medium-to-large breed
Eurasier
A German spitz designed in the 1960s for one purpose - to live well with a family - and one of the few breeding projects of that kind that actually worked. Eurasiers are calm, quiet, deeply attached, reserved with strangers and essentially without aggression, and they are healthy and long-lived in a way few medium breeds manage. The condition attached is absolute: they cannot be left alone all day.
Pup Height
19-24 in
Pup Weight
40-70 lb
Males 21-24 in and 51-70 lb, females 19-22 in and 40-57 lb. A medium spitz - wedge head, prick ears, a tail carried curled over the back, and a thick double coat with a longer ruff. All colors are permitted except pure white, white patches and liver. The tongue may be pink, blue-black or spotted, inherited from the Chow Chow side. In the AKC's Foundation Stock Service. Source: AKC Foundation Stock Service breed standard.
Pup Lifespan
12-16 years
Your pup, at a glance
What’s Life With This Pup Really Like?
Very high. They are affectionate and physically close with the whole family, and they want to be in whatever room the people are in.
Excellent. Gentle, patient and entirely without sharpness - being safe with the family was the founding brief of the breed.
Very good. Sociable with dogs and generally fine with cats, with a mild prey drive and no territorial streak.
Very low - among the quietest breeds here. Eurasiers alert rarely and deliberately, which makes it worth noticing when they do.
Moderate. An hour suits them and they are genuinely calm indoors, which is unusual for a spitz.
Heavy. A thick double coat that sheds year-round and blows out completely twice a year.
Cheerful and moderate. They enjoy play with their own family and have little interest in games with strangers.
Very low.
Good. Intelligent, willing and sensitive - they learn quickly and need gentle, consistent handling rather than repetition.
Moderate. Watchful and reserved with arrivals, and far too quiet and unaggressive to be a deterrent.
Moderate to high. Twice-weekly brushing most of the year, daily during the seasonal blowouts, and no clipping.
Moderate to good. They suit most homes and cold climates well, and adapt badly to heat and to households that are empty all day.
Lifestyle fit
Could This Be Your Best Breed?
A Eurasier suits a household where somebody is home - a retiree, a remote worker, a family with staggered schedules - in a house or a quiet apartment with an hour of walking a day. They cost $1,300 to $2,200 a year and can reach sixteen. The long day alone is the one thing a Eurasier never adjusts to, and the summer heat and the two heavy coat blowouts a year do not bend either.
Living Space
A house with a yard suits them best, though they are quiet and calm enough indoors for an apartment. The real requirement is not square footage - it is that somebody is home, because they were bred specifically to live inside with their family.
Pup Experience
Good for a first-time owner who is home a lot. Eurasiers are gentle, sensitive and easy to train; the mistake people make is choosing a dog designed for constant company and then leaving them alone all day.
Daily Pup Time
An hour of walking and play daily, with something to think about. Grooming is a thorough brush twice a week and considerably more during the twice-yearly blowouts.
Allergies & Coat
The Eurasier scores 8/10 for shedding and 2/10 for drooling. No dog is truly hypoallergenic. The allergens come from dander and saliva, and a dog that sheds this much will leave plenty of hair behind - especially on your furniture, floors, and clothes.
Quirks & challenges
The Not-So-Easy Stuff
They Cannot Be Left Alone
Bred specifically for constant family company. Long days alone cause genuine distress, not boredom.
Heavy Seasonal Shedding
A thick double coat that comes out in sheets twice a year. Nothing prevents it.
Genuinely Sensitive
Harsh handling or household tension both affect them. They need a calm home and gentle methods.
Reserved With Strangers
Aloofness is correct for the breed; shyness is not. Early socialization decides which you get.
Rare and Carefully Placed
Few breeders, long waiting lists, and screening that asks about your working hours.
Poor in Heat
A thick northern coat. Summer exercise belongs at dawn and dusk, and the coat is never shaved.
The good, the bad & the hairy
Health, Care & Costs
Understanding the health risks and ongoing costs of a Eurasier helps you plan for a happy, healthy life together.
12-16 years
$65-$95
per groom (bath, full blow-out, nails, ears), every 8-12 weeks ($300-$550/year)
$1,300-$2,200/year
all-in (food, routine vet, grooming, insurance, incidentals)
Health Risks
Conditions this breed is prone to.
Worth stating first. The breed was founded deliberately on a broad outcross and the German clubs have run strict health and temperament screening from the start, so inherited disease rates are low and the gene pool is better managed than in most rare breeds.
The joints develop loosely or unevenly and wear into arthritis, sometimes needing surgery. Rates are low by medium-breed standards because of the club testing requirements, and both parents should still have scored hips and elbows.
The kneecap slips out of its groove, producing a skipping gait and occasionally needing surgery. Present at low rates and checked at routine vet visits.
The thyroid under-produces, causing weight gain, lethargy and coat and skin problems. Diagnosed by blood test and controlled with an inexpensive daily tablet for life.
Distichiasis - extra eyelashes growing inward and rubbing the cornea - and entropion both appear at low rates. Both cause irritation and both are corrected surgically where they are significant.
A practical rather than a pathological problem, and a real one. A thick northern double coat on a medium frame means they overheat easily, and the coat must never be shaved because it insulates against heat as well as cold.
Insurance & Health Coverage
One of the easier breeds on this site to insure. The German clubs have screened hips, elbows, eyes and temperament since the breed was founded, the inherited-disease list is short, and there is no restricted-breed or liability question to resolve.
So the case for cover is the ordinary one - accidents and the unexpected illness across what is typically a long life. Insure young for the usual reason: joint or eye notes on a record become permanent exclusions, and this is a breed where you may well be paying premiums for fifteen years.
The recurring cost that is not insurable is grooming. A full blow-out every couple of months on a double coat this thick adds up over a long life, and no policy covers any of it.
Get a Pet Insurance Quote
Care needs
The Daily Routine
Grooming
A thick double coat that needs a thorough brush right down to the skin twice a week, and daily attention for a few weeks in spring and fall when the undercoat lets go completely. Pay attention to the ruff, behind the ears and the trousers where mats form first. No trimming, and never shave the coat - it regulates temperature in both directions.
Exercise
About an hour daily of walking and play with some thinking in it. They are not working dogs and do not need a job, but they do need to be included - a walk with their people does more for them than a run alone.
Food & Weight
Two measured meals. They are moderate feeders and the coat hides weight gain completely, so go by feel through the ribs rather than by eye.
Similar breeds
If This Isn’t Quite the One
Chow Chow
One of the founding breeds, and a useful contrast - the Chow's calm and dignity are in the Eurasier, without the aloofness, the territoriality or the long health list. The Eurasier is far easier to live with and a fraction as common.
American Eskimo Dog
Another family-oriented spitz of similar size with the same thick coat and shedding. The Eskie is more vocal and more energetic; the Eurasier is notably quieter and more attached to the household.