Eurasier is a newbie to the dog world. She results from intentional breeding between Chow and a “Wolf Spitz” (aka Keeshond), whose female offspring was later crossed with a Samoyed male. As a result, the Eurasier is a purebred, medium-sized dog despite its lineage of several other dog breeds. They belong to the spitz-type dog breeds, highly distinguished by their wedge-shaped head and curly and fluffy tail that stands at their back.
Other Names : Eurasian, Eurasian Spitz, Eurasian dog, and most notably, Wolf-Chow
Breed’s Original Pastimes :
Life Span: 12 to 14 years
History
The history of Eurasier can be traced back to Germany, where Julius Wipfel set out on a mission in the 1960s to create an adaptable, social and excellent family dog. In collaboration with other dog enthusiasts, Wipfel successfully raised the first litter of Wolf-chow or Wolfspitzpuppies, which resulted from cross-breeding a Chow Chow and a Wolfspitz. However, in 1972 Wipfel wanted to introduce friendly nature to these wolf-chow puppies. Consequently, he bred a male Samoyed with a female Wolfspitz whose litter was called the Eurasier to reflect the breed’s European and Asian heritage. The German Kennel Club and the Federation Cynologique Internationale later recognized the breed in 1973. The Eurasier is one of the few breeds which can be traced back to the first generation.
Different Types of Eurasier
Black Eurasier
Sable Eurasier
Fawn Eurasier
Red Eurasier
Wolf Grey with black markings
Black and tan Eurasier
Eurasier Breed Highlights
The Eurasier is a medium-sized purebred canine of German origin that can be traced from the first generation.
They are family-oriented, loyal and loving watchdogs.
These dogs are adorned with coat colors that are the result of the samoyed and the wolf-spitz
Eurasiers are soft-mouthed dogs who are not prone to overeating.
They are pretty suitable for people prone to allergies.
These dogs are reserved towards strangers but are not aggressive.
Eurasier Personality
The Eurasier is blessed with a well-built and balanced physical stature. Their wide, wedge-shaped head and dark, almond-shaped eyes make them closely resemble Spitz-type dogs. These canines have blue black-colored lips and black eye rims that give them an intimidating look. Their distinct furrowed, alert face bears rounded, triangular ears that are well set apart with mid-sized black nostrils. Their lips are black while tongues can be purple, pink, or spotted. In addition, they have dark, or light face masks, also called reverse masks. Their compact, muscular body is endowed with a straight back and sloped shoulders. They are adorned with a medium-length, thick double coat in various colors such as black, sable, fawn, red, and Wolf Grey with black markings. Their coat is pretty dense around their neck and at the back of their legs. They have a tapering tail that curls to stand at their backs.
Friendliness Overview
Affection level
High
Family-friendly
High
Kid-friendly
High
Pet-friendly
Medium to high
Stranger -friendly
Low
Adaptability Overview
Good for apartment living
High
Good to new owners
Medium to high
Sensitivity level
Low
Tolerates being alone
Low
Cold-tolerance
High
Heat-tolerance
Medium to high
Eurasier Physical Features
Head: The Eurasier dog has a characteristic flat forehead with a balanced skull that runs parallel to their nose’s bridge. Their stops are barely defined.
Neck: They have a medium-sized neck that blends well with the general appearance. Their skin tightly fits into their throat and is quite muscular.
Topline: The Eurasier has a firm and leveled topline.
Body: The Eurasier has an athletic body that is not too short. It has well-pronounced withers with a firm, muscular and straight back. Their loins are good length and width with an almost straight croup. Their chest reaches the elbows through an oval rib cage, have a well-developed forechest with a long sternum reaching the back, and underline tucked up with slightly drawn-in flanks.
Tail: They have a curly, highly set, round, firm tail that tapers to the tip. Dense hair covers their tails.
Forequarters: They are positioned straight and parallel when their forequarters are seen from the front. However, they appear well-angulated when seen sidewards. Their shoulders are sloped with a medium-length and muscular upper arm and forearm. Their elbows are close to the chest.
Hindquarters: When their hindquarters are seen behind, they are positioned straight and parallel. However, they appear well-angulated when seen sidewards. They have medium-length and muscular upper and lower thighs. The paws are oval in shape with arched toes and nails black.
Coat: The Eurasier’s body is covered with a straight, thick undercoat of medium length. The muzzle, face, ears, and front of the limbs are short-coated.
Color: The Euraiser’s are available in colors like Black, sable, fawn, red, and Wolf Grey with black markings. However, white is not a prominent color of the breed.
Gait: Their gait is quite harmonious with an excellent forward stride. They have a good balance while in motion with perfectly synchronized forequarters and hindquarters. However, at higher speeds, they appear to move closer.
Eurasier Temperament
The Eurasier are well-known for their calm, confident and even temperament. They are highly dignified, intelligent, family-oriented dogs who are pretty gentle. At the same time, these dogs are quite thoughtful and perceptive while interacting with people. Consequently, with their family they are playful and stable-minded. However, they are pretty reserved with strangers initially until they find comfort in them. This character of the Eurasier’s calls for the need to socialize at an early age. These dogs are alert and well-attached to their families. As a result, they get anxious and depressed when they don’t have someone around them. In addition, they are excellent watchdogs who cannot withstand provocation. They are also good therapy dogs. However, they require consistent training coupled with strong support from their pet parents to get accustomed to their temperament.
Eurasier Training
Due to their high intelligence, obedience, and family-oriented nature, these dogs can be trained easily. Being sensitive canines, these dogs are best handled with positive reinforcements. For this purpose, you can adopt clicker training in combination with showering them with lots of praises and treats. Additionally, their training should be unique and non-repetitive to keep up with their attention.
Trainability Overview
Easy to train
High
Intelligence
High
Mouthiness tendencies
Low
Barking and Howling tendencies
Low
Prey drive
Low
Wanderlust tendencies
Low
Eurasier Exercise Needs
Eurasiers are moderately energetic dogs who are comfortable indoors. However, they have to be engaged in a physical routine for at least 60 minutes every day to keep them healthy. These dogs are calm indoors but love to be playful when they emerge outdoors. They enjoy playing with other dogs, dog sports, and other activities like agility, walking, and swimming, even though they are not very energetic.
Exercise Needs Overview
Energy level
Medium
Exercise needs
Medium
Intensity
Low
Playfulness
Medium to high
Eurasier Grooming
Eurasiers are pretty easy to groom despite their dense coat. They require brushing once or twice a week. During this time, you need to check their body for burrs or pests. Their eyes, ears, and pads have to be cleaned on time to maintain good health. They require bathing only once a month with occasional nail-clippings. These dogs shed their coats profusely once or twice a year for three weeks. Hence, during this time, they require regular brushing. You must expect your pet’s coat to turn thicker, longer, and unmanageable after spaying or neutering them.
Grooming Overview
Easy to groom
Medium
Drooling tendency
Medium
Amount of shedding
High
Eurasier Health
Eurasiers are generally a healthy breed with a pretty robust and sturdy body. However, they must be tested for possible specific health conditions that may surface due to breeding. Hence, these dogs must be tested for the below-mentioned conditions before mating and testing the offspring.
Health Overview
Overall health
Medium to high
Weight gain tendencies
Low
Size
Medium
Specific Health Conditions
Hip Dysplasia: When the thigh bones do not fit into the pelvic socket of the hip joint of your pet, it results in hip Dysplasia which is a heritable condition.
Other Causes of Hip Dysplasia:
Injuries
Excessive weight gain
Wrong exercises
Symptoms of Hip Dysplasia:
Some of the notable signs may be present on one or both rear legs, include:
Pain
Lameness
Treatment: X-ray screening for hip dysplasia, medication, and hip replacement through surgeries may also be preferred. This condition, if ignored, can be life-threatening.
Patellar Luxation: This condition occurs when the kneecap is dislocated or moved out of its original position. Although this condition occurs in different degrees with no visible sign of exact pain. You may notice your dog exhibiting a slight lameness when he walks with his four legs and kicks the dormant leg to relocate the patella or the kneecap back to its position. Once this happens, your canine resumes his normal walking. However, leaving the patellar luxation to progress leads to arthritis in dogs. Therefore, it is crucial to get your buddy evaluated by a vet.
Thyroid conditions: Thyroid conditions in dogs occur when the thyroid gland in your dog’s neck either secretes too much or too little of thyroid hormones. Hence, depending on the level of thyroid hormone secretion, your dog can develop the below thyroid conditions they include:
Hypothyroidism: When your dog’s thyroid gland secrets lesser thyroid hormones than required, it results in hypothyroidism.
Hyperthyroidism: When your dog’s thyroid gland secretes too much thyroid hormones than required, it results in hyperthyroidism.
Autoimmune Thyroiditis: This disease occurs when your dog’s own immune system attacks his thyroid glands. The only manifestation of this disease is hypothyroidism. As a result, it is essential to evaluate the cause of hypothyroidism.
Goiters: An enlargement of the thyroid gland caused due to iodine deficiency or genetics is called goiter. Hence, you need to immediately schedule an appointment with your vet if you discover any swelling in your dog’s throat.
EPI: Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI) is a pancreatic genetic disease that results when your dog’s cells produce damaged digestive enzymes. As a result, the dog cannot digest and consume food. The first signs are gas, weight loss, loss of appetite, and change in stools. Next, the dog becomes lean and very hungry. Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency is diagnosed with a simple blood test, and treatment is simple as the pancreatic enzymes are added to the dog’s food. With proper medication guidance, most dogs recover.
Gastric torsion or Bloat or GDV (Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus):Bloat or GDV (Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus) is a life-threatening condition that is prevalent in deep-chested dogs. When bloat occurs, your pet’s gut becomes distended with gas and twists. This trapped gas hampers your canine’s ability to belch or vomit. This inability blocks the average return of blood to the heart, causing a drop in blood pressure leading to shock. If untreated, this shock could eventually lead to death.
Causes of bloat
When they are fed more than one large meal per day.
They eat rapidly.
Drink large volumes of water after eating.
Exercise vigorously after eating.
Symptoms of Bloat
A distended abdomen
Excessive salivation
Retching without vomit
Restlessness
Depression
Lethargy
Weakness
Rapid heart rate
Missing Teeth:Eurasiers are prone to miss a few non-essential teeth naturally.
Addison’s Disease: The adrenal gland secretes hormones known as cortisol and aldosterone. The deficiency of these hormones results in Addison’s disease.
Symptoms of Addison’s disease
Lethargy
Depression
Vomiting
Diarrhea.
Ocular Diseases
Ectropion: This disease is characterized by an abnormal eyelid which rolls outward, giving a droopy appearance. As a result of this condition, the delicate conjunctival tissues are exposed, increasing the risk of developing conjunctivitis in dogs. This also leads to the drying up of cornea resulting in corneal inflammation or keratitis. This in turn can lead to corneal scarring which can later affect your dog’s vision. This condition is generally diagnosed in dogs whose age is less than a year.
Glaucoma: Glaucoma is an eye condition that can lead to blindness. It can affect both dogs and people. Symptoms like pain, squinting, watery eyes, and redness can indicate glaucoma in dogs. It requires medical attention. Regular health checkups can help identify and cure glaucoma at an early stage.
Entropion: Entropion is when the eyelids are positioned inwards, disturbing the eye and causing eye irritation. Treatment involves correcting the eyelids surgically.
Distichiasis: Distichiasis is a fairly prevalent condition in dogs. It results from the abnormal growth of eyelashes. It occurs when eyelashes emerge from the eyelid margin instead of its skin. Most dogs don’t experience any adverse symptoms due to the presence of soft hairs. However, other dogs that experience discomfort due to eye irritation. In severe cases, this condition can lead to the development of corneal ulcers.
Cerebellar Hypoplasia: It is a genetic condition in Eurasiers that denotes inadequate development of the cerebellum in puppies and is responsible for fine-tuning motor movements. As a result, affected puppies would find it difficult to move or stand normally.
Recommended Tests for Eurasier
Here are some of the National Breed Club recommended Health Tests you need to perform :
Patella Evaluation
Thyroid Evaluation
OFA Hips and Elbows
OFA Eye Exam
Eurasier Diet and Nutrition
Eurasiers are moderately active medium-sized dogs. Hence, they have to be fed sparingly. On the other hand, they are light eaters who are sometimes picky or reluctant to eat. Therefore, they are not prone to overeating. Hence, you need to ensure if your pet meets his daily nutritional requirements. For this purpose, feed a high-quality protein-rich dry kibble to your puppies. Provide 2 to 3 smaller meals throughout the day for puppies, whereas your adult dogs would need one or two meals per day. These dogs have to be fed by hand as they are pretty soft-mouthed. In addition, to overcome their picky attitude, you can take advantage of their nature of enjoying a variety of foods. Therefore, you can change their diet when you find them uninterested or bored. Alternatively, you can stimulate their appetite by adding wet food as toppers to their diets. You can also prepare homemade raw food to entice your pet.
Eurasier Living Condition
Eurasier are family-oriented dogs. Hence, they get along well with children, especially if they grow along. They also get along with other pets and are often credited with being compatible with multi-pet homes. However, they may be reserved with other unfamiliar pets. Eurasiers are also popularly known as the ‘cat charmers .’However, they cannot be left alone to deal with themselves. Therefore, you need to occupy your pet with the best dog toys to keep her busy during such instances. These canines love to have some playtime in a fenced yard. On the contrary, they are quite suitable for living in apartments.
Did You Know?
The name Eurasier dog was chosen to indicate the breed’s European and Asian lineage.
Eurasier’s coats are not pure white. However, if you find one it is more likely that you spotted a Smoyed.
The Eurasier is a new breed that originated from Germany.
The Eurasier is a result of intentional breeding with the goal of getting a protective companion dog with an excellent temperament.
There were only 150 eurasiers in the whole of the US as of 2001.
The Eurasier is one of the few breeds which can be traced back from the first generation.
If you wish to adopt an adult Euraiser, you will have to pay up to $350 for it. On the other hand, if you wish to buy a puppy from a reputable breeder you must expect to pay between $1,000 and $2,500. For this purpose, you need to look into The United States Eurasier Club’s list of breeders.
