APPEARANCE
The German Spitz is a compact, short-coupled and well-knit dog with an almost square outline. They have a firm condition, with their profuse coat not disguising any lack of substance.
EARS
Small, triangular and set rather high. Perfectly erect
MOUTH
A perfect, regular and complete scissor bit, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Black lips in black, white, black/white partis and black/tan bi-colours. Colour as compatible with coat colour in other colour varieties
NECK
Clean, moderately short and well set into the shoulder
FOREQUARTERS
Moderately sloping shoulder. Upper arm of sufficient strength to ensure elbow is vertically below point of withers. Moderate forechest. Elbows equidistant between ground and withers, turning neither in nor out. Well-boned, straight legs. Pasterns strong and flexible.
BODY
Length from point of shoulder to point of buttock equal to height at withers; short, well-developed loin. Moderate tuck-up. Well ribbed-up and rounded. Distance from brisket to ground not less than half the heights from ground to withers. Top-line level.
HINDQUARTERS
Moderate angulation with hocks moderately well let down. Neither cow hocked nor wide behind.
FEET
Small, rounded, cat-like, with well-arched toes.
TAIL
High set, curled right up from root, lying curled over back.
GAIT / MOVEMENT
Moving without exaggeration from any angle. Straight coming and going. Viewed from side, effortless, brisk action, retaining topline.
COAT
Double coat consisting of a soft woolly undercoat and a long harsh textured perfectly straight top coat covering the whole of the body. Abundant around neck and forequarters with a frill of profuse, but not excessive, off standing straight hair extending over the shoulders. Forelimbs well feathered tapering from elbows to pasterns. Hind limbs feathered to hocks. Ears covered with soft short hair. Hair on the face smooth and short. Tail profusely covered with long spreading hair. This is not a trimmed breed and evidence of trimming and shaping, other than tidying of the feet, anal area and the legs below the hocks is unacceptable.
COLOUR
All colour varieties and markings acceptable. Butterfly pigment not permitted with any colour.
SIZES
Mittel 30-38cm high (at the withers)
German Spitz also come in a smaller size referred to as a 'Klein' which measures 23-29cm at the withers.
Content from this page (including image) has been taken directly from the ANKC approved breed standard for German Spitz
HEAD AND SKULL
Medium large, broad and nearly flat skull when viewed from above and narrowing in a wedge shape to the nose. Stop moderately defined. The muzzle is approximately half the length of the head. Cheeks clean. Flews tight. No trace of lippiness.
NOSE
In black, white, black and white parti-colour and black and tan bi-colours the nose should be black.
Self-colour as compatible with a coat colour in other varieties.
The nose should never be parti-colour or pink.
EYES
Eyes should be medium sized, oval-shaped and obliquely set (not too wide apart).
In black, white, black and white parti-colour and black and tan bi-colours, the rim around the eye should be black.
In other coat colour varieties, the rim around the eye should be as fark as is compatibe with that coat colour.
