hi there, im new here so i hope i've posted this in the right place!

I'm looking to get two, but completely stuck on which breed to go for. After much research i've fallen in love with the Finnish Spitz and Norwegian Buhund).
Can anyone give me an insight into their personalities?..(i haven't been able to meet one in person yet). 
or any insight into any problems they've had with either?
Has anyone has any experience of training either not to bark excessively (i hear both are vocal breeds)
Also, how easy is it to get hold of one in England as i believe they are both fairly rare.

Any help will be much appreciated!!!

They are very different the Buhund being IMO far more laid back and biddable than the Finnish but as I don't own either we may well have someone saying the opposite. Both breeds are available in the UK but would suggest you spend time visiting as many breeders of both to meet the adults and see how they behave, visiting a few shows may also help.

I see you say you want two, well I would only have a second when the first was fully adult and trained to suit your requirements.

I have handled a male Buhund in the ring over many years ,and at training , he was great in the ring .He did however run off on Exmouth Beach and swam to Dawlish over the estuary and strong currents and evaded the lifeboat.Reports of him round the dustbins at the local pub after a few days alerted his owner and he was returned safely. Both he and the bitch barked at birds in the garden and were very good house dogs .They were clean and didn't smell doggy.

I used to travel to shows with a Finnish Spitz breeder whose dogs were particularly well behaved, but they are quite a fizzy breed, and more so than the Buhunds I know.

Most Spitz are fond of their voices, but no more so than many breeds, it is a matter of training them not to indulge inappropriately.

They are similar size wise, availability equally low.  So contact with breed club and getting on a breeders waiting list (may take a year).

We have owners of both breeds who also own my and Nova's breed the Norwegian Elkhound, so they do have appeal to all those who like an independent minded coated natural type Spitz dog.  Never a good idea to ahve two pups together, especially in a preferably please themselves breed.  I would never advise less than a two year age gap, preferably three.

Another breed gaining a following in the UK, with more of an offstaning coat, liek that of a Samoyed or Keeshond (breeds also worth consiodering) is the Finnish Laphund.

I am actually Finnish [hence the username :)] and  my family has always had Finnish Spitzes as gundogs and I have NEVER met a non yappy one. Most of them were narky little things as well, but they were proper gundogs living outside, not pets.
When they hunt they point out a bird by barking at the tree the bird is in, so teaching them not to could be quite hard IF they are bred as gundogs. I don't know the Finnish Spitz in the UK so don't know how they've been bred.
If you want a spitz breed, I'd go for the Norwegian Elkhund. They are lovely, trainable and loyal and as far as I'm concerned beat the Finnish Spitz any time.

> If you want a spitz breed, I'd go for the Norwegian Elkhund. They are lovely, trainable and loyal and as far as I'm concerned beat the Finnish Spitz any time.

Hehe, don't tell my finkie freinds, btu you won't get an argument from me, but then I am utterly biased. 

They do make great family companions, nice size, easy care coat (but of course you'll have hair as with any double coated breed), wolfie looks are enough to deter, barking can be trained to be within acceptable norms (I lvie in a suburban housing estate with up to 6).

They will take as much excersise as you can throw at them, but won't climb the walls if on a bad day they get half hour round the block.  Temperament is lively and energetic but an easy off switch in the home.  Generally good with toehr dogs (will stand theri gorund but don't start anythign and any squabble is generally all noise and bluster).

Interestingly the lady I knew who was devoted to her Finnish Spitz (had 20 of them at the end of her life) always had at least one elkhound and maintained they made better pets and housedogs.

you won't get an argument from me, but then I am utterly biased.


Me too but there are other Spitz I would have liked to have owned including the Buhund but I have never fancied a Finnish, they are a beautiful colour but most in the UK are a bit too light boned for my taste and a few are not the best tempered either.

LOL writing the above has just reminded me about the occasion when at a show I was walking down a gangway of F S benches with Elli, passed an empty one and she decided that would do nicely thank you and hopped up - you have never heard such a display of bad temper from the surrounding occupied benches they were furious to find a grey coloured hound in their amidst.

Yet it often happens in the Elkhound benches and they seem to not be bothered at all.

Jackie it sounds like the British F S has the same narky temperament as the Finnish ones. I have always loved the grays because even though my dads grays were all proper working gundogs, when they were home, they were loving pets. Saying that, if you'd tried to get to the moose after dad had shot it, you'd had no chance.
Finnish Spitz on the other hand...they'd take your trouser leg off in a flash! :))

Barbara, I thought you'd agree with me ;)

Hi Becky
The most obvious difference is that the Finnish Spitz is a hound while the Buhund is a pastoral breed and therefore generally more amenable to training.
They can be yappy but they are not difficult to train not to be - provided they are not left outside by themselves where they soon get bored - when they are bored, they bark ... and bark ...and bark.
They are one of the easier Spitz breeds to train, some are extremely good at recall, others less so. Some are doing well in agility too. They should never be nervous and are renowned for being good with children (assuming the kids are good with them, of course) and are usually embarrassing friendly with visitors. They need a fair amount of exercise (mental and physical) but probably not as much as the FS.
If you decide you want one, you'll need to go on a waiting list probably. If you want some contact details, pm me and let me know what part of the country you are in.
(I've owned Buhunds since 1978, by the way)