It is known that already hundreds of years ago dogs of this type were used for all game hunting over the whole country. Originally the main goal was to develop a dog that barked well at game up in trees and was also beautiful. When the register of the breed started in the 1890s, individuals similar in type and hunting purpose were found mainly in the eastern and northern parts of the country.
The first breed standard was established in 1892. The first breed show was held the same year and the first bird-hunting trial in 1897. Today the breed is very common in both Finland and Sweden. It has been developed from pure natural stock and is an essential part of the Finnish culture. The Finnish Spitz was named as the National Dog of Finland in 1979.
According to the agreement between the Finnish Kennel Club and the Russian Cynological Federation that was signed
in 2006 the Karelian-Finnish Laika and the Finnish Spitz were combined as one breed under the breed standard of the Finnish Spitz.