HONIAHAKA NORTHERN INUIT DOGS

THE NORTHERN INUIT INTRODUCTION 

The Inuit type 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, but have had a lot of the working drive other

northern breeds have, now bred out.

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 fly 

ball, 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, sometimes you will find the odd one who 

becomes quite protective of his family.

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. We 

ourselves are pleased to say we have bred 4 that are 

registered PAT dogs.

The Northern Inuit dog is generally a non aggressive 

breed, but you do find that when they hit the teenage 

years and are not guided correctly they can become 

quite reactive to other dogs, training is on going. 

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 lead member of the pack or be 

prepared to be the underdog, and be taken advantage 

of, a firm direction is most definitely needed, however, 

the pluses far outweigh the cons of owning an N.I as 

they are a joy to live with, give so much love, and 

attract attention where ever they go.   

Nice gardens don't 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, pot plants and concrete.

Some N.I dogs 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. 

But they love children and are happy to play games for 

hours. 

The Northern Inuit dog is also generally non dog 

aggressive and will usually submit when challenged.  

They don't like to be left alone and can often suffer 

separation 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.

They are a loyal companion they  make great family 

members and like to be included in everything the 

family does. 

They do need early socialisation otherwise they tend to 

spook easily when faced at new things.

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 

wouldn't have it any other way.

Plenty of patience and a good sense of humor is a 

must when owning one of these dogs.

This was written quite a few years ago when the 

rumours were again circulating about the breed having wolf heritage.

So the story goes.........

In the 1990,s, there was an increase in the amount of 

advertisements offering ‘wolf hybrid’ pups for sale. As 

the recent ‘Pit Bull’ horror stories from an over zealous 

tabloid press emerged, the RSPCA and other authorities 

grabbed the chance to try and have many people 

prosecuted and their dogs confiscated under the 

Dangerous wild animal act. Because of all the 

controversy surrounding any wolfy looking dogs, a 

group of people got together to try and safeguard the 

future of a particular line of these dogs.

The dogs were given the name ‘the Northern Inuit dog’ 

(which I shall hereafter refer to as the N.I.), due to the 

Northern breeds and Inuit type dogs that were used to 

create the breed. Two of these original Inuit types were 

imported to the UK from the USA as ‘wolf hybrid’ dogs, 

and there ensuing progeny were sold up and down the 

country as ‘wolf hybrids’, it is very dubious as to 

whether there was any actual wolf content in these 

dogs at all.

At the time of the N.I being established, one of the 

founder's of the breed, had the local authorities 

hammering at her door, trying to seize her 

dogs as dangerous wild animals. Although they went 

away empty handed, it resulted in a court case being 

brought against her, at the local magistrates court on 

the 20th of june 1998. 

At this time, the N.I was well on its way to being established as a breed of dog and not as a wolf hybrid. 

The end result of the court case was a not guilty verdict 

due to the fact that it could not be proven that there 

was any wolf content in the breed.

The N.I has flourished since then and is rapidly gaining 

in popularity, therefore, the Northern Inuit society was 

formed to govern the breeding and well being of this 

wonderful dog, although, some members, in the past, 

were obviously not satisfied with the N.I as it was, and 

went on to cross their dogs with other breeds, which 

has resulted in several splits, and breeds such as the 

Utonagan, British Inuit, Tamaskan and ‘Inuit’ groups 

being formed. The N.I society believed that crossing the 

N.I with any other breed would only be detrimental to 

them and they are quite satisfied with the N.I as it is, with its high breeding coefficient, and health problems rising.

So, the question still remains ‘is there any wolf content 

in the N.I.’? this is a question many people ask, and the 

truthful answer is, it really is impossible to say, without DNA testing. If there is, it is so far back that it would have been diluted in most lines to almost 0 percent, although some people would prefer that we steer well away from the wolf question, we are proud that our breed resemble the wolf in looks and of 

the unanswered question ‘IS THERE OR ISN’T THERE 

?????????????’

 Since this was written a lot has come to light and infact 

the Northern inuit dog itself is now so inbred that other 

breeders are injecting some much needed outside 

blood into the lines on the quite. 

Like many large breed dogs the Northern Inuit can 

suffer from hip dysplacia, therefore when looking to 

buy a puppy it is wise to check that the hip scores of the 

parents are below that of the breed average. The 

current national average for the Northern Inuit is 15. 

The Northern Inuit Society required that all Northern

Inuit’s born after Jan 2006 are to be hip scored and

Northern Inuits born from Jan 2009 are to be elbow 

scored,and have received a satisfactory result before 

being bred from. 

Also remember that as with any large breed dog, 

restriction of exercise in the first year is wise, as these 

dogs grow at a fast rate and this will help with 

unnecessary pressure on all of the joints. Follow the 5 

minute rule. 5 Minutes of exercise for each month of age 

is a great guideline. We as Breeders can only put the 

foundations down in creating a hip dysplacia free dog, 

owners play a big part in the development too.

Northern Inuit’s can also be prone to sensitive 

tummies, which comes from the German shepherd 

heritage. 

This is why a lot of Northern Inuit owners choose the 

Raw food diet, as these dogs do very well on it. If that 

isn't for you then  a good quality natural grain free  kibble ( biscuits)  or home cooked balanced food can work well with these dogs, but its normally trial and error to find the right one.

Retained testicles in males are not uncommon in this 

breed, so this is something to think about if wanting a 

future stud dog, all our dogs are sold as pets only with 

the possibility of restriction being lifted if the dog is of stud quality.

There have been a few cases of Epilepsy in this breed 

and this is being monitored to see if it is a hereditary

condition. I know lots of research within the Animal 

health trust is going on to help find the cause. We in the 

16 years of breeding have only had one case, and 

removed the parents from our breeding program, i know 

many other breeders who have had more and sadly they still carry on breeding.

It has come to light that some lines have the 

Degenerative Myelopathy Gene ...This is not a problem 

if all breeding dogs are tested and no carrier to carrier or effected to carrier are bred together. 

If a carrier is bred to a clear then this will not cause a problem. We test all of our dogs and will never put carriers together. 

Addisons disease has come to light in more recently, and has been around a while, but sadly some breeders have 

kept this quite and its now being seen in some Northern Inuit lines, it was originally common in the British utonagan breed.  

Addison’s disease, also known as hypoadrenocorticism, 

occurs when the adrenal glands don’t secrete enough 

cortisol and other steroids. There’s often no apparent 

cause of Addison’s disease. In some cases, however, it 

may be immune-mediated, or it can occur in response to 

drugs given to treat another condition. It may also 

result from damage to or destruction of the glands by 

some other illness or from trauma or inflammation. 

The hormones secreted by the adrenal glands are 

involved in helping to regulate normal body functions 

such as metabolism, fluid and electrolyte balance for 

kidney function, blood pressure, appetite stimulation 

and more. When those hormones aren’t on the job, dogs 

can develop a variety of health problems. 

Addison’s isn’t common, thank goodness, but trying to get a handle on it can really put veterinarians through their paces.

The problem is that symptoms can differ wildly from 

dog to dog — and in some cases, Addison’s can look like 

other diseases. 

Signs such as lethargy; muscle weakness; lack of appetite; drinking and urinating more than normal; occasional vomiting and diarrhoea; and weight loss are common to many other disorders. 

There’s a reason that Addison's is nicknamed “The Great Pretender.” 

If the disease goes unrecognised, though, the adrenal 

glands become less and less functional. Eventually, 

dogs with the disease may suffer sudden collapse, 

known as an Addisonian crisis. They require immediate 

aggressive treatment to survive. Fortunately, with early 

diagnosis and treatment, dogs with Addison’s 

disease, can have an excellent prognosis. 

We have had one case in all our years of breeding, and again to air on the side of caution both parents were not bred again as health is far more important to us.

The NORTHERN INUIT Dog Breed Standard

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.

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, great with children, not 

aggressive.

Note. Males should have two apparently normal 

testicles descended into the scrotum. 

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.