Northern Inuit Dog

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Northern Inuit

A Northern Inuit
Country of origin England
Traits

The Northern Inuit Dog is a medium sized mongrel (not a breed) developed in England. Breeding began in the late-80's in an attempt to return a domestic dog breed to phenotypically resemble the wolf. This techique is referred to as breeding back.

Contents

[edit] Description

[edit] Appearance

A dog of medium build, athletic but not racy. Slightly longer than tall (as 10-9), with leg length slightly longer than overall depth of body. Oval bone is neither too heavy nor too light.

Head Not too broad, skull slightly domed. Muzzle slightly longer than skull, strong and gentle tapering. Lips close fitting and always black. Cheeks flat. Nose black (winter noses acceptable) and nostrils large. Scissor bite.

Eyes Oval, forward facing and set at a slightly oblique angle. Accepted colors: Brown, Blue, Green, or Hazel. Yellow/amber eyes are a disqualification.

Ears Set fairly high, not too large and carried erect.

Neck Strong and muscular with a well defined nape.

Shoulders Moderately sloping. Elbows fitting close to chest, which must not be too broad.

Body Topline level, ribs well back. Loin short and deep with no exaggerated tuck up. Croup broad and fairly short but not steep. Tail set fairly high and reaching to the hock, carried down when standing, may be lifted when exicted. Good rear angulation. Short hocks.

Hind feet Oval, may have five toes, dewclaws permitted.

Fore feet Round, pasterns upright but flexible. Pads black and well cushioned with hair.

Coat Dense double coat, slightly harsh in texture, well defined ruff and breeches. Tail bushy.

Gait Easy and far reaching covers the ground.

Size Males: 23-25 inches. Females: 20-23 inches. - Overall balance more important than size.

Color

Pure White or any shade of Grey and Sable through to pure Black. White faces and dark masks are committed but any color change should be subtle.

Faults (curly), long soft silk coats, patchy/pinto or Black and Tan colours.

Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.[1]

[edit] Temperament

Friendly, but can be protective if it needs to. It is not uncommon to see a Northern Inuit to fight back when challenged.

[edit] History

In the 1980s several Mongrel dogs were imported into Britain and bred with Northern dog breeds such as the Siberian Husky and the Alaskan Malamute, the German Shepherd was also included for training purposes, the resulting dogs became what we now know as the Northern Inuit dog. The aim of this selective breeding was to create a dog that closely resembles a wolf in appearance but with the gentle character of a domestic dog.

The original dogs imported to create this breed were 5 rescue dogs of unknown origin (four from San Francisco and one from Alaska), which were imported in 1987. The other three breeds were added to these animals to create the Northern Inuit.

The Northern Inuit dog is not related to any Canadian breeds.

Contrary to popular rumour the Northern Inuit dog does not have any recent wolf heritage in its genes[2]. Today's Northern Inuit dog retains many characteristics of their ancestors, including a willingness to please, a determination in all its undertakings and a strong hunting instinct. Their loving companionship, gentle nature and comical personality make them a perfect companion for families, large or small. However, they are not for the novice dog owner, being very independent and strong willed.

The Northern Inuit dog has a tendency to suffer from separation anxiety, causing great distress to the dog and often leading to destructive behaviour. This can be overcome with thorough and consistent training, though advice from a professional behaviourist or trainer may be required.

Over the years various people have split from the Northern Inuit Society and formed their own groups, these include The Inuit Dog Association, The British Inuit Dog Club and The Utonagan Society (which are 'spin off's' of the Northern Inuit breed). The Utonagan is now treated as a separate breed. Some Northern Inuit's were also used in the creation of the Tamaskan dog.

With their incredible sense of smell and willingness to please, the Northern Inuit dog could provide future services, such as search and rescue dogs, guide dogs for the blind, hearing dogs for the deaf, PAT dogs etc.

In March 2008 for the first time in the Inuit Dog history two Inuit Dogs made it into Crufts at the Section where people can come and pet dogs and view different types of dogs. They are not KC registered, so cannot enter Crufts to be shown, or any other show. For the first time in the history of Crufts a Cani-cross event (cross country running with your dog) was held with over 100 participants. (Visit the BBC News Clip http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_7280000/newsid_7288700/7288781.stm?bw=bb&mp=wm&news=1&bbcws=1 to see the two dogs and their runners.)The two dogs placed very high in the event. The dog that won the ladies section of the event was a British Inuit (Shoshone Kennels PF) and was trained by the owner and breeder of the dog, a Northern Inuit that came 6th (Akna K9). The Inuit Dog has proven very successful in cani-cross events all over the UK.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Northern Inuit Society Breed Standard
  2. ^ DEFRA report on the keeping of wolf hybrids in Britain which mentions Northern Inuit dogs as not having any recent wolf ancestry.