History
“Inspired by the Inuit people of North America, Canada and Greenland who, legend has it, mated dogs and wolves to try and obtain a dog that could work long hours but would live as a family pet, several dogs of unspecified origin were imported from North America into Britain in the early 1980’s. These dogs were used in a breeding program with carefully selected northern breeds such as Siberian Huskies and Malamutes along with German Shepherds with a view to creating a wolf look alike dog that would be a suitable family pet and retain a willingness to work and please. The resulting dogs were given the name ‘the Northern Inuit Dog’ and the Northern Inuit breed was born.
The Northern Inuit has come a long way since the 1980’s and for the past 20 years Northern Inuits have been bred by the Northern Inuit Society solely to other Northern Inuits with no outcrossing or mixing with other breeds. As a result, the Northern Inuit of today is very much its own breed of dog with its own characteristics and distinctive look. Many people ask if there is any wolf content in the Northern Inuit. Today the answer is no, if there ever was it would now be diluted to almost 0%.
The Northern Inuit Dog has flourished and is rapidly gaining in popularity to the extent that many of our breeders have long waiting lists for their puppies. Until 2014 Northern Inuits were only bred in the UK and Ireland, but puppies had been and continue to be exported to countries all over the world including America, South Africa, Germany, Switzerland and France. The first Northern Inuit litter outside of the UK and Ireland was born in South Africa in June 2014. The Northern Inuit Society now has breeders in South Africa, Switzerland and the USA”. - written by J. Kelham in 2001.
We continue to breed to these standards but we have needed to add the occasional backcross to the founding breeds to sustain the Northern Inuit as you see today. The Northern Inuit Society is currently working towards getting the Northern Inuit Dog recognized by The Kennel Club, FCI and AKC.
Breed Standard
GENERAL APPEARANCE:
A dog of medium build, athletic but never racy.
HEAD:
Not too broad, skull slightly domed. Muzzle equal in length to skull, strong and gently tapering. Cheeks flat. Nose preferably black but a ‘snow nose’ is permitted. Nostrils large. Slight stop. Lips close fitting and black. Perfect scissor bite.
EARS:
Fairly wide apart but not low set. Not too large, carried erect.
EYES:
Oval and set at a slightly oblique angle, any colour permitted.
NECK:
Strong and muscular with a well defined nape.
FOREQUARTERS:
Shoulders flat. Moderately angulated upper arm but shoulder blades well laid back. Elbows fitting close to the chest which must not be too broad ( approx 4 finger width between front legs ) or drop below the elbow. Distance from ground to elbow slightly greater than that from elbow to withers. Oval bone, neither too heavy or too light, pasterns upright but flexible. Feet oval and toes open and well knuckled. Pads black and well cushioned with hair.
BODY:
Topline level, ribs long to give overall proportions of height to length as 10 – 9, well sprung from the spine but flattening on the sides to allow the elbows to move freely. Loin short and deep with no exaggerated tuck up. Croup broad and fairly short but not steep. The tail is a smooth continuation of the croup and must reach no further than the point of the hock. May be lifted when excited and carried upright or sickle in movement.
HINDQUARTERS:
Well angulated with broad, muscular thighs, the strength being carried through to the second thigh. Hocks short and perpendicular to the ground. Upright when viewed from the rear. Feet oval, can have five rear toes. Removal of dewclaws optional.
COAT:
Dense, waterproof double coat, slightly coarse in texture. Body coat 3 – 5 cm. Longer on ruff and breechings. Tail bushy.
GAIT:
Far reaching, covering the ground with an easy stride.
SIZE:
Height: Bitches-Minimum 23” (59 cm) Maximum -28” (71 cm)
Dogs- Minimum 25” (64 cm.) Maximum 30” (76 cm)
Overall balance more important than size.
COLOUR:
Pure white or any colour sable from grey or apricot through to pure black. White faces permitted on any colour. Masklike or cap like markings permitted on the faces of any colour other than whites. Where white appears on the legs and feet the colour change must be gradual.
TEMPERAMENT:
Friendly, placid and out going.
FAULTS:
Curly tails, long or single coats, ink marked, black and tan colours. Cow or sickle hocks. Any departure from the standard should be considered a fault; the seriousness with which the fault is regarded should be in proportion to its degree.
(Note. Males should have two apparently normal testicles descended into the scrotum.)
Training
As with any dog, training should begin as soon as possible. Northern Inuits are intelligent dogs, but they can become bored and impatient so it is important to keep them stimulated and make training fun, interesting and varied. They are not for the novice owner and people who are experienced with the train-ability of a German Shepherd generally find Northern Inuits more of a challenge. Northern Inuits are also involved in films, TV, agility, canicross, and search and rescue.
That being said Northern Inuits can successfully be trained to exercise off lead. However, they can have a high prey drive which coupled with their incredible sense of smell can make them prone to chasing and potentially hunting, particularly small animals such as mice and rabbits. This is something a new owner should be prepared to address through training, and recall training should begin as soon as possible. Some Northern Inuits, if introduced to livestock at an early age, will grow up not wanting to chase livestock, but as with any dog caution should always be had around livestock and dogs should be on a lead.
Due to their intelligence the possibility for Northern Inuits is endless. Some of our dogs are registered as Pets at Therapy dogs and used as assistance dogs, and many have successfully achieved bronze, silver and gold in the Kennel Club Good Citizen Award Scheme. However, Northern Inuits tend to make very bad guard dogs due to their friendly and inquisitive demeanour, so the best you may get is a bark (although some Northern Inuits rarely bark and some prefer to howl).
Exercise
Unlike some northern breeds Northern Inuits do not require excessive amounts of exercise and are generally described as a medium exercise dog. Two walks a day or one longer walk is often enough to satisfy a Northern Inuit. However, they are also quite happy to be out all day with their owners and many NIS members take their Northern Inuits hiking.
As they are a highly intelligent dog some of our members have trained their Northern Inuits to partake in sports such as agility, scootering and cani cross running with great success. As an intelligent and inquisitive breed they tend to thrive in taking up new activities.
Health Concerns
Unfortunately there can never be any guarantee that a puppy of any breed will not develop health issues (genetic or environmental issues), no matter how many tests are carried out. Thankfully, the majority of Northern Inuits live happy healthy lives without issue and the life span averages between 12 and 15 years old. A summary of the most recent health issues that can affect the breed is set out below and for further information on health in the Northern Inuit dog please contact us.
As set out in the Northern Inuit Society Code of Ethics, all Northern Inuits that are part of the breeding scheme have to be hip, elbow and eye tested under the British Veterinary Association (BVA) schemes before being bred from (or equivalent for overseas breeders). The current median hip score for Northern Inuits as set by the BVA is 12; average elbow results are 0; and eyes tests clear. Based on the health issues experienced in the breed and available tests, these tests are what the Northern Inuit Society considers most relevant and important to the breed which is why they are mandatory. This is kept under review in consultation with veterinary experts.
Hip & Elbow Dysplasia
Like all large breed dogs Northern Inuits can be more prone to developing hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia. These disorders are thought in part to be genetic which is why the Northern Inuit Society insists hip and elbow tests are carried out to reduce the chances of a puppy being affected and generally dogs with good hip and elbow scores have less chance of producing affected puppies), but it can also be brought about by environmental factors. Care should therefore always be taken when exercising puppies due to the speed at which they develop so it is important that they are not over excised or partake in activities that put pressure on their joints. Puppies should be fed a good nutritious diet and not be allowed to become overweight. The number of dogs who are reported to develop hip or elbow dysplasia is thankfully very low.
Hereditary Eye diseases
The NIS has received reports of a handful of cases of Glaucoma and other eye issues in dogs, but it has not been confirmed whether these were primary or secondary Glaucoma (secondary Glaucoma is often environmental, rather than genetic, and can come about by infections, injury and other eye related issues). As set out above the NIS insists all potential breeding dogs are eye tested for hereditary eye diseases. Again, thankfully the cases of eye related diseases is extremely low. For further information please see the following article prepared by the BVA:
OSD3 Oculoskeletal Dysplasia
Oculoskeletal Dyspasia is a disease characterised by sketeletal deformity and ocular abnormalities. Affected puppies are noted to have significant shortening of the limbs compared to their unaffected littermates and show dysplastic bone growth as they age, resulting in their legs and paws to bow outwards. Affected puppies also go on to develop eye problems resulting in cataracts and blindness, with abnormally large eyes are protruding eyes from a young age. skeletal deformities include lunation / subluxation of the joints (hips, elbow, wrists) causing abnormal angulation of limbs.
Cryptorchidism
Male Northern Inuits can be prone to cryptorchidism (commonly referred to as retained testicles) where one or both the testes do not drop. If a dog suffers from this condition he will have to be castrated, but there should be no lasting consequences and otherwise live a normal happy life. The NIS is seeing the number of cases of cryptorchidism decrease, research suggests it can be genetic and/or environmental but it is something to bear in mind when choosing a puppy to be a potential stud dog. There is no test that can be carried out to determine whether a male will have two descended testicles, but generally if one or both have not descended by the time the dog is 6 months old they are unlikely to do so. Due to recent research on the consequences of early castration (particularly in large breeds), the NIS generally does not recommend that any male is castrated before they are fully grown (at least 12 months old).
Degenerative Myelopathy (DM)
The NIS has seen a limited number of clinical cases but have had a number of dogs being reported as carriers following testing. As a result of this, and as advised by Laboklin, the NIS now require the following from NIS registered breeders:
1) All stud dogs are to be tested at Laboklin for DM (Exon 2) Test number 8158D (buccal swab)
2) All stud dogs tested clear can cover any bitch.
3) Any stud dog tested as a carrier/affected can ONLY cover a bitch which has been tested clear.
Any breeder is at liberty to routinely test their brood bitches if they wish, but the above procedure is the minimum requirement at this time. The NIS will continue to work closely with Laboklin to monitor the results of testing, click here to find details of the DM test.
Degenerative myelopathy is a progressive disease of the spinal cord in older dogs. The disease has an insidious onset typically between 8 and 14 years of age. It begins with a loss of coordination (ataxia) in the hind limbs. The affected dog will wobble when walking, knuckle over or drag the feet. This can first occur in one hind limb and then affect the other. As the disease progresses, the limbs become weak and the dog begins to buckle and has difficulty standing. The weakness gets progressively worse until the dog is unable to walk. The clinical course can range from 6 months to 1 year before dogs become paraplegic. If signs progress for a longer period of time, loss of urinary and fecal continence may occur and eventually weakness will develop in the front limbs. Another key feature of DM is that it is not a painful disease.
The NIS has also seen a small number of cases of epilepsy, addisons diesease and cancer in Northern Inuits, whilst there are no genetic tests for these issues and they can be caused by genetic or environmental factors, our Health Advisor keeps this under review so that any lines which are affected can be removed.