Also known as the Great Spitz, the Large Spitz, the Grand Loulou and, in its homeland, the Deutscher Grosser Spitz or the Deutscher Grosspitz, this breed, despite its size, was developed exclusively as a pet dog.
This is not really a giant breed, being only of medium size and not even as large as its relative, the sheep-herding Wolfspitz. But it gam. ed its name because it is bigger than the Standard, Miniature or Toy Spitz breeds. It is a rare breed today, because breeders have tended to favour the smaller sizes of German Spitz dogs, especially the tiniest of them all the Pomeranian.
In origin, it is said that the ancestors of this breed, and its relatives, were brought to Germany from the north by the Vikings. The German Spitz dogs are certainly early breeds, there ban. g a mention of them (before they split into different sizes) in the literature of the mid-15th century.
The Giant form is accepted only in solid colours: white, black or brown. Since at least the 17th century, each of these colours has been associated with a particular region of Germany. The white were favoured in Elberfeld, the black and the brown inWiirtemberg.
In height, this breed is 16 in (40-41 cm); in weight it is 38-40 lb (17-18 kg).
Leave a Reply