Frequently Asked Questions
Find the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about our dogs, kennel, puppies and waiting list.
Is the Finnish Spitz Hypoallergenic?
Not at all. If you are allergic to dogs, chances are that you will be allergic to the Finnish Spitz as well.
There are many people who love dogs and long for a pet, but suffer from allergies. Hypoallergenic dogs are great for allergy sufferers, because these dogs either do not shed or shed very little, making them less likely to cause a serious reaction in owners. It is important to note, however, that there is no such thing as a completely hypoallergenic dog – the saliva and skin of a dog can still trigger an allergic event in sensitive people.
Please visit http://www.akc.org/about/faq-allergies/ so you will be able to find a more suitable breed for you and your family.
Do Finnish Spitzes shed?
When kept inside, every dog sheds all year long. In addition to that, Finnish Spitzes also blow their coat once or twice a year — usually during spring, and sometimes again during fall.
Do they bark a lot?
Oh yes they do and they love the sound of their own voice... The Finnish Spitz is also known as the barking bird dog and has been selected and bred for his hunting instinct and barking capabilities
In Finland, there is actually a barking competition every year that Finnish Spitz compete in. The dogs have been recorded barking up to 160 times per minute.
How do you feed your dogs (and puppies)
Our adults dogs are fed with Natural Raw Food 5 Stars twice a day when at home. When we are traveling or during pregnancy and lactation they are fed with Nutrience Infusion (Adult formula or Puppy during lactation).
Our puppies however are all started on kibbles with Nutrience Infusion Puppy.
Why? Because we want to makes things easier for our new owner. In fact a raw diet need to be well balance and because if not handle properly, risk of salmonella are to be taken into consideration. For the same reason, we do not advise raw feeding if you have small children at home.
What is the Waiting List for?
The Finnish Spitz is considered to be a rare breed outside of its country of origin. There is only a handful of breeders in North America and few litters are born each year.
Inugami’s Waiting List ensures that you will receive more information regarding our next litter when the time comes. We will contact you when the mother to be will be ready to breed and to let you know which male we are planning to use. We will also contact you, when the breeding would have occur to let you know the estimate birth date of the puppies. We also do an X-ray 53/56 days post breeding and we will be able to let you know how many puppies we should get from this litter and start taking reservations.
If you wish to get more news, please follow us on Facebook or Instagram.
In order to register to our waiting list, you will be asked a few questions. This helps us to know you a little better and advise you on some important points regarding the breed when needed. Once we receive your application, we will review it and get back to you with any additional questions we may have for you but also answers to the questions you may have for us. We try to get back to you within 1 week, but please be patient, we may be at dog shows or other events which prevent us from getting back to you as quickly as we would like.
Considering that Finnish Spitzes litters are considered small (3 to 5 puppies), being placed on our wait list does NOT guarantee that you will get a Finnish Spitz from us. So please stay patient until the mother to be is finally pregnant and we got the result from her x-ray to determine how many puppies we will get . Also don’t worry too much about the number of inquiries we got before yours, most of those families won’t be as patient as you…
When we finally know how many puppies we can expect from the upcoming litter, we ask families registered on our list to confirm their interest by giving a deposit for their future companion (First on the list, first-served).
If you can’t get a puppy from our upcoming litter, you will be added to the next litter list. So please don’t tell your kids they will have a puppy soon if you haven’t made a deposit yet…
I would like to visit you before being placed on your Wait List. Is that okay?
Absolutely. We strongly encourage you to visit us and our dogs prior to committing to purchase one of our puppies. We would prefer that you fill out our Wait List Application and send it to us prior to your visit because it will give us a base for further questions we have for you.
If you decided that the Finnish Spitz is not the right breed for you, we will simply remove your application from our list.
How will you provide updates during our time on your waiting list?
The Waiting List ensures that you will receive more information regarding our next litter when the time comes. Once the mating has occurred, you’ll be contacted and be kept informed about the litter-to-come. After the puppies are born, we’ll reach out to you in order to confirm your interest in one of the newborns.
When the puppies are born, we ask people registered on the list to confirm their interest by giving a deposit for their future dog. (First -come, first-served).
However, we strongly recommend that you visit our Facebook page or Instagram on a regular basis for any updates regarding our dogs.
We also encourage you to contact us through email or messenger periodically to confirm that you are still waiting for one of our puppies.
We are always available to answer any questions you may have.
What is the Deposit for?
A deposit of 500$ CAD will be needed to secure your puppy. You first need to be registered to our Waiting List (for more information, see “What is the Waiting List”).
The Deposit is non-transferable and non-refundable, except in the rare case when the puppy dies prematurely in the first weeks of its lifespanor would be deemed unfit for adoption.
What is the CKC non-breeding agreement?
CKC non-breeding agreement means that the dog will be registered with CKC as a pure bred Finnish Spitz, but no litters or puppies out of that dog may be registered with the CKC. Dogs under a non-breeding may not compete in CKC Conformation events after beeing spaying / neutering (exept in altered class during speciality event). You will howver still be able to compete in performance events such as obedience, agility, tracking, rally, etc…
Non-breeding agreement are used to prevent irresponsible breeding and to protect our beautiful breed.
With the exception of show dogs, all our puppies are sold with a non-breeding agreement.
We have children, do you have any advice for us?
Being placed on our Wait List does NOT guarantee that you will get a puppy. Please do NOT get your children’s hopes up about getting a puppy until you are sure you will be getting one, at least until after we have made you an offer AND you have placed your non-refundable deposit.
Purchasing a dog is a long term commitment that will last the duration of the dog’s life. Please understand that it is YOUR responsibility and not your child’s to take care of the daily needs of the dog as well as the financial and emotional commitment that owning a dog entails.
Also, please make sure that your children will be able to behave appropriately around the puppy/dog. Puppies are fragile and can be easily injured by a careless child. An adult must always be the primary caretaker of the dog and that an adult must always be present when children and the dog are together.
Will you remain involved with us and our puppy after we bring him home?
Of course! We take our responsibility for our puppies very seriously from the time they are born, to their last day. We like to get to know families prior to placement and we like to keep a solid relationship with the new owners throughout the dog’s lifetime. We make ourselves available to the new owners and always are there to answer any questions they have.
We also love hearing updates about puppies and how they are doing in their new homes. We love sharing pictures and information about classes completed and titles earned on our Facebook page and Instagram.
Our puppy buyers agree to maintain communication with us for the duration of the lifetime of the puppy. At a minimum, buyers provide yearly updates regarding the dog including pictures and to notifyus of any health issues as they arise.
When will you have a puppy available?
We maintain a wait list of potential puppy buyers. We try to provide those on our wait list with our best estimate of when we will have a puppy for them, however, please understand that many factors can change this estimate including whether a breeding takes and overall litter sizes. If a puppy becomes available sooner than the estimated time we gave you, we will let you know.
We strongly suggest you stay in touch with us in order to get updates (follow us on Facebook or Instagram.) and if you are already registered on our Waiting List, when we will send you up dates by e-mail, to let us know you are still interested to get a Finnish Spitz puppy from us.
Do you ship puppies?
No, we won’t ship our puppies. We advocate all puppy buyers to pick up their puppy in person.
If you are far from us, I will be happy to help you find a breeder closer.
Can I come visit the puppies?
We do not allow visitors to see the puppies until they are 6 weeks old. After that time you are welcome to come see the puppies if you have already made a deposit for one of them. When you visit you will meet the Mother, you may have met her already, and be able to see how/where the puppies are being raised for yourself.
We do require that you schedule an appointment in order to avoid conflicts with our work schedule, dog shows, etc. We try to only schedule one visit during any day. The best time for us is usually about 1pm. Weekdays and weekends are usually fine.
For sanitary reason we do not allow other visitors during the mother’s pregnancy or as long as we have puppies.
When are the puppies ready to go to their new homes?
We typically let puppies go to their new homes around 8 to 10 weeks of age. We do not let puppies go prior to 8 weeks old.
When will I know what puppy will be mine to take home? and do I get to pick which puppy will be mine?
As you probably already know, we spend a lot of time with our puppies. I’m with the mother to help and reassure her during the whelping, and every day I spend many hours with the puppies. This give me the chance to interact and work with every single one of them (all together or one by one). Doing that, I can observe their personality, temperament, energy level develop during the 2 months they are staying with us. By the time the puppies are 8 weeks old we know them and their personalities very well.
They all look the same and are all lovely. Unlike some other breed you won’t be able to fall in love with a particular color or patch on their hears. They all look the same and are all as lovely. But, by the time the puppies are 8 weeks old we know them and their personalities very well… This is why I advise you to be honest and specific when answering our waiting list form and when visiting us. Your answers will help us match our puppies with your lifestyle and type of family/household.
You will get the chance to watch our puppies Live on our website and you may fall in love with one (or all of them)… Let us know if you have a particular crush and we will do our best to match you with this special puppy if we think it’s a wise choice, otherwise we will advise you to trust us and encourage you to consider another puppy who seems already more suitable for your family.
We also ask you on the waiting list form if you would prefer a puppy male or female, of course, we will keep this answer into consideration when choosing the best fir for you.
This is a very detailed and thoughtful process where we try to make the best decision for each individual puppy. We do everything possible to place the right puppy in the right home. We have always been doing this and all our previous families have always been really happy with the choice we made for them. So please trust us to match the best puppy we feel will fit with you and your lifestyle. Around 7 weeks old, we will already have an idea of which puppy will be yours.
What should I expect when taking a puppy home with me?
At the time you take your puppy home it has successfully completed only one half of the critical 16-week period in its life. The remaining 8 weeks are extremely important for both you and the puppy in terms of training and socialization. Those first 8 weeks in your home will mould the puppy into the dog you will live with for the rest of its lifetime. The first week or so will be an adjustment period for both you and for the puppy. It is the first time that the puppy has been away from its mother and littermates for any real extended period of time. Allow the puppy to explore and become comfortable. Do not push the puppy to do anything it does not want to do. We recommend that you use the Puppy socialization chart we provided in your Puppy Pack to pursue our work in socializing your puppy. You can start house training and crate training right away has we have already introduced them to it. Limit the puppy’s exposure to other dogs and people until after it has had all of its shots. We recommend not starting classes until after your puppy has had all of its shots. You can also start basic obedience commands like Sit, Down, Stay and Come even before you start classes.
Do you puppies come crate trained?
There are a large number of benefits to crate train your dog. We do our best to introduce the concept of the crate to our puppies while they are with us. However they are not considered crate trained yet when they are ready to go into their new homes.
Please have a look at the documentation on this subject (Crate training & How to crate train your puppy) provided in your puppy pack. We are also glad to offer advice and suggestions to help in the process.
Most new owners find that the puppy adjusts easily to the crate in the new home in just a couple of days. Puppies should be crated when unsupervised and should also sleep in their crates.
Do your puppies come house-broken or house-trained?
We do our best to make a distinction in the puppies’ mind of where they should eat, where they should sleep, and where they should do their business, during the time that they are with us.However, if you want a house-broken or house-trained Finnish Spitz, you will need to get an adult. House-training activities are part of the new homes responsibility.
We are glad to offer advice and suggestions to help in the process.
House-training is much more effective in the new home where the puppy gets more individualized attention. Puppies have smaller bladders than adult dogs so make sure that your puppy is let out often especially when crated. Removing access to water after 9pm may help your puppy last through the night in its crate better. If you feel that your puppy is having particular trouble with house training please consult once again the documentation provided in your puppy pack or contact us for advice.
What age is best to spay/neuter my puppy?
All our puppies sold as Pet quality are sold with a Spay/Neuter agreement. The Buyer agrees to spay/neuter their puppy between 8 and 10 months of age. The Buyer will provide proof of the spay/neuter in the form of a certificate from their Veterinarian on the Veterinarian’s letterhead and signed by the Veterinarian before the puppy turns 10 months of age to Inugami Finnish Spitz. If there is a medical reason why your vet recommends the puppy to be spay/neutered at a different age, the Buyer agrees to contact us to discuss the issue prior to performing the procedure. Some vets will recommend that the procedure be done earlier (usually before 6 months old). The main benefit sited by supporters of these early age spay/neuter procedures is a reduction in the pet population.
Also, your puppy may still compete in CKC performance events such as obedience, agility, tracking, rally, etc. even though they are spay/neutered. The only activity they are restricted from is conformation events.
What if I have to return my puppy? and what if the puppy is not working out in our home?
As the buyer of one of our puppies you have committed to own and care for this puppy for the duration of its lifetime. Placing our dogs is not something we take seriously. We feel strongly about responsible dog ownership, and breeding. We do everything possible to ensure that the puppy will fit in your home. If there is a reason why the puppy is not working out in your home please contact us. We can offer advice to help deal with the situation. Nevertheless, if at any time during his lifetime, you can no longer keep your dog, you shall notify us and give us first option of resuming full ownership of your dog in order for us to place the dog in a new home. If we are taking your dog back, you will need to complete the appropriate CKC paperwork to return ownership of the dog to us and the dog will be returned with all its medical records. If you wishes to transfer your dog to another owner, you must receive our permission in writing first and the new owner will have to sign a new agreement with our kennel before the transaction can be completed. You should never consider taking your dog to an Animal Shelter or euthanizing him without consulting with us first. We reserve the right to approve/prohibit any transfer of this animal to a third party.
I plan to compete with my Finnish Spitz in performance events such as obedience, agility, etc. or my family is very active and we plan to take the puppy on walks, runs, hikes etc. Do you have any guidelines or suggestions for me?
It is extremely important that you do not over exercise your puppy. Puppies are very active and require exercise, but you need to know how much is enough. Too much activity or exercise can have serious negative consequences for your puppy from heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and heart issues to bone spurs and hip/joint issues.
For a Finnish Spitz, it takes 2 years for the growth plates to finish growing and fuse correctly. You should not begin serious training for performance events until after 2 years of age. Similarly, you should not take your dog for long walk, runs, and hikes until after 2 years of age. Whatever you are doing, at whatever age for the dog, always provide the dog with fresh water and keep a close watch for signs of stress in the dog.
Who did the Drawings on your website?
Those drawings of my dogs are called Miniblobs and were made by the young and talented Minnie from NZ.
You can follow her on Instagram or ask for a commission @minblobs
Still have some questions
If you still have some question, feel free to contact us. We will try to get back to you as soon as possible
