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American Eskimo Dog Facts & Worksheets

Playful, perky, and smart, the American Eskimo Dog (Eskie) combines his eye-catching good looks with a fast and clever mind - a complete beauty and brains package.

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Playful, perky, and smart, the American Eskimo Dog (Eskie) combines his eye-catching good looks with a fast and clever mind – a complete beauty and brains package. Eskies are known for their white coat and dark eyes and come in three different sizes.

See the fact file below for more information on the American Eskimo Dog or alternatively, you can download our 20-page American Eskimo Dog worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

HISTORY

  • Initially bred as watchdogs, Eskies are naturally territorial. Although they are not viewed as hostile breeds, due to their watchdog origin, American Eskimo dogs are usually quite talkative, barking at any stranger who comes near their owner’s territory.
  • In Northern Europe, smaller Spitz were bred into different German Spitz strains. European immigrants shipped their Spitz to the United States, especially New York, in the early 1900s.
  • White was generally the favored color in the United States, despite it being unrecognized in the various German Spitz breeds.
  • After World War I, the small Spitz breeds became popular with the American public when these dogs served as entertainers in the American circus, such as the Cooper Brothers’ Railroad Circus featuring these dogs.
  • In the 1930s, Stout’s Pal Pierre was a dog famous for walking on a tightrope with the Barnum and Bailey Circus.
  • Due to the catapult of the circus dogs’ popularity, most of the modern day American Eskimo Dogs can trace their roots back to these circus dogs.
  • After World War II, these dogs still remained as popular pets. Postwar contact with Japan caused importation in the United States of the Japanese Spitz.
  • As early as 1919, the American Kennel Club officially acknowledged these dogs as the “American Eskimo” and the first documented record and history of the breed was published in 1958 by the UKC.
  • In 1970, the National American Eskimo Dog Association (NAEDA) was established, and single dog registrations were terminated.
  • In 1985, the American Eskimo Dog Club of America (AEDCA) was founded by enthusiasts who wanted to register the breed with the American Kennel Club.
  • Succeeding the AKC’s requirements for breed recognition, the AEDCA gathered the pedigree data from 1,750 canines that now make up the foundations of the AKC recognized breed, which is referred to as the American Eskimo Dog. They were acknowledged by the AKC in 1995.

APPEARANCE

  • American Eskimo Dogs come in three sizes: toy, miniature, and standard. Toy Eskies stand 9 to 12 inches and weigh roughly 10 pounds. Miniatures reach 12 to 15 inches and weigh around 20 pounds. Standards stand 15 to 19 inches and weigh about 30 pounds.
  • In general, these dogs are loving companions which present an image of strength and agility, vigilance, and elegance. They are small to average-sized Nordic type dogs, always white, or white with biscuit cream. Nordic varieties possess a face with straight up triangular shaped ears and recognizable black points in the lips, nose, and eye rims.
  • Eskies display a keen, intelligent, and alert expression. Their eyes, topped with white eyelashes, are set well apart, not totally round, but are somewhat oval.
  • Their moderately blunt-tipped ears should match their head size.
  • Their bodies are muscular and compact, having deep and wide chests with well-sprung ribs. Their tail is set slightly high and reaches roughly to the point of hock when down.
  • Their front quarters are well-angled, having shoulders tightly set and with enough muscle but are not overdeveloped. Legs are parallel and stretch directly to the strong and flexible pasterns. Eskies have oval and compact feet padded with hair, well-arched toes, and white toenails.
  • They sport a stand-off, double coat with a thick undercoat and a longer coat of guard hair protruding through it to make up the outer coat. Their fur is straight without any curl or wave.

PERSONALITY

  • Not only do the Eskies display a winning look, but they also possess a winning personality. They are well-spirited, ingenious, competitive, and athletic. Since they are naturally dubious of strangers, they make excellent watchdogs.
  • These dogs should have consistent opportunities to release their energy and utilize their busy minds. Otherwise, American Eskimo Dogs can be unruly and bored, which leads to barking and chewing. A disinterested Eskie can cause chaos in your home and backyard.
  • Well-motivated American Eskimo Dogs also require a self-reliant owner who can manage training them. They are fast learners so training will be fun and highly successful.
  • Eskies make great family companions. They suffer from separation anxiety if left alone for a long time.
  • When owners are away from home, it is advisable to leave their Eskie in a crate or kennel, with some durable chew toys to keep him busy and out of trouble until his owners return.

HEALTH

  • Hip Dysplasia. An abnormality in the hip socket, causing crippling lameness and painful joint inflammation, such as arthritis.
  • Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease. This condition plagues the hip joint of Eskies. The blood supply to the top of the femur declines, and the head of the femur that attaches itself to the pelvis starts to disintegrate. Initial symptoms include limping and atrophy of the leg muscle, which usually happen when puppies are between four to six months old.
  • Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA). An eye condition that may lead to blindness.
  • Juvenile Cataracts. An eye condition which causes difficulty in seeing, usually affecting dogs at an early age. This happens when the Eskie’s eyes have a cloudy appearance on the lens.

CARE

  • American Eskimo Dogs obviously love cold climates. One of the owner’s joys is watching his Eskie play in the snow, which could even take hours. Other Eskies also love to play in the water.
  • These breeds perform well in a number of homes, from apartments to huge houses with backyards – as long as they stay indoors. These dogs cannot adapt well in the backyard; they are happiest when they live with their family.
  • Given their large stamina for such small to medium statures, Eskies require a lot of exercise. Otherwise, they wreak havoc. They do well in busy households since their energy lets them keep up with their owners.
  • Since they shed a lot, Eskies need frequent brushing to lessen the amount of fur left around the house, and to avoid matting, especially behind the ears.

American Eskimo Dog Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the American Eskimo Dog across 20 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use American Eskimo Dog worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the American Eskimo Dog (Eskie) which combines his eye-catching good looks with a fast and clever mind – a complete beauty and brains package. Eskies are known for their white coat and dark eyes and come in three different sizes.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • American Eskimo Dog Facts
  • More Than Just Fluff
  • Breed Standards
  • Fetch Some Facts
  • Growing Up Fluffy White
  • Three Eskies
  • White vs White
  • Circus Dogs
  • Taking Care of an Eskie
  • Pros and Cons of an Eskie
  • Adopting Eskie

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Link will appear as American Eskimo Dog Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, September 3, 2020

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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