Description of a Northern Inuit Dog.

In the 1980s several Inuit type dogs were imported into Britain and bred with Northern dog breeds such as the Siberian Husky and the Alaskan Malamute, the German Shepherd Dog 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.

Today's Northern Inuits are no longer out crossed to any other dogs as there is a large enough gene pool to sustain the breed, they are only bred pure Inuit to Inuit, and have been for many generations.

The Northern Inuit dog is not related to any Canadian breeds and has not been bred to work as a sled dog

Contrary to popular rumour the Northern Inuit dog does not have any recent wolf heritage in its genes[1]. 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 however large or small. However, they are not for the novice dog owner, being very independent and strong willed. Nor are they are dog that can be left alone - they need constant companionship from either another suitably sized dog able to take their boisterous play or they need to be with their owner 24/7. They become very distraught and destructive if left alone and this cannot be emphasized enough.

Anyone looking for a guard dog in the Northern Inuit dog is looking in the wrong place, a NI is a very submissive dog where both people and other dogs are concerned they would sooner greet and play with a stranger than harm them.

Over the years various people have split from the Northern Inuit Society and formed their own groups, these include the The Inuit Dog Association, the Utonagan and the Tamaskan.

Utonagan and Tamaskan should now be treated as separate breeds.

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.