Also known as the Miniature German Spitz, the Small German Spitz, the German Spitz (Klein) or the Deutscher Klein Spitz, this little companion dog has been separated from its close relatives purely by size. It is smaller than the Wolfspitz, the Giant Spitz and the Standard Spitz, but larger than the Toy Spitz and the Pomeranian. It has sometimes been called the Victorian Pam, because it is closest to the type of dog that was first imported into England by Queen Victoria in the 19th century.
There has been considerable confusion over the different German Spitz breeds. Some canine authorities recognize only three forms of German Spitz the large German Wolfspitz, the German Spitz and the tiny Pomeranian. In those cases, the Giant, the Standard and the Miniature are lumped together as one breed, called simply the German Spitz. The FCI, on the other hand, recognizes five breeds: the Wolfspitz, the Giant, the Standard, the Miniature and the Toy.
The situation was further complicated in the 1970s, when British breeders, alarmed by the problems arising with the smallest Pomeranians, imported both Standard and Miniature Spitz dogs to boost their size. These larger specimens were originally called Pomeranians, but this was unsatisfactory and eventually the Kennel Club allowed them to be separated and called the German Spitz (Mittel) and the German Spitz (Klein).
The height of the Klein, or Min. iature, breed is given as 9-11 in (23-28 cm), which fills the size-gap between the Mittel, or Standard, and the Toy.
These quibbles over classification do not, happily, affect the personality of these dogs. From the rare Giant down to the tiniest Pom, they are all essentially the same kind of dog, even if they come in different-sized packages. They are all buoyant, lively, adaptable pets with almost identical spitz proportions, and provide ideal urban companionship.
This particular breed, the Miniature, may appear in both solid and bicolour forms. Although it had become quite rare, since 1985 there has been a revival of this version of the Spitz family in Germany, perhaps following in the wake of its official recognition by the Kennel Club in London.
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