Big Pomeranian, "Mistklaeffer", "calf biter"
What is the role of the German Großspitz in the 21st century?
Alongside the Pinscher, Schnauzer and Molosser-like dogs, the Spitz is one of the oldest existing dog breeds in Europe.
First pictorial representations of small spitz-like dogs are in antiquity to find and Written mentions appeared as early as the later High Middle Ages. Since then, the Spitz has taken on a wide variety of tasks depending on the region. The best-known use is still that of the common people as a court and guard dog, but the white tip was also particularly welcome in some aristocratic houses.
With the further development of technology and the age of industrialization that began with it, the Spitz lost more and more of its importance. To this day, many people often only remember him as a barker on the dung heap (Mistbella), a calf biter or as an insidious or even a devious hoe biter. No wonder that the popularity and thus the number, especially of the Großspitz variety, fell sharply in the 20th century and now in the 21st century was even classified as threatened.
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Today, lovers of this ancient dog breed know that the Spitz has much more to offer than just a guard and companion dog. We find him an all-rounder on the dog sports field, as a riding companion, as a therapy dog and as a trained rescue dog.
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Breeding: color genetics and breed description
The coloring of the large tip was originally as diverse as that of the small tips. In addition to black, white, brown or wolf-colored (gray overcast), isabell, tan, fawn, bread-yellow, fox-red, red-brown or pied were mentioned in old descriptions.
The introduction of breed characteristics (now referred to as breed standard) determined the coloring of the German Giant Spitz for many decades, but the old coloring remained genetically intact. Today, these can be evaluated using a color genetics test. This makes it possible today to control the breeding of differently colored tips.
