Page 38 - ShowSight Presents- The American Eskimo Dog
P. 38
Fig. 2
A judge should never compare the American Eskimo dog to the Samoyed. The American Eskimo Dog was never meant to pull sleds. They were used as guardian, working, herding and compan- ion dogs. Their movement, head type and eye shape are completely different from the Samoyed. Samoyeds pull from the front, American Eskimos drive from the rear. The American Eskimo should have a pro- nounced stop, whereas the Samoyed has more of a slope. The eye of the American Eskimo is slightly oval, not oblique as is the eye of the Samoyed.
The American Eskimo has a very dis- tinctive coat. It is a stand-off double coat consisting of a dense undercoat. It should be straight with no curl or wave. THERE IS TO BE NO TRIMMING OF THE WHISKERS OR BODY COAT AND SHOULD BE SEVERELY PENAL- IZED. Figure 2 is a picture of the cor- rect American Eskimo coat that is labeled to show a judge what to look for and to
Fig. 3
avoid putting up a trimmed dog. It should also be noted that females do not carry as much coat as males. Figures 3 and 4 are pictures of excellent females that are not carrying as much coat as Figure 2, but are still in correct coat.
Another important aspect of the Amer- ican Eskimo Dog that a judge should con- sider is length of neck. Adequate length of neck that blends naturally into the shoul- der indicates a strong shoulder lay back. Lay back of the shoulder contributes to the amount of reach a judge will or will not see. The neck should have a strong grace- ful arch blending into a level top line. The following photo shows an animal with the correct length of neck and correct pigment.
Judges should never consider the American Eskimo Dog a “head” breed. The head is a Nordic type head, slightly crowned and slightly wedge shaped with widest breadth between the ears which should conform to the head size and be triangular, slightly blunt tipped and held
Fig. 4
erect, set on high yet well apart. Eyes are dark to medium brown and slightly oval. The presence of tear stains, unless severe, should not be faulted. The stan- dard calls for a full complement of teeth which should be considered when judg- ing. The American Eskimo must have a keen, intelligent and alert expression, The following depicts the correct head type. Judges should also be able to recognize the difference between snow nose and absence of pigment. A dog that is kept inside all of the time and is not exposed to the sunlight may often develop lightening of the nose or as more commonly known as a “snow nose.” Those dogs will have a black line all around the nose leather and may even have a few black spots on the faded nose. This phenomena also occurs in some American Eskimos as they age. Further, a dog with a snow nose will not have any fading of the eye rims or the lips. Absence of pigment means that the nose is pink with total absence of black and some
“THE AMERICAN ESKIMO HAS A V ERY DISTINCTIV E COAT.
It is a stand-off double coat consisting of a dense undercoat.”
