American Eskimo Dog

The American Eskimo Dog is a white companion dog of the spitz family. Its ancestors were German Spitz dogs, and it took its present name in the United States, where it has been kept as a watchdog and pet and was a popular circus performer in the 1930s and 1940s. It comes in three sizes: toy, miniature and standard.

History

Small spitz dogs were developed in Northern Europe into the various German Spitz breeds. European immigrants brought their pet spitz with them to the United States in the early 1900s, especially to New York. These dogs descended from the larger German Spitz, the Keeshond, the white Pomeranian and the Italian Volpino. White was not always an accepted color in the German breeds, but it was the favorite in America.

Around the First World War, when anti-German feeling ran high, owners began calling their dogs American Spitz instead of German Spitz. The United Kennel Club recognized the breed as the American Eskimo as early as 1919.

The dogs then became circus stars. The Cooper Brothers’ Railroad Circus featured them in 1917, and in the 1930s a dog called Stout’s Pal Pierre walked a tightrope with the Barnum and Bailey Circus. Circuses sold puppies after the show, and many of today’s dogs trace back to those performers. After the Second World War the Japanese Spitz was imported into the United States and may have been crossed into the breed.

For decades there was no breed club or standard, and dogs were registered one at a time on their looks. The National American Eskimo Dog Association was founded in 1970 and single-dog registration ended. The American Eskimo Dog Club of America followed in 1985 and gathered the pedigrees of 1,750 dogs, which became the foundation of the American Kennel Club’s registry. The AKC recognized the breed in 1995, and the Canadian Kennel Club in 2006. Many dogs are now registered with both American clubs.

Although American Eskimo Dogs have been exported as German Spitz, the two have grown apart and their standards differ considerably.

Appearance

The American Eskimo Dog is usually pure white; the AKC also accepts white and biscuit. The double coat is thick and straight, with a ruff around the neck and shoulders. The tail is heavily furred and generally curls over the back.

The toy stands 22 to 30 cm (9 to 12 in) and weighs 2.3 to 4.5 kg (5 to 10 lb). The miniature stands 30 to 40 cm (12 to 15 in) and weighs 4.5 to 9 kg (10 to 20 lb). The standard stands 38 to 50 cm (15 to 20 in) and weighs 6.8 to 18 kg (15 to 40 lb).

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