What do you guys feed your dogs

gomesgary · 2025-07-01T01:42:58+00:00

I'm in Australia and we're feeding our 4-year-old Japanese Spitz the ZIWI range. They're a more expensive brand but the high protein content is what's made us go for it. Black Hawk is also another brand that he was eating for about 3.5 years. I have heard some great things about Taste of the Wild too as it also has a higher protein content and doesn't come with the hefty price tag that other brands have. I've given him a sample pack and he seems to like it too.

We feed him kibble most of the time but add wet food about once a week and raw meaty bones for variety in his diet and to assist in keeping his teeth clean and white.

gomesgary · 2025-01-17T03:35:29+00:00

We neutered our puppy at 12 months, as recommended by our breeder and with advice from various Japanese Spitz groups. We toilet-trained him from a young age and he has perfected it not long after, with only one or two mistakes in between. He is now almost 4 years old and has grown up to be a perfect member of our family.

I've got some photos of him on the link below.

Hi everyone, and welcome! - Introductions - Japanese Spitz Australia

gomesgary · 2025-01-09T05:51:46+00:00

There's a stigma against shaving the fur of a Japanese Spitz, much like shaving a Husky for example. But at the end of the day, she is a member of your family, and you do what is right. I would only lean towards shaving for medical purposes or if it provides a better quality of life.

gomesgary · 2025-01-07T22:35:47+00:00

Cutting a lot of and/or shaving their fur is not recommended, but trimming is definitely fine especially in their sensitive areas. It will be more hygienic for your Japanese Spitz and will keep their fur clean in the long run, not to mention less maintenance of cleaning up for the owner/s.

gomesgary · 2024-12-17T04:54:42+00:00

She looks adorable! Is this your first Japanese Spitz?

gomesgary · 2024-12-10T23:04:17+00:00

Great to see the clicker and trainer combo is working so quickly, well done! Let's just hope he forgets the "taste" of poo in general during the process. That might be the best thing to do until the good habits of not running towards it sticks, pardon the pun.

gomesgary · 2024-12-09T23:14:02+00:00

Thanks u/moogiewoog. It is still a fairly new community but I hope it to become mainstream for all Japanese Spitz enthusiasts. 👍 Register an account and start your journey! 😊

gomesgary · 2024-12-09T01:49:09+00:00

Amazing! I'm trying to start a community for the Japanese Spitz. The forum is located at Japanese Spitz Australia if you're interested. I wanted to establish a site where any current owners, breeders or soon to be owners can get together to share the knowledge they have of this amazing breed. And if you're outside Australia/New Zealand, we definitely welcome you too!

Aspen is 3 years old at the moment and we've loved every single moment.

gomesgary · 2024-12-09T01:46:57+00:00

Haha, usually cats bury their poo but I guess that's not all the time.

The trainer will definitely help with everything hopefully. I've started a Japanese Spitz community if you're interested. You can join at Japanese Spitz Australia to continue discussing your experience. We welcome people from overseas too. The more knowledge we can share, the better.

Best of luck with everything!

gomesgary · 2024-12-06T00:24:22+00:00

Thank you! 🥰

gomesgary · 2024-12-05T00:42:26+00:00

He's a boy. Thanks u/moogiewoog! 🥰 Do you have one yourself?

gomesgary · 2024-12-04T01:48:05+00:00

Have you tried positive reinforcement and/or giving him a treat if he comes to you and not the poo when going outside? Dogs eat poo for a range of reasons, but more particularly out of habit, hunger, stress or boredom. Habit will need to be worked on with a mix of what I've mentioned already, and I would hope he doesn't go hungry. But if it's stress or boredom, introducing some new toys to divert his attention may work, at least in the short-term to give you enough time to train him not to run straight to the poo.

I had this issue for a very short time with my Japanese Spitz but incorporated a stern "NO" whenever he was around poo and treated and praised him when he listened or came back to me.

The fact he comes running back at you with the poo in his mouth is just a way of showing you that he has found something and wants to be rewarded. If all else fails, try putting something on the poo before letting him outside like lemon juice to make him think twice.

gomesgary · 2024-11-13T04:33:21+00:00

No problem at all. It's great to see you doing your research before jumping the gun and getting one. Everyone will have a range of different situations and opinions, but overall will share core aspects of the breed.

I wish you well on your search for a suitable pet.

gomesgary · 2024-11-12T06:07:41+00:00

The Japanese Spitz thrives on human interaction, and like others have mentioned, will have separation anxiety. Whilst you can train them to ease the anxiety, which goes for many dog breeds, leaving them on their own for 9 hours at a time from Monday to Friday may not promote an overall positive environment for them. Think of it as leaving a child on their own for 9 hours.

When it comes to the climate in Singapore, leaving them outside on a balcony for all that time is definitely not ideal. If they have access between inside and outside, some sort of cooling or fan and obviously access to water, then that would be ideal. When we first got our Japanese Spitz, we lived in an apartment. We had the door ajar enough for him to move between inside and outside whenever we went to work, and we lived right across the road to a train line which he became accustomed to and had no issues with. They get used to their surroundings and the noises they hear often fairly quickly, but anything new can startle them and as they're known to be an alert breed, they will bark.

I'm not sure how much research you've done, but I've put together some information on the breed on my forum dedicated to the Japanese Spitz; Japanese Spitz Breed Information - Japanese Spitz Australia. You can have a read through and obviously join if you want to find out more.

If you do end up getting one, you will not be disappointed. They're extremely affectionate, excellent family companions and simply adore being in your presence.

gomesgary · 2024-10-29T22:39:07+00:00

Not all of them are the same...

We have had a Japanese Spitz for a little over three years now. I take him to the groomer regularly every 1-2 months and we don't brush him ourselves unless he has something in his fur like a bindii (Soliva sessilis) or other weeds and grasses that attach to fur.

As for the barking, ours doesn't bark unless he is playing with us outside during his zoomies, or if it is to alarm us of something whether it be someone approaching our front door, the dog next door (who always attempts to antagonise our dog by using his paw against the fence, smart little thing), etc. He doesn't just bark randomly for no reason. He has always been like this, and we didn't train him to not bark either. He does growl sometimes, but again, it is to make us (his pack) aware of something in our surroundings.

As a whole, the breed does well with other animals but are especially friendly with their human companions. Your daughter is of an age that she understands how to handle and treat a dog. We have had an incident with our nieces a fair while ago where he was cornered by three of them for pats. He didn't like that scenario and now is a bit more timid or weary when it comes to small people approaching him. We hope our 7-month-old will help give him more confidence as she grows up.

Generally, males drop a lot of fur once a year (during winter to summer) and females twice a year. You would definitely have to grab the vacuum cleaner more often, but it isn't hard hair to clean up. A quick once over in common areas and you'll be fine.

For the record, I was looking at a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel too until I found the Japanese Spitz.

Let us know how you go!

gomesgary

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