Northern Inuit Standard

 

GENERAL 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 gently tapering.   Lips close fitting and always black.   Cheeks flat.   Nose black (winter noses acceptable) and nostrils large.   Teeth should have a scissor bite

 

EYES:   Oval, forward facing and set at a slightly oblique angle.   Any colour or colour combination permitted.

 

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 excited.   Curly tails considered a fault.   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, heavy coats permitted but long, flowing, silky coats considered a fault.    Well defined ruff and breaches.   Tail bushy.

 

GAIT:    Easy and far reaching covers the ground.

 

SIZE:     Bitches 22 inches min., dogs 24 inches min. – overall balance more important than size.

 

COLOUR:  Pure white or any shade of grey and sable through to pure black.   White faces and dark masks  are permitted but any colour change should be subtle.

 

TEMPERAMENT:  Friendly and placid, never aggressive or showing any guarding tendencies.   Will submit when challenged.

 

FAULTS:  Gay tails, long soft/silky 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.

 

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The Northern Inuit is faithful, friendly and placid.   Never aggressive or showing any guarding tendencies and will submit when challenged.   They mix well with other pets and because of their friendly personalities they love the companionship of other dogs and very rarely argue.   They make great family members and like to be included in everything the family does.    They love children and are happy to play games for hours.

 

 

 

Height:   Dog min. 60 cm   Bitch min. 55 cm.

Weight:  Not specified but must be well balanced.

Colour:   Any – from pale grey to black, apricot to sable and pure white.

 

 

 

There are unscrupulous breeders selling crossbreeds and wolf-hybrids as Northern Inuit dogs.   Always buy from a reputable breeder who can supply true documentation (check with the Northern Inuit Soci

      The Northern Inuit          

 

 

There are many admirers of the Timber Wolf but it is not practical or fair to keep these wild animals as domestic pets.   The aim of the founders of this breed was to satisfy this love of the wolf, by creating a breed that resembled the wolf in appearance while having the loyal and affectionate nature required of a family companion.   A Court case was fought in 1995, which proved the Northern Inuit is not a wolf dog hybrid. The Northern Inuit is merely a wolf look-a-like with wolfish qualities.

 

Brief History (a full detailed history is soon to be published in a book)

 

In the late 1980’s various northern breeds of dog were selected for type and size (including the Husky and Malamute) and another breed for trainability (the German Shepherd).  These were carefully bred over several generations to create the Northern Inuit.   In the early years a handful of other dogs (from these same breeds) were brought into the breeding programme to improve the breed by expanding the gene pool and setting certain characteristics.   For many generations now the Northern Inuit has been bred pure, Northern Inuit to Northern Inuit, and a definite type has been established.  

 

Sadly during the brief history of this breed there have been breeders who have strayed from the objective of keeping this a Northern breed, by adding other breeds such as Collie, Akita, Belgian Shepherd etc.   These particular crosses became another breed, the Utonagan.   One particular breeder imported many health problems to the Utonagan breed, including Von Willebrands Disease, Hip Displasia, Epilepsy and Heart defects – the current Utonagan Society is trying sort out the problems and eliminate them from the breed, but they have a long way to go.   This breed has nothing to do with the Northern Inuit and is NOT the same thing – photos later in this article will show the difference between these two breeds.  

 

More recently other breeders chose to cross our Northern Inuits with Czech wolfdogs (a breed that needs a DWA licence in the UK), German Shepherds and other breeds – merely using the Northern Inuit as a base.  These dogs are being sold under various names, such as British Inuits, Illimars, Snow Dogs, Tamaskans etc. – again they are NOT Northern Inuits and will display very different temperaments.   Some of these breeders are using photos of Northern Inuits to illustrate their ‘breeds’ on websites and advertisements, but the public should be aware that the dogs they are breeding are nothing like a Northern Inuit and there is no guarantee as to what the cross is they are actually selling.   This could be potentially dangerous especially where children are concerned.  

 

Also, there are many ‘breeders’ selling various crosses as Northern Inuits – asking extortionate amounts of money for crossbreeds with no papers and are just conning the public.   If anyone wants a genuine Northern Inuit (or Utonagan) they should contact the relevant Society.  

 

The Northern Inuit Society is able to offer help and advice and can recommend approved breeders – all genuine Northern Inuits come with an embossed NIS registration certificate and 12 months free membership to the society.   The Northern Inuit Society is unique in keeping to the original brief, using Northern breeds and breeding for temperament and health, as well as looks.

 

The Northern Inuit Society

 

The purpose of The Northern Inuit Society is to present, promote and improve the quality of The Northern Inuit dog, maintain the Northern Inuit as a working dog breed and, above all, as a family companion.  The Northern Inuit Society keep a database of registered litters, owners and members and hold several events up and down the country throughout the year, bringing owners and their dogs together and exhibiting the versatility of this wonderful breed.   We also offer help and advice to owners and interested persons.    The goal of the society is to gain UK Kennel Club recognition.

 

 

Breed Profile

 

The Northern Inuit dogs we have today withhold some of the characteristics and traits of the original Inuit type dogs but without the intense working drive that would prevent family life.   They have a calmer nature more befitting of the family dog.   Although originally this type of dog would have to battle against the elements for basic survival they have fitted in well with our modern day lifestyle as a loyal pet, capable of competing successfully in obedience, agility, fly ball etc. as well as their original job of pulling sledges.   Where the Northern Inuit has not proved a success is as a guard dog, due to their friendly manner and willingness to greet any visitor as a long lost friend.

 

The Northern Inuit is a very affectionate and versatile dog, with an incredible sense of smell and willingness to please.   The future of the Northern Inuit looks bright and could provide future services such as Search and Rescue dogs, Guide Dogs for the blind, Hearing Dogs for the deaf, P.A.T dogs, Assistance dogs for the disabled, or simply as the pride and joy of families as their loyal and loving pet.   Already one is being trained as a Search and Rescue dog with the RAF and some have qualified as P.A.T. dogs.  Several Northern Inuits have passed the KC Good Citizen Award scheme, achieving Bronze, Silver and Gold standard for their proud owners.

 

If introduced at a young age Northern Inuit dogs mix well with other pets and because of their friendly personalities they love the companionship of other dogs and very rarely argue, usually submitting when challenged.   They make great family members and like to be included in everything the family does.   They love children and are happy to play games for hours or cuddle up on the sofa for a kip.   Those that are privileged to own a Northern Inuit, or more, know how loving and caring these dogs truly are. 

 

However, they are not a dog that can be left alone while you are at work, this can lead to a very distressed dog and destructive behaviour.   The have very strong pack instinct and it cannot be over emphasised that they need constant company, human or canine - but any canine companion should be large enough to take the rough and tumble of Northern Inuit play.

 

The Northern Inuit is a faithful companion and bonds very closely with their family.   You never forget that smile; they have a wonderfully expressive face and really do ‘smile’.   They require a medium level of exercise as they are not over active dogs, but they are boisterous in play! 

 

Northern Inuits are larger than a Siberian husky, with dense double coats ranging in colour from white through to black and reds, with grey being the most common.   They can have a ‘mask’ but colour change should be subtle.   They moult twice a year; the heaviest being the spring moult but good brushing keeps this under control.   Some Northern Inuits do not tolerate cereal based complete dogs foods very well and as a breed they do best on BARF diets.

 

Northern Inuits are very independent and strong willed dogs and are not really suited to a novice dog owner.   They are trainable (but it helps if you have an abundance of patience and a good sense of humour) and they should be well socialised from a very early age.   With confident handling they can be reliably obedience trained and safely let off lead.

 

There is only one Society representing the Northern Inuit breed – The Northern Inuit Society