Natural History

Posted in birds, dog breeds, working dogs | Tagged capercaillie, Finnish spitz | 16 Comments

16 Responses

1. on July 29, 2011 at 8:46 pm Dave

   There are quite a few mixes in Sweden and Norway. I imagine these mixes are uncommon, but it’s not unheard of.

   I found an interesting Lapphund-Finnish Spitz mix. They were tricolour… but again, the mom is a Finnish Spitz-Farm Collie mix.

   Also, I found a few historic photographs from the 1950s with laika-type mixes used for hunting bears in Finland. They look more like Elkhounds than Karelians.

   
   
2. on July 30, 2011 at 1:09 am Dave

   I didn’t even know they have snow noses:

   http://balmaindogblog.com/2011/03/07/skippy/

   
   
3. on July 30, 2011 at 2:52 am Dave

   “Maja is 50% finnish spitz, 25% laika and 25% smålänsk stövare :)”

   
   
   • on July 30, 2011 at 7:33 am retrieverman

     Smalandstovare are what I would call a Swedish cur. They are mixture of spitz and scendhound. They look like black and tan mountain curs.

     
     
4. on July 31, 2011 at 12:10 pm Bridget

   It’s surely not any pure-breed spitz or laika. Intresting coat. It looks like a Lapphund’s – also the colour is a typical one.

   In the old documentaries, Spitzes were described good water workers and retrievers, having a good staying power. They still have.

   But if you mix a “stövare” alias hound dog in between – which is very typical mix especially in Carelia and Russia – the thing will be surely different.

   
   
5. on July 31, 2011 at 12:14 pm Bridget

   Where did u find that photo? Is it Russian (Carelian)?

   They have intresting old types there. Just for few years ago the Pohjanmaanpystykorva – club made a excursion there to look for “new” breeding material. And they found many spotted spitzes – at least one was brought to Finland.

   
   
   • on July 31, 2011 at 12:37 pm Dave

     I asked where he got it from when I saw the photograph… because I want to use it for a landrace discussion:

     http://secretsofsweden.com/photo-gallery/bird-hunt

     
     
   • on July 31, 2011 at 6:43 pm Dave

     Actually, the dog in the original post reminds me of AE Järvinen’s hunting companion in the 1920s and 1930s.

     
     
6. on July 31, 2011 at 12:15 pm Bridget

   Sorry, Pohjanpystykorva, of course!

   
   
   • on July 31, 2011 at 12:34 pm Dave

     Pohjanpystykorva has an odd history.

     There’s two sides of I am aware of: one claims they were saved from extinction after being found on small Swedish farms. The other suggests they were throwaways Hugo Roos’s and his associates’s kennel programs. There’s a third one where it’s said that the early Karelo-Finnish Laika from 1930s to 1950s and 1960s has Norrbottenspets (or Pohjanpystykorva) blood in them; which is then later reunited with the Finnish Spitz breed in 2006.

     Are there other alternative breed history behind the Norrbottenspitz/Norrbottenspets/Pohjanpystykorva?

     
     
     • on July 31, 2011 at 12:35 pm Dave

       Er… “throwaways from Hugo Ross’s […]”

       
       
     • on July 31, 2011 at 6:13 pm Bridget

       You’re right.
       It’s known that Kennelklubben deleted the “Norrs” from its breed list.
       Also, Hugo Roos trialed with his dogs all over to St Petersburgh, and supposedly sold his famous dogs, too.

       So it really seems these dogs are so typical landrace in the large area covering the Fennoscandia and Carelia to Lake Latoga. These dogs are the smallest of our spitzes, but very brave and agile – real poor man’s hunters. Both are an old type (lol).

       Some old pics – even from the Russian Carelian dogs (Komi – people). Roll page down):

       http://www.spj.fi/fi/rodut/pohjanpystykorva/rotukuvaus/alkupera/

       
       
7. on July 31, 2011 at 6:19 pm Bridget

   Actually that chocolate spitz maybe an old Nothern landrace – showing the roots of the modern norrbottens spitz!

   
   
8. on August 8, 2011 at 12:07 am cyborgsuzy

   Hunting birds with a rifle. What an idea.

   
   
   • on August 9, 2011 at 5:49 pm retrieverman

     My grandpa always proudly hunted wild turkeys with a rifle– even though it was illegal.

     
     
   • on September 25, 2012 at 2:05 pm ikuturso

     OK, it’s an old thread, but I just had to comment.

     A bark-pointing Spitz and a rifle is considered the finest way to take capercaillie and black grouse in Finland.

     And what you are calling just “a rifle” is a Sako L46, the classic for this kind of work. This light and accurate rifle made Sako a world-class brand back in the post-war years.

     The dog is probably a mix, but obviously a successful one. Mine is a Finn Spitz – Collie love child and a natural born hunter.

     Best Wishes for the Hunting Season!

     
     

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