Temperament: Confident, Calm, Family-Oriented
- Height: 19-24 inches
- Weight: 40-70 pounds
- Life Expectancy: 12-16 years
- Group: Foundation Stock Service
The Eurasier is a medium-sized dog with a thick, medium-long coat that can come in a variety of colors. Confident, calm, and well-balanced, he is loyal to the entire family, but reserved towards strangers. He must live in close contact with his family, as he is not suited to be kept in kennels or tied up outside.
About the Eurasier
The Eurasier comes in a beautiful array of colours. All coat colours are permitted as per the breed standard except for liver colour, pure white and irregular white patches. Eurasiers can have purple tongues, pink tongues or spotted tongues. They can also have dark face masks or light, so-called reverse masks. Eurasiers are calm, even-tempered, gentle, loving, intelligent and confident.
NUTRITION Like all dogs, Eurasiers should be fed only with high quality food. They can be picky eaters and do not eat big amounts of food. Instead, Eurasiers enjoy a variety of foods and changing their diet will help them avoid becoming bored with one type of food. Though picky, it is feasible to introduce them to different types of food. Each dog has his or her individual preferences. Clean, fresh water should be available at all times.
GROOMING 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 combings/brushings are required to minimise 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 Eurasiers should have good daily walks and active play with other dogs. Off-leash walks are preferred once trained and reliable to recall. Some Eurasiers like to swim and others enjoy agility or obedience. Some also work as therapy dogs. While they are calm in the house, they are active and energetic while outside.
TRAINING Eurasiers are good-natured, but can be reserved towards strangers. This can be largely overcome with proper socialization. They are very loyal to their family, willing-to-please and good to train, although they can show some independence. The Eurasier is a sensitive dog that does not require harsh reprisals; rather, gentle affection, love and understanding provide its incentive to learn. Training must be interesting for the dog and not repetitive as he gets easily bored. The Eurasier is a very social dog that must be included as part of the family. Typically Eurasiers are non-confrontational and will only defend themselves when they absolutely need to.
HEALTH Eurasiers were bred to be robust and sturdy. In general, they are a healthy breed. Breeding is subject to thorough testing to minimise health problems. Diseases that can occur in the breed are hip dysplasia, patellar luxation, distichiasis, thyroid conditions, EPI, and gastric torsion. The parent club requires health testing of all breeding dogs prior to mating and encourages testing of offspring to gain as much health information as possible on the breed.