The Vulpine Spitz Project is a community breeding project with the goal of breeding a healthy, stable, versatile, small, Spitz-type companion dog that is both suitable for and accessible to the average pet owner. The ideal “set type” for the Vulpine Spitz is a dog with upright ears, soft fur that ranges from dense and plush to being moderately feathered, a long snout with a slight stop, and a narrow muzzle. Build is moderately balanced with an athletic feel, and being light to medium in bone. The ideal size is 15-30 lbs, but may have slight variance amongst select individuals.

Health, as well as temperament, are prioritized, but ideal traits are dogs with wild-type coat colors, such as the dominant agouti/sable in fur, dark eyes (black, brown, amber), and minimal white (<50% of white spotting).

The ideal temperament is a friendly, handler-oriented, trainable, moderately active dog that is willing to have lazy days. They should live beautifully in the average home while being environmentally confident and stable. Simply put, an easy pet that doesn't need to be worked to settle.

There are a few reasons! One aspect of it is for the sake of genetic diversity. Studies have been shown time and time again that if there is a lack of genetic diversity within a species, they can tend to inherit undesired traits that can be detrimental or even fatal to future generations. COI (Coefficient Of Inbreeding) is correlated with genetic well-being; the higher the COI, the heavier the risks. However, this is not a preservation project; the philosophy originated, and still remains, that this should be a communal collaborative project to produce well-rounded, healthy, and easy companion dogs. We invite all to ask questions and to engage with our community. There is an open studbook for the project for the reasons listed above.

Additionally, while various breeds may look similar to the goal for Vulpine Spitz, none of them are exactly what we are aiming for in temperament and personality traits. The most similar breeds are often inaccessible to the casual owner (due to being rare breeds), and/or only similar in looks and lacking the desired temperament. While those breeds are amazing for some people, they are not the goal of the project.

Each prospect will have their OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) tests done upon full maturity and may undergo additional health testing if they are at risk for any breed-specific genetic conditions. A full Embark panel will be done as the first step, usually to quickly screen for miscellaneous genetic diseases, physical traits, and breed makeup; once the pup is reaches 2 years of age, OFAs will be conducted, to check for eyes, hips, elbows, and others as needed.

All certifications of health testing will be open for view within the “Prospects” tab under the “Our Dogs” page .

As this is a communal project, each breeder will have their own timeline for breeding. We don’t have kennels; all dogs within the project will live with their respective owners or under guardianship in agreed-upon homes. As such, litters will be limited, with each breeder having one or two litters a year. We highly recommend reaching out to the breeders themselves to express interest and to move forward from there.

We are always happy to work with potential studs or dams. Before consideration, however, all prospects MUST complete adequate health testing. Valid OFAs are a requirement, and a thorough temperament assessment will be discussed before breeding. If the prospect matches the goals of and is a good fit for the project, we will discuss future pairings.