The white, fluffy American Eskimo Dog has a double coat with a dense undercoat and a longer outer coat. The hair is straight with no curl or wave. He has a pronounced ruff around the neck. His front and rear legs are well feathered, and the fur on his tail is profuse. He is most often pure white, or white and cream.

Eskies shed a lot, and they require frequent brushing to cut down on the amount of fur left around the house, and to prevent matting (especially behind the ears). A thorough brushing two or three times a week is advised.

Despite his light coloring, the Eskie is amazingly easy to keep clean. Eskie fur contains oil, which prevents dirt from adhering to it. When an Eskie gets dirty, the dirt usually brushes right out as long as the fur is dry.

Eskies should only be bathed once every couple of months, depending on how dirty they get. Being bathed too often can cause skin problems, because it tends to make an Eskie's skin dry and irritated. Unless they are very dirty, Eskies rarely have a doggie odor.

Their ears should checked once a week for dirt, redness, or a bad odor that can indicate an infection, then wiped out weekly with a cotton ball dampened with a gentle, pH-balanced ear cleaner. Their toenails need trimming at least once a month.

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