Some history on the origins of the Northern Inuit
The Northern Inuit dog was created in the UK some 20 years ago, using northern breeds ie: the Malamute and Husky and adding the GSD for trainability. Since then, the N.I has come along way and is gaining in popularity at an alarming rate, where once we were always asked when walking our dogs 'is that a husky', sometimes people actually recognise the breed in its own right.
This is one of the founder stud dogs, Mahlek Call of the Wild, pet name Kyle, owned and bred by Julie Kelham, founder breeder of the Northern Inuit. This picture was taken when Kyle was 16 years old, shortly before his death in 2003.
THE NORTHERN INUIT INTRODUCTION
The Inuit dog has existed for thousands of years, the Inuit people needed a dog to suit their lifestyle, and as a working companion, for this, legend has it, they staked out several bitches to be mated by wolves .
By selective breeding and culling of the offspring, they eventually got what they wanted - a dog that could work long hours in cold temperatures, would live as a family pet and be obedient and loyal.
In the early 1980's, a few Inuit type dogs were imported to Britain and by following the Inuit peoples example and using northern breeds of dogs, we have arrived at the Northern Inuit dog we have today, they withhold the original characteristics and traits of the original Inuit dogs, i.e. a willingness to work and to please.
Although, originally having to battle against the elements for survival, they have fitted in well with our modern day lifestyle as a loyal pet capable of competing successfully in obedience, agility and also flyball, as well as their original job of pulling sledges.
Where the Northern Inuit has not proved a success however, is as a guard dog, due to their friendly manner and a willingness to greet any visitor as a long lost friend.
With their incredible sense of smell and eagerness to please, the future of the N.I looks bright, and could provide future services, such as search and rescue, guide dogs for the blind and hearing dogs for the deaf, some are already registered PAT dogs, but all are the pride and joy of their families as their loyal pets.
The N.I is a wolf look a like, and are totally non aggressive, they are the most versatile of dogs, but, they are not for the novice owner as they can be very stubborn and are very quick witted, the owner of an N.I must show themselves to be the Alpha member of the pack or be prepared to be the underdog, and be taken advantage of, a firm hand is most definitly needed, however, the plusses far outweigh the cons of owning an N .I as they are a joy to live with and attract attention where ever they go.
Nice gardens dont usually exist alongside a northern Inuit as they love to dig and eat any variety of garden plant, so most owners now have gardens consisting of slabs and concrete.
Some N.I, if introduced to livestock at an early age, will grow up not wanting to chase sheep and so on, but two or more N.I become a pack and pack instinct will take over, and as their prey drive is quite high, caution should be taken at all times when out near sheep, cattle or horses.
Common sense dictates that you should never leave children and dogs unsupervised. The N.I can be quite boisterous at play, and though they would never bite intentionally, they do sometimes like to 'mouth' things eg arms and hands, and can easily knock a child down.
The Northern Inuit dog is also non dog aggressive and will usually submit when challenged. They dont like to be left alone and can often suffer seperation anxiety, at these times they will destroy anything in the immediate vicinity, chairs, doors, table legs, the best solution for this is to ensure your dog is never left alone for long periods of time, another dog as a companion is a good idea, the N.I is a very sociable animal and loves the company of people or other dogs.
This breed of ours is very addictive, so beware, because it is a great possibility that you will end up with more than one, most people i know have several and wouldnt have it any other way.
Mahlek Olakhota Saskia, Best in Show (Oldham) and Dog of the Year 2006
Owned by Tracey, Andy and Georgie Fowler and bred by Julie Kelham and Sue Sutton.
