Breed # Japanese Spitz The Japanese Spitz is a foundation stock service breed from Japan, standing 12–15 in at the withers, weighing 11–20 lb. Recorded lifespan is 12–14 yrs. ![A photograph of the Japanese Spitz](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lg/japanese-spitz.webp) Breed group Foundation Stock Service Origin Japan Height 12–15 in Weight 11–20 lb Lifespan 12–14 yrs Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the Japanese Spitz is taller than 13% of the measured breeds, heavier than 11%, one of 64 in the Foundation Stock Service group, one of 10 from Japan. Compare the Japanese Spitz with another breed ## Living with the Japanese Spitz Two breed references score every breed they cover from 1 to 5 on the things an owner lives with day to day. These are the Japanese Spitz’s, with what a 1 and a 5 mean on each row. Around people and other dogs Affection with family 4 of 5 1 independent · 5 devoted Good with young children 4 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Good with other dogs 4 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Openness to strangers 2 of 5 1 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend Watchdog / protective nature 3 of 5 1 unbothered · 5 vigilant What they will ask of you Energy 3 of 5 1 couch potato · 5 busy all day Exercise needs 3 of 5 1 a short walk · 5 a job to do Playfulness 4 of 5 1 only when invited · 5 non-stop Barking 4 of 5 1 only to alert · 5 very vocal Around the house Shedding 3 of 5 1 barely · 5 constantly Drooling 1 of 5 1 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel What they tolerate Tolerates being alone 2 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates hot weather 3 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates cold weather 4 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Rated 1 to 5 by the American Kennel Club and DogTime, averaged where both rate the same thing, and read from their breed pages in 2022. Nobody at Woof & Beyond has met this breed — these are the publishers’ judgments, not ours.[Japanese Spitz on AKC](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/japanese-spitz/)[Japanese Spitz on DogTime](https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/japanese-spitz) ## Breeds that look like the Japanese Spitz A neural network trained to tell breeds apart by sight read all 510 photographs in this reference, and these are the 6 it placed closest to the Japanese Spitz. - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/samoyed.webp)Samoyed](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/samoyed/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/german-spitz.webp)German Spitz](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/german-spitz/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/american-eskimo-dog-standard.webp)American Eskimo Dog (Standard)](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/american-eskimo-dog-standard/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/yakutian-laika.webp)Yakutian Laika](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/yakutian-laika/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/american-eskimo-dog-toy.webp)American Eskimo Dog (Toy)](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/american-eskimo-dog-toy/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/pomeranian.webp)Pomeranian](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/pomeranian/) Side by side Height 0–38 in 1. Japanese Spitz12–15 in 2. Samoyed20–22 in 3. German Spitz12–15 in 4. American Eskimo Dog (Standard)15–20 in 5. Yakutian Laika21–22 in 6. American Eskimo Dog (Toy)9–12 in 7. Pomeranian7–12 in Weight 0–220 lb 1. Japanese Spitz11–20 lb 2. Samoyed45–65 lb 3. German Spitz24–26 lb 4. American Eskimo Dog (Standard)15–40 lb 5. Yakutian Laika50–66 lb 6. American Eskimo Dog (Toy)5–10 lb 7. Pomeranian3–7 lb Lifespan 0–20 yrs 1. Japanese Spitz12–14 yrs 2. Samoyed12–14 yrs 3. German Spitz13–15 yrs 4. American Eskimo Dog (Standard)13–15 yrs 5. Yakutian Laika10–12 yrs 6. American Eskimo Dog (Toy)13–15 yrs 7. Pomeranian~12 yrs Nothing here was grouped by hand. The ranking is an opinion about appearance, not about ancestry, which is why it sometimes puts together breeds no kennel club would — and why it is worth looking at the photographs rather than taking the order on trust. See the Japanese Spitz on the breed map Read about the Japanese Spitz on Wikipedia