The Finnish Spitz is high maintenance when it comes to keeping their coats looking tidy and their skin looking good. With this said, like the majority of dogs from the Artic regions of the world, they do boast a self-cleaning coat which in short means that mud and water rolls of it leaving the coat pristine and clean. They do, however, shed quite heavily throughout the year which means their coats need to be brushed on daily basis to get rid of any loose and dead hair.
As with many other breeds, the Finnish Spitz does shed more during the Spring and then again in the Autumn when more frequent brushing would be necessary to keep on top of things. It's also important to check a dog's ears on a regular basis and to clean them when necessary. If too much wax is allowed to build up in a dog's ears, it can lead to a painful infection which can be hard to clear up. In short, prevention is often easier than cure when it comes to ear infections.
It would be hard to tire a Finnish Spitz out because they are high energy characters that love nothing more than to be out and about exploring their surroundings. Ideally, they need to be given anything from 40 to 60 minutes a day and as much mental stimulation as possible throughout the day to keep them happy, healthy and out of trouble.
A shorter walk in the morning would be fine, but a longer more interesting one in the afternoon is a must. These dogs also like to be able to roam around a back garden as often as possible so they can really let off steam. However, the fencing has to be extremely secure to keep these lively dogs in because if they find a weakness in the fence, they will soon escape out and get into all sorts of trouble. It's also worth noting that because of their thick coats, the Finnish Spitz does not tolerate hot weather which in short means it's best to exercise them earlier in the morning and then again later in the evening when the sun is lower in the sky and the temperature is therefore cooler during the hotter summer months.
With this said, Finnish Spitz puppies should not be given too much exercise because their joints and bones are still growing and too much pressure on them could result in causing a dog a few problems later on in their lives. They should not be allowed to jump up or off furniture nor should they be allowed to run up and down the stairs because this puts too much pressure on their still growing joints and limbs.
If you get a Finnish Spitz puppy from a breeder, they would give you a feeding schedule and it's important to stick to the same routine, feeding the same puppy food to avoid any tummy upsets. You can change a puppy's diet, but this needs to be done very gradually always making sure they don't develop any digestive upsets and if they do, it's best to put them back on their original diet and to discuss things with the vet before attempting to change it again.
Older dogs are not known to be fussy or finicky eaters, but this does not mean you can feed them a lower quality diet. It's best to feed a mature dog twice a day, once in the morning and then again in the evening, making sure it's good quality food that meets all their nutritional requirements. It's also important that dogs be given the right amount of exercise so they burn off any excess calories or they might gain too much weight which can lead to all sorts of health issues. Obesity can shorten a dog's life by several years so it's important to keep an eye on their waistline from the word go.
