Are American Eskimo dogs hypoallergenic? Unfortunately, the friendly American Eskimo dog isn’t. These intelligent and sociable dogs have a beautiful white double coat, but they shed all year round and blow their coats during the spring and fall.
American Eskimo Dog Quick Facts
If you’re a dog lover with dog allergies, you may feel like there is no way you can live happily with a furry friend. We’re here to tell you that you can be a pet parent.
While there is no such thing as a completely allergy-free dog, some breeds are more allergy-friendly than others. These breeds are associated with the term ‘hypoallergenic.’
The good news is that there are several breeds to choose from that fall into this classification. One common factor they share is that they don’t shed much, or are also low drooling doggys.
We explain all in our article, What Is a Hypoallergenic Dog?
The American Eskimo Dog is best known for their smiley face and stunning coat. Eskies come in toy, miniature, and standard sizes but are only available with their signature snow-white fur. They do, however, sometimes have biscuit-colored markings.
The double coat of an Eskie is made up of:
- Thick and dense soft undercoat.
- Medium-to-long straight outer coat.
These intelligent dogs have a beautiful fluffy coat, but do American Eskimo Dogs shed a lot? The simple answer to that question is yes! In fact, the Eskie sheds constantly, and is up there with the Malamute, German Shepherd, and Siberian Husky as one of the worst shedding breeds.
These dogs shed all year round, losing fur from their double coat every single day. While their shedding is manageable most of the time, Eskies will blow their entire coat during the spring and fall months.
During seasonal shedding, the American Eskimo Dog will lose excessive amounts of fur. When your pooch is blowing their coat, expect to find white fluff all over the place, on your furniture, carpets, clothes — everywhere!
Shedding is a natural part of a dog’s hair growth cycle, and there is no way it can be stopped. Some pet parents think shaving their dog will solve the problem, but often messing with the coat in this way will just make matters worse.
However, there are other less drastic measures you can take to curb your Eskie’s shedding.
1. Brush Them Regularly
These dogs shed almost constantly all year round. However, don’t let that put you off, as a good brushing two or three times a week should be enough to keep that dead fur from covering your home or becoming a problem.
Start brushing your Eskie from an early age, and they will soon learn that this is a lovely opportunity for bonding time with their owner.
2. Look After Their Skin
The amount of fur your dog loses is linked to the condition of their skin. If your pooch has dry and damaged skin, they won’t have healthy hair follicles. When the roots of their fur aren’t strong, your Eskie is likely to shed more fur than necessary.
Omega fatty acids are important for healthy skin and a shiny coat. Give your Eskie Omega 3 and 6 supplements every day to help their skin stay as healthy as possible.
3. Bath Your Pooch
American Eskimo Dogs are an interesting breed when it comes to bath time. The Eskimo dog has a dirt-deterring oil in their fur, so they keep pretty clean. Any detritus collected should be removed when you give your Eskie a good brushing. But you’re ok to give them a bath occasionally if they really need it.
4. Feed Them a Healthy Diet
Just like us humans, dogs need to eat a healthy diet too. While dogs don’t need to focus on getting enough fruit and vegetables, they do need to make sure they’re eating food full of the right vitamins and minerals to support their health and growth.
Avoid cheap kibble if you can and go for high-quality dog food instead. If your dog isn’t getting the nutrition they need, their skin and coat won’t be as healthy as they should be. A vet will be able to advise you on what is the best food to feed your American Eskimo Dog.
5. Use a De-Shedding Tool
As American Eskimo Dogs blow their coat, using a de-shedding tool during shedding season can help keep their fur loss under control.
De-shedding tools remove fur from the undercoat in one go. If you’ve never used one before and feel apprehensive about accidentally hurting your dog, a professional groomer will be able to do the job for you.
6. Invest In a Pet Vacuum
To stop your house from becoming overrun with white fur, it’s worthwhile to invest in a powerful vacuum cleaner. There are multiple appliances geared for tackling pet hair in your home. By using special accessories or filters, it makes it easier to remove the fur and allergens from your carpets and soft furnishings.
Eskies are loving, loyal, and sociable dogs, but they shed too much. Hence, they won’t be suitable canine companions for anyone with dog allergies.
However, there are American Eskimo hypoallergenic alternative breeds you may wish to consider. These breeds may not share a like-for-like appearance or temperament with the Eskie, but they do share some qualities.
The Samoyed has a very similar spitz-dog appearance to the standard-size American Eskimo Dog. They also have a smiley face and a white, fluffy coat. Yet these dogs are larger and heavier than the Eskie.
The key difference between the Samoyed and American Eskimo Dog is that Samoyeds are allergy-friendly. The Sammie will blow their coat like an Eskie, but they’re a hypoallergenic breed because they only produce small amounts of dander.
Samoyeds are happy and friendly dogs and thrive on human contact. However, as pack dogs, you need to make sure you’re viewed as the alpha from day one.
Native American Indian Dog
The Native American Indian Dog is so wolf-like! These dogs have a real look of the wild with a thick and fluffy double coat.
However, unlike the Eskie, NAI Dogs don’t shed much and are hypoallergenic. While the NAID will blow their undercoat once a year — during springtime — this breed only sheds mildly for the rest of the calendar.
The Native American Indian Dog is a gentle giant. This breed is very loyal and enjoys spending lots of quality time with their humans. If you decide to get a NAID, you will have a natural watchdog in your home protecting your family.
The Portuguese Water Dog doesn’t look much like a wolf, like the Eskie, Samoyed, or NAID, but they are similar in other ways. Porties are loyal and family-friendly, just like the lovable Eskie. And, this breed is also affectionate and protective, and loves to spend lots of time with their owners.
PWDs are larger than Eskies, weighing up to 60 pounds and growing to around 23 inches tall. Yet, unlike the fluffy Eskie, Portuguese Water Dogs have a hypoallergenic coat. Porties are low-shedding dogs, and the little fur they do shed becomes caught up in their curly coat
Conclusion
American Eskimo Dogs are year-round shedders and blow their coats in the spring and fall. These intelligent and loyal dogs have stunning white coats, but they shed too much to be considered allergy-friendly.
If you want a hypoallergenic dog, the Samoyed, Native American Indian Dog, and Portuguese Water Dog are allergy-friendly breeds to consider instead.
So, are American Eskimo Dogs hypoallergenic? Unfortunately for fans of these fluffy and friendly dogs, no, they aren’t — they will trigger allergy symptoms.
Is An American Eskimo Dog a Good First Dog?
Yes, they make an excellent beginner’s bow-wow. This breed has a gentle nature and is very loyal and protective of their family. Plus, American Eskimo Dogs are known to be really good with children of all ages, and they’re also very easy to train.
Are American Eskimo Dogs High Maintenance?
These dogs are rated as moderate shedders as well as requiring moderate grooming, so they aren’t considered high-maintenance dogs at all. Grooming twice a week should keep any fur loss under control and keep their coat in tip-top condition.
Which Is Better American Eskimo or Samoyed?
These dogs are very different. The Samoyed is a hypoallergenic high-energy sled dog, while the American Eskimo is a non-hypoallergenic, smaller breed that’s super easy to train. So, it would come down to personal preference between these two.
Are Eskimo Dogs Cuddly?
The Eskimo Dog is exceptionally affectionate with family and makes loving pets. There is no doubt, they would love to cuddle up on the sofa with their favorite hooman.
How Many Years Can an American Eskimo Live?
The average lifespan for an American Eskimo Dog is approximately 13 to 15 years.
