Japanese Spitz vs Volpino Italiano

A Japanese Spitz
Photo: Yuliya Strizhkina, Ilona Didkovska
A Volpino Italiano
Photo: Canarian

Side by side

Japanese Spitz
Volpino Italiano
Adult weight
4.5–11 kg (9.9–25 lb) (estimated: the AKC (FSS) breed page's 10-25 lb, the only published weight for the breed)
Males 4.5–7.3 kg (10–16 lb); females 3.6–5.4 kg (8–12 lb) (breed club figure)1
Height
Males 30–38 cm; females 30–34 cm2
No sourced figure
Lifespan
Median 13 years3
No sourced figure
Fully grown
10 months, both sexes4
Group
Spitz & primitive2
Spitz & primitive5
Coat
Long coat2
Long coat5
Shedding
Moults most as the seasons change
Sheds through the year
Grooming
Daily brushing
Exercise
A moderate amount
Class
Companion
Companion

Which suits you

Size
The Japanese Spitz is larger on average: about 7.9 kg (17 lb) as an adult, against 5.2 kg (11 lb) for the Volpino Italiano.
Shedding
Their coats shed differently: the Japanese Spitz moults most as the seasons change, the Volpino Italiano sheds through the year.
Temperament
They differ most on affection (Japanese Spitz: a lap or leaning dog; Volpino Italiano: affectionate on its own terms) and on independence (Japanese Spitz: keen to work with you; Volpino Italiano: cooperative, with its own ideas).
Alike
Both are rated the same on loyalty: sticks close to its people.
Neither is the better dog in general. Which suits you depends on your home, your days and the care you can give.
Take the breed matcher

What they're like

Japanese Spitz
Spitz & primitive · Small

In temperament it is lively, bright and affectionate with its household, playful, and quick to notice anything unusual, though often reserved with strangers.

Volpino Italiano
Spitz & primitive · Small

The breed is lively and attentive. It notices anything unusual quickly and tends to bark about it.

The Japanese Spitz page →The Volpino Italiano page →

Breed traits

Day to day
Japanese Spitz
Volpino Italiano
Activity
A good daily walk and play
A good daily walk and play
Intelligence
Learns readily, likes games
Learns readily, likes games
Handler demand
Differs
Suits a first-time owner
Needs steady training
With people
Japanese Spitz
Volpino Italiano
Affection
Differs
A lap or leaning dog
Affectionate on its own terms
Loyalty
Sticks close to its people
Sticks close to its people
Independence
Differs
Keen to work with you
Cooperative, with its own ideas
Around the home
Japanese Spitz
Volpino Italiano
Sensitivity
Average
Average
Voice
Differs
Barks to alert, then settles
Very vocal
Prey drive
Usually fine with small pets
Usually fine with small pets
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour6. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home7,8.

Puppy growth

Reference curves · both sexes
The Japanese Spitz grows to the heavier adult, about 7.9 kg against the Volpino Italiano's 5.5 kg. The Japanese Spitz's weight is not a published figure.
Japanese Spitz
Volpino Italiano
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More comparisons

Compare the Japanese Spitz with
Japanese Spitz vs SamoyedJapanese Spitz vs PomeranianAmerican Eskimo Dog vs Japanese SpitzJapanese Spitz vs Shiba InuAll breed comparisons →

Sources

Parts of this page were written by AI ·