Are you one of those people who love to look through their patio doors and spy on a fox as they visit your garden.
Or have you set up a wildlife camera?
Perhaps you have had a “skulk” or “leash” (a family group of foxes) living under your shed.
Do you go as far as feeding them? I know my Dad does…
Anyway, in today’s post I have created a list containing seven breeds of small dogs that look like foxes.
What do I consider small?
Well, the smallest breed in my list stands at just 18cm high and can weigh as little as 1.4 kg whereas the largest breed in my list can be up to 38 cm high and weigh in at 7 kg.
These to me are very small breeds of dogs, especially after writing a post about large velcro dogs many of whom weigh more than 100 lbs and are 75 cm tall.
Before I start my list, I want to talk about foxes and go through some of the most interesting facts about them…
A description of a fox
Although there are dozens of varieties of foxes, the most common is the red fox.
And its most distinguishing features are its ears, snout and of course tail!
The ears are triangular in shape and are upright, it’s snout is long and its tail can measure between 30- 55 cm.
And in an ancient European language, a word that sounds like fox literally means “thick hair tail”.
An adult red fox can measure anywhere between 33 cm and 50 cm tall and in terms of weight they can weigh from 2 kg to 14 kg.
[1] Chihuahua
Well you wanted small!
Weighing in at a touch under 3 kg ( 6.6 lbs) and with a height not exceeding 25 cm (9.8 “) Chihuahuas are about as small as you can get.
If you normally think that chihuahuas are black and therefore, how can one look like a fox? Then hear me out.
Chihuahuas come in all colours and I think that red Chihuahuas and brown Chihuahuas would most look like a fox.
And they also have either a smooth coat or a long coat and I think that the long coated ones look most fox-like.
[2] Pembroke Welsh Corgi
Have you ever seen a Welsh fox? Well they are a little on the “podgy” side but catch them at the right angle in the long grass and you could convince yourself that you have just seen a fox!
Alright, I hear you! If you look at a Corgi from the side then their backs are way too long and their legs are way too short to be a fox.
The Corgi that most looks like a fox is of course a red Corgi but they do come in lots more colours.
These include black and tan, fawn and sable.
The ears are definitely fox-like in shape and size and the size of the snout in comparison to the size of the head is also very similar to a fox.
With an average height of between 25- 30 cm and a weight of 13 kg, a Welsh Corgi might be your fox doppelganger that you are after.
[3] German Spitz Klein
So this German Spitz Klein looks a little too fluffy to be a real fox- almost as if it has got caught in a tumble drier.
But the colour is spot on. For this breed, the colour is identified as orange.
And what about that tail. Ok, the position of it is a little off but the shape and volume of it is spot on.
The ears are the right shape but perhaps a touch short and maybe the snout is a little too short.
And at a maximum height of 25cm and a weight of 10 kg, a German Spitz Klein might be the baby fox look like that you want.
[4] German Spitz Mittel
And so if you want an identical fox looking dog that was slightly larger, let me introduce you to the German Spitz Mittel.
The Klein has a maximum height of 25cm whereas the Mittel’s maximum height is 38 cm and a maximum weight of 11 kg.
Everything else is the same.
[5] Pomeranian
The last of our Spitz breed of dog is the Pomeranian.
This is the baby of the Spitz family as height- wise it can stand as small as 18 cm and weigh as little as 1.4 kg.
But if you are after a teeny tiny fox look-alike that looks like a ball of soft fur, then maybe choose the Pomeranian.
The Poeranian also comes in white, which is great if you are an Arctic fox fan.
[6] Schipperke
What do you get if you cross a Welsh Corgi with a Spitz Klein?
Something like a Schipperke!
This small Belgian dog comes in a variety of colours including black and chocolate but it is the apricot “model” that would win a fox impersonation contest.
There is everything there to be mistaken as a fox- the ears are the right shape and size, the snout has the correct proportion and the tail is wonderfully bushy .
The only thing that is clearly not fox-like is that the body isn’t streamlined enough.
It is too bulky- as if this fox has “got the chickens” day after day.
And it is a lot smaller than a red fox.
A fully grown male may only measure 32 cm in height and weigh a maximum of 9 kg and so in real terms it is a long way off.
But not bad for a scaled down model!
[7] Japanese Spitz
Have you ever seen an Arctic fox? Also known as the snox or white fox, they live in the Arctic.
And they look like a long lost cousin of a Japanese Spitz.
Unlike their red cousins who tend to have a flat coat, a snow fox has a much fluffier coat- as you would expect from an animal who has to live in such cold temperatures day in and day out.
And the resemblance is uncanny. It is not only the coat, snout and a bushy tail, it is the jet black nose and eyes as well.
The ears on an Arctic fox are triangular and they seem smaller but it could just be that they are more lost within that gorgeous fur.
What is interesting is that a white fox has a maximum height of 30 cm whereas an adult male Spitz can be up to 38 cm tall.
But weight wise they are very similar with fully grown male snow fox weighing in at around 9 kg and a Japanese spitz tipping the scales at around 7 kg.
Closing Thoughts
Foxes are beautiful animals and it is easy to see why people might want to own a dog that looks like one.
That is unless you keep chickens!
Hopefully in my list containing seven small dogs that look like foxes, you have found a breed that you like the look of.
Good luck with your search.
Photo Credits
² Photo by Gábor Sz. on Unsplash
³ Photo by Yuki Dog on Unsplash
⁴ Photo by Agnieszka on Unsplash
