The American Eskimo Dog

The American Eskimo Dog, is a breed of companion dog originating in Germany. Despite its name and appearance the American Eskimo dog is neither from Alaska nor a descendant of the Husky. The American Eskimo is a member of the Spitz family, which also comes from Germany.

The breed's progenitors were German Spitz, but due to anti-German prejudice during the First World War, it was renamed to American Eskimo Dog. At some point, some other spitz breed (possibly the Japanese Spitz) may have been added (opinions vary). Although modern American Eskimos have been exported as German Spitz Gross (or Mittel, depending on the dog's height), the breed standards are actually significantly different. In addition to serving as a companion, it has been used as a watchdog, and also achieved a high degree of popularity in the 1930s and 1940s United States as a circus performer.