Canadian Eskimo Dog - TOP 10 Interesting Facts

1) Origin
The Canadian Eskimo Dog is an ancient and very old breed, with its origins dating back thousands of years and it is strictly related to the Inuit people. It is believed, that the breed is over 4000 years old and they were first bred by the Thule people, who crossed the Bering Strait with their Canadian Eskimo Dogs and settled in northern Canada.
2) Utilization
The Canadian Eskimo dog is amazingly strong, endurant and versatile breed and it was a perfect companion for Inuits. They used them mostly as sled dogs for transportation of people and materials across frozen terrain, which is extremely hard work. The Canadian Eskimo Dog was also sometimes used for hunting and also as protectors against predators, such as polar bears. But the main utilization of these dogs is sledding.
3) Rarity
The Canadian Eskimo Dog was quite popular in the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, but their numbers declined a lot during the 20th century. In the 1920, the population of these dogs was estimated on 20 000 pure dogs, but with the introduction of modern technologies and snowmobiles, the breed was not so needed anymore and their numbers in 1970s were counted only in hundreads and the breed became endangered and almost extinct. In 1972, William Carpenter and John McGrath started a project to revive and save this amazing breed. The first Canadian Eskimo puppy under this project was born in 1986, but even today, the breed is still very rare and almost impossible to find outside Canada.
4) Companion
Of course, the Canadian Eskimo dog is not only a working sled dog, but also loyal, affectionate and pretty gentle companion. They tend to create a very strong bond with its family and with its pack. It is important to say, that it is not a dog for everyone, as it is very energetic dog that definitely needs a lot of daily physical exercise to stay healthy and happy. Daily long walks, jogs or hikes are must with this breed. Many of them also have stronger prey drive. On the other hand, they absolutely love its family and is intensely loyal to it. They will love to live with other dogs and they can make good playful partners for older kids, but of course, you should never leave any dog breed with a very young child unsupervised.
5) Size
The Canadian Eskimo Dog is a very strong and muscular breed and there is quite a big size difference between males and females. Males have average height and weight between 30-40 kg and 58-70 cm, which is 66-88 lbs and 22-27 inch, while females are 18-30 kg heavy, which is 40-66 lbs and 50-60 cm tall, which is 19-24 inch.
6) Coat
The Canadian Eskimo dog must be capable of surviving in extreme cold, so it is not surpsising that they have very dense and thick doublecoat, with a soft undercoat and stiff, coarse guard hairs. The coat is even denser around the neck and creating a mane. The Canadian Eskimo Dog can be found in a variety of colors, including white, red, grey, sable, silver, black and liver.
7) Maintenance
Speaking of the coat, it is important to mention the maintenance and grooming as well. And even though the coat sheds some deal of fur all year long, quite heavily during the shedding seasons, the maintenance is not hard. They only need regular brushing which will remove any dirt and loose hair from the coat and which will also minimize the shedding. No other grooming is needed. Just like with any other breed, you should also regularly check their eyes, ears, nails and teeth and clean them or clip them if needed.
8) Dog sports
The Canadian Eskimo Dog is excellent choice for many dog sports and since they have a long history of sledding, it is not surprising that they excell at carting, mushing and skijoring. They just love running outside, they are quite obedient, intelligent and loyal, which are the reasons why they are amazing for these sports.
9) Health
Great fact is, that the Canadian Eskimo dog is a very healthy and hardy dog breed with average lifespan around 13 years. Just like all the larger breeds, they can ocassionally suffer from hip dysplasia and bloating, some eye problems, allergies or infections, but none of these is extremely common with this breed.
10) Name
The Canadian Eskimo dog is known under some other names as well, mostly as Canadian Inuit Dog, Qimmiq, Canadian Husky or Exquimaux. There is also another breed, the Greenland Dog, that is is considered the same breed as the Canadian Eskimo Dog, since they share the same history and ancestry and despite their geographic isolation they have not yet diverged enough genetically to be considered separate breeds.