Pet Help

Also called as Eskie, the American Eskimo Dog is a breed of Spitz type and that has been developed in the United States. It came from the Nordic line of dog breeds and is often utilized as a sled dog, doing tasks such as pulling heavy luggage across snow and ice. This breed is often mistaken for a German Spitz, and although they share the same ancestors, they have been developed separately for over 100 years now.

There are three varieties of an Eskie and they are toy, miniature and standard. The toy variety stands 9 to 12 inches, the miniature 12 to 15 inches, and the standard 15 to 19 inches in height. However, an Eskie that falls below 9 inches or exceeds above 19 inches of height is considered disqualified according to the breed standard.

Describing the body of the Eskie, it would be compactly built and slightly longer than it is tall. Its body is also covered with a double coat that is water and cold resistant. It has ears that are small, erect and cold resistant; and its coat is ruffled around the neck creating a lion-look.

Its hind legs and rump are also covered with dense and lush coat while its tail is plume and sways freely on the back. White or white with biscuit cream are the only acceptable colors for this breed although reap stains are not considered as faults. Grooming for this dog requires brushing and combing twice daily but during its seasonal shedding, it’s going to need more than just twice a week of grooming.

The Eskie is a popular house dog and companion dog in the United States and Canada and its variety is seen living in different types of dwelling. The Eskie is also very protective of its master and loves to be a part of the family. It also makes a good watchdog since it signals the household whenever a stranger is approaching.

The Eskie is also noted for being a very intelligent, highly trainable, very active, moderately independent and eager to please kind of dog. Without proper socialization, however, it may come out shy or aloof that’s why it is good to train him in socialization as early as possible. Some of the activities that are good for the Eskie’s socialization skill are agility competitions, flyball, and dancing.

Being a highly active creature, the Eskie needs activities that will make use of its excessive energy in order to keep him healthy. Daily exercise is needed and the intensity of workouts depends on its variety or size. The Eskie, although active and protective, would not bite and attack a person out of whim unless it is being heavily provoked.

Today’s Eskie has developed from breeds such as the larger German Spitz, Italian Spitz, Volpino Italiano and many more. These parent breeds came to the US in the early 1900s together with their European immigrant masters. In 1919, this breed was first recorded to be the American Eskimo dog in the American United Kennel Club; in 1995, the American Kennel Club officially acknowledged it as a member.