It is believed that this little spitz from North Bothnia originates from small laikas that lived with prehistoric hunting tribes in the North Cape area.
These dogs have survived through selective laws of nature where survival of the fittest has been the code, hence only the really good hunting dogs had a chance.
The versatility of this hunting dog is well known. The dog that was used as a model for the breed standard was for instance known to be an excellent elkhound. In the very harsh areas of the northern parts of the Scandinavian Peninsula, hunting for food and fur was a necessity for survival. Precious furs like sable, marten-skin and ermine were the only valid currency for centuries.
After the Second World War, fur prices dropped drastically and so did interest in the Norrbottenspitz, which in 1948 resulted in that it was proclaimed extinct. However, that proved to be a hasty decision as the breed had survived at small homesteads in the wilderness of northern Scandinavia as a watch- and companion dog.
Due to the dedicated work of a few men, this old type of hunting spitz was saved. In 1967 the Norrbottenspitz was re-introduced to the registry and a new standard was drawn up.
The Norrbottenspitz is keen and agile. The breed is mainly known as an excellent hunting dog for large forest grouse, capercaillie and black grouse.
Appearance and size
The body is close to rectangular with good reach of the neck and with its head carried high. The tail is loosely curled over the hip. The body coat is rather short and hard; it is longer on the neck, the tail and back of the thighs.
The coat colour is pure white with clearly defined large patches of, ideally, all nuances of red and yellow. Patches in any nuance of fawn, agouti or black are tolerated but patches in the ideal colours are always preferable.
The ideal height at the withers is 45 cm for males and 42 cm for females with an acceptable variation of 2 cm for both.
Breed registration statistics
Below you can find the registration statistics for the Norrbottenspitz in the Nordic countries from 1990 onwards.