Eurasier

Also known as the Eurasier Dog or the Eurasian, this dog represents a modern attempt to recreate an old breed. Originally created as a sled dog, it has since become a popular companion animal and show dog in its native Germany.

Among the newest of the spitz-type breeds, the Eurasier is quite strong, courageous, and responsible, yet sociable. It is both an excellent guard dog and a highly popular household pet in its native Germany.

In the 1940s a German professor from Bergstrass in Weinheim, Julius Wipfel, crossed some Chow Chow males with large German Wolfspitz bitches. Some of the offspring of these crosses were then selected for further breeding. He chose those that were intermediate in appearance between the two parent breeds and called them Wolf-chows. The next step was to mate some of the Wolf-chow bitches with a male Samoyed. After this phase, no further cross-breeding was allowed and he continued to develop his new type of spitz dog.

The professor had been inspired by the work of the Austrian naturalist Konrad Lorenz, and the object of his breeding experiment was to create the perfect spitz dog by combining the best examples of European and Asian stock. Twenty years of carefully planned breeding followed his initial crosses and, by the 1960s, his new breed was fixed. It was officially recognized by the FCI in 1973.

The Eurasier is a spitz-like dog because like a spitz, it has chow chow lineage. Its height is 19—24 in (48—61 cm) and its weight 40—70 lb (19—32 kg). One anatomical oddity of the breed is that it often shows the blue-black tongue so characteristic of its Chow parentage. It has a firm body with a straight, level top line; straight forelegs; a wedge-shaped head with a flat skull and a clearly defined stop; almond-shaped dark eyes; small triangular erect ears; and a high-set tail curled up over the back. Its dense coat is longer around the neck and on the tail and thighs, and should be solid-colored red, orange, wolf gray, or black.

The Eurasier can be trained easily as a companion dog. Sociable and gentle, obedient to its family, it can serve as a fearless guard, and even as a hunter.

In personality, the Eurasier is eager to please and a quick learner. It is shy, but not aggressive, with strangers. One of the problems that arise with this dog is that it becomes so strongly attached to the owners who rear it that it takes badly to any change of ownership, or to kennel-boarding.

The dense undercoat needs occasional brushing with a moderately hard brush, and the outer coat needs combing. One daily walk is sufficient exercise.

Average life span is 10 to 13 years. There are no reported breed-specific health concerns.

The mother is quite loving, and the three to six strong puppies per litter may be birthed and raised without intervention. For the best obedience response, training of the puppies should begin early.