The American Eskimo Dog, or "Eskie" as it is often called, is derived from the German Spitz, the Finnish Spitz, and almost certainly the Pomeranian and Keeshond. The spitz family of Nordic dogs is one of the least altered by human husbandry and reflects most nearly the prototypical dog, from which stock all others have been derived. Archeology suggests that Neolithic dogs living with humans would today pass for spitzes. All of the Nordic breeds are marked by erect, triangular ears ("prick ears"), a tail that flips onto the dog's back in a spiral, and two coats of fur: an inner, downy coat, and an outer coat of guard hairs that act as weather protection.
The standard for the American Eskimo Dog calls for them
to be white, with brown eyes (blue eyes, such as those found
on the
Alaskan Malamute, are a disqualification and a sign of
poor health or breeding), and a compact body. The dog's
length should be only slightly greater than its height at
the shoulder. The muzzle is long and lupine (in contrast to
the muzzles of
Pomeranians). The ears are held erect and alert, and the
tail should be feathered and curled on the dog's back. These
dogs look very much like smaller versions of the
Samoyed, to
which they are related, and come in three standard sizes.
The miniature is twenty-two to twenty-eight pounds; the
standard is twenty-nine to thirty-three pounds; and the
large is thirty-four to forty-two pounds.
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