| American Eskimo Dog | ||||
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| Country of origin | ||||
| United States | ||||
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| Breed standard (external link) | ||||
| AKC | ||||
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| The CKC "miscellaneous class" is for breeds working towards full recognition. |
The American Eskimo Dog is a breed of companion dog originating in the United States of America (probably in New York City) in the twentieth century. The breed was formerly called a "spitz" or an "American Eskimo spitz" or a "spitz dog," and it achieved a high degree of popularity in the 1930's and 1940's in the USA as a circus performer. The American Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1994 and set the current standard for the breed. The United Kennel Club had recognized the breed long before 1994, and there is no difference between the two breed standards.
The American Eskimo Dog, or "Eskie" as it is often called, is derived from the German Spitz, the Finnish Spitz, and almost certainly the Pomeranian Dog and Keeshond. The spitz family of "Nordic" dogs is one of the least altered by human husbandry and reflects most nearly the prototypical dog, from which stock all others have been derived. Archeology suggests that Neolithic dogs living with humans would today pass for spitzes. All of the Nordic breeds are marked by erect, triangular ears ("prick ears"), a tail that flips onto the dog's back in a spiral, and two coats of fur -- an inner, downy coat, and an outer coat of guard hairs that act as weather protection.
The standard for the American Eskimo Dog calls for them to be white, with brown eyes (blue eyes, such as those found on the Malamut, are a disqualification and a sign of poor health or breeding), and a compact body. The dog's length should be only slightly greater than its height at the shoulder. The muzzle is long and lupine (in contrast to the muzzles of Pomeranian Dogs). The ears are held erect and alert, and the tail should be feathered and curled on the dog's back. These dogs look very much like smaller versions of the Samoyed, to which they are related, and come in three standard sizes. The miniature is twenty-two to twenty-eight pounds; the standard is twenty-nine to thirty-three pounds; and the large is thirty-four to forty-two pounds.
In temperament, American Eskimo Dogs are pure companion animals. They have been bred as circus performers, and consequently they show an extraordinary amount of intelligence with training. They are eager to learn. They are also, however, true spitzes. They are dependent upon their family and treat all strangers with mistrust. The breed has been known to fear bite when approached too vigorously by outsiders. Within their own family, however, American Eskimos are extremely tolerant and patient and get along with children very well. Because of their double coat, American Eskimo Dogs do not pose problems to persons with allergies to dog and cat dander, but their coats do shed. The breed, unlike its near relation, the Pomeranian, is not particularly noisy, and reports of their being "yappy" are somewhat rare, as this is a dog more often aloof than meddlesome.
Thomas Gainsborough painted a spitz with the couple in A Morning Walk. A spitz was the "bad guy" in Jack London's The Call of the Wild, which was about a dog named "Buck".