Norrbottenspets puppies

About the Norrbottenspets

The Norrbottenspets is a Swedish hunting spitz from the far north, used to find game, drive it up a tree and bark steadily so the hunter could follow the sound. The breed nearly died out in the mid twentieth century and was rebuilt from a handful of surviving farm dogs. This is a medium animal of 42 to 46 cm and 9.1 to 13.6 kg, with a hard short double coat, pricked ears and a tail carried over the back. They are lively, affectionate at home and intensely attentive outdoors.

Exercise should be daily and varied: walks, a secure garden, swimming, retrieving, or training for agility and rally. Grooming is minimal, a weekly brush and the rare bath, plus nails, ears and teeth. The breed is a barker by design, since barking at treed game was the entire job, and that carries straight into life at home. Ratings with children and other pets are moderate, so supervise and socialise early. This breed was selected for their voice, so a quiet house dog is too much to ask.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Norrbottenspets puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A medium breed puppy at eight weeks is a manageable armful that will not stay that way. Most of the growth happens between now and six months, so buy for the adult dog where you can. This is a high energy breed. At eight weeks that shows up as intensity rather than stamina, and they will need a job to do long before they need long walks. Grooming needs are moderate, so build the brushing habit now while the coat is still short and easy. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything they meet calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of their life.

Health worth knowing about

Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.

• Hip dysplasia, which breeding stock should be x-rayed and scored for
• Inherited eye disease, screened by an ophthalmologist examination
• Loss of genetic diversity from a very small founding population, managed by checking the inbreeding coefficient before mating

Your Norrbottenspets puppy's first six months

• Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
• Worming and parasite schedule.
• Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Medium for a Norrbottenspets.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 9.1 to 13.6 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Kit sizes: crate 30 inch (30 x 20 x 23 in, 76 x 51 x 58 cm) for an adult of up to 13.6 kg; chew toys made for medium breeds. Worked out the same way as the crate size calculator. PetMD bases a crate on the dog's own measurements, not weight or breed alone, so measure once the puppy is home.

Buying guides for this

• Best crate for a puppy: wire, plastic or soft, and how to size one with a divider

Other medium breeds

More on the Norrbottenspets

Previous: Norfolk Terrier · Next: Norwegian Buhund

Sources

• akc.org for adult weight and height, life expectancy, energy, grooming, shedding and the temperament ratings, coat type and health notes
• fci.be for country of origin
• Health notes from Norrbottenspets breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/norrbottenspets/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

Photo: Томасина, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped. All photographers are listed on the photo credits page.