American Eskimo Dog

Last updated
American Eskimo Dog
American Eskimo Dog 1.jpg
American Eskimo Dog (miniature size)
Other namesAmerican Spitz
German Spitz
OriginUnited States
Germany
Traits
Color white
Kennel club standards
American Kennel Club standard
Dog ( domestic dog )

The American Eskimo Dog is a breed of companion dog, originating in Germany. The American Eskimo Dog is a member of the Spitz family. The breed's progenitors were German Spitz, but due to anti-German sentiment during the First World War, it was renamed "American Eskimo Dog." Although modern American Eskimo Dogs have been exported as German Spitz Gross (or Mittel, depending on the dog's height), the breeds have diverged and the standards are significantly different. In addition to serving as a watchdog and companion, the American Eskimo Dog also achieved a high degree of popularity in the United States in the 1930s and 1940s as a circus performer.

Contents

There are three size varieties of the American Eskimo Dog breed, the toy, the miniature and the standard. They share a common resemblance with Japanese Spitz, Danish Spitz, Volpino Italiano, German Spitz, Indian Spitz, and Samoyeds.[ citation needed ]

History

In Northern Europe, smaller Spitz were eventually developed into the various German Spitz breeds. European immigrants brought their Spitz pets with them to the United States, especially New York, in the early 1900s, "all of them descended from the larger German Spitz, the Keeshond, the white Pomeranian, and the Italian Spitz, the Volpino Italiano." [1]

Although white was not always a recognized color in the various German Spitz breeds, it was generally the preferred color in the US. [2] In a display of patriotism in the era around World War I, dog owners began referring to their pets as American Spitz rather than German Spitz. [3]

After World War I, the small Spitz dogs came to the attention of the American public when the dogs became popular entertainers in the American circus. In 1917, the Cooper Brothers’ Railroad Circus featured the dogs. [4] A dog named Stout's Pal Pierre was famous for walking a tightrope with the Barnum and Bailey Circus in the 1930s, and also contributing to their popularity, they sold puppies after the show. Due to the popularity of the circus dogs, many of today's American Eskimo Dogs can trace their lineage back to these circus dogs. [2]

American Eskimo Dog portrait. American Eskimo Dog portrait.jpg
American Eskimo Dog portrait.

After World War II, the dogs continued to be popular pets. Postwar contact with Japan led to importation into the United States of the Japanese Spitz, which may have been crossed into the breed at this time. [1] The breed was first officially recognized as the "American Eskimo" as early as 1919 by the American United Kennel Club (UKC), and the first written record and history of the breed was printed in 1958 by the UKC. [5] At that time there was no official breed club and no breed standard, and dogs were accepted for registration as single dogs, based on appearance. In 1970 the National American Eskimo Dog Association (NAEDA) was founded, and single dog registrations ceased. In 1985 the American Eskimo Dog Club of America (AEDCA) was formed by fanciers who wished to register the breed with the American Kennel Club (AKC). Following the AKC's requirements for breed recognition, the AEDCA collected the pedigree information from 1,750 dogs that now form the basis of the AKC recognized breed, which is called the American Eskimo Dog. The breed was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1995. The stud book was opened from 2000 to 2003 in an attempt to register more of the original UKC registered lines, and today many American Eskimo Dogs are dual-registered with both American kennel clubs. [2] The breed was recognized by the Canadian Kennel Club in 2006. [6]

American Eskimo Dog puppy American Eskimo Dog (Puppy).jpg
American Eskimo Dog puppy

Characteristics

American Eskimo Dogs are usually white, though white and biscuit is also accepted by the AKC. They are double-coated, with thick straight fur and a ruff around the neck and shoulders. The tail is heavily furred and generally curls over their back. [7]

Size

American Eskimo Dogs are small to medium dogs, and come in three size varieties: [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keeshond</span> Dog breed

The Keeshond is a medium-sized dog with a plush, two-layer coat of silver and black fur with a ruff and a curled tail. Their closest relatives are the German spitzes such as the Großspitz, Mittelspitz, Kleinspitz, Zwergspitz (Dwarf-Spitz) or Pomeranian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pomeranian dog</span> Dog breed

The Pomeranian is a breed of dog of the Spitz type that is named for the Pomerania region in north-west Poland and north-east Germany in Central Europe. Classed as a toy dog breed because of its small size, the Pomeranian is descended from larger Spitz-type dogs, specifically the German Spitz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black and Tan Coonhound</span> Dog breed

The Black and Tan Coonhound is a breed of hunting dog. Developed in the United States from crosses between the Bloodhound and the Black and Tan Virginia Foxhound, this scent hound runs its game entirely by scent and is used primarily for raccoon hunting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaskan Malamute</span> Dog breed

The Alaskan Malamute is a large breed of dog that was originally bred for its strength and endurance, to haul heavy freight as a sled dog, and as a hound. It is similar to other arctic breeds such as the husky, the spitz, the Greenland Dog, Canadian Eskimo Dog, the Siberian Husky, and the Samoyed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinook (dog breed)</span> Dog breed

The Chinook is a breed of sled dog, developed in the state of New Hampshire during the early 20th century. The Chinook is New Hampshire's official state dog.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fédération Cynologique Internationale</span> International federation of kennel clubs based in Thuin, Belgium.

The Fédération Cynologique Internationale is the largest international federation of national kennel clubs and purebred registries. The FCI is based in Thuin, Belgium and has 98 members and contract partners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miniature Schnauzer</span> Dog breed

The Miniature Schnauzer is a breed of small dog of the Schnauzer type that originated in Germany in the mid-to-late 19th century. Miniature Schnauzers may have been developed from the smallest specimens of the Standard Schnauzer, or crosses between the standard and one or more smaller breeds such as the Affenpinscher, Miniature Pinscher, and Poodles, as farmers bred a small dog that was an efficient ratting dog. They are described as "spunky" but aloof dogs, with good guarding tendencies without some guard dogs' predisposition to bite. Miniature Schnauzers are recognized in four colors internationally: solid black, black and silver, salt and pepper, and white.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poodle</span> Dog breed

The Poodle, called the Pudel in German and the Caniche in French, is a breed of water dog. The breed is divided into four varieties based on size, the Standard Poodle, Medium Poodle, Miniature Poodle and Toy Poodle, although the Medium Poodle is not universally recognised. They have a distinctive thick, curly coat that comes in many colors and patterns, with only solid colors recognized by breed registries. Poodles are active and intelligent, and are particularly able to learn from humans. Poodles tend to live 10–18 years, with smaller varieties tending to live longer than larger ones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rat Terrier</span> Dog breed

The Rat Terrier is an American dog breed with a background as a farm dog and hunting companion. They share much ancestry with the small hunting dogs known as feists. Common throughout family farms in the 1920s and 1930s, they are now recognized by the United (UKC) and American Kennel Clubs (AKC) and are considered a rare breed. Rat Terriers are an intelligent and active breed that can be kept both for pest control and as a family pet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toy Fox Terrier</span> Dog breed

The Toy Fox Terrier is a small terrier breed of dog, directly descended from the larger Smooth Fox Terrier but since 1936, it has been registered in the USA with the UKC as a separate breed.

Toy dog traditionally refers to a very small dog or a grouping of small and very small breeds of dog. A toy dog may be of any of various dog types. Types of dogs referred to as toy dogs may include spaniels, pinschers and terriers that have been bred down in size. Not all toy dogs are lap dogs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schnauzer</span> Dog breed type

A Schnauzer is a dog breed type that originated in Germany from the 14th to 16th centuries. The term comes from the German word for "snout" and means colloquially "moustache", or "whiskered snout", because of the dog's distinctively bearded snout. Initially it was called Wire-Haired Pinscher, while Schnauzer was adopted in 1879.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miniature Pinscher</span> Dog breed

The Miniature Pinscher, also known as the Zwergpinscher and Mini Pin, is a small breed of dog of the pinscher type originating in Germany. While the breed's visual similarities to the Toy Manchester Terrier, which somewhat resembles the Pinscher breeds, remain a matter of controversy, genetic research has shown that the two breeds have shared, unique ancestry. The ancestors of the Toy Manchester and Miniature Pinscher may have become geographically separated many centuries ago and retained similarities simply through breeding selection for the same traits; nevertheless, the 2017 research also showed that the two breeds remain more closely related to each other than to other breeds. The breed's ancestors may also include the German Pinscher, Italian greyhounds and dachshunds. The Miniature Pinscher's known origins are in Germany, where it was often referred to as the Zwerg Pinscher in historical documents. German Kennel Club documents also refer to the Miniature Pinscher as the "reh" Pinscher, but this term is only used for a dog of stag-red color, "reh" referring to a small red deer formerly found in German forests. The Miniature Pinscher originated several centuries ago as an efficient barnyard ratter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Pit Bull Terrier</span> American dog breed

The American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) is a dog breed recognized by the United Kennel Club (UKC) and the American Dog Breeders Association (ADBA), but not the American Kennel Club (AKC). It is a medium-sized, short-haired dog, of a solid build, whose early ancestors came from England. When compared with the English Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the American Pit Bull Terrier is larger by margins of 6–8 inches (15–20 cm) in height and 25–35 pounds (11–16 kg) in weight. The American Pit Bull Terrier varies in size: males are normally about 18–21 inches (45–53 cm) in height and around 35–60 pounds (15–27 kg) in weight, while females are normally around 17–20 inches (43–50 cm) in height and 30–50 pounds (13–22 kg) in weight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volpino Italiano</span> Italian breed of dog

The Volpino Italiano or Volpino is an Italian breed of dog of Spitz type. It is closely related to the Pomeranian and to the German Spitz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japanese Spitz</span> Dog breed

The Japanese Spitz is a small to medium breed of dog of the Spitz type. There are varying standards around the world as to the ideal size of the breed, but they are always larger than their smaller cousins, the Pomeranian. They were developed in Japan in the 1920s and 1930s by breeding a number of other Spitz type dog breeds together. They are recognized by the vast majority of the major kennel clubs, except the American Kennel Club due to it being of similar appearance to the white Pomeranian, American Eskimo Dog and Samoyed. While they are a relatively new breed, they are becoming widely popular due to their favorable temperament and other features.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaskan Klee Kai</span> Dog breed

The Alaskan Klee Kai is a spitz-type breed of dog, developed in the late 20th century as a companion-sized dog resembling the larger Alaskan Malamute and Siberian Husky. It is an energetic, intelligent dog with an appearance that reflects its northern heritage. Bred in three sizes, its weight range is from 5 to 22 pounds as an adult, depending on whether its a standard, toy, or miniature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drever</span> Dog breed

The Drever is a breed of dog, a short-legged scenthound from Sweden used for hunting deer and other game. The Drever is descended from the Westphalian Dachsbracke, a type of German hound called Bracke. The breed name Drever was chosen through a contest in 1947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American English Coonhound</span> Dog breed

The American English Coonhound, also referred to as the English Coonhound or the Redtick Coonhound, is a breed of coonhound that originated in and is typically bred in the Southern United States. It is descended from hunting hounds, especially foxhounds, brought to America by settlers during the 17th and 18th centuries. The breed's first recognition came from the United Kennel Club in 1905 as the English Fox and Coonhound. Further recognition has been granted in recent years by the American Kennel Club, first in the Foundation Stock Service and in 2011 as a fully recognized member of the hound group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danish Spitz</span> Dog breed

The Danish Spitz is a dog breed, originating from Denmark. The breed is known for making a good family pet, particularly as they are patient with children. Throughout time they've been known under various names, including Samoyed Spitz, Wolf Spitz, Greenland Spitz and White Spitz, which made it difficult to keep track of the breed and the breeding. Today the breed is known as the Danish Spitz.

References

  1. 1 2 Clark, Anne Rogers; Andrew H. Brace (1995). The International Encyclopedia of Dogs. Howell Book House. pp. 82, 240–241. ISBN   0-87605-624-9.
  2. 1 2 3 Coile, D. Caroline (2005). American Eskimo Dogs . Barron's Educational Series. pp.  5–9. ISBN   0-7641-2861-2.
  3. Choron, Sandra (2005) Planet Dog, Mariner Books, p. 163, ISBN   0-618-51752-9
  4. Cooper Brother's Railroad Circus Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine . Circushistory.org. Retrieved on 2013-08-22.
  5. Breed History NAEDA Archived 2009-01-23 at the Wayback Machine (earliest records were lost in a fire)
  6. Recognition Of The American Eskimo Dog. Ckc.ca. Retrieved on 2013-08-22.
  7. 1 2 "Official Standard of the American Eskimo Dog" (PDF). Official Standard of the American Eskimo Dog. American Kennel Club. Retrieved 30 December 2015.