American Eskimo Dog Puppies: Adopt or Buy?

Should you adopt or buy an American Eskimo Dog?

Start with what the breed is. The American Kennel Club standard describes “a loving companion dog” and “a small to medium-size Nordic type dog, always white, or white with biscuit cream.” It says that at home it “is an excellent watchdog, sounding a warning bark to announce the arrival of any stranger”, and that it “learns new tasks quickly and is eager to please.”

Then add the Australian catch: there is no Dogs Australia route, so the usual advice for a purebred puppy (buy from a Dogs Australia registered breeder with certified pedigree papers) cannot apply. An adult from rescue lets you see the dog's size, its coat, how much it barks and how it is with visitors before you commit. If you buy a puppy, ask for the parents' health results and meet both parents.

Reference only, not quotes. The RSPCA NSW fee was read on 13 November 2026. Rescues set their own fees and change them, so check with them.

Does Dogs Australia recognise the American Eskimo Dog?

No. We read the Dogs Australia breed listing on 13 November 2026: the American Eskimo Dog is not in any group, and we found no Dogs Australia standard for it. The only “Eskimo” on the listing is the Canadian Eskimo Dog, a different breed in the Utility group. The American Eskimo Dog is not an FCI breed either, so it is not on Dogs Australia's register of FCI breeds. Dogs Australia says “All other registries such as the MDBA, ABR, Australian Canine registry, ICBS etc are NOT affiliated with Dogs Australia and CANNOT issue Certified Pedigrees.”

What that means for you in practice:

• Registration. On our reading of Dogs Australia's registration regulations, its members cannot register American Eskimo Dog litters while the breed is off the listing, so no American Eskimo Dog here carries Dogs Australia pedigree papers; the regulations do not say this in so many words. Any papers a seller offers come from another registry or from overseas; check which one.
• Health testing. No Australian breed club or Dogs Australia standard sets a test list for the breed, so you have to ask for each test yourself (see below).
• A route exists, but it is not in place. Dogs Australia's registration regulations (reg 10.1.2) set out how a breed recognised by a recognised overseas body can be recognised here, including imported dogs being re-registered and Dogs Australia holding the breed standard. The American Eskimo Dog is not on the listing today.

Overseas, the United Kennel Club says “The American Eskimo was recognized by the United Kennel Club in 1913” and places it in its Northern Breed Group. The American Kennel Club says the breed was “Known as the American Spitz until 1917” and that it “does not have any traceable origin or connection to indigenous cultures.” The UKC says German immigrants probably brought the white Spitz dogs to the United States.

What is an American Eskimo Dog like?

A compact white spitz with a lion-like ruff. The AKC standard says it “presents a picture of strength and agility, alertness and beauty”, with erect triangular ears, “distinctive black points (lips, nose, and eye rims)” and a richly plumed tail carried loosely on the back.

Source: AKC Official Standard of the American Eskimo Dog (approved 11 October 1994, effective 30 November 1994), read 13 November 2026. Metric figures are our conversions. The UKC standard uses two sizes, Miniature and Standard, instead of three.

Two things catch owners out. First, the bark: the standard prizes a dog that announces every stranger, which suits some homes and not others, especially in apartments with close neighbours. Second, the coat: a thick white double coat means regular brushing. Ask the rescue or breeder how much the parents or the dog shed, and see our best apartment dogs guide if you are in a unit.

Which health checks should an American Eskimo Dog breeder show you?

There is no Australian list to lean on, so use the US one. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA), working with the breed's parent club, lists these basic health screening tests for American Eskimo Dog breeding stock:

Source: OFA CHIC, American Eskimo Dog, read 13 November 2026. The OFA says its list “is not all encompassing.” This is a buying checklist, not veterinary advice.

A DNA result tells you whether a puppy can inherit prcd-PRA from its parents; an eye exam on the parents covers what DNA cannot. If you adopt an Eskie whose history is unknown, ask your vet about its eyes, knees and weight in the first weeks.

How much is an American Eskimo Dog puppy from a registered breeder?

There is no figure we can quote. Our breed price surveys use only the prices that Dogs Australia member breeders publish on their own websites, and since Dogs Australia does not register the American Eskimo Dog, there are no member breeders of it to survey and no breed club guide price. Prices on classified and listing sites are left out, because we cannot check who is selling or when the price was set.

If you still decide to buy, get the price in writing and compare what it includes: the parents' hip, eye and prcd-PRA results, which size the parents are, a vet check, vaccination and microchip, desexing terms, and whether the seller will take the dog back. The dog cost calculator gives a first-year budget beyond the purchase.

What about an American Eskimo Dog from rescue?

Our American Eskimo Dog breed page shows the Eskies and Eskie crosses listed by the rescues, shelters and council pounds we aggregate. Numbers change daily, so check the live listings: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide. A spitz cross listed on the small dog pages may suit the same home.

Ask the rescue how much the dog barks, how it is with visitors, children and other pets, how it copes with being left alone, and what is known about its eyes and knees.

What does a rescue dog cost?

Reference only, not a quote. These are the fees on RSPCA NSW's undated fee page when we read it on the date shown; fees change and other rescues set their own, so check with the rescue. RSPCA NSW says its fees help ensure pets are desexed, microchipped, vaccinated and health-checked. Read our guide to adopting a dog in Australia.

How do American Eskimo Dog puppy scams work?

The Queensland Government's puppy farm page lists low prices for popular or pedigree breeds, being asked for payment before you have met the puppy, a breeder who cannot give a valid breeder identification number (BIN), and a seller who only communicates by email or text. Scamwatch says scammers set up fake websites for popular breeds, that a very cheap pet is likely a scam, and warns against paying in unusual ways. Watch for these in Eskie ads:

• “Dogs Australia registered American Eskimo”. On our reading of Dogs Australia's rules, that should not be possible while the breed is not on its listing. Check any claim with Dogs Australia yourself.
• “Eskimo dog” used loosely. The Canadian Eskimo Dog is a different breed on the Dogs Australia listing. Ask exactly which breed is meant and see the parents.
• A promised “toy” size with no parents to see. Adult size follows the parents; without them it is a guess.
• No health results. A seller who cannot show the parents' hip, eye and prcd-PRA results has not done the basics the OFA lists.

Our guide to puppies for sale in Australia has the state-by-state table of breeder numbers, how to check each one, and what to do if you have already paid.

Is an American Eskimo Dog restricted anywhere in Australia?

No state or territory restricted or prohibited breed list names the American Eskimo Dog, but a council officer can still assess an individual dog. The breeds named in state law are the American Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and Perro de Presa Canario; the ACT has no restricted breeds, and the Northern Territory has no territory-wide list, so check with your council. Our Staffy vs pit bull guide sets out the state-by-state law.

Is there a registered alternative?

If what you love is a white spitz with Dogs Australia papers, read the Japanese Spitz, German Spitz and Samoyed guides. The UKC says the American Eskimo was “Known as the German Spitz in its homeland”, but in Australia the German Spitz (Klein) and (Mittel) are judged against their own Dogs Australia standards, so do not assume an Eskie and a German Spitz are interchangeable.

If you do buy an American Eskimo Dog, check these before you pay:

1. Which registry, if any. Ask, then check that registry yourself. It will not be Dogs Australia.
2. The parents' hip, eye and prcd-PRA results, on paper.
3. The parents' size, seen in person, so you know roughly what the puppy will become.
4. The state breeder number your state requires, checked on the official register.
5. Both parents met in person, with their manner towards visitors seen.
6. A written contract covering health, desexing and whether the seller will take the dog back.

Is an American Eskimo Dog the right dog for you?

It suits a home that wants a bright, trainable companion, does not mind a dog that barks at visitors, and will brush a white double coat. The standard describes a friendly but slightly reserved dog that is protective of its home and family, so early socialisation matters.

Not sure? Try the what dog breed is right for me quiz and the adoption readiness check.

Find an American Eskimo Dog near you

American Eskimo Dogs listed by rescues, by city:

• American Eskimo Dogs for adoption in Sydney
• American Eskimo Dogs for adoption in Melbourne
• American Eskimo Dogs for adoption in Brisbane
• American Eskimo Dogs for adoption in Perth
• American Eskimo Dogs for adoption in Adelaide

Small dogs and spitz crosses listed by rescues, by city:

• Small dogs for adoption in Sydney
• Small dogs for adoption in Melbourne
• Small dogs for adoption in Brisbane
• Small dogs for adoption in Perth
• Small dogs for adoption in Adelaide