JUDGING THE AMERICAN ESKIMO DOG P erhaps the first thing peo- ple notice about the Eskie ring is the wide range of sizes shown together. Eskies by RUTH SAMPSON AND DIANA ALLEN
will be almost two inches longer than tall. Thus a 19 inch tall dog would be 21 inches in length. Even the 10 inch toy would be 10 inches at the shoulder and 11 inches in length. Eskies are not to be cobby. Coming to the front of the dog, first notice the alert and intelligent expres- sion. Cradle the head in your hands. The Eskie head should have a soft wedge shape with the widest breadth between the ears, eyes are dark to medium brown, almost oval in shape and symmetrically placed on the head. The standard calls for full dentition and either a scissor or level bite is correct. The muzzle is broad and the length can be shorter, but may not exceed the backskull length. Ears are triangular, erect and conform to size of head. Jaw is strong and well developed. Bridge of the muzzle is flat, foreface is high, stop is well defined. Eye rims, lips and nose are black to dark brown. As with many Nordic breeds, Eskies may snownose (center of nose leather fading) with the winter months, hence the name. This is not to be confused with a total or par- tial lack of pigment of the nose. Disqual- ification: Blue eyes. In examining the remainder of the dog, the neck is medium in length and carries a good arch. Front legs are well under the body. The standard calls for a well angulated dog both front and rear, you may be able to feel the right angle, (one corner of a square) where the shoulder blade meets the upper arm. Both bones lay back 45 degrees from a line through the joint running parallel to the ground. The 45 degree angle is probably more sought after than found, but straight shoulders severely impact
come in small, medium and large size (officially known as toy, miniature and standard). The toy is 9 inches up to and including 12 inches. Miniatures are over 12 inches up to and including 15 inches. The standard Eskie is over 15 inches, up to and including 19 inch- es. All Eskies are shown on the table. Disqualification: Height at withers under 9 inches or over 19 inches. When the dogs come into the ring, the first thing noted is that this is a Nor- dic breed. It is a trotting breed. It will cover the most amount of ground with the least amount of effort. The fastest dog isn’t necessarily the best mover. The best mover will be efficient, tireless and effortless. The dog putting forth a lot of effort to get around the ring will not be your best mover. The legs of the good moving Eskie may not move as fast, but the dog will cover good ground. On the table, note that the top of the withers, the elbow and just behind the front pad are all in a straight line per- pendicular to the ground. The length of the leg should be 50% of the height of the dog, with the body also being 50%. This can sometimes be hard to see because of the abundant Eskie coat. Note also that the front pasterns are angled 20 degrees which acts as a cushion and increases stamina over long distances. Eskies are not a square breed. The standard calls for a ratio of 1 to 1.1 height to length. Thus the length should be 10% more than the height of the dog. A 19 inch dog (measured at the withers)
Eskie Coat Pattern
272 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , D ECEMBER 2017
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