DOGPADDLE ADVENTURES
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Breeding A Legend
Breeding Program
The main goal of our Canadian Inuit Dog breeding program is to breed a tough Arctic working dog that also has a good disposition, intelligent and workable. We never sacrifice a good temperment for workability. All of our breeding stock have proven to be excellent sled dogs. We only breed dogs that have proven that they love to work. We never sacrifice quality, by breeding dogs just because they look pretty or someone wants a pet. We will, however, sell dogs to working homes, and outdoor enthusiasts.
The Legend
Known as the Canadian Inuit Dog or Qimmiq in Nunavut Territory, which has selected the Canadian Inuit Dog (Canis familiaris borealis) to be the official animal of the new territory. Called Qimmiq in Inuktitut, this dog is one of the world's oldest pure breeds and, from archaeological evidence, is known to have been resident in the Arctic for at least 4000 years. This dog has been essential to the survival of the Inuit for generations, being the only draft animal for long-range travel, commonly making trips across the frozen sea ice from Baffin Island to Greenland, and a willing and capable hunting companion.
The Canadian Inuit Dog is perfectly suited, through long adaptation, to survive in the hostile Arctic environment. The breed is free of genetic defects, thrives on a diet of protein and fat, and is first and foremost a superb working animal.
After reading about such legends, is it any wonder why we were attracted to this magnificent breed?
Our First Dogs
Years ago, when we acquired our first Canadian Inuit Dogs, we believed all the hype and false propaganda that the kennel clubs and show breeders were distributing, and unfortunately purchased several of our first dogs through them. Then in hopes of experiencing the legend first hand, moved to the North to live with our dogs. It was not long before we realised that either all those amazing legends were false, or this was not the same dog.
Being let down, we were considering looking for a new breed of dog, but in the North there are several different breeds, strains and types of sled dogs, and soon enough we met a few other people who also had Canadian Inuit Dogs. Some, whose dogs could even live up to their reputation. Meeting these dogs, rekindled our hope and we began our quest to find out what was wrong with our dogs.
Modern History
In the 1800s and early 1900s this breed was in high demand for polar expeditions, both in the north and in the south. When snowmobiles came into use and the Inuit were forced into government approved communities, the population numbers started rapidly declining. In the 1950s, estimates were given that there were approximately 20,000 dogs living in the Canadian Arctic, and breed registries, such as the CKC and the AKC began showing the dogs. However by 1959 the AKC dropped the breed from its registry because of extremely low numbers. By 1963 there was supposedly only one dog registered with the CKC, and when this dog died there were still no others registered. But the breed was still healthy in it's northern habitat in remote communities, away from the interference of modern society.
The EDRF (Eskimo Dog Research Foundation) was founded in 1972 by William Carpenter and John McGrath and was largely funded by the Canadian Government and the Northwest Territories, with some support from the CKC. The EDRF purchased dogs (about 200) from remote Inuit camps on Baffin Island, Boothia Peninsula, and Melville Peninsula. The EDRF then began breeding dogs in order to increase numbers, and provided registries, like the CKC, with new breeding stock. The EDRF was not the only organization or individuals who worked to save this breed, but it is the one that is most often credited.
Sadly, however, the kennel clubs and breeders began to change this magnificent breed for the worse. They adopted a "standardized" breed description, and began breeding to fit their "standard", leaving behind all the traits that made this breed a legend. In only a matter of a few generations the kennel club registered Canadian Inuit (Eskimo) Dogs have become a mere shadow of their former glory.
Show Dog vs Work Dog
We learned the hard way that, attempting to purchase a working dog from a show dog/kennel club breeder, is at best a high stakes gamble. These dogs run the risk of passing on less than desirable qualities, and perhaps joining other rescued dogs whose numbers are growing.
There is a huge difference between show quality and working quality dogs. If all you want is a pet, then getting a show quality dog may be acceptable, but if you actually want to use the dog for what it was designed for, find a working quality dog, from a breeder who depends highly on their dogs in daily life.
Use caution, many show dog breeders also claim their dogs to be working dogs. But just because the owner once put her dogs in harness, or even runs them around a trail a couple of times a week, doesn’t make her stock working sled dogs. It makes them exercised pets.
Obviously then, extreme care must be taken when choosing a kennel from which to purchase your Canadian Eskimo/Inuit Dog. There are many show breeders that are only interested in selling a dog, any dog, no matter the quality. They are only interested in making money. Although we all have to earn a living, there is no reason to sacrifice quality. Be wary of breeders who quote their membership in any particular organization, as enough proof of their credibility. There have been many broken hearts from buyers that have been promised registration papers, show quality dogs, and even working quality dogs from breeders, who belong to show dog clubs and organizations. Then, to pursue a legal battle over the broken promises and misunderstandings, will cost thousands of dollars, and lost income from many days of missed work. It is just not worth it!
Many of these show dog kennels have all the colourfull and flashy new equipment that is alluring to potential buyers. They have bright and shiny web sites that say all the right things to make the sale, just like a used car salesman. There are numerous horror stories of dogs coming from "reputable" kennel club breeders, that tend to give all breeders a bad name. We have witnessed first hand the dogs which come from CED breeders who register their dogs with the CKC, and the shady business practices which they use. Our first two Canadian Eskimo Dogs were purchased from a kennel in Ontario, which registered thier dogs with the CKC. We went to visit the breeder and her dogs, and found that she had a nice kennel set up, with a large fenced in exercise area. The breeder had the puppies separated from their mothers and in pens away from the main kennel area. We asked lots of questions and finally chose our two puppies based on the breeders answers. Soon after we got our new family additions home, we took them to the Vet to get their vaccinations and get started on a deworming programme. The Vet informed us that our new puppies were over-ridden with Coccidiosis (often fatal in puppies), and warned us that it may be transmitted to our children. We immediately phoned the breeder to warn them because they also had children and we were hoping to prevent any dangerous infections to children. The Breeder was very curt with us and did not even seem to care. She refused all common courtesy and basically told us that the dogs were now ours and she had nothing to do with them anymore. The pups lost a lot of growth and were quite small their entire lives, but we loved them just the same. An honest, reputable breeder guarantees their dogs and will help if the Veterinarian finds a problem. It took eight years before we got the registration for the pups. There was always an excuse.
Well, we learned our lesson (or so we thought) and went to a different breeder. We made arrangements to aquire several more dogs to put together a team, and unfortunately for us, the dogs were not to the standard or even the correct gender that the breeder promised. Several dogs from this very prominent, well known breeder of CKC registered Canadian Eskimo Dogs arrived extremely malnourished, and terrified of humans. But I have a soft heart and worked with the dogs, spending enormous amounts of time and money struggling to get the dogs into good health. Some of the puppies arrived sick and died within a few days. There was one adult dog that, for days after arriving, excreted fine gravel that she had been fed before shipping (a common tactic used by criminal livestock traders to falsely increase the weight of livestock). This dog lost so much blood that she almost died. The vet bills quickly added up. When the breeder was questioned, she usually ignored it and said that it is a normal thing. It is definitely not normal, healthy, or humane, but yet this prominent breeder continues to con others with her golden tongue, and pretty pictures. Some of the business practices of these breeders leave much to be desired.
Several times we chose dogs or puppies from breeders of CKC registered dogs, only to find that the pups and dogs we chose were not the ones that were shipped to us. Not to mention the times when one breeder of CKC registered dogs would come to our home weeks later claiming that she changed her mind wanted the dog back, and exchanged the dog that we purchased, and which our children had bonded to, leaving us a problem dog or an abused dog in it's place. It is heartbreaking to the children to have bonded so closely with a dog, only to have it taken away and an abused dog left in it's place. The abused dog was so terrified of humans that it would bite.
We finally learned our lesson. No longer would we ever purchase dogs from anyone who belonged to a kennel club, especially a kennel club that promoted show dogs and a closed, limited, genetic pool.
This does not mean that all breeders are bad, only that the buyer should be very cautious and investigate first. Find references from working kennels, not show kennels or pet owners, or better yet travel to the kennel and witness the dog working first hand. The most common complaint, from people who tried to purchase a working dog from a show dog kennel, is that the dog does not live up to it's reputation.
Purchase agreements are another area of concern. While it is good to get written guarantees of health, it is not always in the buyer's best interest to sign a contract which gives legal control of your dog to the Breeder that you are purchasing from. Your dog is your dog!
Although most people in the south highly value the registration of a dog in a specific club or organization, it is really a moot point as far as working dogs are concerned. It is best to put the registration certificate on the floor and use it to paper train the new puppy, because that is all it is worth. Then again, newspaper is cheaper and has a lot more useful information.
Population
One of the most common arguments that show dog breeders use to sway the uninformed buyer, is to tell them that they are trying to save the breed, and that with out show dog breeders the breed would go extinct. This is obviously a blatant falacy. The breed is still healthy in it's northern habitat in remote communities, away from the interference of kennel clubs and breed registry clubs, who vainly believe that the Canadian Eskimo/Inuit Dog would go extinct if not for their interference.
Contrary to popular belief, perpetrated by show dog kennels and clubs, there are many breeders and specimins of this magnificent breed. Although this breed is rare, it's population is healthy and stable. The breed is in use still today, performing everything from it's original functions in the arctic, to use in tourism and by hobby mushers. There are two distinct types of this breed, the Working type which is the most common, and the registered show dog type which has a small following. This breed existed long before the breed registry organizations and it will exist long after. People travelling through remote arctic communities may witness for themselves this indiginous breed in it's natural habitat. Most show dog clubs do not recognize the dogs from these northern communities as purebred, but it is from these communities that they obtained their first specimins of the breed. The truth is that these dogs are spread all through the Canadian arctic and sub arctic. They are still used today for their traditional work of hunting polar bears and hauling sledges, to running trapline trails below the treeline. Contrary to popular opinion, the Canadian Eskimo/Inuit dog will not go extinct if show dog registries do not get involved, in fact, the more that show dog registries get involved, the more drastic the plight of this noble breed. Perhaps a small analogy will help to illustrate the point. Not many people in the kennel clubs own Border Collies, but a drive across the Canadian praries will reveal thousands of actual working, healthy, hearty specimins, and that they are definitely not going extinct. It is the same with the Working Canadian Eskimo/Inuit Dog in the North.
Genetic Defects
Prior to the involvement of kennel clubs, the Canadian Inuit/Eskimo Dog had no genetic defects. Breeding was controlled only by Inuit ideals and natural selection. For example if the dog did not have a proper coat, then it died in the harsh arctic climate, and was subsequently not able to pass on it's genes. The dogs were never bred for looks. They were bred for survival, to do the work required to help their human counterparts to survive. After the involvement of kennel clubs, the Inuit Dog's genetic heritage was severly compromised, and it began showing defects similar to other show dog breeds. This occured when the CKC took a very small genetic cross section of the Inuit Dog and selectively bred the dogs for show, pet, and pet temperment, which eventually brought about a domestic version of the Inuit Dog.
Canadian Eskimo/Inuit Dogs bred for appearance often lack the physical and mental attributes necessary to make a good sled dog. Hence, many Working Candian Inuit Dog owners strongly oppose the idea of CKC registration. If the need should arise that you have to expand your kennel's genentics, then make arrangements with another working kennel. Purebred show dog registries have such a narrow field of genetics to draw from that it may not even help, in point of fact you may just be doing more damage to your pedigree lines. Should you find that you have no choice, and feel that you must use such limited genetics, then use extreme caution, and test each specimine that you plan to use, based on their individual ability as well as the lineal sucesses. Do not base your breeding decisions solely on kennel club titles such as Champion or Sled Dog Excellent. The responsible breeder will always try to improve their genetics, protecting the Canadian Inuit Dog from turning into a mere show dog.
"Champions"
Another strategy employed by show dog breeders is that their dogs are "champions." In the show ring, dogs earn their “champion” titles based on how they look, judged by people who have little to no experience with the actual breed, let alone having any experience in working the breed. These judges are not qualified in any respect to give out champion titles to a working breed. Show dogs earn points by being graded against the other dogs in the show, which means that often times the shows are stacked to favour a particular dog, just so that it can get a title and the breeder can charge more for the puppies.
In all actuality, show dog breeders are nothing more than a rich man's Puppy Mill, selling low quality dogs for very high prices.
Owners of working dogs know that form always follows function, not the other way around. How many times have we seen a pretty show dog, with the title of “Champion”, that could not do the work that the breed is known for, even if a piece of meat were hung in front of it’s nose. Conscientious Working Dog breeders would never lower their standards and breed a show quality dog.
But then again, Show Dogs are pretty!
Socio-Political Issues
There are many ongoing socio-political arguments about the Canadian Eskimo/Inuit Dog, everything from it's name to breeding practices is argued about. We prefer not to get involved too deeply in such arguments, as they are often counter productive.
The only issue that we are concerned with is preserving this magnificent breed's working heritage through proper breeding.
Remember, the quickest and surest way to ruin a breed, is to breed it for the show ring!
A Working Dog
After several discussions with other mushers of Canadian Inuit Dogs, we eventually came to the conclusion that dogs bred for the show ring were not only lacking in some of the physical traits of the traditional Canadian Inuit Dog, but were missing the most vital element of their legendary ancestors, that of the proper mentality and spirit.
It was at that moment that we decided to be true to this majestic breed and the legend of it's ancestors. From that moment on we always bred as close to the legends as possible, and it has paid off!
This has led us to discover another aspect of the psychology of the Canadian Inuit Dog. It is never completely happy unless it can do what it was born to do. Our philosophy is that no dog is truly happy unless it is allowed to contribute in a healthy manner to it's family, therefore we always try to place our puppies in working homes only.
Physical Attributes
A properly bred "working" Canadian Inuit Dog is physically tough. I mean really tough. A dog that can run for days, pulling heavy loads, in one of the most extreme climates on earth.
Mentality
The legendary Canadian Inuit Dog has a mind as tough as it's body, capable of handling the most intense stresses, and will continue to work even with injuries. This may seem harsh by today's standards, but imagine an injured dog, being lovingly taken out of his harness to be carried in the sled, then whimpering the entire time it is being carried. Then fearing that the dog may make the injury worse by struggling, the musher stops and lets the dog out of the sled, only to find the dog limping back into it's place in the team and refusing to go back to the sled.
Spirit
There is one line that I think says it all.
Written on a statue in New York, USA, is a tribute to the dogs who delivered the life saving dyptheria syrum to Nome, Alaska. It says in part,
"Dedicated to the indominable spirit of the sled dog."
Our BreedingProgramme
By careful selectiving specimines that meet these ideals, we have found great sucess in producing dogs that are living legends in their own time.
We do not breed our dogs to sell them. Our breedings are well planned and we only breed our dogs for our own use or for others who are beginning teams of their own. Then if there are extra puppies from the litter, occassionally we will offer them to the homes of outdoor enthusiasts. We do not sell dogs!
Help Us Keep This Breed True to It's Heritage
The Working Canadian Inuit Dog is a very unique breed. It has been kept sound, functional, and relatively unchanged because of responsible people who have cared about its heritage. The major goal and purpose of DogPaddle Adventures is to maintain the Canadian Inuit/Eskimo Dog as the wonderful working dog that it has been for more than 1000 years. The real future of the Eskimo/Inuit Dog, however, depends on all owners and breeders, who will hopefully share a strong dedication to preserving the Canadian Eskimo/Inuit Dog as the sound working breed it has been for many generations, and hopefully will be for many more generations yet to come!
For information about other organizations that are also opposed to kennel club registration, may we suggest the following links:
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