German Spitz Puppies: Adopt or Buy in Australia?

Should you adopt or buy a German Spitz?

Either route can work. The Dogs Australia breed standard describes a dog that is “compact, short coupled and well knit with an almost square outline”, whose profuse coat does not disguise any lack of substance. It says the German Spitz is “intelligent, active and alert”, that “its buoyancy, independence and devotion to the family are the breed characteristics”, and asks for a “happy, equable disposition, showing confidence, with no sign of nervousness or aggression”.

A registered breeder gives you a puppy of a known size, Klein or Mittel, with health-tested parents and pedigree papers. Rescue gives you a dog whose temperament you can see first, though it may be a spitz-type cross rather than a papered German Spitz; check the live listings, as numbers change daily. The route to avoid is an online ad for a cheap “German Spitz” with no papers, no size and no breeder you can check.

Reference figures: the RSPCA NSW and RSPCA Victoria fee pages, read 12 November 2026. They are not quotes. Breeders and rescues set their own prices and change them, so check with them.

What are the German Spitz Klein and Mittel?

Two sizes of one breed. Dogs Australia has a single German Spitz (Mittel & Klein) breed standard, a Kennel Club (London) standard revised in 1995 and effective in Australia from 1 January 1997, in Group 7, Non Sporting. It sets a height of 23 to 29 cm for the Klein and 30 to 38 cm for the Mittel, and no weight. Everything else in the standard, from coat to colour to temperament, applies to both.

Dogs Australia's March 2026 breed listing names them as German Spitz (Klein) and German Spitz (Mittel), and its registration figures count them separately: 9 Klein and 63 Mittel registered in 2025, against 11 and 126 in 2018. Those are small numbers, so expect to wait for a litter of the size you want.

Sources: Dogs Australia breed standard, Dogs Australia breed page, Dogs Victoria, Dogs NSW and the Royal Kennel Club (Klein, Mittel), read 12 November 2026.

How is a German Spitz different from a Pomeranian or a Keeshond?

On paper, by group, size measure and colour. All three are spitz breeds with a double coat and a tail carried over the back, and each has its own Dogs Australia standard. The table compares only what the three standards say; where one sets a weight and another a height, we do not convert one into the other.

Sources: Dogs Australia breed standards for the German Spitz, Pomeranian and Keeshond, read 12 November 2026.

In practice this means a German Spitz Mittel is well under the Keeshond's ideal height and can come in colours a Keeshond standard does not allow, and a Pomeranian is a separate Toy breed with its own standard. If a puppy is sold as “German Spitz or Pomeranian”, ask which breed the pedigree papers name. Our Pomeranian, Keeshond and Japanese Spitz guides cover those breeds.

What is a German Spitz like to live with?

Social, lively and vocal. The Dogs Australia breed page describes a happy dog that makes a loyal companion and effective watchdog, highly social, and active and agile, with long walks and runs the norm. It says the breed bonds very strongly with its people, so it is not appropriate to isolate one in the backyard or leave it alone for long periods, as this may result in excess vocalisation. Dogs Victoria says the German Spitz is extraordinarily attached to its owner, easy to train, naturally distrustful of strangers, and well suited to family life with an enclosed garden. It adds that what the small spitz lacks in bulk it makes up for in alertness and voice.

The coat is less work than it looks. The breed page says it repels water and dirt, that weekly brushing removes dead coat, and that the dog moults twice a year and needs more systematic brushing then, leaving little hair around the house the rest of the year. The standard says this is not a trimmed breed, beyond tidying the feet, anal area and legs below the hocks. If you live close to neighbours, read our guide to dog barking and complaint rules.

How healthy are German Spitz, and which checks should a breeder show you?

Generally healthy, with three conditions to ask about. The Dogs Australia breed page calls the breed remarkably healthy. Dogs Victoria says it is generally healthy but that epilepsy, patella luxation and PRA are possible health issues, and recommends asking breeders what health testing they do. PRA, progressive retinal atrophy, is an inherited eye disease; in patellar luxation the kneecap pops out of place, which the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals says occurs in toy and miniature breeds among others.

We found no Australian breed club health scheme published online. The UK Royal Kennel Club lists the same two items for both sizes; use them, with the Dogs Victoria list, to ask an Australian breeder questions, not as an Australian rule.

Sources: Dogs Victoria and the Royal Kennel Club (Klein, Mittel), read 12 November 2026.

How much is a German Spitz puppy from a registered breeder?

We quote no breeder price, because we found no member breeder's own website that published one. In November 2026 we looked for the own websites of German Spitz breeders who show membership of a Dogs Australia state body, leaving out listing and classified sites, and found no published price. We also found no guide price from Dogs Australia or the state bodies. We cannot speak for every breeder, so ask each one.

Ask for the price in writing and compare what it includes: whether the puppy is a Klein or a Mittel and how big the parents are, the parents' health checks, the vet check, vaccination and microchip, whether the puppy is on the Limited Register with a desexing agreement, and whether the breeder will take the dog back if your circumstances change. The dog cost calculator gives a first-year budget beyond the purchase.

Survey of member breeders' own websites, November 2026. Any price a breeder gives you is theirs to set; fees change, so check with them. Nothing here is a quote.

What do German Spitz in rescue look like?

It varies. Each rescue labels its dogs in its own words, so look beyond the breed name: check the small dogs listed in your city and the related spitz breed pages, as numbers change daily. A good rescue will tell you how the dog is with children, other dogs, strangers, barking and time alone.

Related breeds listed by rescues right now: Pomeranians, Japanese Spitz, Keeshonds.

What does a rescue German Spitz cost?

Reference only, not a quote. These are the fees each rescue published on the date shown; fees change and some dogs are priced individually, so check with the rescue. Both pages say adopted dogs are desexed, microchipped, vaccinated and health checked. Read our guides to adopting a dog in Australia and adopting a senior dog.

How do German Spitz puppy scams work?

Scamwatch warns that scammers set up fake websites, and fake profiles on social media and online marketplaces, for pets that do not exist, and that if a pet is very cheap it is likely a scam. Dogs Victoria's puppy scam fact sheet adds that fake ads may display microchip, source or membership numbers lifted from legitimate breeders, and that scam sites often use puppy photos downloaded from other websites. Checks to make before you pay:

• Merle. The breed standard accepts every colour except merle. A merle puppy sold as a purebred German Spitz does not meet the standard; ask what it really is.
• Breed and size on the papers. Ask whether the puppy is registered as a German Spitz (Klein) or (Mittel), and see the papers. A puppy sold as “German Spitz or Pomeranian” should be one or the other on its pedigree.
• Borrowed numbers. Dogs Victoria says to contact the organisation a seller claims membership of and check the number is valid and matches the breeder's name, location and breed.
• Copied photos. Dogs Victoria passes on the ACCC's advice to use a reverse image search to check whether the photos appear on other websites.

Our guide to puppies for sale in Australia has the state-by-state table of breeder numbers, how to check each one, and what to do if you have already paid.

When is a registered breeder the better choice?

Rescue is not right for everyone, and if you want a German Spitz puppy of a particular size, waiting for a registered breeder is reasonable. Check these before you pay:

1. Registration. Ask for the breeder's prefix and membership number and check them through Dogs Australia's breeder search or your state body.
2. Klein or Mittel, and the size of both parents.
3. Health checks on both parents, including eyes and kneecaps, and an honest history of epilepsy in the lines.
4. The puppy's vet check, vaccination and microchip.
5. A written contract covering health problems, register type, desexing and whether the breeder will take the dog back.

Is a German Spitz the right dog for you?

The appeal is real: a small to medium, long-lived companion that the breed bodies call happy, social and easy to train, with a coat that needs weekly brushing rather than clipping. Be honest about two things before you apply anywhere: it bonds closely and does not suit long days alone, and it is an alert, vocal watchdog. Not sure? Try the what dog breed is right for me quiz and the adoption readiness check, and compare with our guides to apartment dogs and toy dog breeds.

Find a German Spitz near you

Small dogs listed by rescues, by city:

• Small dogs for adoption in Sydney
• Small dogs for adoption in Melbourne
• Small dogs for adoption in Brisbane
• Small dogs for adoption in Perth
• Small dogs for adoption in Adelaide

More adopt-or-buy guides: Pomeranian, Keeshond, Japanese Spitz, Samoyed, Shiba Inu, Papillon.