The Finnish Spitz is a beautiful, faithful dog, very intelligent and easy to train. But the first thing you should know about him is that he barks, and it is normal for him to do so regularly throughout the day.
Do Finnish Spitz bark a lot? It is inevitable to see a Finnish Spitz barking frequently. Being a hunting dog by nature, his barking is an instinctive behavior, a form of communication for them with you.
If you want to have this beautiful pet in your home, you must be willing to teach him when it is okay to do it and when not.
If we look at this behavior on the positive side, it exemplifies his watchdog instinct. He will never stop perceiving a stranger or if something out of the ordinary is happening, and will notify you immediately. It is an excellent watchdog.
In the same way, if you want to control his barking, you can decrease the frequency through short and simple training.
It will also depend on whether the dog has spent his energy level during the day in physical and mental games. That does not make him become a noisy dog in excess or destructive.
Can Daily Exercise Reduce Barking?
Definitely yes, this dog is very active and physically agile and needs to eliminate its energy daily. This is the only way to prevent him from becoming a bad companion at home.
Swimming is an excellent exercise. If you want to take your Spitz for a swim you can read my article here on this topic.
When you have excess energy, you can bark uncontrollably and turn against household objects.
Ideally, you should have at least a couple of outings a day, in a place where you can run freely, or exercise with outdoor games for at least 30 minutes. It will depend on the intensity of the game and the mental challenge so that it can cause some exhaustion in this breed of dog.
Remember that Finnish Spitz’ like new challenges and challenges that take it to a new level. Keep it entertained and in progress, because when the games are always the same, they tend to get bored or frustrated, which also makes them come back noisy.
Please do not underestimate the abilities of this dog, it is really very intelligent and is able to follow you in new games that you show.
How To Train A Finnish Spitz Not To Bark As Much?
It is a breed very docile to training through positive reinforcements, praise, food rewards, or through games as long as they are short and creative.
We must not forget that they get bored quickly. After repeating the same action several times, they no longer feel comfortable but quite the opposite, which will make them have a bad experience during training.
These techniques pay off with consistency, the permanent results won’t be overnight, but they definitely end up learning.
Just do these positive reinforcements when the dog takes positive action. In this case, it is to stop barking at a certain point. This breed will end up understanding the message. It will permanently adopt this behavior, provided that it does not have accumulated excess energy.
In all this process, you must take into account that despite being a fur dog to its owner, it is an independent thinker. So you should not expect it to always respond without question to your orders; this is normal in this breed for its intelligence, but it is still an obedient dog.
Did You Know That Small Animals Trigger Their Hunting Instincts?
This breed has difficulty getting acquainted with small animals as it sees them as a hunting object. Rodents or birds, in particular, are animals that will make your dog start to bark while chasing them.
It is especially advisable that if we have a dog of this breed, we do not adopt another pet with these characteristics, to avoid constant chases in the house. The Finnish Spitz can become very noisy.
In the same way, this behavior can be trained. However, this breed can become much better adapted to other pets such as a cat or other dog companion.
Cats tend to trigger this instinct but become more easily playmates. The Finnish Spitz will understand much faster than it is a companion rather than an animal to be hunted.
It will depend on the character of the cat, as there are some more playful than others.
You can also create a safe place for the cat when it has tired of the Finnish Spitz’ excessive energy and games. However, a bird will not be able to become this companion for the Finnish Spitz.
In fact, it will get along very well with a dog companion, as long as it is socialized as a puppy. This is the most recommended for both cases since it will be able to naturalize the presence of other pets in the house, such as a cat or a dog.
Hunting Dog That Barks, The Finnish Spitz Is Considered The Champion In This Area
Keep in mind that this dog was specially developed for hunting and that it barks for this reason.
This skill is it’s the most important quality. Basically, it looks at its prey, chases it, and while it does the hunting job, it will bark throughout the process.
In fact, every year in Finland, where he was adopted as the national dog, he is awarded the “King Barker.” It is not for nothing that he is given this position. This dog has proven to be a real barking expert while hunting.
This is one of the factors that you should consider carefully before having one at home. Will you be able to withstand its barking?
However, it must be borne in mind that it is a very playful and happy dog, making it the ideal life companion for many to have at home. You will see him jumping, and you will almost feel that they hear him sing, he really is a very happy friend and excellent companion of children.
The Ideal Place For The Finnish Spitz Is The Field
This is something like the dream place for this pet.
You can run freely, and the barking will not be too important. Also, the neighbors will have no reason to come to claim.
It will be an ideal place to have other pets that will become your adventure companions. This enchants the Finnish Spitz. Surely, he will be the one to start the chases.
In addition, these companions will help you have fun and creative games so that in your own home, you can reduce your energy level drastically and without much effort.
It will be a place ready to let yourself be carried away by your hunting and adventurous instincts.
In the same way, you must teach your dog a silent command from a young age. It is never too much that they learn when it is time to stop barking.
When Should I Start Training Him To Bark Less?
You should definitely start from the same day that this cute pet arrives at your home. It is never too early, and in fact, it is ideal that you start before they are eight weeks old.
It would be best if you did not wait until he is over six months old. Remember that the earlier your education process begins, the better this pet will adapt to the training in your relationship.
In the same way, you must start the socialization process with other pets from a young age. This will prevent you from getting used to seeing them as strange. It is a more complicated process to lead this dog to naturalize its relationship with other members of the household.
When this breed is a puppy-like most, they will acquit what you teach them much faster.
Conclusion
The Finnish Spitz is an excellent pet. It’s barking is part of its nature. You have to accept it from the beginning. As you have realized, this does not mean that it will definitely bark excessively if you train it from a young age to know when to stop barking.
He will naturalize the teachings you give him as a puppy, use this to your advantage.
It is an easy dog to train. I have written an article with training tips that can help you. You just have to take into account the place where you are going to live and the pets that are going to surround you.
You can read my full article on the Finnish Spitz here.