American Eskimo Information

Cthulhu7

Mitch & Erin
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#1
Hey everybody, so Erin and I have pretty much set on trying to get a Chi soon. But she LOVES Huskies and Eskimos, and I just found an Eskimo puppy on Craigslist. I'm just looking for information. Temperament, Grooming, Etc. I've always been concerned about having winter dogs in Texas, but I'm told that they do fine, is that true?

I know it's a long shot, mainly just because of our allergies, but I'd like to at least get some information before I have to be the bad guy and tell Erin no.

Thanks.
 

AdrianneIsabel

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#2
Eskies can be awesome dogs. Nice drive, super awesome personalities, smart, and brave. I am sure they'd be okay in Texas but i wouldn't shave them, they have pink skin under that coat and it can be pretty hard on them to regulate their temperature and prevent a sunburn that way. Also they shed a lot so I bet they may aggravate your allergies?
 

Cthulhu7

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#3
Eskies can be awesome dogs. Nice drive, super awesome personalities, smart, and brave. I am sure they'd be okay in Texas but i wouldn't shave them, they have pink skin under that coat and it can be pretty hard on them to regulate their temperature and prevent a sunburn that way. Also they shed a lot so I bet they may aggravate your allergies?
I would never shave one! Their coat is so beautiful! I would probably just try to keep it short, and try to keep the second, winter coat from growing. Allergies is the main thing I'm worried about. I really don't know if Erin and I would be able to handle it.

Also, how active are they? I really don't know. We live in a smallish apartment, but there's tons of parks (there's one across the street) and I'm more than happy to take the dog out for a few hours a day.
 

AdrianneIsabel

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#4
They are versatile dogs. Great off-switch but can keep up nicely energy wise. I haven't been around a lot of them for years but my first dog-job was for an eskie breeder and the thing I remember the most was their circus-like intelligence and agility, second was their barking. LOL
 

Cthulhu7

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#5
They are versatile dogs. Great off-switch but can keep up nicely energy wise. I haven't been around a lot of them for years but my first dog-job was for an eskie breeder and the thing I remember the most was their circus-like intelligence and agility, second was their barking. LOL
That's awesome! Well, maybe I'll look into trying to go and play with the puppy and see how our allergies do. Thanks for the help!
 

Kilter

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#6
I personally wouldn't go for a breeder on CL though. There are reputable breeders out there, most aren't likely to advertise puppies for sale on CL, they'd be on club listings etc. and take wait lists before the pups are born. Be careful!

You wouldn't want to shave, or keep the coat short, it damages the coat. Get a groomer to thin the coat out, we've done it at work for hairy dogs and they don't look much different when finished but have a lot less hair. Right now there's a shaved BMD and a golden and the BMD really looks awful, his coat is frizzy and nasty looking and picks up every burr out there.
 

Cthulhu7

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#7
I personally wouldn't go for a breeder on CL though. There are reputable breeders out there, most aren't likely to advertise puppies for sale on CL, they'd be on club listings etc. and take wait lists before the pups are born. Be careful!

You wouldn't want to shave, or keep the coat short, it damages the coat. Get a groomer to thin the coat out, we've done it at work for hairy dogs and they don't look much different when finished but have a lot less hair. Right now there's a shaved BMD and a golden and the BMD really looks awful, his coat is frizzy and nasty looking and picks up every burr out there.
This isn't a breeder. It's just a guy who can't take care of his puppy.

Thank you for the grooming info. That's good info to know.
 

Emily

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#8
I'm not sure what you mean by "keep it short and keep the second winter coat from growing" but I wouldn't do that either. They need all of their coat barring neatening of the feet/feathers. Blowing coat seasonally is natural, important, and shouldn't be deterred.

What you do want to do is brush, A LOT, with a good slicker brush and then a greyhound comb several times a week, and around every 4-8 weeks, have the dog de-shedded thoroughly by a good groomer. No furminators, no cage driers, just a warm bath, brushing, and the hand drier to blast out the dead hair. You can easily learn to do it yourself as well, and just go to a self dog wash that lets you use a hand drier. But that routine is what will keep shedding to a minimum AND protect the dog for the Texas heat and sun.

That said, not a good breed for those who don't like shedding or suffer from allergies, even with the best of grooming routines.
 
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#12
Great, interesting, and funny personalities. Energy wise I agree about the off switch - they can and are happy to keep up with you for as long as you'd like to go, but are happy to stay in and hang out on a rainy day too.

Can be really prone to separation anxiety and fear-aggression I found. Socialize heavily, get them used to being by themselves for abit, give them sufficient activity and preferably enroll them in agility (they are brilliant, FAST, and sharp as well as being a nice size for the courses) and they are awesome dogs =)
 

Laurelin

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#13
Honestly, I have only ever met one eskie that wasn't aggressive. That one was also a standard instead of a mini. The minis are one of the breeds that seem to have a vendetta against me. But I really like the sound of them from the way everyone else describes them. If I got an eskie though I'd be doing tons and tons of socialization.
 
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#14
Standards are those 20 + lbs, Minis around 12 - 15 lbs, and Toys at 8 - 10 lbs?

I cared for a mini for quite a while - she was great with me and those familiar to her - she could be kind of "neurotic" with others in the sense that she would be friendly and sniff you out, but start growling for no apparent reason; this did not happen to everyone or a particular sort of person, it just always happened out of the blue.

She was really snarly with the vet, and EXTREMELY distrustful of elderly people for some reason...



If only I had her for longer or to keep I'd have enrolled her in agility - she could spin, dance, jump, and roll brilliantly and her movements were really precise. Fabulous, sweet dog!
 

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