The "Keeshond" case

In Holland in the 1920s, Baroness van Hardenbroek came to the fore with her breeding. In 1925, she showed her male dog "Bart", which she had bought from a tinker, for the first time. This dog proved to be an excellent stud dog. She and the Dutch judges liked a descendant of Bart, namely "Diedrich van Walhalla", even better than her Bart. The male was small but very typical and was used heavily for breeding in Holland. His offspring all had fine, fox-like heads, but were somewhat small and slight in build.

Since the difference between the Grand Spitz and the Dutch Keeshonden was now too great, the Raad van Beheer (Dutch equivalent to the German VDH) decided in 1933 to make an attempt to establish the Dutch Keeshonden as an independent breed. A small light gray dog named "Rekel" (owner: Mrs. van der Hurk) was shown as a special example and exhibited as a standard. The breed characteristics were almost the same as for the German Wolfspitz, only the size was set at a maximum of 45 cm and the hair color was determined to be "simple gray without black hair tips".

At this time, the dogs in the ring were separated into Dutch Keeshonden and German Wolfspitzes and judged as such. However, since there were always both types in one litter (Keeshonds and Wolfspitzes), the Raad van Beheer decided after 20 years of testing to no longer recognize the Dutch Keeshond as an independent breed. He was therefore only listed as a kind of variety of a Spitz, which was further bred in Holland under the name "Keeshond". [20]

But they exist. Fans and profiteers of the modern Keeshond, who not only seriously claim that the Keeshond hasn't changed in the last few decades, but also tirelessly propagate that Wolfspitz and Keeshond are one and the same breed that should not be split up under any circumstances. Sure, there is almost a risk of confusion. 🙄 Again and again they emphasize - especially on social networks - that modern Keeshonden are sooooo very healthy. And sooo easy to care for. You hardly need to comb them.

Okay, seriously: Who the frick are you kidding? This is either a case of severe cognitive impairment or of simply being interested in continuing to sell their cripples. There's nothing healthy about dogs like the beige giant Pomeranian - he gets overheated under his extreme lush fur in the summer! His tongue, which is slightly curved upwards, indicates that he is having difficulty regulating his body temperature downwards.

In search of the fly in the ointment, the Keeshond fan group criticized the allegedly too low tail base of the Wolfspitz in the adjacent picture, saying it was incorrect and did not correspond to the current standard. However, the extremely high tail base that we also find in the Pomeranian is not a German invention, but rather corresponds to what is often perceived as beautiful abroad. The same applies to apple heads, extremely short backs, lowered buildings, the most lush masses of fur and thick legs. There is no trace of functionality, it's all about the "beauty". And of course about trophies and titles and championships. 

The current focus of breeders, judges and buyers on the mere appearance of the Spitz is unfortunately fueled by today's dog shows. However, what is forgotten is that certain features of the dog's exterior, such as the functionality of the coat or the angulation of the hindquarters, are only a means to an end (= form follows function). They were not bred into dogs to look pretty, but because they were important in equipping the respective dog breed well for its job. A Keeshond that almost suffocates under its mass of fur simply cannot be a good guard dog. High tail attachment or not.

There's also no trace of breeding control - after all, you don't want to mess it up with anyone. A higher-level control of breeding would be urgently needed in order to preserve our ancient dog breed for the future. At this point, I quote Peter Günther again: "[...] if necessary, encourage breeding control measures so that we can be more certain that our breeding animals are selected according to criteria that are actually more important than beauty." Please think about this statement!

Instead, it has become established that breeders only have their bitches bred by those (preferably highly awarded) stud dogs that suit their own taste. Since many breeders unfortunately seem to have the same taste, they all select the same stud dogs, I'm curious to see how breeding will continue in the next, largely related generation of dogs. In any case, the other dogs' genetic material will have definitely disappeared by then.

👉🏻 How the German Spitz Club even came up with the idea to not demand breeding control for a breed of dog that is actually threatened with extinction is a mystery to me. It's the opposite: One can notice a lack of any breeding control. So every breeder can do whatever he wants. For example, it has become a habit, especially in Giant Spitz breeders' circles, to only work with dogs from breeders with whom one is personally well-disposed (for example because they share the same views). These breeders avoid certain dogs as hell because they don't like the dog owner. This is not only classic "circle j*rk*ng", but also completely idiotic and reveals the total stupidity of these "pseudo-breeders". "Breeders" who base the mating of the endangered Giant Spitz on their personal affection for the dog owner should not breed animals, but rather look for hobbies such as flower arranging or puzzles. These are probably more in line with their intellectual abilities than complex dog breeding. 🤐

The Keeshonden were integrated into the German Wolfspitz standard in 1994. Because the German Spitz Club - as the club that keeps the studbook of the breed - spoke out against an own standard for the Keeshond in order to prevent the establishment of an own Keeshond association, the club was commissioned by the FCI, to somehow work the Keeshond into the breed standard for the Wolfspitzes. This was initially not well received by the club, as the club viewed the Keeshond as a pure show dog at the time, in complete contrast to the working dog Wolfspitz. 

The Keeshond was supposed to be listed in advance - on the initiative of some Scandinavian breeders and club officials - as a Dutch breed alongside the Wolfspitz at the FCI, but the Dutch Spitz Association was not informed about this at all, even though this action directly affected them. A separate standard for the Keeshond had even been developed, but the entire project was then stopped and people sat down at a table to find an acceptable solution for everyone. 

The main arguments of the FCI commission set up specifically for a common breed standard were the similarity of the two types and the close relationship of Wolfspitz and Keeshond - evidenced both by the same ancestors and by regular mating. For this purpose, the height at the withers of the Wolfspitz (previously up to a maximum of 60 cm) was lowered by 2 cm, while in terms of head shape, in addition to the fox-like head of the Wolfsspitz, the slightly more rounded head of the Keeshond was also included in the breed standard. 

Incidentally, similar processes have already happened once, when it came to integrating the Pomeranian into the German standard for the Toy Spitzes. Let's take a look together at what happened back then:

In 1974, the "old", new size breed of Toy Spitz was introduced (after this size had been abolished in 1922) in order to be able to include the Pomeranian in the standard for the German Spitz. The reason for the action was that they did not want the Pomeranians imported from England and the USA to be assigned to a different dog club (the toy dog club) at the time. Therefore, the Pomeranian was inserted into the breed standard for the German Spitz overnight. [11]

However, the standard change that was necessary to introduce the Pomeranian was made without a resolution from the German Spitz Club's general assembly, but only by the then main board at their meeting on February 3, 1974. We “acted over the heads of the general assembly”, said then president Werner Jäger. The decision was probably made under pressure from the VDH and led to the expansion of the FCI standard to include the Pomeranian. [12] 

Why were people so afraid that another dog club would take on this breed, the Pomeranian, which is completely different from the German Toy Spitz?

People weren't really enthusiastic about what came from abroad. The untypical, high tail position and the frequent apple heads of the imported animals were criticized, and shortened snouts and jaws were also a problem. Some imported animals were unable to breed at 1.5 years old, and many bitches were only able to give birth by Cesarean section.

In 1975, judge-representative Wörner criticized these Pomeranians as follows:

At that time, the German Spitz Club also had a strong suspicion that Chihuahuas or Pekingese dogs had been secretly crossed into the Pomeranian abroad in order to achieve the desired, doll-like appearance of the dogs. Therefore, mating of Toy Spitzes of German lineage with the imported Pomeranians was initially prohibited. [14]

15 years later, the club was again sobered to discover that the Pomeranians in their homeland were not only not bred according to colors, but that - in addition to a different head shape - they also have a different temperament than the Pomeranians from German lines. As a consequence of these experiences, an application was made in 1987 to recognize the Pomeranian breed as an independent Spitz breed and essentially separate it from the German Spitzes. [13]  In practice, this meant that, according to the wishes of the Spitz Club's main board, the Pomeranian should be considered a separate, foreign breed, similar to the Japanese Spitz or the Volpino Italiano. However, the commission, set up specifically for this purpose, came to no conclusion.

Think about this: They noticed that the imported animals differed very much in appearance and nature from our German Spitz, and they even suspected that many of them are not purebred at all - and they did just....nothing (except for a miserable attempt)!

Over time, the Pomeranian has completely replaced the true Toy Spitz; in fact, the Pomeranian is now more or less extinct. And exactly the same thing is currently happening with the Wolfspitz. Because if different types of a dog breed have to compete with each other in dog shows, sooner or later this will always be to the disadvantage of one type. The Grand Dame of German Wolfspitz breeding, Mrs. Irene Weitz, warned against showing Keeshonds and Wolfsspitzes together in the same ring. Which type does the judge choose? And does he decide based on standard or personal taste? Sometimes the judges from abroad don't know what a real Wolfspitz actually looks like, as the international exhibitions are consistently dominated by the Keeshonden.

Mrs. Weitz once compared both types in "The German Spitz" number 125 on page 8. First, the Wolfspitz, as it has always been bred, with a not so lush, harsh coat, which appears temperamental in nature (this is also called "alert"). [21]  On the right you can see the modern Keeshond: of the type that is often bred in England and the USA, i.e. massive, extremely lush in hair, a dog that makes an impression. [22] An eye-catcher in the ring. Just a pure show dog, without any working dog characteristics - and obviously rather clumsy. [15]

I would be interested to know why this type of change actually has to happen? Why can't the German Spitz stay as he was? By the way, I am not alone with this attitude, but share it with many breeders and lovers of the real German Spitz.

❗ You can't change a dog breed for the sake of a fashion mood! It easily takes 18 months for a bitch to be ready for breeding and to be mated. Another 18 months pass before we see what kind of offspring the bitch produces. It can't be acceptable, that show judgments ruin everything because the judge's taste has suddenly changed! But that's a topic in itself anyway, because the judging itself definitely needs to become more uniform - and shouldn't be based on the judge's mood - or the breeding goals of the judge's own kennel. You can clearly see what neat, clean judging looks like in the pictures below. Although the judge Schmidt has a clear favorite, he ultimately gives him the objective evaluation that the dog actually deserves in order to avoid being accused of not knowing the breed standard. 

Nobody needs to fool themselves: the current dog shows - which have degenerated from a meaningful breeding show into a pure beauty competition - are massively pushing this "fashionable change". Ultimately, this "modernization" will affect all Spitz varieties, because the process is always identical: First, the respective variety is gutted from the inside, i.e. the softening of the characteristics - the variety becomes just a lapdog, just a toy - then it begins the transformation of the type into total trivialization. And if you're honest, all real German Spitzes are now endangered and belong on the GEH Red List alongside the Giant Spitz and the Mittel Spitz. If you don't believe me, start to count the Wolfspitzes of pure German lineage just for fun. There probably won't be many. Or the remaining Toy Spitzes.....🙄😫

So how long do we want to watch our German Spitzes being f*cked up and miss-bred? In Germany (and not only there) there are breeders who use obvious Samoyed hybrids as Giant Spitz stud dogs without any shame. Some of those "Spotzes" are so high in withers that even my really large Wolfspitz looks small next to them. And apparently no one wants to notice? This is disgusting! 

However, the buyer is still the tipping point. Even if some breeders think that trivializing our ancient guard dog has a sales-promoting effect, they are wrong in the long term. Because the breeders who still breed true German Spitzes have no problems selling their offspring. And often without any advertising. Unfortunately, we only have too few of them.