japan. It’s easy to see how this could be plausible given how similar in appearance these two breeds are, in fact, the Japanese Spitz appears to be its 'mini-me'! Others speculate that lurking somewhere in this dog’s genes are those of the White German Spitz. Despite the origins of this breed remaining a mystery, the end result is a magnificent little dog that is a joy to be around.

 

It was not until the late 1940s that the Japanese Spitz was finally given recognition by the Japanese Kennel Club. This breed is now found throughout the world and was officially included by the UK Kennel Club in their ‘utility’ group (these include non-sporting breeds of dog) around 1977. However, due to the similarities in the physical appearance of this breed to the American Eskimo Dog, to this day it is still not recognised by the American Kennel Club.

 

Besides being an excellent companion, this breed also make good watchdogs thanks to their alert, bold and vigilant nature.