# Northern Inuit/Tamaskan/Utonagan/other UK wolf-look-alike breeds



## Northern_Inuit_Luv (Aug 26, 2009)

I've had a few people ask me about this (in pm or otherwise). I am in NO WAY an expert, but I can answer some of your basic questions and ask other "in the know" people about questions I don't know.

I'll give you a bit of the history, but trust me, it is really confusing. This is what I have uncovered in my research.

It all started with a woman called Edwina Harrison. She had her own vision of a type of dog she wanted to create. She had no intention of creating a breed, just one woman trying to make a dog that fit HER idea of the perfect dog. She wanted the dog to look like a wolf but be easy to train and to be great with families. She imported some husky/type dogs from the US and other parts of Europe to be bred with her already developing stock of malamutes, german shepherds, and huskies mixes. The original lines are not known, and Eddie is no longer alive to be able to clarify just what happened in the beginning. 

After she had alreay begun this process, she started to have help caring for her dogs, and of course, some puppy buyers. These other people saw how well this breed was taking off and set to it to actually make it a breed. At first they called them Wolf Hybrids, but later was renamed the Northern Inuit dog. It is still unknown about if there is any wolf in them. Some say there was a high percentage of wolf, others say low, and others yet say that there is none at all. A few years into the creation of the new breed, some of the founding breeders started to have disagreements in how the breed was progressing. Some thought the look wasn't the way it should be, some disagreed with others breeding practices, and others thought that they needed to continue adding in new lines. 

(this is where it gets confusing)
So they had the first big spit. Northern Inuit dogs, and a "new" breed called Utonagans. Utonagans began adding in more lines, while the Northern Inuit society continued to breed "pure" to "pure". 

The Utonagan group had its own bit of trouble with unethical breeders and the mixing in of "bad lines", and spit, a portion disbanded, and then a final reunited society. Unfortunately, during all this confusion, some really bad health issues started to pop up, including epilepsy in a few different lines. 

Now the Utonagan group has opened up their breeding plan to include "fresh lines" for the next few years before it closes again. Thats about all I know about the Utes.

So going back to the split of Utonagans, one woman that split off was Ms Lynn Sharkey. She took her Utonagans and moved away and started her own mix of breeds...these became the Tamaskans. Not much is really known about this. The breed never took off in the UK because of the health concerns. Some say that she was the one to introduce the epilepsy lines into Utonagans. I do not know for sure. Nor do I know if she used any of the Utonagan lines with epilepsy to begin the Tamaskan breed. 

However, I do know that Tamaskans out here in the states are doing really well. They seem to have good plans and good breeders. I didn't go with Tamaskans because I didn't really trust that they were as healthy as the Northern Inuit dogs. I don't know how many dogs were added into the program, nor did I know how much inbreeding had been done. All in all, I didn't know a whole lot about the breed, and I don't like not knowing.

So back to the Northern Inuits. During the same time as all the Utonagan politics were happening, the ones that remained with Northern Inuits began having their own issues. Mainly, they were fighting about whether to add in new lines and also some of the members just flat out were not getting along. So the Northern Inuit Society had yet another two splits over the years, one became The Inuit Dog Association, and the other was the British Inuit....club? not sure about the name of that one.

(you still with me?? lol)

The woman who founded The Inuit Dog Association ended up getting kicked out of the club due to some really bad practices. I have talked to this lady, and she really is something else....I don't want to go into that because I know I am a bit biased. Anyway, so the NIS and TIDA are now attempting to join forces again. Many owners go to both of the club events...but there are still some of the "old guys" on either committee that are holding grudges, preventing them from successfully joining together again.

The British Inuits is only one or two breeders that are mixing their lines with Saarloos and something else that I can't remember off the top of my head. They are not really a major player in this drama.




Temperament of these breeds
Pretty much the breeds all seem to be the about the same in their temperaments. All are pretty good with families and children, though can be quite energetic and can knock over children without realizing it, all can have high prey drives if not socialized, all really like the mud , most are good off leash, many have separation issues (which is what makes them so good off leash). They do require a lot of attention just because they always want to be doing whatever you are doing. Pretty much, like any other breed, early socialization is the key to a happy, well balanced NI.


Health issues
I can only speak for the NIS, and right now there are only some concerns with retained testicles and hip dysplacia, though these cases are getting fewer since the addition of hip scoring into the breeders code. 

Faults
Curly tails, "patchy" colors, pink lips


~~I've got to get started on dinner, so I'll leave this as is. If you have any questions, feel free to ask....but like I said, I am not the expert. I do know where to go if something has stumped me. And please be nice. I'm only one person and her dog.


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## yom (Oct 9, 2009)

Thanks for posting all this - very interesting!


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

Hmm...very interesting that different clubs are claiming different things. 

I know one breeder was kicked out of the Tamaskan Dog Register because she was breeding waaaay too many pups and her pups had problems like epilepsy/seizures. Actually I don't mind posting her site because she's been really not following the advice of other breeders. They told her to stop breeding the dogs but instead they breed more litters than ever...
Right Puppy

Like right now they have 3 litters of Tamaskans being sold. Also every single time I check their website they have puppies....

The Register states that some dogs had problems in the past and dogs are all tested for those things now I believe. 

Here's a bit on Tamaskan History


> Sadly, the original breeders kept inaccurate records in the breed’s beginnings, and matings had taken place between closely related dogs, resulting in some health issues creeping into the breed which were not discovered until much later. What was now needed was a new injection of healthy, unrelated bloodlines, which led to a search for new dogs with the look and working ability necessary, but not losing the temperament of the dog.
> 
> The search for other wolfy looking dogs with similar ancestry led to Lapland where dogs of a very similar appearance were being bred for sled pulling in extreme temperatures. These dogs’ close ancestors were also some of the best sled racing dogs in the world and would enhance the breed’s future working ability. After some negotiations with kennel owners, a female was purchased and imported into the UK, with an additional six dogs booked for import from the same kennels.
> 
> ...


So I guess some breeding stock was introduced. 

The Tamaskan used to say they are very easy to train but I just checked now and it says they're stubborn but intelligent. 

How hard did you find training Lupa to be? Do you find her temperament to be more like a Husky and not that obedience and more independent?

I've been looking for a Northern type breed that is highly trainable and very reliable and I thought I found the one but I'm thinking now maybe not...

The TDR changed a lot of its info since I last checked but they claim their dogs have ABSOLUTELY NO wolf content. 

Thanks for all the info! Not really sure if I'm still looking to get one of these in the future anymore =[


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## Northern_Inuit_Luv (Aug 26, 2009)

Michiyo-Fir said:


> Hmm...very interesting that different clubs are claiming different things.
> 
> I know one breeder was kicked out of the Tamaskan Dog Register because she was breeding waaaay too many pups and her pups had problems like epilepsy/seizures. Actually I don't mind posting her site because she's been really not following the advice of other breeders. They told her to stop breeding the dogs but instead they breed more litters than ever...
> Right Puppy
> ...


The Tamaskans definitely came from Utonagans first, and Utonagans definitely came from "wolf hybrid"/Northern Inuits first...they all started at the same time. That much is fact. Tamaskan's, like the Utes, and like the NI all have unknown orgins...so pretty much all of their history sounds the same. The only ones that have stuck to the original plans are the NI.

Someone explained the pedigree thing to me this way (cause I'm a young'in ). Years ago, my friend had a pony that was really good at jumping and good at performance. No one worried about where it came from, just that it was good. These days, you don't buy a pony/horse without a pedigree and knowing exactly what lines are in the horse. Times are changing because of the growth of genetic studies....but at the time, the only thought was creating the "perfect" performance. With this group, it was just about the end result, not what went in to it from the beginning. Lines that didn't work out were ended and some new lines were brought in, all without someone stopping to write complete records. They have notes from the beginning, and names here and there, half completed pedigrees, but nothing straight from the beginning. 

So all three originated in the UK. The history that I put was from when they first began. I think the first Tamaskan was shipped out here in 2006...if I remember correctly. Some worry that if the Tamaskans inbreed too much, that those problem that the Utes started getting are going to come back. This is a major reason why I went with NI. The NI have more genetic diversity than the other groups because more people stuck with the original group. Every time it split, the NI lost a little, but those that split ended up hurting themselves more.


As for training, I also have a husky, so I've seen both worlds. OMG Lupa is so much easier, lol. Love Ami to death, but she almost had me 6 feet under at the beginning. Lupa loves to learn, she loves to figure out what I want from her. She sees training as a game. Ami was quicker to learn some commands, but then I started with Ami a lot sooner. Lupa didnt come to me until she was 13 weeks. I have to work with Lupa a little more, but its not nearly as frustrating because Lupa is really TRYING to figure it out...Ami just didn't care, I had to be much more strict with Ami. We first tried to do the clicker, positive only thing with Ami....and that was just a joke. I couldn't possibly understand how any dog could learn like that, because Ami just didn't care...she would do the bad thing anyway. Lupa, on the other hand, would probably be great with clicker training. Thats pretty much what I do with her, but I enjoy talking to her and i don't have to carry anything around with me to do it . 

As for independence...no...she has none. She doesn't want any. I'm actually having more trouble with that than anything else. She's very clingy, in your face, need to be by you all the time. Which is super helpful when teaching recall, but a little annoying some of the other time . I've been trying to get her more involved at the dog park, where she goes out and plays with other dogs without me or Ami right next to her. She still stays within 15 feet of me at all times, but she's starting to venture out a little (she's now a bit over 8 months).

I know this is common in her breed. That they need more attention. Its something that I love, and my husband hates...so each to their own. Now, just like any breed, there are exceptions. Some dogs might require firmer leadership. However, the more you learn about them, usually its because of the early socialization and the lack of training. I find that my "leadership" skills are mostly used to introduce her to "scary" situations. Otherwise, at home or out, she doesn't try to "push that line" like my husky does (like Ami's current, "if I only put one leg on the sofa, I'm not REALLY sitting on it...")

As for the wolf content, NO ONE knows exactly what was added at the beginning. There are press releases of some saying "yes there is wolf" in this dog, but then other research and studies that say that this was all just a money gimmick. I doubt that anyone will ever know the truth, especially since the original woman that started the project passed away. 

Here's a video of me and Lupa doing Rally last month...we have another trial next week in Indiana (if she doesn't go into season at that time)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLt-QaDtSKU


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## Northern_Inuit_Luv (Aug 26, 2009)

Michiyo-Fir, have just pmed you some of the websites for the other breed clubs. They all have forums attached and I don't know if its allowed to post that kind of information.


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## JessieLove09 (Mar 27, 2010)

I started reading up on this breed, and I am planning on getting one in the future(this means I will do more research).


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## Northern_Inuit_Luv (Aug 26, 2009)

I have a lot of links on my webpage to most of the different groups/breeds as well as a more in depth history of NI, that might help you find who ever you wish to talk to.


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## JessieLove09 (Mar 27, 2010)

I am mostly looking at Tamaskans. I am thinking about owning 1 in the future. I am falling in love them.lol. One look and I just wanted to find out more!

So when I am officially ready for another dog I will be sure let you know.


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