Whoops! As one of you kindly pointed out, it’s not Scandinavian it’s NORDIC haha I always forget Finland isn’t in the Scandi trio 😅 Nordic name for a Nordic dog!
A different source defined the Nordic countries as a geographical and cultural region that includes Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Faroe Islands, Aland Island and Greenland.
Just wanted to point out that Freya is not a Finnish god, as in Finland had different set of pagan religion from Norse, it's also not a Nordic dog, really but a Finnish dog, the name has nothing to do with Finland, and it's kind of insensitive to automatically assume Finland followed Norse pagan religion.
So I just lost my rescue pup after 14 years. When we got her they thought she was a shibu inu chow mix. She was absolutely Finnish Spitz, looks, personality, behavior. We would love to get pup like Freya. She reminds me of our Ivey. I wish I could share a pic of her she was so pretty like Freya. They truly are a special breed. You are very lucky to have come together.
These are intelligent and independent dogs, best handled with love but not too much touchy-feely. They will come for scratches and petting if they feel so, and piddle off when it's enough. Very loyal, very family-centered, but not company keepers. They were first bred by the free people of Eastern Finnish forests and they prefer to be free too. Great to see that one such dog has a good home!
Freya is beautiful and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with “baby talk” sometimes. They know your intention is love, and the situation is a positive one. The darling backed off when you both went in to kiss her so she needs more time to built trust with you guys. It’s such a selfless act of her previous owners to give her another chance at a happy and content life with you and it’s obvious you won’t let her down. xxx
It’s so nice!! I have to try and be super calm though until she is even remotely calm before I can engage with her 😅 it’s hard but it’s the right thing!
we always had finnish spitz and they‘re really talkative 😂 everyone loves them and think we own a fox 🦊 taimi (our recent fur babe) is dominant and protective of her home
Speaking from personal experience only. I highly recommend crate training. I have a terrier and I get woken up at night if he is out of his crate sees any animals outside. Also, if I have people over and it gets too much for him, he will go hang out in his crate. He hated it at first, but now loves the space. Finally, it is good to have a crate trained dog during emergencies or even for accidents like if you break a glass. I also have multiple beds/pads for our dog so he has many places to lay (he likes to see me work in the kitchen). The other reason to crate train is that Freya might become possessive of the couch. My terrier slept on the couch and then thought it was his space, and would try and protect it. My guests couldn't sit on it. Dog trainers are quite expensive but they are well worth the expense. They can help by teaching hand signals and commands. They can keep the two of you on the same page. Hand signals are great for when it is loud or the dog starts to get overwhelmed, you can use them easily to communicate. You can teach them to guests, and you don't have to worry about the tone of voice your guests use with the dog. Lastly, I would ask a trainer about a lead. I was told that adjustable ones aren't good becuase it sends mixed signals to the dog. Again all of this is what I learned from my trainer but each dog and home is different. Enjoy the quirks of a re-homed dog as they're are full of wonderful suprises. I don't have a doorbell but my dog barks if he hears a certain doorbell sound on TV. Hates the vacuum. Finally, for enrichment play your youtube vidoes of sounds. It is a good way to learn how she will react to things like car horns, fire trucks or other noises. In addition, look for youtube videos for enrichment ideas to help keep her mind occupied. By playing random music on youtube I discovered my dog likes jazz. He is a Duke Ellington fan. This is a long post, apologies. Enjoy the new member of your family!
Dogs literally change your life, I ended up with six after trying to foster (and failing because I get too attached). But they are part of everyday joy and comfort, I couldn’t imagine my life without them now.
Aw she’s beautiful! A crate training tip: feed all of her meals in the crate (with the door open), occasionally drop/toss some treats in there, close the door, and drop treats from the top of the crate, then open the door. I’m a guide dog puppy raiser, and that’s how we teach our pups to love their crates.
@@ArnaAlayneMorton it takes a while! My current puppy hated the crate for about 6 weeks and now she loves it. Consistency is key! Try some high value treats like pumpkin purée (make sure it’s 100% pumpkin, no pumpkin pie filling) or natural peanut butter right at the front of the crate.
She’s so beautiful! When we adopted an adult dog who was not crate trained our trainer had us randomly ask him to crate up and give him a treat while he was in there. Once he associated it positively he was fine. Of course our dog will do just about anything for treats.
Funny thing is, we were told she was crate trained - I even saw her happily in her old crate! She just seemed to hate her new crate :( now I feel like we’ve traumatised her with it! Ah well, I’ll make something beautiful and we will go very slowly with it haha
Finnish spitz is probably the most fox looking actual domestic dog. a bit bigger tho :D but yeah it is a beautiful breed indeed, very loyal if you train them.
I asked the bed question 😂 insta doesn’t let you expand lol. We crate trained our girl, and she stayed in the crate while we were gone and while we slept for the first 2 years of her life! Once she reached that 2 year stage, she was fine to roam our house, and we are a sucker for night time cuddles. BUT, she still goes in a crate if we leave her in a hotel room or a friends home or something like that. Totally agree with all of the crate training comments!
I have a male Finnish Spitz. He is 2.5 years old and is huge and heavy for a Finnish spitz. And yeah, not to forget temper....he is super friendly with the family but he does not take a liking to outsiders be it dogs, lizard, pigeon or huma and he is super vocal.
Aw, she's so cute, love that she has some sass! When I adopted a kitten I didn't want a lapcat, I asked her foster mom about her personality and she said 'well, she tends to instigate the fights between siblings then watches', and I went YEP that's mine :D
My dog enjoyed watching this video almost as much as I did. 😁 Also, I recommend feeding your pup in her crate. It makes it much more of a safe space for them.
Yes we did that from the very start, but as soon as she saw our crate, she was very reactive! She managed to eat her food with her bum out the door but wouldn’t go in haha I think she must have had some bad experiences or something! Or, our crate just has a bad vibe!
Super lovely and cute Spitz, it will be a fantastic dog. We had in past two of them (mom and daughter) and your dog almost behave like what we had. Your spitz having great colour as well. Our dogs loved winter and snow here in north Finland.
She is just BEAUTIFUL! I'm glad she has a happy home with you both. I'm also cracking up at your dog voice. All dog moms have one, I think. We adopted a dog last winter and I absolutely have my "kid mom" and "dog mom" voices, except that apparently the dog mom voice is also the one I use to talk to my friend's 7 week old infant child, LOL. I'm sure Freya will settle in nicely at the new Casa de Morton!
Don’t know if it would help but when we crate trained out Lab puppy I went to a Good Will store and bought a large stuffed animal and put it in the crate so Zoe had something to snuggle up against. Also did the treat thing which worked well cause Labs are food obsessed 😂
I am having flash backs! We moved into our first home this spring and immediately adopted a dog too! Everyone thought we were insane but it's been the most fun! Congrats on your new fur baby! 😊
Hey Arna. I worked in the pet industry for about 8 years and could not recommend crate training enough. You could always ease her into it by making it rewarding during the day - giving her a bone or a treat and putting her in there even if you don't close the door :). The only other thing I would say is that getting up to correct behaviour can also be a way to reinforce the behaviour (any attention is good attention usually). I hope this doesn't come across as trying to tell you what to do, I'm sure you've done a lot of your own research. Just passing along a lot of feedback I gained. I'd also be very cautious with the retractable leads in areas like dog parks until she has really good recall, in case an aggressive dog comes up and you can't reel her back in time.
It’s all good!! Appreciate any advice being shared :) Yeah we are meaning to get her a short lead for training - the long one is useful for at the beach though as we don’t feel comfortable taking her off lead until she had good recall
Omg she is gorgeous!!! How beautiful ❤️. So happy for you both. I see she is getting spoiled already. Congratulations!! I love dogs they just make it better 😊!!
Oh my god she’s gorgeous. I’m so happy for you guys!!! I haven’t gotten to comment on many videos recently (about to graduate uni!) but you’ve both accomplished so much in such a short time and it’s amazing! Your videos are always such a positive thing in my week and I’m looking forward to what’s next!
Such a gorgeous dog! Adopting adult dogs is the best!🙌🏻 We got our lab mix when she was about two, and she was so easy to train compared to our other dog, who we bought as a puppy. Might also have to do with the sass/personality differences between a terrier and lab. 🤣 Re crate training: our lab really prefers a darker, more den, like crate. She doesn’t like wire crates that much. Some ppl cover them with fabric to make them feel a bit more cozy and den like. Having our two dogs crate trained is awesome-I never worry about them when we leave the house (they’re safe in their kennels), and we never use it as punishment, so they will go in their kennels on their own, and willingly do so on command. 🤓
Yep, I would never ever use a crate as punishment, and Finkies typically do best with positive correction, too! We had a cover on the crate, we fed her in the crate, gave her treats in there etc did everything right. She just dreaded it from day one 😅
@@ArnaAlayneMorton aw that sucks that she still doesn’t like it. I’m sure you were doing all the right things! 🤓Even doing everything the humane society recommended, it took 2 solid months to get our lab to not hate her kennel!! 😅 🤷🏻♀️
One more thought...make sure you keep her crate her "safe" place. No, physically, removing her from the crate even if she is in trouble. Make her come to you. She will get used to the crate and having other bed(s) does help.
Freya has beautiful features and a lovely coat of fur. Love the color! Congrats! I know you guys have been wanting a dog. It's also nice to have that bit of protection with a signaling bark. Oh, the toys you will buy and spoil her with...:)
I had a Finnish Spitz and he was a lovely dog. He passed on to the big kennel in the sky many moons ago and I think of him every day. Freya is a lovely dog. You’re all blessed. 😉
Freya is just so adorable and she is a very good girl on the lookout for intruders. I love how besotted you both are with her. I’m as besotted with my dog, Sophie, too. I love the name too and it’s much better than Angel.
Awwe congratulations on your new fur baby 💝 she is so beautiful 🥰 That kinf of dog breed can in the start be a little reserved, but are such amazing family pets. But be aware. If they don't get a lot of walks and impressions from the outside world they can get a bit crazy if they are understimulated. So 3 longe walks every day meting people and other dogs. 😊🌹 I did also read that thoes dogs is werry good at not over eating a can have a bowl of dry feed and lots of water standing writh out overeating like most Labrador dogs do. Now you just need to make a channel fore your dog give it a mini gopro on the collor and uplode your walks on the beach and be sponsored by barkbox ( it's dog treat and toy box) why not.. People just love it. 🥰 It cudt be a lot of fun. 🌹🥰 Big varm hugs from Stine from Denmark 🌹🥰
Thanks lovely. Yes, I take her for about 8kms of walking/running in total every day haha and we have fun puzzle toys for her to stimulate her mind well!
@@ArnaAlayneMorton HI sweetie 🌹🥰 That is so perfect, you are amazing furbaby parents.. ☺️😉 Sadly here in Denmark we do see a lot of dogs going to the pound because people didn't check out what the dog breeds they have, needs to have to be happy dogs, in not saying you didn't because you did get the dog from someone that knew the dogs breed needs. 🥰🌹💞💕💖 I wish the bedst of luck to you and your husband writh your beautiful girl. I bet she is a smart girl 😀 Big hugs from Stine from Denmark 🥰🌹
I told my husband, “They’re not letting their new dog sleep in their bed,” and was going to continue with something like, “I wonder how long that’ll last?” He interrupted me, and with genuine concern, asked, “Why not??!” 🥺
Lots of happy life milestones for you guys. So happy for you. As a fellow dog owner, I can attest at how much love they bring into your lives. Our boxer is such a big part of our family. Enjoy your sweet, Freya ❤️
Hi guys, thanks for the video. I'm planning to adopt a finish spitz. But I'm worried about how much they bark and if they are a runner. I heard they bark a lot on anything. My husband and I are very active and we love to have a dog which is good in playing and fetching games. But our house doesn't have fences. I appreciate if you guide me.
I wouldn’t advise getting a dog at all if your house doesn’t have fences! Sorry 😢 it’s just not safe! And yes, most Finkies bark a LOT! You’d be better with a Shiba Inu which are some of the quietest breeds but have a similar look to a Finnish Spitz :)
Finnish spitzes are notorious for barking a lot, however I think it's exaggerated. Most of the time they're quiet and they tend to be quiet and calm in the house. They mostly bark to alert people of visitors or animals or when they'll go in hunting mode. They can be vocal when playing or when they're excited or bossy etc. Still, they don't bark at nothing, unless they are extremely bored due to lack of exercise. That's why it's important to give finkies lots of exercise, train them to stay calm and make sure they'll know you're the boss. Finnish spitzes have high prey drive so you can't 100 % trust them off leash. They naturally want to track and bolt after prey. Having no fences on the yard is not an issue, you just can't keep a Finnish spitz running freely outside. You could install a leash or a pen. But still, Finnish spitzes are not the type of dogs that are content with just a back yard, they need a lot of exercise. We've had 3 Finnish spitzes and non of them fetched (well the current one sometimes does but not that well). Although we never played much fetch with them so maybe that's why they didn't learn. Or maybe they're not the best breed for fetching, I'm not sure.
