For some reason people think small dogs can’t bay bears. Admittedly, when I visited a dog show in Abbotsford, B.C., what was strikening to me was how small the Norrbottenspitz were– almost in the vicinity of a standard Shiba Inu [~14" to 17"]. I was more used to being around a Shiba Inu [19"] the size of a Finnish Spitz [~15"-20"]. Anyway, in Sweden and Finland, Norrbottenspitz are used to bay moose, bears, point grouses and martens. Don’t believe me? Take a look for yourself:
via rnbkennels.com [Image: Unknown]
Impressive, no? Actually, a lot of it has to do with gutso to approach, and a bit of intelligence to keep their distance. Who says Shiba Inus are too small to bay? Look at the FCI standards for both Shiba Inu and Norrbottenspitz.
Norrbottenspitz
HEIGHT/WEIGHT :
Height at withers: Ideal size for males: 45 cm.
Ideal size for females: 42 cm.
Tolerance of +/- 2 cm
via fci.be [.DOC format]
Shiba Inu
SIZE AND WEIGHT :
Height at withers : Dogs 40 cm.
Bitches 37 cm.
There is a tolerance of 1,5 cm smaller or taller.
via fci.be [.DOC]
I rest my case.
Whether or not what if the dog actually have the gull to stand up to a bear is another issue altogether, and that is for another debate. Arguing based on the supposed size of the dog has very little to do with whether or not it would be a good working dog for this particular game.
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