Why the LOF number comes before the colour
The LOF, or Livre des Origines Français, is the French stud book. A puppy registered there receives an individual number, and that number is the thread that connects the dog in front of you to its ancestors. Colour is recorded on the same registration, which matters for a black Spitz because black is a self-coloured coat with no white markings permitted in most standards, and a mismatch between the stated colour and the registration is a warning sign rather than a detail.
Ask for the number in writing, not verbally. It should appear on the pedigree, on the puppy's registration certificate, and on any health documents the breeder shares. If a breeder offers a puppy as LOF but cannot produce the number before the deposit, the reservation is being made on trust alone. Trust is not useless, but it is not a record.
The number also lets you check the parents. A pedigree that lists sire and dam with their own LOF numbers can be traced back several generations. You are looking for consistency: the same affix, the same kennel name, dates that fit a normal reproductive lifespan, and no gaps where a generation should be.
What does the cotation actually tell you?
Cotation is a French system that rates a breeding dog on its conformity to the breed standard and on the health examinations required for breeding. It is not a beauty prize and it is not a guarantee of perfect health. It is a structured evaluation, and its value to a buyer lies in what it forces the breeder to have done.
A dog with a cotation has been assessed by a judge for morphology and has passed the health checks the breed club requires, which for many breeds includes hip or elbow scoring and eye examination. The cotation is usually expressed as a level, and the level reflects both the dog's quality and the completeness of its health file. A high cotation on a dog with no published test results would be contradictory, so read the two together.
For a black German Spitz, the cotation confirms that the dog is considered suitable for breeding within its breed club's rules. It does not confirm that the dog is free of every condition, and it does not replace the individual test results. Treat it as a filter: it tells you the breeder participates in the system rather than working outside it.
Which health tests matter for this breed?
Two examinations appear repeatedly in German Spitz breeding files: patella luxation and prcd-PRA. Patella luxation is a dislocation of the kneecap, graded by a veterinarian on a scale from normal to severe. prcd-PRA is a progressive retinal atrophy with a DNA test, and the result is one of clear, carrier or affected. Both are inherited in ways that make the parents' status relevant to the puppy.
A DNA test for prcd-PRA gives a definite genotype, so a breeder can state whether a dog is clear, carrier or affected with certainty. Patella grading is a clinical examination, so it reflects the dog's condition on the day it was checked and can change over time. Neither test is expensive relative to the cost of a puppy, and both are standard in responsible breeding of the breed.
When you read a health page, look for four things: the dog's registered name, the test performed, the result, and the date with the practitioner or laboratory named. A result without a date is of limited use, because a clear patella at one year and a clear patella at five years are different pieces of information. A result without a named practitioner is harder to verify.
How do you verify records before paying a deposit?
Start with the documents the breeder publishes. A kennel that lists its dogs individually, with LOF numbers, cotation and dated test results, has already done part of your work. You can read the dam's file and the sire's file side by side and see whether the combination makes sense for the conditions you care about.
Then ask for the puppy's own documentation timeline. Registration with the LOF is not instantaneous, so ask when the number will be available and what the breeder provides at departure: a certificate, a pedigree, a health record with vaccinations and identification. A breeder who answers these questions precisely is describing a process, not improvising one.
Ask about the parents' ages and the number of litters. A dam bred repeatedly with short intervals is a welfare question as much as a health one. Ask whether the puppy has been examined by a veterinarian and when. Ask what happens if a hereditary condition appears later, and get the answer in the contract rather than in conversation.
Finally, visit if you can. Records describe a dog's genotype and a breeder's diligence, but they do not describe how the puppies were raised, what they were exposed to, or how they respond to strangers. Socialisation is not written on a certificate, and for a breed that can be reserved with strangers, it is worth as much as a clear test result.
What a published file looks like in practice
A French kennel in Finistère, Spitz de France, breeds the medium black German Spitz under the affix de la Marge. Its site presents a litter from Suzeraine and Eiko, followed to eight weeks, with reservation and departure conditions set out. It also publishes individual files for Suzeraine, Eiko, Olympe and Vrille, giving LOF numbers, cotation, and patella and prcd-PRA results with dates and practitioners named.
That structure is what a buyer should be looking for, regardless of the kennel. The site addresses families seeking an LOF puppy and fanciers who want to check origins, health and rearing conditions, which is the same audience reading this article. The useful part is not the presentation but the specificity: a number, a date, a name.
The limits of paperwork
Records reduce uncertainty; they do not remove it. A clear prcd-PRA test on both parents means the puppies cannot be affected, but it says nothing about conditions with no available test. A normal patella grade at the time of examination does not guarantee a normal patella at five years. A cotation reflects one judge's assessment on one day.
What the documents do is let you compare breeders on the same terms. A breeder who publishes LOF numbers, cotation and dated test results is offering you a file you can question. A breeder who does not is asking you to accept a claim. For a black German Spitz, where colour is easy to see and health is not, the file is the part you cannot assess by looking at the dog.
Health records for a Black German Spitz describe one dog at one point in time. When a dog arrives as an adult, those records often travel with it, but the household still has to interpret them. A screening table shows what was measured and when, not how the dog will settle into a new routine. Owners who take on an adult dog, whether the breed is a Spitz or another, face the same first month of adjustment. The guide on adopting an adult dog sets out what a screening table contains and what the first thirty days ask of a household.
Further Reading