This code is established to protect and advance the interests of German Spitz and to provide standards for responsible ownership and breeding practices of German Spitz.

All Members Shall:

  1. Appreciate the unique nature of the German Spitz and try to preserve its characteristics of type, temperament, and health as a natural dog.
  2. Abide by the Constitution and By-laws of the German Spitz Club of America (GSCA) and the rules of the American Kennel Club (AKC).
    Honestly represent the breed and their own dog(s).
  3. Not make false or misleading statements about another competitor and their dog(s) and bear responsibility for the truth and accuracy of any information and/or photographs submitted for publication.
  4. Display good sportsmanship and conduct, whether at home or at shows in such a manner as to reflect praise upon themselves and the GSCA.
  5. Maintain the best possible standards of health, cleanliness, safety, and care of their dogs.

All Breeders and Owners, of German Spitz Bitches and Stud Dogs alike, shall:

  1. Breed German Spitz which adhere to the American Kennel Club approved Standard for the breed and which are healthy and temperamentally and structurally sound.
  2. Breeders shall keep informed in the field of genetics and work to eliminate hereditary defects from the breed. Prior to breeding, all dogs and bitches shall be examined for hip dysplasia by a veterinarian certified by OFA or Penn-Hip in the USA) and have a rating of fair, good or excellent, examined for elbow dysplasia and found to be normal, and evaluated for patella luxation and have a score of 0/0, 1/1, or 2/2 (only acceptable for breeding to a 0/0 mate), be screened free of eye problems by a veterinarian certified by OFA, and be tested for genetic health defects known to be present in the German Spitz, preferably using a multi-gene test, and found freed of conditions proven to cause loss of function or longevity All dogs are to have a full complement of teeth, although one missing premolar in small (klein) or middle (mittel) spitz is permissible.
  3. No stud dog should be used in more than five (5) breedings until the active female breeding population reaches 100. Considering the slow maturation of the German Spitz and the importance of assuring that breeding stock is free of genetic or other health problems, a minimum breeding of age of eighteen months for small (klein) or middle (mittel) spitz and twenty-four months is seriously recommended in order for the breeders to determine with greater certainty that the parents are of good health, temperament, and structure.
  4. A bitch should not be mated before the day on which she has reached the age of 18 months for small (klein) or middle (mittel) spitz or 24 months for large (gross) spitz.
  5. A bitch, from which no puppies have been born before, may not be mated after the day on which she has reached the age of 72 months.
  6. A bitch, from which puppies have been born before, may no longer be mated after the day on which she has reached the age of 96 months.
  7. A bitch may not be mated after the day her fifth litter is born.
  8. A bitch may not be mated if this mating means that there is no period of at least 12 months between the births of two successive litters of this bitch.
  9. The definition of a litter is: a situation in which a bitch from one pregnancy has produced one or more fully grown or immature puppies, which may or may not have been born alive or dead naturally.
  10. Dogs should not be inbred nor closely line bred. A bitch may not be covered by her grandfather, her father, her brother, her half-brother, her son or her grandson.
  11. Breeding with this kind of close family relationship leads to high inbreeding, which can increase the chance of hereditary defects. This is highly undesirable. In order to ensure that sufficient less related animals are available in the long term, the advice to breeders and breed clubs is to minimize the coefficient of inbreeding.

Owners of Bitches:

  1. Owners of bitches shall not undertake the breeding of a bitch unless they are prepared to keep the resultant puppies until each is suitably placed.
  2. Owners of bitches should not sell or donate any puppy or litter of German Spitz to Brokers, wholesale dealers in dogs, dealers for resale of dogs, humane societies, laboratories, or provide any animal for auction, prize, or raffle purposes.
  3. Owners of bitches should retain all puppies with the litter until at least eight (8) weeks of age and have received at least one vaccination for distemper and parvo and been wormed.
  4. Owners of bitches should microchip all puppies and adults. As a condition of sale or placement, the breeder(s) should retain the right of first refusal should the purchaser ever decide to transfer ownership, thereby giving the seller every opportunity to help the purchaser find a new home for the dog if necessary.
  5. Owners of bitches should provide puppy/dog buyers with the following papers for no additional charge for each puppy or dog sold:
    a written Contract of Sale specifying conditions of the sale and signed by both buyer and seller, a three generation pedigree, and written instructions for care, feeding and health records including immunizations.
  6. North American Breeders must provide AKC registration papers within six (6) months. Breeders outside of North America who export to the United States must provide registration papers for the exported dog within eighteen (18) months.

Sellers:

  1. Sellers should require that any German Spitz adult or puppy with a disqualifying fault, aggressive temperament, or non-color be spayed/neutered, and provided with only AKC limited registration.
  2. Seller should ascertain that the prospective buyer has knowledge and facilities to properly care for a growing or grown dog, considering both the physical and mental well-being of the dog.
  3. Breeders should emphasize to puppy buyers the importance of proper socialization of the German Spitz puppy and encourage attending puppy training classes.