Hi all, I've just spent a very long time, reading some very long threads without learning much....so I thought I would just ask my questions directly of the N.I owners on here (seems there are a few!) I am quite enamored with this dog. Its simply gorgeous! I understand there is some question as to the presence or absence of wolf in the N.I. I lived in redneck Texas for 23 years, and I know wolves and wolf dogs, and I know that I certainly do NOT want a wolf dog. That said, I understand there may have been wolf in their bloodlines some time back. They certainly don't look wolf, what I want to know is do they act wolf? Are they aloof or personable? Vocal or quiet? Are they amenable to training? Fractious or calm? What sorts of jobs to N.I. dogs do. Are they a pulling breed? I like a dog with a purpose! Tell me about the size/stature, as that is what has appealed to me in the photos. They seem smaller framed and lighter than the Huskies and Mals which I like. What is the coat like? Is it a dense double coat like a Mal or something more akin to a German shepherd? (I live in a warm area, so I don't want a dog that will be miserable) I think these are all of my questions for now. I don't really care about pedigrees and that nonsense, as long as I have a physically and emotionally sound animal, thats all I care about. I've just begun my research on this breed so I'm still really on the fence about them. Can't wait to hear from some NI owners and personal experiences. Edited to add: Health. Two NiI. on this board are epileptic. Is there any record of the previlence of this horrible illness in the breed. Also read on one thread that one of the foundation Sire's had incredibly bad hips? What is the mean hip score in this breed? Any incidence of Elbow Displaysia? Any other inherited diseases I should be watching for? What are breeders testing for?
Hi Muttzrule... if you look at "The Inuit Dog Association" Official website, there is everything there is to know about the breed
I would say if your looking for a Northern Inuit Dog you would not be disappointed. The Northern Inuit Society is the main body of the dog and any questions you have I would contact them. I have 2 and dont imagine I will stop there. The 'wolf' label is just that, its because the dogs look very wolf like and for that reason most of us found these dogs. My two hardly bark but will howl and talk to me when they are excited. Very affectionate and loving. Training is crucial to these dogs, they are very intelligent and will get the upper hand if not trained from an early age. Some of our members have KC gold with their NI dogs, my two have bronze which to me was enough as I dont particularly like group activities, I prefer to walk & do things with my dogs my own way. We have a few P.A.T dogs, search & rescue, Special assistance dogs & a few have riggs for pulling, dogsey member Sutty has a video on here of her dogs pulling a rigg. The coat is double but Ive found my two will moult for about 2 weeks twice a year with constant brushing its all over. Saves on the hoovering My two are probably in the same frame size as a GSD. Which two dogs have you seen that are epileptic? We test for HD and so far the results have been amazingly brilliant. Think ive answered everything. Good luck in your search hope you decide these are the dogs for you. You will be amongst a huge family
They are much bigger than Siberian Huskies and less heavy but not necessarily less tall than Malamutes. My girl is just under 25" and my boy 28 1/2 to 29". The girl weighs 75lbs and my boy is coming up to 100lbs. My boy is 2 and girl is almost 3. I would say they are similar to train as any of the original Northern breeds. Although general concensus is they can be let off lead but recall training does take alot of dedication. They always want to keep you in eye sight which is the main bonus here as they arn't interested in running off for miles and not looking back, so you use this to your advantage. You have to make training very fun, as soon as it becomes to serious the dogs find it boring and don't want to know. A kind, gentle and patient approach is very important to them - no good shouting commands at them like an army instructer as you will loose any will to please. Mine get very happy on lots of praise which is good as one of them isn't food orientated outdoors! They are very loyal and affectionate to their family and form a very strong bond with those they spend the most time with. They want to be a part of everything you do. They can suffer with separation anxiety. They like to dig alot. But mine don't bother with escape tactics...they want to be with us too much to escape but if it was to get to us then they can be great escape artists! Like I said escaping hasn't been a prob for us as they don't want to go anywhere we are not! They are chilled around the home. They are boistrous in play and excersize but they are not hyper. If they are getting enough excerize they are very laid back. To excersize them in our experiance we go for wide open spaces...small parks etc don't work for us as the dogs can cover ground so quickly and even though our dogs now have good recall it can only take seconds for them to be in someones way and not everyone love the dogs as much as the dogs love everything...lol My two are not noisey at all an we have had compliments from neighbours saying they would never know we had them. They don't for instance start up barking if a neighbour dog is having a bark. Or if they hear someone come to the door. They make all sorts of funny noises at each other and us in play though. The only time my boy properly barks is when he see's a cat as he is terrified of them / hates them due to an incident where he got attacked by one as a pup and sometimes he makes alot of noise onlead at certain dogs that get a bit to close as he has a little fear aggression that only shows it's self when he is restrained. They are fun loving and very clown like. My girl has a temprament so perfect I trust her implicitly. Julie Kelham who you will have seen talked about in these recent threads was her breeder and with all the wolf hybrid talk and mystery that surround the breed aside I can honestly say she got the temprament perfectly right at least in my girl! Keena is so tolerant and non aggresive she is perfect to us. My boy is great also but can be more of a mixed bag but this is due to a few experiances he had in puppy hood...He is more fearfull than anything but he backs this up with alot of bravado, never the less he would rather run from trouble! I am more than happy with my two and they have given me loads of happy memories even at this early stage. They are like any other breed - they wont be for some people but will be ideal for others and it is up to the potential owner to deem themselves suitable. They are not guarding dogs. They are not the sort of dog you take to a small park and play fetch with over and over again and they take more brain work than the average breed. It depends on what you want out of a dog if they are right for a person.
To add: Due to their ancestory these dogs can pull with the best of them! So yes you could use them for this. As regards to hip scoring etc...Unfortunatly it seems hip scoring did start late in the day...But now alot of NIS members are coming out with scores for there dogs and making these available online and from what I have seen so far they are very good...You can join the Northern Inuit Society forum and ask for these sort of details. The dog you mention with bad hips wasn't a sire of one of the founders of the breed, I'm not sure where you read it like that, he was just a dog mentioned in someones pedigree we were talking about - if I'm thinking about the same dog here - feel free to point to the post if I'm wrong though. If you or anyone else is seriously interested in a NI as with any breed make sure the breeder hip scores. Don't acept anything less than what you feel to be a reputable breeder who can tell you all you need to know.
Tell me about the size/stature, as that is what has appealed to me in the photos. They seem smaller framed and lighter than the Huskies and Mals which I like. What is the coat like? Is it a dense double coat like a Mal or something more akin to a German shepherd? (I live in a warm area, so I don't want a dog that will be miserable) The average size for an NI bitch is about 24 inches to the shoulder & 27 - 28 for a dog although they can be bigger than this. Generally speaking they are taller & heavier built (especially males) than the husky but not as heavily built as a malamute although can be taller than mals. what I want to know is do they act wolf? Are they aloof or personable? Vocal or quiet? Are they amenable to training? Fractious or calm? What sorts of jobs to N.I. dogs do. Are they a pulling breed? I like a dog with a purpose! I wouldn't say they act wolf but then I've never owned a wolf to compare. They are trainable but this can take patience at they can be rather stubborn. If given enough exercise they are generally calm at home but are very rough & boisterous in play. Vocal wise mine will howl rather than bark & like to hold coversations when excited. My bitch never barks my male will from time to time but usually only when he knows your leaving him behind (going out). Due to the founder breeds used in the creation if you wanted to use them for pulling they are more than able. Two NI. on this board are epileptic. Is there any record of the previlence of this horrible illness in the breed. Also read on one thread that one of the foundation Sire's had incredibly bad hips? What is the mean hip score in this breed? Any incidence of Elbow Displaysia? Any other inherited diseases I should be watching for? What are breeders testing for? I didn't know any NI on here were epileptic I know there are epileptic utes on here are you not mistaken. There is no sign of it being a problem within the breed. Not sure about the hip thing you are reffering too, I do remember a Ute with a horrific hip score being advertised for stud mentioned a while back but no NI. If you can find the piece you are reffering to perhaps I could clear things up for you. So far no incidence of elbow displaycia & no specific problems as yet most cases of illness have been one offs & are not enough to constitute being breed specific. As mention there is some debate over the testicle issue & as I am currently doing a fair bit of genetic research on the NI on behalf of the society some of which does include retained testicles. As for health testing dog born after Jan 2006 should be hip scored before being bred from however my own dogs have also been eye tested (clear).
What is the mean hip score in this breed? Sorry missed this part, as we are not yet on the KC list I have been collecting in all the scores on behalf of the society, have to say the hips are looking very good indeed & our BMS is looking to be pretty low, for more detailed info on the hip status feel free to contact me direct eather by pm or e-mail.
Thanks for all the great information. I was refering to the Two Loki's but they may be Utes not NI, I may not be remembering correctly. I'll be looking into the NI association site as well. I've wanted a GSD forever. But frankly, American GSD's are horrible. More health problems than you can shake a stick at, and I dont really like the look of them either. If I got a NI it would be instead of a GSD. I love the look of the NI and they seem a bit healthier. Does anyone own both? How do they compare temperment wise?
Thanks for all the great information. I was refering to the Two Loki's but they may be Utes not NI, I may not be remembering correctly. Yes they are both Utes.
I have a GSD x Husky but looks like a GSD . You can see her in my webpage in my profile. To me the difference and I am talking about a crossbreed is that they bark and are a guarding breed where as the NI are not. My crossbreed will play with a ball for a good while where as the NI get fed up quicker . The Gsd is also prone to hip problems . so maybe I am lucky having a cross with a "coffee table back" I am sorry I cannot help you more as I dont have a full GSD but I am sure someone will
