Eurasier
Designed in Germany in the 1960s from the chow, the wolfspitz and the samoyed, with one aim: a family dog. Reserved with strangers and quiet about it.
Photo by PartnerHund.com, CC BY 2.0
Overview
The Eurasier is one of the few breeds created explicitly to be a companion and nothing else. Julius Wipfel developed it in Germany in the 1960s by crossing the Chow Chow, Wolfspitz and later the Samoyed, aiming for a dog with spitz looks and a calm family temperament.
The breeding programme succeeded unusually well, and the breed's founding club still enforces strict rules about health testing and temperament in breeding stock.
Temperament
Calm, self possessed and deeply attached to family. Eurasiers are reserved with strangers without being fearful, and they are notably quiet, rarely barking without reason.
They are sensitive dogs that need to be part of the household rather than kennelled, and they do not do well left alone or rehomed. They are not aggressive and they are not pushovers, and they respond to gentle consistent handling.
Care and grooming
A medium double coat that needs weekly brushing and daily attention during the two heavy moults. It is surprisingly low maintenance for its appearance.
The breed is healthy by design, with the founding club testing rigorously. Hip and elbow dysplasia, patellar luxation and hypothyroidism occur at low rates. Twelve to sixteen years is very good for the size.
Living and exercise
An hour a day plus family time. They are moderate rather than high energy.
The key requirement is inclusion. A Eurasier that is left out of family life becomes withdrawn, and breeders will often decline to sell to households that are out all day. That is a feature of the breed rather than an obstacle.
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