American Eskimo Dog

The American Eskimo dog, a German companion breed, belongs to the Spitz group. They come in three distinct sizes: the toy, standard, and miniature.

Overall these white or white-biscuit dogs give the impression of a beautiful, alert, agile, and muscular breed. Their wolf-like look gives them an appearance of a perfect spitz.

Other prominent physical traits include a muscular head, triangular ears, slightly oval eyes, a broad muzzle, and a plumed tail carried over its back. They closely replicate some of the spitz breeds like the Danish spitz, Japanese spitz, Samoyed, and Indian Spitz.

American Eskimo Dog Pictures

History and Origin

The origin of the American Eskimo dog isn’t known. However, they owe their lineage to the spitz breeds brought to America by the German immigrants in the first half of the 18th century. They initially served as farm dogs. By the end of the 19th century, they played an integral part in show business. Their good looks and increased trainability were two of the main reasons.

White wasn’t always the recognized color of the different breeds of German spitz. Yet, in the United States, white was the preferred shade. In the First World War, the Axis and Allied powers were opponents. At this time, the American owners decided to call their dogs American spitz and not German spitz, the reason known to all. Their fame heightened after the First World War, and they eventually became a famous find in American circuses. They underwent a name change to American Eskimo dog by a particular kennel in Ohio which bred spitz dogs. The United Kennel Club of America registered them in 1919. However, it attained the American Kennel Club’s recognition much later, in 1995, while the Canadian Kennel Club acknowledged the breed in 2006.

Temperament

They are a combination of several personality traits: intelligence, alertness, friendliness, and loyalty. These protective dogs possess an excellent watching ability, alerting their masters about the arrival of a stranger. Call it a boon or a bane; these dogs have an intense barking tendency that could at times pose a menace to the neighbors. Constant training right from their puppyhood would teach these dogs to bark only when the need arises and not every time.

When in the bounds of their home, the American Eskimo dog is friendly and loyal, excelling as great companion pets. They do well with kids of the family and with other dogs and cats, mainly if raised together.

Training

The Eskies’ intelligence, and eagerness to learn, makes them one of the most easily trainable dogs. They can grasp new commands quickly, even by following other dogs, making obedience training a lot easier.

Socialization: True that they are friendly dogs, yet early socialization would help them distinguish between a positive and negative experience. Once they learn to distinguish the good from the bad, the Eskies wouldn’t just bark like that at anyone and everyone. Instead, they would only vocalize when the need arises.

Obedience: Teach them the basic commands from the start, like ‘stop’ and ‘stay .’This would help you control your Eskie whenever it is up to anything undesirable, like barking for no reason.

Feeding

The energetic, agile Eskie needs a high-quality diet, store-bought or homemade, devised upon the supervision of a veterinarian. Make sure to include their daily dose of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals to boost their overall nutrition. Keep treats to the minimum as too much of it may trigger obesity resulting in several health problems.

Interesting Facts

• An Eskie named Stout’s Pal Pierre rose to fame for walking on a tight rope at  Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1930s.