manner. Some dogs are more difficult to train not to mark within the confines of the household than others. Males that are used for breeding are more prone to this response and are even harder to break of doing so.
On the other hand, females have their semi-annual heat cycles (estruses) once they have reached sexual maturity. In the case of the female American Eskimo, this occurs for the first time at about six to nine months of age. These cycles are accompanied by a bloody vaginal discharge that creates the need to confine the female so that she does not soil her surroundings. The need for confining the female in heat is especially important to prevent her becoming pregnant by some neighborhood Lothario. It must be understood that the female has no control over this bloody discharge, so it has nothing to do with training.
DO YOU WANT TO LIVE LONGER?
If you like to volunteer, it is wonderful if you can take your dog to a nursing home once a week for several hours. The elder community loves to have a dog with which to visit, and often your dog will bring a bit of companionship to someone who is lonely or somewhat detached from the world. You will be not only bringing happiness to someone else but also keeping your dog busy—and we haven’t even mentioned the fact that it has been discovered that volunteering helps to increase your own longevity!
Both of these sexually related problems can be eliminated by spaying the female and neutering the male. Unless an Eskie is purchased expressly for breeding or showing from a breeder capable of making this judgment, your pet should be sexually altered. Ethical breeders will include a spay/ neuter clause in sales agreements for puppies that will not be used for showing or breeding, but will be kept solely as pets and companions.
The ever-alert Eskie, in keeping with his spitz ancestry, keeps a vigilant watch over his and his owners’ territory.
WHO’S THERE?
The average Eskie is more inclined to “tolerate” strangers than he is to rush out and invite them into your home. He is instinctively territorial and knows that his job is to keep a watchful eye on you and yours. Therefore, someone your Eskie knows nothing about could pose a problem in his eyes, and he will be inclined to wait and see rather than roll out the welcome wagon right away.
It should be understood, however, that spaying and neutering are not reversible procedures. Spayed females or neutered males are not allowed to be shown in conformation shows in most countries, and altered animals will never be able to be used for breeding.
There is a difference in the amount of coat carried by the male and female American Eskimo. The male Eskie normally carries a much heavier coat than the female, so there is more for the male to shed during the annual springtime coat casting. On the other hand, the semiannual heat cycles of the female are also accompanied by shedding. Thus, while there is a bit less hair to be shed by the female, it happens twice as often in unspayed bitches.
INTRODUCTION TO THE BREED STANDARD
While the AKC and UKC breed standards do differ slightly, what they both attempt to describe is basically the same dog. The American Eskimo Dog is, and must always remain, a serviceable and healthy dog, free of exaggerations of any kind and ideally suited as a companion to man.
Like its undomesticated ancestors, the American Eskimo Dog retains those characteristics that would theoretically allow the breed to survive in the wild should the necessity arise. The breed has no gross exaggerations or incapacitating anatomical characteristics.
The proper coat of the Eskie protects the breed from both the sub-zero temperatures of winter and the scalding temperatures of summer. As already mentioned, the longer, coarse outer coat helps shed both rain and snow, while the short, dense undercoat insulates against both heat and cold. The especially profuse coat around the neck and chest is designed to provide extra protection for those areas. The heavily coated plumed tail protects the dog’s nose and mouth in cold temperatures and snow; the tail covers the face when the dog curls up. When in motion, the tail is carried over the back so that is does not trail behind in the snow or become caught up in brambles or undergrowth.
The coat should be white, but shadings of biscuit and cream are allowed. No other color is permitted. Important points are pigmentation and eye color. Eye rims, nose and lips should be dark; the darker the better. Also, blue eyes are totally unacceptable; eyes should be dark to medium brown.
The Eskie’s balanced construction makes him an all-around canine athlete, both powerful and agile—bearing comparison to the human decathlon champion. The well-conditioned Eskie is muscular and fit with little excess to hinder his quick and easy movement. The breed is slender enough to manipulate over, under, around and through.
What the standards ask for in the way of construction and balance applies to all three varieties of the breed—Toy, Miniature and Standard. While the Toy and Miniature varieties may never be asked to survive in the wild, it must be remembered that they are simply a miniaturization of the Standard variety and that all aspects of type, balance and soundness apply. The UKC breed standard does not recognize the Toy variety. The standards of both the AKC and UKC are presented here for comparative purposes.
THE AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB STANDARD FOR THE AMERICAN ESKIMO DOG
General Appearance: The American Eskimo Dog, a loving companion dog, presents a picture of strength and agility, alertness and beauty. It is a small to medium-size Nordic type dog, always white, or white with biscuit cream. The American Eskimo Dog is compactly built and well balanced, with good substance, and an alert, smooth gait. The face is Nordic type with erect triangular shaped ears, and distinctive black points (lips, nose, and eye rims). The white double coat consists of a short, dense undercoat, with a longer guard hair growing through it forming the outer coat, which is straight with no curl or wave. The coat is thicker and longer around the neck and chest forming a lionlike ruff, which is more noticeable on dogs than on bitches. The rump and hind legs down to the hocks are also covered with thicker, longer hair forming the characteristic breeches. The richly plumed tail is carried loosely on the back.
Size, Proportion, Substance: Size: There are three separate size divisions of the American Eskimo Dog (all measurements are heights at withers): Toy, 9 inches to and including 12 inches; Miniature, over 12 inches to and including 15 inches; and Standard, over 15 inches to and including 19 inches. There is no preference for size within each division. Disqualification: Under 9 inches or over 19 inches. Proportion: Length of back from point of shoulder to point of buttocks is slightly greater than height at withers, an approximate 1.1 to 1 ratio. Substance: The American Eskimo Dog is strong and compactly built with adequate bone.
Head: Expression is keen, intelligent, and alert. Eyes are not fully round, but slightly oval. They should be set well apart, and not slanted, prominent or bulging. Tear stain, unless severe, is not to be faulted. Presence of tear stain should not outweigh consideration of type, structure, or temperament. Dark to medium brown is the preferred eye color. Eye rims are black to dark brown. Eyelashes are white. Faults: Amber eye color or pink eye rims. Disqualification: Blue eyes. Ears should conform to head size and be triangular, slightly blunt-tipped, held erect, set on high yet well apart, and blend softly with the head. Skull is slightly crowned and softly wedge-shaped, with widest breadth between the ears. The stop is well defined, although not abrupt. The muzzle is
