Tamaskan Dog Breed, Wolf look alike

“Wolfdog without the Wolf” is the motto of the breed’s parent club, according to Dog Breeds of the World website. If you want a dog that looks like a wolf, has working ability and makes a good family dog? If so, the Tamaskan Breed might be what you’re looking for. Never heard of the breed? Well neither did I until I was browsing for an unusual dog to write about. They are not an ancient breed, but one that was developed in and after the 1980’s. The exact origins are not known but the breed seems to have started with five dogs from the United States that were exported to the United Kingdom, according to Tamaskan Dog register website. These dogs were bred to dogs that were crosses of Alaskan malamute, Siberian husky and German Shepherd. The hoped for result was a dog with a wolf like appearance and a good temperament for a family dog. As expressed by the website Dog Breeds of the World the breed’s foundation stock are Northern Inuit dogs and four unknown rescue breeds and Finnish wolf-like dogs.

No records were kept at first. It appears that the original dogs were bred to pure Siberian Huskies, some German shepherds and Alaskan Malamute. Soon after, they were probably selectively bred to each other for a few years to create the desired look and temperament. After an unrecorded history of selective breeding the dogs were called “wolf-dog” but about 1988 the name was changed to Northern Inuit (NI) as the name was misleading. No wolf was in the breeding, according to the Tamaskan Dog register.

Breed standard:

The Tamaskan Club of America™ website United States sled type dogs with a mix of Siberian Husky, Alaskan Malamute and German shepherd were exported to Finland. Other feral looking sled dogs were added for the American Tamaskan.

Dog Breed Info Center describes the Tamaskan as a large working dog, with an athletic look, wolf like appearance, a thick coat and straight bushy tail.

Height at shoulder:

Male 24-28 inches (60-70 cm)

Weight 55-88 lbs. (25-40 kg)

The male Tamaskan is heavy set with somewhat broader heads and heavier boned than the female. The female is a bit smaller with a feminine appearance. In general the Tamaskan have a lupine look, straight bushy tail, thick double coat. Colors can be wolf gray, red gray, and black gray.

Eyes are almond shaped and usually yellow, amber, or brown. Mismatched or blue eyes are not acceptable for this breed.

Intelligence

The Tamaskan is an intelligent dog that can exceed in agility, obedience and working trials. They can work as sled dogs since they have descended from Huskies and Malamutes. They can be used in skijoring. The word skijoring means ski driving in Norwegian. It is a sport in which dogs, horses or motorized vehicles pull a person on skies. When done with dogs it is a sport where cross country skiers are assisted by a dog or as many as three. The dogs are controlled by voice commands. Any breed can be used but because of its sled dog heritage the Tamaskan would be a good choice.

Potential uses for the breed

· Tamaskan breed has a keen sense of smell, stamina, and endurance. As such, they would be useful in search and rescue work.

· As these dogs are friendly with laid-back personalities, they are good candidates for training as therapy and assistance dogs.

Temperament

The breed is social and good with people, children, other dogs and other pets. This is a dog that needs company. If left alone, they may get bored and get into mischief or worse. They may develop destructive behavior and should not be left alone for long periods of time. If the owner is going to be gone all day, t may be a poor choice of pet.

Like Huskies, this dog loves to dig holes and will pull strongly on a leash. They do respond better when off a leash than most Huskies will. They need training in any case.

Grooming is relatively easy if one can brush them once a week, However, when they are molting the grooming will be more demanding.

They are a good family but not recommended for apartment living. Their live expectancy is about 14 to 15 years.

Sources: Wikipedia

Dog Breed Info

Dog Breeds of the world

Copyright 2013 Don Hoglund