Northern Breeds

No group has a more wolfish appearance than the northern or spitz-type breeds: prick ears, sharp muzzle, broad chest, thick double coat, strong well-muscled body, and bushy tail curled over the back.
These confident, vigorous dogs come alive in cool, crisp weather; taking part in winter sports with their families is what they live for. Most of the northern breeds were developed in cold, Arctic regions hundreds of years ago and since then have served most often as draft or sled dogs.
Alaskan malamutes pulled heavy supply sledges, while lighter Siberian huskies transported people at a swifter pace. Samoyeds, seen today in recreational sled racing, originally herded reindeer. The massive fore-assembly that makes these breeds function so admirably as sled dogs can also make them a challenge to walk on-leash without proper training. Some northern breeds were used in hunting. The Finnish spitz and Shiba Inu went after small game, while the Norwegian elkhound ran down lynx, wolves, and elk.
A number of northern hunters, including the Finnish spitz and the elkhound, used their voices to alert the hunter to the presence of game. This vocalism was passed on to smaller northern breeds, such as the American Eskimo dog, keeshond, Pomeranian, and schipperke, that were developed primarily as watchdogs.
The larger Asiatic northern breeds include the Akita, developed as a fighting dog and later used to hunt large game; the chow chow, once a source of food and fur as well as a carting and guard dog; and the Chinese shar-pei, first used in the dogfighting ring and then in hunting and herding. Their fighting and guarding backgrounds make these Asian breeds more reserved and at times more aggressive with strangers than other breeds in the northern group.

Northern Breeds:
Akita , Alaskan Malamute , American Eskimo Dog , Chinese Shar-Pei , Chow Chow , Finnish Spitz , Keeshond , Northern Breed Mixes , Norwegian Elkhound , Pomeranian , Samoyed , Schipperke , Shiba Inu , Siberian Husky .