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The Norrbottenspets should be agile, yet powerful in appearance. It is neither heavily nor lightly built, but somewhere in between those extremes. Males are noticeably more masculine than females, who are smaller and of lighter build. It should give the impression of being alert, spritely, and intelligent. It is "squarish" in build, meaning that its height at the withers should be the same as the length of its body. The tail should curl over the back and rest on the hips. Coat and colour The coat is hard, straight, dense, and lies close to the body. It must always have a double coat, and the under-coat is softer than the outer-coat. The Norrbottenspets is white with blonde, orange, brown, or tan markings. For a show dog, symmetrical color can be preferred, but structure is always the most important. Size The height is 42 to 46cm (16.5 to 18in). The weight is approximately 11 to 15kg (24 to 33lb) for males, and 8 to 12kg (18 to 27lb) for females.

The breed originated in Sweden in the 1600's. They were first used as hunting companions in northern Sweden. In 1948, norbottenspets came close to extinction but enthusiasts sought out the few remaining and started a successful breeding program. In Finland these dogs are called Pohjanpystykorva. Immigrant farmers have given the dog an even longer name, Norbottens-skollandehund. There is a great effort in Finland to ensure the health of these fox-like hunting dogs and breeding is highly controlled. Healthy animals, that are only distantly related, are being bred with careful consideration of breeding consultants to create a strong background. Sweden has also had a dramatic impact on the preservation of this breed through strict breeding practices.