Smaller Spitz used to ride on the wagons and guarded the property of their masters during their absence, which is why they were also referred to as Carrier Spitz.
The pictures mainly show Kleinspitz, perhaps there were also specimens that were close in size to today's Mittelspitz. For the carter's day-to-day life, it was practical to have a keeper of his goods, wagons and horses. It probably also served as entertainment:
This dog, which is also excellent in its own way, is used in many areas of Germany, especially in Thuringia, as a guard on farms to guard the house and yard or by carters to guard their wagons. In the latter, it is rarely missing and at the same time takes on another role here: he amuses and delights the man who spends his day in the same way with the difficult business with his lively nature.
He can't stay in peace either in the farmstead or in the wagon. Every passer-by lures him to the street door, every anxious cackling chicken into the back garden; here he skilfully jumps from the load onto the buck , from the buck onto the horse's back, or down onto the road and from there back onto the wagon.
This quote shows that we were dealing with a lightly built, lively and agile animal.
Always faithful and fearless at the driver's side. This requires a strong bond. The spitz, which is particularly said to be loyal to its location (at court), transferred its area of responsibility as a cart attendant to a home that was constantly "wandering around" (the cart with master and horses).
Also supported by the report Th. Hering:
The larger variety, the farmer's or carrier's spitz (Pomeranian), (35-40 cents in shoulder height) is now, of course, rarely found in completely pure specimens, but most Spitzbastards have the irritable, sensitive, restless and gaping nature of their kin. They are consistently excellent guardians.
From the everyday life of the carters
As is well known, transport by or to the truck or axle is becoming less important in our country from year to year. The improvement of some waterways already had an effect on this in the past, but recently the expansion of the railways has given German freight transport a boost , from which it will never recover.Despite this, up until the first quarter of this century, the blossoming of our inland traffic was closely linked to the good organization of the carriage business, which latter also played such an important role at the trade fairs.
The so-called Fuhrmannsstube in the tavern was the usual tavern intended for guests other than gentlemen. These other guests were mostly carters, hence the name.It was a large, spacious room, with many tables and benches and wooden chairs in it. It was on the left in the hallway and had a second door opposite the entrance door, through which you could get directly into the horse stables next door. The carters always had to be as close to their horses as possible. At night they even slept in the horse stable.
Sources:
Tales by J. D.H. Temme; Volume 3, Refugee Life, Leipzig 1868
Commercial science, presented theoretically and practically by Ludolph Schleier, Leipzig 1848
Brehm's animal life. Volume One Mammals. Leipzig 1867
Gallery of noble dog races, complete handbook for every hunter and dog lover, Baron Nolde, Freiherr von Meyerinck (royal Prussian vice-master hunter) and Th. Hering