Eurasiers: “Floofy,” quiet, mellow companions

Pure Dog Talk listener Marissa Armstrong shares her passion for Eurasiers with host Laura Reeves.

Developed in the 1960s in Germany, the Eurasier is a Spitz type breed with a double coat, a calm demeanor and a tendency to not bark. They are recognized in Canada, FCI and in the FSS by the AKC.

“I do love the fur,” said Armstrong, who acquired her first Eurasier in 2012 and is the secretary for the Eurasier Club of Canada. “That’s the big thing. They’ve got these beautiful coats. I always liked the spitz breeds but one of the things I don’t like about most of the spitz breeds and the Pomeranian is the barking dogs. The bark bark bark bark bark that just drives me nuts.

“So, I was looking at like the Samoyed and the Keeshond (but) they bark. A lot. (Eurasiers) don’t bark. I mean if someone’s at the door they bark a couple times, or like the deer that were outside of my door this morning, they might bark. But they really don’t bark very much. Once or twice and that’s it and it’s like a low bark it’s not that shrieky spitz bark.

“They’re a great breed for people that like the little bit primitive looking (breeds) but maybe can’t handle some of the more working type breeds or the truly primitive breeds. They don’t have the time or maybe experience of meeting the needs of those kind of breeds… the sharper temperament in the more super aloof breeds… so a lot of people really like the Huskies you know after ‘Game of Thrones’ and everything … but a lot of those people that like the sort of look but maybe want a more beginner friendly dog, the Eurasier is good choice.

“They do need socialization, specifically. They can be a bit reserved with people but it’s not like they’re going to be aggressive or anything. Basically, they’re hard to mess up too badly. I think they can be a good breed for people that are looking for that sort of (aloof) temperament but not quite there.

“This breed definitely needs their people to be around … You don’t have to not work and just look at your Eurasier all day, but if you’re out working an 8-hour day, you have to be dedicated to say ‘OK my day is over. I need to go do something with my dog’ and give them that attention. That is their purpose.

“They’re a companion breed even though they’re in working group up here (in Canada). They want to be with their people. It’s actually in their breed standard that they must have lots of close contact with their people in order to have the correct temperament and behavior. Obviously, if you don’t like vacuuming, this is probably not the breed for you. I have a vacuum on each floor at this point.”

To learn more, listen to today’s episode and visit any of the following links.

Eurasier Club of Canada: http://eurasiers.ca/

United States Eurasier Club: https://www.useurasierclub.org/

Breed standard (CKC): https://www.ckc.ca/CanadianKennelClub/media/Breed-Standards/Group%203/Eurasier.pdf