HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN ESKIMO DOG BY DIANA ALLEN T he American Eskimo Dog’s country of origin is Germany. It was originally bred as a multipurpose working dog
on the farm. The “Eskie”, as it has been nicknamed, is one of a number of Spitz breeds. The word “Spitz” is a German word and translated as “sharp point”. The dogs were referred to as Spitz as when alerted their ears would quickly come to a sharp point. Spitz breeds are also called “Nordic Breeds”; the two terms are interchangeable. On the whole, Spitz breeds have the same characteristics. They have erect ears, wedge–shaped heads, double weather resistant coats, are trotting breeds, have tails that are well plumed and they all have been used to assist man. They have been used as herders, hunters, haulers, guardians and devot- ed companions. These are just a few of the many services that they are capable of performing. ON THE FARM The Spitz in Germany was used to assist humans in a number of tasks on the farm. Farms in Germany are differ- ent than what we are used to seeing in the US. In Germany, farmers lived in vil- lages and went out each day to the farm. Sheep and cows lived in the village at night and had to be taken out to pasture each day. The dog was an intricate part of the farmer’s life. In an average day, the dog would perform a number of tasks. They went with the farmer to take the sheep out to pasture. They gathered sheep from the pasture and searched for any ani- mals that had strayed. The dogs would
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