American Eskimo Dog. Richard G. Beauchamp
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Photos by Isabelle Francais with additional photographs by: Norvia Behling, T. J. Calhoun, Doskocil, Carol Ann Johnson, Bill Jonas, Mikki Pet Products, Alice van Kempen and R. Willbie.
The owner wishes to thank the owners of the dogs featured in this book, including Bobbi Leigh Davis, Dr. Athena Farrell/Natur Kennels, Carol Gloetzner, Lucy M. Ozalas, Cindy Richards, Wm. J. Sutera and WhiteLight American Eskimo Dogs.
Illustrations by Patricia Peters.
Racing onto the pure-bred dog scene is the American Eskimo Dog, coming to us from the frozen North. The breed’s beautiful white coat, happy personality and intelligence are among the traits that have gained it a loyal following around the world.
EARLY ORIGINS
In the beginning, there were man and wolf—not quite enemies, not quite friends. Through the centuries, however, this relationship was to change as descendants of the original wolf stock endured great anatomical changes. As a consequence of man’s intervention and manipulation over time, descendants of the wolf (Canis lupus) became domesticated and evolved into the dogs we know today.
Observing the sizes and shapes of many of the wolf’s descendants, one would be hard-pressed to detect any of the characteristics of the original wild animal from which they descended. However, there existed a branch of the family canid that, because of its close proximity to its wolf ancestry, retained many of the wolf’s physical characteristics.
Like their undomesticated ancestors, these dogs maintained the traits that protected them from the rugged environment of northern Europe. Weather-resistant coats protected from rain and cold. They had long, coarse outer coats, which shed snow and rain, and dense undercoats, which insulated against sub-zero temperatures. These coats were especially abundant around the neck and chest, thereby offering double protection for the vital organs.
GENUS CANIS
Dogs and wolves are members of the genus Canis. Wolves are known scientifically as Canis lupus while dogs are known as Canis domesticus. Dogs and wolves are known to interbreed. The term “canine” derives from the Latin-derived word canis. The term “dog” has no scientific basis but has been used for thousands of years. The origin of the word “dog” has never been authoritatively ascertained.
The plumed tail could cover and protect the nose and mouth should the animal be forced to sleep in the snow. The small prick ears were not easily frostbitten or frozen. The muzzle had sufficient length to warm the frigid air before it reached the lungs. The leg length was sufficient to keep the chest and abdomen above the snow line. These dogs carried their tails horizontally or up over their backs, rather than trailing behind in the snow.
Skeletal remains of these early wolf descendants have been found throughout northern and central Europe, northern Asia and the Arctic regions of North America. These dogs stand as the forerunners of what now are commonly referred to as the Arctic or Nordic breeds.
This group of breeds can be divided effectually into four categories: hunting dogs (Norwegian Elkhound, Chow Chow, Karelian Bear Dog, etc.); draft dogs (Alaskan Malamute, Siberian Husky, etc.); herding dogs (Samoyed, Swedish and Finnish Lapphunds, etc.) and companion dogs (including most of the spitz-type dogs—German Spitz, Pomeranian, American Eskimo, Volpino Italiano, etc.).
One specific branch of this family was known as Canis familiaris palustris, or more commonly and interchangeably known as both “the dog of the lake” and “the peat bog dog.” Skeletons of these spitz-type dogs, said to have existed in the late Stone Age, have been found in many places throughout northern Europe. Although their exact role in the lives of the tribes with which the dogs lived cannot be fully identified, American Eskimo author and breed historian Nancy J. Hoffman suggests that they may well have served as what we today have come to think of as guard dogs—sounding the alarm by barking when danger threatened. The alert nature, rapid vocal response and protective devotion to home and hearth of the spitz breeds certainly give credibility to this belief.
THE GERMAN SPITZ BREEDS
Although the spitz-type breeds had already become popular in Germany in the early 1500s, Count Eberhard zu Sayne is the first to have been known to refer to the dogs as “Spitz.” The word spitz is German for “sharp point.” Count zu Sayne described the dogs as having no real interest in hunting but totally dedicated to their masters and protective of all of their masters’ property.
It appears that the Count had great influence in Germany in that, from his first use of the term “spitz” in 1540, the word was included not only in the German vocabulary but also in the dictionaries of that country.
The spitz-type dogs came in many sizes and many colors, with each type being identified by a separate name. They all, however, shared the same physical characteristics that had distinguished them from other types of dog for many centuries prior. Historically, dog breeds and varieties within breeds have been developed in various towns and villages of continental Europe and Great Britain quite simply due to the color and size preferences of influential individuals or due to common interests of a given area’s residents. The varieties often took on the names of the towns or villages in which they were developed, and sometimes the variety’s name referred to the particular duties assigned to the dogs.
The German Spitz is separated into varieties according to size. This classification was used originally in Germany and is that which is used today by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), the governing canine authority throughout continental Europe.
The Wolfspitz is the largest of the five German Spitz breeds. It stands approximately 18 or more inches at the shoulder. The only color allowed is gray. It is believed that the American Eskimo Dog descended from this variety. The next largest is the Grossspitz, sometimes called the Giant Spitz, which stands 16 inches and above at the shoulder. Colors are white, black, brown and orange. The Mittelspitz, or Standard Spitz, is ideally 11 to 14 inches tall and can be white, black, brown, wolf gray and orange. The Kleinspitz, or Small Spitz, is bred in white, black, brown, wolf gray and orange, and measures 8.5 to 11 inches tall. Finally, the Zwergspitz, or Dwarf Spitz, can be white, black, brown, wolf gray or orange, and measures less than 8.5 inches tall.
The German Wolfspitz, the largest of the German Spitzen, seen in the characteristic wolf-gray color.
Size and color separated the varieties in Germany, but then, as now, they all retained the same basic look. The White Spitz enjoyed great popularity both in Germany and even more so abroad. By the 1700s, the popular dog of British society was called simply the White Spitz. These dogs were particular favorites of Queen Charlotte, who was born in Germany and remembered the dogs from her childhood.
A group of German Kleinspitz, showing off some of the breed’s color possibilities.
Queen Charlotte’s dogs were obtained from the area around Pomerania, which had a far-reaching reputation for the excellence of its white dogs. Charlotte’s treasured White Spitz came to be called the “Pomeranian” in England. This name was attributed to her creation, but no breed has ever been known by this name in Germany.
The Japanese Spitz very closely resembles the American