American Eskimo Dog. Richard G. Beauchamp
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to an owner and a nuisance to neighbors. Eskies are smart dogs and will quickly learn barking boundaries if strictly enforced. Do remember, however, that the warning bark is a part of the Eskie’s heritage. It is up to the owner to make sure that his Eskie understands when and where barking is appropriate.
We are never surprised to hear that an Eskie that has been completely housebroken will suddenly forget all of his manners or will become destructive in protest of being left alone too often or for too long. Some Eskies will let their owners know that they are not getting the attention they need by destroying household items, particularly those things that belong to the individual whom the dog particularly misses.
This does not mean that you must be home all day long to hold your Eskie’s paw and cater to his whims. Many Eskies are owned by working people who are away for a good part of the day. Their dogs are well mannered and trustworthy when left home alone.
The key here is the quality rather than quantity of the time spent with an Eskie. Morning or evening walks, grooming sessions, regular training routines and consistent rule enforcement are vital to the breed’s personality development and attitude. If you are away for most of the day, be sure to include your Eskie in your life when you are at home. Eskies live to be talked to and praised by their owners.
A mutually beneficial way for the Eskie to expend some energy is in activities done with his owner.
Everything about the Eskie’s personality indicates that it is a non-aggressive breed. At the same time, though, the breed has an inherent wariness of strangers. We cannot simply dismiss the breed’s history because we don’t feel we need protection. An Eskie’s heritage and original role is that of household guardian. Still, it would be totally out of character for an Eskie to challenge his owner on any point, regardless of how much he might object to what he is being asked to do.
This is not to say that an American Eskimo is beyond testing your patience or the reality of the boundaries you set. The Eskie can be very headstrong and may well act as though he has not heard your command. In situations like this, it may be necessary for you to sit your Eskie down, taking hold of the scruff of his neck with both hands and looking him in the eye, and to repeat your command. A stern and disapproving voice, and consistency in enforcing the rules, are usually more than sufficient to let an American Eskimo know that you disapprove of what he is doing. It is never necessary to strike your Eskie in any circumstance. A sharp “No!” is normally more than it takes to make your point.
The Eskie makes a great effort to please his owner and is highly trainable as long as the trainer is not heavy-handed. Any training problems encountered are far more apt to be due to the owner rather than to the Eskie’s lack of understanding or inability to learn.
Do not make the mistake of some Eskie owners, who think of their canine companions as “little people.” They spoil their dogs to the point where, instead of being additions to the household, the dogs become nothing but nuisances. It must be understood that the American Eskimo is first and foremost a dog. Dogs, like their ancestor, the wolf, are pack animals in need of a pack leader. Your Eskie is dependent upon you to provide that leadership. When that leadership is not provided, an Eskie can easily become confused and neurotic.
Setting boundaries is important to your Eskie’s well-being and to his relationship with you. As we mentioned earlier, the American Eskimo Dog is not vindictive or stubborn if properly trained, but the breed does need guidance in order to achieve its potential.
MALE OR FEMALE?
In many breeds, differences between the sexes are important considerations that often influence the prospective owner’s choice of a puppy. Of course, there are sex-related differences in the American Eskimo that the prospective buyer should consider. In the end, however, the assets and liabilities of each sex do balance each other out and the final choice remains with individual preference.
TAKING CARE
Science is showing that as people take care of their pets, the pets are taking care of their owners. A recent study published in the American Journal of Cardiology found that having a pet can prolong his owner’s life. Pet owners generally have lower blood pressure, and pets help their owners to relax and keep more physically fit. It was also found that pets help to keep the elderly connected to their communities.
The male Eskie makes just as loving, devoted and trainable companion as the female, but in some cases he can be a bit more headstrong as an adolescent. Here again, the owner’s dedication to establishing and maintaining discipline will determine the final outcome.
There is one important point to consider in determining your choice between male and female. While both must be trained not to relieve themselves in the home, the male has a natural instinct to lift his leg and urinate to mark his home territory. This may sound confusing to many dog owners, but a male’s marking his home turf has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not the dog is housebroken. The two responses come from entirely different needs and must be dealt with in that 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