Loyal, smart, and strikingly white, the American Eskimo dog breed is a great purebred choice for anyone who wants a highly affectionate family dog. This breed is known for loving children and greeting new people with an air of friendly curiosity. American Eskimos come in a variety of sizes, which are toy, miniature, and standard. […]
Loyal, smart, and strikingly white, the American Eskimo dog breed is a great purebred choice for anyone who wants a highly affectionate family dog. This breed is known for loving children and greeting new people with an air of friendly curiosity. American Eskimos come in a variety of sizes, which are toy, miniature, and standard. In this article, you’ll learn everything there is to know about the American Eskimo dog breed.
Bright white with fluffy fur and a curled, fluffy tail, the American Eskimo is as white as snow and as soft as goose feathers. The standard American Eskimo stands at 15 – 20 inches and can weigh between 15 – 40 lbs. Though this is the largest size, it is still considered a medium size dog. The miniature and toy American Eskimos are even smaller, with the toy American Eskimo shorter than one foot and weighing less than 10 lbs.
This breed is not only popular in America and Germany, but throughout Europe, Canada, and Asia, as well. The standard size American Eskimo tends to be the most popular, with miniature coming in second in terms of size popularity. Here at Petland Texas, we sell the standard American Eskimo and find that families are happiest with this size thanks to its energy level, exercise abilities, and friendly attitude towards strangers and new people.
The first thing to know about the American Eskimo dog breed is that it has nothing to do with American Eskimos, nor has it ever. The indigenous people of Canada and America, specifically Alaska, who were referred to as “Eskimos” did not play any role in developing this specific dog breed.
In fact, this breed originated in Germany in the late 1800s, but due to America’s political attitude towards Germany as a result of the First World War, when New Yorkers received this breed they renamed it the “American Eskimo.” This is probably due to the pure, gleaming white color of this breed’s fur. Reminding New Yorkers of snow, they associated the breed with “Eskimos” and thus the new name took root.
After this dog breed was imported from Germany and renamed the American Eskimo, it didn’t become a companion dog right away. First, the American Eskimo dog breed was primarily used in circuses. This speaks to the American Eskimo’s high intelligence and eagerness to please. These dogs were trained to perform a variety of tricks to entertain large crowds.
In-between the two World Wars, the American Eskimo went from circus act dog to family companion animal. With growing popularity, American Eskimos were seen among families in New York state, and this popularity began spreading west and south across the nation.
Regardless of size, American Eskimos have tons of energy as puppies, a lot of energy as adults, and as they approach and enter their twilight years, their energy dwindles and they become more sedate. Thanks to the high intelligence of this beautiful dog breed, American Eskimos require mental exercise as well as physical exercise. If you consider how perfect this dog breed was for performing in a circus, you’ll get a sense of its mental and physical exercise needs!
American Eskimos need at least one hour of rigorous outdoor activity every day, plus walks and bathroom trips, of course. This breed does well in large and / or busy families where it can accompany the household members as they do chores, play outside, and otherwise live their lives. This doesn’t mean that single individuals and people who live alone shouldn’t get an American Eskimo. This breed bonds deeply with its owner and will love to have one special human bestie. Just be prepared to offer your Eskie as much exercise as he needs or else he could turn destructive.
American Eskimos are very easy to train thanks to their high intelligence level and eagerness to please their owners. They love bonding with their owners by learning commands, tricks, and complex tasks. The only downside to the American Eskimo’s willingness to learn is that if you don’t pour your time and attention into training your Eskie, and instead only housebreak him with the bare minimum training, he could become unruly and destructive.
Our best advice to those of you who are considering buying an American Eskimo is to plan daily and fun weekly bonding activities, especially throughout the first year of your Eskie’s puppyhood. These activities can include enrolling you both in a professional puppy training course like the one offered at Petland Texas. Also, plan on taking your Eskie hiking, jogging, and other outdoor activities that take at least an hour.
American Eskimos are also comfortable in cold and snowy weather, so bringing your Eskie sledding with the kids, snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing are great ideas. But try not to be outside for too long. American Eskimos might look like they’re from the tundra, but they’re really indoor dogs who will get dangerously cold if they’re outside too long.
White and fluffy, the American Eskimo dog breed has a “double coat” of fur. This means there is a short, dense undercoat beneath the longer outer coat of fur. The good news is that thanks to the Eskie’s natural skin oils and fur texture, this breed isn’t hard to keep clean. Brushing your Eskie three times a week will remove dead, loose hair before it sheds on its own. That being said, American Eskimos are year-round shedders, and they really shed if you’re not on top of thrice-weekly brushings.
American Eskimos shouldn’t be bathed too often, as frequent bathing can dry out and irritate their skin. It’s best to allow the Eskie’s natural skin oils to build up on their skin and work its way into the fur, which helps to prevent dirt from sticking to the hair. Bathing your Eskie either at home or at a professional dog groomer can occur once every three months but not more frequently.
Petland Texas is one of the most trusted names in the pet industry. We work exclusively with ethical, reputable dog breeders. Our American Eskimos arrive as healthy, happy, socialized puppies who are ready to find their forever homes. Learn more about our American Eskimos and meet the new arrivals on our website or in any of our Texas locations!
