From wikipedia:  The American Eskimo Dog is a breed of companion dog originating in Germany. The American Eskimo is a member of the Spitz family. The breed's progenitors were German Spitz, but due to anti-German prejudice during the First World War, it was renamed "American Eskimo Dog". Although modern American Eskimos have been exported as German Spitz Gross (or Mittel, depending on the dog's height), the breeds have diverged and the standards are significantly different. In addition to serving as a watchdog and companion, the American Eskimo dog also achieved a high degree of popularity in the United States in the 1930s and 1940s as a circus performer. There are three size varieties of the American Eskimo breed, the toy, miniature and the standard. They share a common resemblance with Japanese Spitz and Samoyed dog.  EDIT: this was like the story with Sauerkraut during WWII. The strong anti-German sentiment led people to name it "Liberty Cabbage" but that just didn't stick.