Breed Profile

AMERICAN ESKIMO DOG

1. Breed History
by George Jones
http://www.barkbytes.com/history/amesk.htm

The American Eskimo Dog is a member of the Spitz family of dogs. The Spitz trace their history back to the Peat bog Dog of the Swiss Lakes region, who lived around 4000 B.C.E. Other members of the Spitz family include the Pomeranian, the German Spitz, Akita, Keeshond, and the Chow Chow. The Spitz breed of dog is noted for its prick ears, pointed nose, and a curled tail. The body is slightly longer than the dog is tall at the withers.

Another name for the Spitz family of dogs is "Nordic". To refer to a dog as a "Nordic" breed was a way to avoid the Germanic implication of the name Spitz. This was especially true when anti German sentiment was high during W.W.I and W.W.II. Today's usage is interchangeable.

During the 19th century in the U.S., a small, white, spitz type dog was commonly seen in the communities of German immigrants. These dogs came to be known as the American Spitz. This breed of dog was developed as a "type breed". A "type breed" is, if a dog fits the type description (in this case, a small, white, Nordic dog), than that is what it is - an American Spitz. The U.K.C. (United Kennel Club) started to register this breed in 1913 as an Eskimo, and in 1917 gave it the new name of American Eskimo. This name gave rise to the mistaken belief that this breed was somehow related to the native North American breeds. The American Eskimo Dog is not related to the Canadian Eskimo Dog nor the North Greenland Eskimo Dog. It is definitely not a down sized Samoyed. It is, however, descended from the white German Spitz. The F.C.I. (Federation Canine International) lists the American Eskimo Dog as a German Spitz. Other close relatives include the white Keeshond, the white Pomeranian, and the white Volpino Italiano (Italian Spitz).

The Eskie, or A.E.D., gained popularity as the dog seen in many circus acts. Even today's Eskies can find former circus dogs in their pedigrees. The circus dogs were known for their striking beauty and they were naturals when it came to performing.

The American Eskimo Dog is very versatile in its working abilities, and these abilities vary from dog to dog. Some have been used as herding dogs, others as small game hunters, others as companions. They excel at obedience trials and agility. They have great intelligence, they are free thinkers they do not just wait for a command. They are also easily trained with positive reinforcement.

The National American Eskimo Dog Association was founded in 1969 and is the U.K.C.'s parent club for the breed. With the formation of this dog club, breeders went from breeding specifically for one size dog to the dividing of this breed into a standard size and a miniature size by weight. In the 1980's, the weight standard was eliminated and a height standard was added, it included a toy size, but was changed for a third time to delete the toy size due to lack of entries in shows.

In 1984 the American Eskimo Dog Club of America was formed and is considered to be the breed's parent club by the A.K.C. In 1985, the A.E.D.C.A. included the toy size in its first written standard, and has not changed since.

- The Toy is over 9 inches and up to, and including, 12 inches to the withers.
- The Miniature is over 12 inches and up to, and including, 15 inches to the withers.
- The Standard is over 12 inches and up to, and including 19 inches to the withers.

*A rule of thumb that is used to judge how large an Eskie puppy is going to grow to be is to weigh the puppy at eight weeks of age. If the puppy weighs 6 - 8 pounds, it will probably grow up to standard size. If the pup weighs 3 -4 pounds, it will likely be a miniature. Lastly, if the puppy is less than 3 pounds at 8 weeks of age, it will probably only grow to toy size. There are exceptions to every rule, but this works better than a crystal ball.

The American Kennel Club recognized the American Eskimo Dog breed in 1994, and this breed competes in the Non Sporting Group of this orgasation.

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2. Introduction
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/amereski.html#Spitz

Nearly 50 years ago, circus trainer Caleb Thompson toured the US and Canada with two animal acts featuring all white horses and small white dogs. He bred, raised, and trained the animals on his White Horse Ranch in Nebraska, and established a school to teach horsemanship and animal training there.

The breed of dogs featured in his trick animal acts was the American Eskimo, a spitz dog with a convoluted and colorful history. Typically northern-dog in appearance, the American Eskimo's bright, appealing temperament, skill, and snowy coat made him a favorite with circus audiences whether he rode in a cart pulled by other dogs, pulled a small cart himself, rode horseback, or accomplished a variety of other feats. Circuses have gone by the wayside for the most part, but the Eskie still plies his trade in living rooms all over the country as he delights owners and friends with his pranks and abilities.

Spitz dogs
"Spitz" is a type of dog with a pointed muzzle, pointed ears, and a curled tail, not a breed of dog any more than a "hound" or a "spaniel" is a breed. Dogs in the spitz family, also known as northern dogs, include Akita, Norwegian Elkhound, Chow Chow, Finnish Spitz, Pomeranian, and Keeshond. The latter two breeds are closely related to the American Eskimo as all three developed from a family of German spitz breeds differentiated by size and color.

The Wolfspitz is wolf gray and is the largest of the group at 18 inches tall. This breed is probably the progenitor of the Keeshond, the lively Dutch dog that was a favorite of the working class in the lowland country. (See the Keeshond profile, Dog Owner's Guide, June 1993.) The remaining breeds in the group come in several colors and vary in size as follows: Gross Spitz or Giant Spitz is 16 inches tall; Mittelspitz or Standard Spitz is 11-14 inches tall; Kleinspitz or Small Spitz is 8.5 to 11 inches tall; and Zwergspitz or Dwarf Spitz, which became the Pomeranian in the US, is less than 8.5 inches tall.

Different types of spitz dogs came to the US with German immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but the actual development of the American Eskimo as a white spitz breed is lost because there was no breed club to keep written records until 1969. However, there is no doubt that the breed came from Germany, and is not a "miniature Samoyed" as some people claim.

"American Eskimo Dog" became the official breed name during World War I, when an reference to Germany was considered anathema in the Allied Nations. In England, the German Shepherd Dog became the Alsatian; in this country, the American Spitz became the American Eskimo Dog.


Breed standard
The American Eskimo Dog is registered with the United Kennel Club and on July 1st, 1995 was accepted into the non-sporting group of the American Kennel Club becoming the AKC's 138th breed. There are two national clubs for the breed, the National American Eskimo Dog Association and the American Eskimo Dogs of America.

The standards for the breed differ in words but not in description of the breed. The major difference is that UKC recognizes only the standard and miniature sizes and the AKC will add the toy size. The American Eskimo Dog has a typical northern dog appearance: well-proportioned body, double coat, pointed muzzle, small eyes, triangular ears with rounded tips, curled tail, and smooth, steady gait. Although bred mainly as a companion, the Eskie looks like a sled dog and is at home in snow, ice, and cold temperatures.

The tail is plumed with long hair and is carried over the dog's back; a tight curl or double curl, which is often seen in Akitas, is a fault in Eskies.

Breed disqualifications include blue eyes; deafness can be a problem in blue-eyed, white dogs.

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SAMOYED

Source: http://www.samoyed.org/frame9915053.html
Samoyede; The People and Their Dog. (Sahm - uh - yed means living off themselves, implying self sufficiency, not cannibalism as once thought)
by Gregory Alan Newell

The Samoyede people are an Asiatic group of nomadic origins. They traditionally spoke a Uralic - Samoyedic language which is related to the Finno - Ugric languages. The Samoyede are probably of Mongoloid descent. They probably started migrating Northwest during the late Pleistocene when so many other Mongoloid nomadic hunter gathers were moving in all the directions of the compass. Some of these Mongoloid nomads crossing Berangea, became the first North American inhabitants and later migrations brought the Eskimos (Inuit) to Alaska, Canada and Greenland. The Samoyede are physically characterized by short stature, yellowish white skin, high cheek bones and straight or concave noses. There are now, less than 50,000 Samoyede left. Most now speak Russian or Turkish. The two principle groups are the Nentsy and the Entsy.



The Samoyede migrated to their current location shortly after the time of Christ in the first millennium. This is on the Taimyr Peninsula, between the Yenisei and Olenek rivers. This peninsula is in Northwestern Siberia north of the Arctic Circle jutting into the Arctic Ocean. It is the Northernmost part of the continent. The Laplanders are further West of the Urals to Northern Finland, Norway and Sweden and the Eskimo (Inuit) and Yakuts are in Northeastern Siberia.



Early in the Samoyede's history, they had subsisted mainly on nomadic reindeer (caribou) hunting, following the great herds as they migrated. Reindeer (caribou) must move frequently on the tundra for their main food source, Reindeer Moss (a lichen). The Samoyede gradually switched from hunter-gatherers to herdsmen because they managed a form of domestication of the reindeer. Over many generations of selective breeding of the reindeer, they removed males from the population that wanted to take their cows and move off. They selected passive males that would stay with their cows and were docile toward the herdsman. It is now believed there are no longer any natural Reindeer. Despite domestication, the Samoyede along with their reindeer still moved in the traditional migration routes from tundra to forest-lands. The reindeer consume large quantities of reindeer moss (a lichen) and have to move frequently to areas where the reindeer moss is found. Reindeer moss takes years to grow to a harvestable size for the reindeer to eat. The Samoyede merely switched from hunting the reindeer to herding the reindeer. The reindeer had become a symbol of wealth and status.



The Samoyede were a reindeer culture. As well as a food source, they used collapsible tents made of saplings and reindeer hide fashioned into a dome. They used reindeer to haul these tents and their other possessions. Their clothes consisted of long hooded parkas with the fur turned inward. This was usually reindeer hide clothing with highly developed fur appliqué being made to the outer clothing. Reindeer hair is hollow and makes excellent insulated clothing for Arctic use. The traditional religion was animistic (worship of animal spirits) and included shamanistic practices. The word shaman comes from these cultures in Siberia where classic shamanism is found. Shamanism is found not only in Central Asia, but also in North American and Pacific Island cultures. Generally a shaman is a man of great religious status and a mouthpiece to the spirits. He can divine where the herds will appear, how to increase and store food supplies and practice healing. Shamans undergo fasting, seclusion and other ordeals that lead to visions that guide the shaman in the performance of their duties.



The Samoyede people were known for their Bjelkiers (white dog that breeds white). In Russian, the dogs are called Voinaika which means lead or direction dog or guard, hunting and war dog. The Laplanders preferred an all black dog because it contrasted against the snow and made them easier to see. We now know this dog as the Lapphund. The Inuit had their own derivative now known as the Siberian Husky. In North America this became the Alaskan Malamute (named for the Inuit tribe). In contrast to the assimilation into the family the Samoyede extended to the Bjelkier, the Eskimo (Inuit) treated their dogs quite differently. They used their dogs when needed (usually summer for hauling sledges) and the dogs had to fend for themselves when not used.



The Bjelkier dogs (like some other Northern breeds) are relatively untouched by human breeding practices and are the easiest to duplicate. Although, an aggressive or improperly socialized Bjelkier might soon adorn the owner's clothing after the hide cured. Bjelkiers are very close to their wild wolf-like dog ancestors that man in the post-glacial age first took to live with them. The first wolf-like canines (Canis familiaris palustris) came on the scene 12,000 to 14,000 years ago from the Southern strain of the Gray Wolf in South Central Asia. Originally, early hunter gatherers felt a special kinship to wolves and wolf-like canines because of their common social structure* and hunting prowess. They took puppies and gave them a special place in their lodgings (chooms). This relationship went from worship (like the early Egyptian worship of the cat) to partnership. It was found that these primitive canines adapted well to the similar social structure of the human hunter gatherers. Both the hunter gatherer and the wolf like canine had many aspects of their clan or pack behavior that were identical. The Bjelkier began to haul loads and pull sledges (they were used to haul from 60 to 90 pounds) that reindeer had carried. Later, it was found that herding the domesticated reindeer was another useful service that came naturally to the Bjelkier. The natural attribute of a wolf-like canine to go after an animal (prey drive) that breaks from the herd made it easy to use that behavior to herd the Reindeer. The Bjelkier could hunt, haul and herd and it enjoyed doing it.



The Bjelkiers had earned a place of special reverence in the culture and in the lodgings of the Samoyede. Although, in some tribes that were reindeer cultures, their dogs were also readily used for food and clothing. Inside a Samoyede lodging or choom the Bjelkier was allowed complete freedom of movement. The Bjelkier was gentle and likable. It could be trusted to baby-sit Samoyede offspring. Yet when necessary, a pack of several Bjelkiers (weighing on average 60 pounds) could drive off Polar Bears weighing over 1,500 pounds.



By the 17th and 18th Centuries, the Russians began exploring Siberia and recognized the attributes of the Bjelkier. It's beauty won it stature with the Czar's family and occasionally the Bjelkier was given as a very special gift to other European nobility. It had attained Royal status and was protected from outsiders. The Russians quickly saw the value of using it for pulling the sleds of tax collectors and explorers in Siberia. The reputation among explorers would soon get around.



A Russian named Alexander Trontheim had been the agent to procure the Bjelkiers for the Russian government. A Norwegian by the name of Fridtjof Nansen heard of the Bjelkiers and hired Trontheim to procure a number of them for him. Nansen was a professor in seven departments at the University of Norway. He designed and built a ship called the Fram to explore the Arctic. It was so well built that he used it during his 5 expeditions over 35 years. Nansen had been very methodical and had extensively researched the best method for Arctic exploration and what would be the best dog for the job. He rightfully surmised the Bjelkier was the dog of choice. Nansen had spent considerable time and effort exploring the Arctic and even attempted an ill fated attempt to kayak with his 28 Bjelkiers to the North Pole. The attempt failed and none of the dogs returned. Nansen's work spanned many decades and influenced all the great Arctic and Antarctic explorers of the late 19th century. The brother of the King of Italy, the Duke of Abruzzi, Luigi Amadeo was also influential. He wrote detailed comments of special interest that were received almost as gospel. He had sought the advice of Nansen and was given a Bjelkier by Nansen as an example of the optimal sled dog. He used 120 Bjelkiers procured from Trontheim during his expedition.



It should be made clear that these early expeditions were brutal for the Bjelkiers. Many died needlessly because the explorers did not understand anatomy and physiology and did things to the dogs that put them in jeopardy (tail bobbing that caused pneumonia and shearing their coats allowing them to freeze). Cannibalism was often employed to feed the dogs. Nansen fed the weaker dogs to the strong rather than take food for them or hunt seal. On a more pleasant note, the reason Bjelkiers were preferred over the Huskies or Greenland dogs, was their disposition. They were quite amiable to the explorers and without exception, positive comments for the Bjelkiers made them the preferred sled dog for explorers.



Roald Amundsen, another Norwegian, in 1911 made a 1,860 mile round trip in 99 days to the South Pole. He used 52 of an original 97 dogs he acquired to pull 4 sledges. The first animal over the South Pole was Amundsen's Bjelkier lead dog. After returning from expeditions these dogs were being given to other explorers for use and some were making their way to England. All the Antarctic exploration was done with Bjelkiers except the Captain Robert Scott expedition that used horses as the principle means of locomotion. Although Scott did take 33 Bjelkiers, someone bobbed their tails. In the absence of the tail as a filter to cover the nose when sleeping, the dogs died of pneumonia in three weeks. After all his animals perished, 6 members of Scott's team pulled the remaining equipment to the South Pole. He wrote in his diary before he died, that when he arrived at the Pole, he found paw prints and a Norwegian flag. Amundsen had beat him by a month. Amundsen left him a note elaborating his success. Beaten physically and emotionally, Scott died on the way back. Nearly every Samoyed dog in the West today has ancestors that were used to explore the Arctic and Antarctic.



In England, Mr. Ernest Kilburn-Scott of the Royal Zoological Society became a significant influencing factor in the breed outside of Siberia. He acquired dogs from the explorers as well as some directly from Siberia. In his position with the Royal Zoological Society, he had the opportunity to accompany an expedition to Archangel in the 1880's where a very cute, plump puppy caught his attention. When he arrived home, the puppy attracted considerable attention. He then seized other opportunities to acquire more of these white dogs. He expanded the breed in England and showed the dog in several expositions. The English liked the pure white coat over the cream or biscuit color. Any black and white or other combinations were not acceptable. The dog began as something of an oddity from Siberia, but it's beauty and amiability fast made it popular among the well to do and the influential. The Kennel Club initially allowed them to be shown in the foreign dog class. Kilburn-Scott founded the Samoyede Club and in 1909, Samoyede became the official name of the Bjelkier outside of Siberia. Kilburn-Scott conferred with explorers of Siberia and agreed on the pronunciation and a spelling of the people who were responsible for the dog. The dog was then named for the people. In 1912, the Kennel Club decided that the dog could be shown in an accepted classification. The Bjelkier was now officially named and recognized as a distinct breed in the West. In 1923, the English Kennel Club dropped the "e" from the name and in 1947 the American Kennel Club dropped the "e" from the name. Shortly thereafter, the name began to be mispronounced. Instead of Sahm-uh-yed (the native pronunciation) the name became anglicized to Sahm-oid.



Physically, the Samoyed dog is the most efficient design of the Northern breeds. It has a much more pronounced double layer coat than it's cousins. The coat can be the pure white, white and biscuit, cream or all biscuit. The long silver white guard hair is tough and it is soil and water repellent. Snow can not accumulate on this coat and the dog can easily shake it off. The guard hair's length remains constant and should stand straight out. The inner coat is woolly and during the winter is so thick, that you can't push your finger to the flesh. In spring, the Samoyed dog sheds so much of this warm woolly hair that the Samoyede people (and others still today) spun and wove it like sheep wool. It was then and is still used to make clothing. The coat has no "doggie" odor. The only scent the Samoyed has is the musk exuded between the toe pads for scent marking. The deep brown eyes are set behind almond shaped black eyelids to reduce glare from snow. The feet are designed so the toes spread out (like a built-in snowshoe) and there is a very dense, long hair between the toe pads to prevent ice from accumulating. This hair also serves to provide traction on slippery surfaces. The curved tail is used to cover the nose during extreme cold weather where it acts as a pre-filter to warm and humidify the air that is inhaled. The chest is a pronounced V - shape in order to support stronger musculature. The skeleton is much heavier than would be expected for a dog it's size in order to support the muscles that give it the strength to haul huge loads. Yet it is not so massive that it is not nimble and agile. It has the speed to run down a large member of the deer family, the reindeer.



* The common social structure consists of examples of organized hunting parties, baby-sitting, bringing food back to those that can't hunt, clan hierarchy, caring for the injured, storage of food. They play and celebrate together. They have a highly specialized communication consisting of verbal and body language. They hunted the same large herbivores and had a similar niche in the food chain.

References: The New Complete Samoyed by Robert and Dolly Ward, The Samoyed by Anna Katherine Nicholas, The Grolier's Encyclopedia The Funk and Wagnell's Encyclopedia Ultimate Dog Book by David Taylor, Snow Travel and Transport by Walter Lorch

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Interesting link in portugese
http://www.samoyedosdealamak.web.pt/historia.htm