hi.. i've always thought these 2 breeds are really gorgeous,but whats the difference between this 2 breeds??
Do you have any pics of the american eskimo dog? I don't think it's recognised by the UK or Irish Kennel Clubs, as for the FCI I don't remember seeing any scheduled and not in the utility group anyway. Therefore, I have never seen one nor even a pic.
Have had a scout round in books and various internet sites and history behind both breeds is difficult to come by and quite patchy. American Eskimos come in 3 sizes - toy, minature and standard. The min and standard sizes are recognised by the United Kennel Club while all 3 sizes are recognised by the AKC. It is thought that the breed originated from white german spitz, samoyed and white keeshond. Japanese spitz come in 1 size - similar to the minature am eskie and shares similar descent of white german spitz and samoyed. One belief is that they were bred to resemble a small samoyed, but there is lots of confusion regarding their true decent. Interestingly the Japanese spitz is not recognised by the AKC on their full register or FSS register.
Hi janie, Do you know the names of the dogs in the pictures that you posted. I might know one of the dogs.
I own 2 Standard American Eskimos and one Miniature, brought home to Ireland from US. Main difference is heritage, Eskies are really White German Spitz brought to US by German emigrants,(renamed during WW1, just like German Shep was renamed Alsation) Jap Spitz are a bred down version of a Samoyed. Miniature Eskie looks quite like Jap Spitz but the standard eskie has a much broader muzzle and more "teddy bear" in appearance, also Eskies are white and biscuit cream, Jap spitz are pure white. Japanese spitz have a more foxy sharper face rather than the wider muzzle and teddy bear look of the Eskie. One common trait...both breeds can be quite snappy if breeding is careless.
You are right about the confusion in the heritage of the Japanese Spitz but the American Eskimo has a clearer history. There are paintings by the Artist Thomas Gainsborough in Natl Gallery London of White Spitz with noted Germans of that time, later they were brought to the UK by Queen Charlotte of "Pomerania" subsequently they became known as Pomeranians in England, google "pomeranian bitch and her pups" and you will get one of the paintings which shows a white spitz who is a dead ringer for my Standard Eskie! Also, in the US the is a Kennel called Wrights teddy bear eskies they had a champion Eskie compete in the FCI as a White Spitz since they are so like the Mittlespitz.
http://pikatti.homestead.com/Winston.html Here is a photo of the Daddy of my dog Kobe! Check out the other pictures, Lily is my dogs sister, these photos are some of the best examples of American Eskimos that would be seen in conformation.
In Europe the Japanese Spitz is recognised by the UK KC and by the FCI as far as I know the American Eskimo dog is not probably because there are few in Europe. I believe it was developed about 100 years ago and was recognised by the AKC in 1994. Not sure why it was considered necessary to develop this new breed as they are apparently of a spitz character and look very like the Samoyed and the Japanese Spitz both of which pre-date them.
Hi...I am new today to this site. I appreciated the response about Eskies vs. Japanese Spitz. I owned two Japanese Spitz dogs when I was a kid back in the 50's & was aghast at the price of one to purchase today! ($2,000 etc.) I understand they are very rare in the U.S. probably because they're not recognized by the AKC. I am interested in buying a new puppy as my two dogs (16 yrs old & 12 yrs old) have passed away this past year. The latter (Black Lab) died of aggressive cancer. The 16 yr old was a Sharpei/yellow lab rescue & I had him over 15 yrs. They both were the love of my life but now it is time to move on.... I have done considerable searching & find myself being very drawn to the Eskie. I believe that I am ready to make a call to a breeder. I was just curious before doing that if there is a difference between Japanese Spitz & Eskies. They seem very similar in temperament, grooming needs & appearance. Thanks.... Nancy
Thanks Pita...your dog is beautiful! I was interested in your breed as well in my search but I need a smaller dog this go-around & the Eskie seems better suited for me in that regard, etc.
Actually, the American Eskimo and the Japanese Spitz is actually the SAME. When German immigrants brought the dogs to the Americas, U.S. and Canadian fanciers particularly chose the smaller, mid size, and the white dogs as favored varieties. Breeding those dogs exclusively, they eventually sought to have them recognized as a separate breed from what was by then known as the German Spitz. It was Mr. and Mrs. F.M. Hall who intitially chose the name "American Eskimo". It was, in fact, their kennel name. The UKC officially recognized the breed in 1913, followed later by the AKC and finally the CKC. Most Eskies in the US today are still registered with the UKC, and many now with the AKC as a second registry. From the U.S..and Canada, AED's were imported into Japan in the early part of the twentietyith century, where the breed name fell into disfavor during the second world war. Eskies in Japan were thus re-named "Japanese Spitz", and have recently gained popularity under that name as exports to Europe, Australia, and the British Isles. Almost comically, they have most recently seen their way back into the U.S. under the "new" name,and many fanciers unfamilliar with the history are heralding their "Japanese Spitz" as a "rare new" breed in this country, falsely said to be decended, not from Eskies, but Samoyeds! Even the United Kennel Club, the original registering organization for the American Eskimo Dog, is accepting the renamed Eskie as a "new breed" despite both historical documentation and obvious phenotype proving the "two breeds" are actually one and the same. Source: http://www.chekia.com/eskiehistory.html
Aloha from Hawaii, I have the distinct blessing of owning each breed (Japanese Spitz and American Eskimo). I plan to breed them to create an American Spitz. Here are the notable differences I have observed between the two in our family. Japanese Spitz: my male has a white coat with some cream in it. He has a two layer coat. His inner coat is very fluffy but his outer layer glistens and repels dirt and even plant stickers. It acts like Teflon does. His eyes are farther apart and his nuzzle is wider then my American Eskimo. American Eskimo: her coat is very soft, fluffy, and wavy. She requires much more more grooming than our Japanese Spitz because her fur becomes matted easily where his doesn't at all. Also, her eyes are closer together and her muzzle is thinner much like the appearance of an article fox. The rest of their characteristics are the same. Loving, devoted, intelligent, and great watch dogs. Both breeds shed a lot and require lots of attention. Hope this helps. Snowydogs (See them both on Facebook Snowydogs)
Even though this is a very old thread, and even the post above yours is a few years old - that post does say that that the the American Eskimo and the Japanese Spitz are both actually the breed. It even gives a link explaining this. So I do not understand why you have decided to breed your two dogs to get an American Spiitz as if it was a new breed. Unless, of course, you think that one mixed breed litter will produce a new breed. If you are a breeder, who is in it for $$$$ even one litter wil not produce a new breed. Just another litter of mixed breeds. Perhaps you will be so kind as to tell us what your future plans are, because do you not think that there are more than enough cross-breeds and mongrels who desperately need homes, without producing any more?
I sit in that camp that does not totally buy into some of the comments here. I agree that that the "American Eskimo" was named after a Breeding kennel. However, lets clear up some matters here - there is no discussion on the Volpino Italiano. This dog was introduced to help create the smaller Eskimo dogs and possibly long ago, the klein and zwerk Spitz of Germany. Why no one mentions this is beyond me. As for the Japanese Spitz, there are a couple of differences between this breed and the Eskimo - the more obvious one is the fur. Japanese Spitz has a more "teflon" fur where the outer coat seems to repel dirt, burrs and seeds. The Eskimo and German Spitz do not have this type of fur. Also, the are some differences between the faces of the dogs where the Japanese Spitz is more consistent than the Eskimo/German Spitz. The eyes and the shape of the muzzle. Lets also consider the fuzzy history of the Japanese Spitz that certainly would have had easy introduction of German, Easter Euro and Italian breeds of dogs. The Volpino is a likely candidate to have had great influence on the Japanese Spitz and notably, similarities in the fact the long coat of the Volpino is somewhat silky and doesn't get dirty or rather dirt doesn't remain on the coat. So who are all the players? American Eskimo, Toy and Miniature Eskimo possibly influence or helped fixed size by introduction of Volpino, German Spitz that also may have had introduction of the Volpino, and to a much greater extent, the Japanese Spitz. I'll add the biggest of the white Spitz - the Samoyed. It really is unclear that Samoyed was part of the Japanese Spitz as it offered no benefit to making a much smaller dog. - White spitz dogs already existed that were smaller than the Samoyed. The Volpino does come in other coat colours. However, the white is the most recognized (there are red, brown and black as well). This is the Volpino Italiano, it is about the size of the Japanese Spitz and the Miniature Eskimo as well as the larger side of the German (Klein) Spitz. Notice the shape of the muzzle and where the eyes sit (spacing between and relative to muzzle).
