Eurasier

Grooming Tips

To keep them clean and happy, Eurasiers need a once-a-week to bi-weekly thorough combing/brushing with body checks for burrs or pests; a cleaning of their eyes, ears and a check of their pads; and occasional nail clippings, if needed (especially their dewclaws).They have little body odor and require infrequent bathing. Typically, Eurasiers shed their entire undercoat once or twice a year for a period of about 3 weeks. During undercoat shedding periods, daily combing/brushing is required to minimize picking up “wool” balls from around the house. If Eurasiers are spayed or neutered their coats can become much thicker, longer and harder to manage.

Exercise Tips

The Eurasier is not an overly active dog. In fact, many owners would describe their Eurasiers as lazy.A 30-to-60-minute walk once a day is plenty of exercise for this breed, though it will also appreciate some active playtime indoors or in the backyard as well.

Feeding Tips

The Eurasier is a medium-sized dog so it should be fed a high-quality diet that is properly formulated to meet the nutritional needs of a dog this size.Unfortunately, most commercial pet food companies do not create size-specific formulas for medium-sized breeds so you may have to choose a standard adult formula instead. The Eurasier breed is not highly active and it is not classified as a working breed so an active breed formula is not necessary.

Health Tips

The Eurasier is generally a healthy breed, though it is still fairly new so DNA testing is still being performed. The early years of the breed involved a fairly small gene pool, so the risk for hereditary conditions is worth considering for this breed. Some of the known issues that may affect this breed include hip dysplasia, patellar luxation, hypothyroidism, and eye problems.

Trainability

Though the Eurasier is not overly active, it is still an intelligent and highly trainable breed. These dogs can be a little wary around strangers but they form strong bonds with family, especially if you start the dog early with training and socialization.Though these dogs generally respond well to training, theycan be a little sensitive so be sure to only use positive reinforcement-based training methods with this breed. Soft reprimand is all that is needed to discipline this breed and gentle but consistent training will yield an obedient dog.

The Eurasier was developed in the '60s to be a gentle family dog and protector. German breeder Julius Wipfel began by crossing Chow Chows with Wolfspitzes (which in some countries are considered the same breed as the Keeshond).One Samoyed male also contributed to the new breed’s bloodlines. Originally called the Wolf Chow, the dogs were recognized in 1973 by the Federation Cynologique Internationale and given the name Eurasier to symbolize their combined European and Asian heritage.The dogs are popular in Germany and Switzerland but are still little known in the United States. The breed was recognized by the United Kennel Club in 1996 under the name Eurasian. The UKC categorizes it as a Northern breed, the FCI consider it a Spitz or Primitive type.