Volpino Italiano puppies

About the Volpino Italiano

The Volpino Italiano is an Italian spitz that has been around since the Renaissance, kept both in grand households and by working people, where the Volpino served as a small alarm dog on farms and barges rather than as a hunter. This is a compact toy dog carrying a stand off double coat, usually white, with a plumed tail over the back and small pricked ears. Character is lively, attentive and closely bonded to their household, watchful with strangers and confident well beyond their size.

They are more active than the size suggests and need daily walks, play and puzzles, since a bored Volpino turns destructive quickly. The coat looks demanding but a thorough brush two or three times a week keeps it clean and free of mats, and frequent bathing dries the skin out. Rated three out of five with children and with other pets, they do best with supervision and early socialisation. Do not treat them as an ornament. This is an indoor dog that needs company and something to think about.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Volpino Italiano 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 toy breed puppy at eight weeks is small enough to be genuinely fragile. They can be hurt by a jump off a sofa and by being stepped on, and toy breeds are prone to low blood sugar, so they need frequent small meals rather than two big ones. Expect moderate energy, in short bursts separated by long naps. Grooming is straightforward, but start handling the coat, feet and ears in week one anyway so it is never a fight later. 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.

• Primary lens luxation (PLL), detectable by DNA test, with results recorded through OFA
• Patellar luxation, found on a routine patella evaluation
• Anal gland impaction, found on veterinary examination and managed by regular expression
• Periodontal disease, found at routine dental examination and kept down by tooth brushing

Your Volpino Italiano puppy's first six months

• Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
• Worming and parasite schedule.
• Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Toy for a Volpino Italiano.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 3.6 to 7.3 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Kit sizes: crate 24 inch (24 x 18 x 20 in, 61 x 46 x 51 cm) for an adult of up to 7.3 kg; chew toys made for small 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

• Puppy pads: are they a good idea, and how to pick ones that do not leak
• Best crate for a puppy: wire, plastic or soft, and how to size one with a divider

Other toy breeds

More on the Volpino Italiano

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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 Volpino Italiano breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/volpino-italiano/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

Photo: Lilly M real name: Małgorzata Miłaszewska, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped. All photographers are listed on the photo credits page.