#primitive dogs

[losech]

I have been looking for this book for about 10 years, finally got myself a copy.

[mostly-tame]

Reading Losech's expensive ass rare book when shes not reading it, I really want my own copy but am very glad I have the chance to at least read it physically and see the images better! Torch is unimpressed and thinks i should pay attention to my personal perfect primitive dog lol

[doginprogress]

one of my favorite parts of the year so far has been Ponzi’s 1st birthday

a couple of her littermates live here in the southeast so we got together with our friends and had a giant beezer birthday party

14 beezers, 1 silken, 1 afghan, 1 carolina dog (not pictured, and three mutts (one not pictured)

Some of them had met for the first time that day. Dogs from 7 months old up to 12 years. All ran around , hunted, and played together for hours with no snarking or fighting.

And yes, the dogs got mini cupcakes to celebrate

[darkwood-sleddog]

Hello, do you know something about the temperament of the Greenland dogs comparated for example to other nordic/primitive breeds like Siberian Husky or Alaskan Malamute? I can't find much about them online. They are so extreme and work-driven as many told and cannot be only pets?

Well it would highly depend on what your definition of "pet" is. If your idea of a pet dog is a dog you can take on occasional walks and relax easily inside with, trainable and friendly, easy to take places, than the Greenland is likely not the best choice, if not a very bad one. If your definition of pet includes working the dog in harness on a regular basis, allowing them to live outside if they desire and have multiple dogs, then they could be a good pet.

For me personally, I could probably handle one after having a dog like Slash, but do I want to? Absolutely not. I enjoy the easier going, more chill nature of the Malamute for me personally and that's saying something considering that while Slash is a good house dog, he is only a good house dog because he is given work year round in some capacity.

I have only met a few Greenland Dogs in person, one was at the time young and ran with my dog's parents in a sled team, very tireless, but affectionate. And the other was a retired elder dog who could not retire to being a house pet her entire life and often found it stressful being away from the working team, even if she herself was not working.

Remember, these are primitive sled dogs and are less removed from their origins than many other sledding breeds. The modern Siberian Husky, Alaskan Malamute, Samoyed and even the Alaskan Husky have their origins in the 20th century and have their temperaments highly selected for. A Greenland dog is the same as it has been for centuries and centuries, vastly unchanged due to its isolation from westernized dog breeds and kennel clubs until very recently. A majority of Greenland dogs still live in Greenland (the country has very strict import and export laws for domestic animals and dogs in particular to protect the breed) where they are working dogs. A majority of Greenland dogs outside of Greenland are also working dogs.

As far as temperament goes the Greenland Dog FCI standard states:

The predominant temperamental qualities of the Greenland Dog are energy, mental strength and boldness. He is a passionate and tireless sledge dog. To people - also strangers - he is friendly, and while acting as sledge dog not closely attached to any particular person and therefore not suitable as a guard dog. On hunting seal and polar bear he will show a strong hunting instinct."

The Nordisk Kennel Union says this:

The Greenland Dog is a true unaffected natural dog with all that this entail. Therefore, this breed is only suitable as a family dog for people, who have great canine experience and who understand the special needs and distinctive character of this dog. In the right environment, this dog is energetic, mentally robust, vigilant and generally kind towards adults and children. It is an overall curious dog with a distinct pack mentality. This breed greatly demands allowance to use its immense power on running and pulling heavy loads. It needs a good social life and the pack is of great value to these dogs. This breed enjoys living outdoors. 

They are often said to be amongst the most intense of the sled breeds, more driven to work than Malamutes, more energetic, more prey driven, more more more and more.

The Alaskan Malamute Illustrated Standard says this about temperament for Malamutes (so imagine this + MORE ENERGY):

The Alaskan Malamute is an affectionate, friendly dog, not a “one man” dog. He is a loyal, devoted companion, playful upon invitation, but generally impressive by his dignity after maturity. The Malamute is a true pack animal with the natural instinct to “lead or be led.” This results in an independent, self-confident and strong willed personality, and explains why Malamutes can sometimes be aggressive with other dogs of the same sex. While historically guardians of campsites and Eskimo children, the Malamute is not the type of guard dog that sees a threat in eye contact or the approach of strangers. Dogs who react negatively towards people do not typify correct Malamute temperament and any sign of aggression towards humans is unacceptable.

There are many great Greenland dog mushers (both in Greenland, Scandinavia and even the UK) that are present on Instagram if you have an account and want to learn a bit more about these dogs (note that some of them outside of Greenland also mush Alaskan Malamutes, this is pretty common as the breeds work well together). Here are some ones that I like:

Dodgesled Taxi (Sisimiut, Greenland)

Arctic Living Ilulissat (Ilulissat, Greenland)

Siku Tours (Uummannaq, Greenland)

Ukioq Soul (Åre, Sweden)

Suna-Sanik Kennel (Norway)

Kennel Tasermiut (Norway)

Ikihallan Greenland Dogs (Rovaniemi, Finland)

Infury Sled Dogs (UK)

Greenland Dog Adventures (Sisimiut, Greenland)

And here are some videos I like about Greenland Dogs:

Greenland Way of Life: Raising Dogs

The Insiders Guide: Dogsledding in Greenland

And finally, an article about how these dogs and Inuit are at the forefront of being affected by climate change (even my half house pet/half working pet malamutes are uncomfortable when my house is heated in winter btw...):

In Greenland village, shorter winters cast doubts over dog sledding

[earthintranslation]

` ♤ ○ . • （＠＾＾＠）

[orcinus-ocean]

Basic doggos

I made a montage of all the dog breeds I could find, that have a “normal” canine body structure. Long face, prick ears, straight tails (or sickle-shaped, as dogs’ tails are nearly never as straight as those of wolves and coyotes), and no short legs or lack of fur.

Just for fun, for my own curiosity, because if you haven’t noticed, I’m a fan of dogs with the “true” canine form, and wanted to see how many there are.

They are...

Alaskan husky Australian cattle dog Australian kelpie Belgian Groenendael Belgian Malinois Belgian Tervueren Berger Blanc Suisse Canaan Dog Can de Palleiro

Carolina Dog Československý vlčiak Chodský pes Cierny sery Cirneco dell’Etna English toy terrier German shepherd Hollandse herdershond Korea Jindo dog

Jonangi King shepherd Kintamani dog Koolie Lapponian herder New Guinea singing dog Northern inuit Norwegian lundehund Pastor Garafíano

Peruvian Inca orchid (hairy version) Pharaoh hound Phú Quốc ridgeback Podenco Canario Podenco Ibicenco Podengo Português Pražský krysařík Russkiy toy Saarloos wolfhond

Seppala Siberian sled dog Shiloh shepherd Siberian husky Taiwan dog Tamaskan Tenterfield terrier

Thai ridgeback Toy fox terrier Vostochnoevropeiskaya ovcharka Xoloitzcuintli (hairy version)

[darkwood-sleddog]

i think people really overestimate how much 'training' it took to get my dogs to be successful sled dogs. Slash's first run is on video right here on this very blog. I had no idea what he'd do, but i just put him into harness after doing minimal ground work and he hauled ass so joyfully. Put into harness with the other dogs for the first time he's confident and fearless. You can hear me exclaiming in surprise at the ease of everything in the video.

Of course some training occurs to make directional commands and leaving distractions reliable, but teaching this in harness where the reward is to pull and run is in my experience 100% easier than teaching it on the end of a leash with treats for my dogs. Mushing is the easiest thing i've ever taught these dogs because for over a hundred years they've been bred with this behavior in mind. Mushing is where sled dog breeds present the most 'biddability'.

They are perfectly suited for what they are, but often struggle to be typical modern 'good dogs' in a typical modern 'good dog' environment such as a classroom (required to be quiet, required to not pull, required to be still) or a dog park (doesn't like strange dogs, plays intensely in a way other dogs do not like, does not tolerate rude dog behavior, expects understanding of subtle body language).

People owning them without experiencing the environment in which they were meant to be in will never experience the fullest extent of good they can be, how being in harness makes them more biddable and suits every aspect of their temperament. A modern dog owner who does not do pull or packing sport with a dog bred to pull and pack will struggle as their dog finds joy in leaning into harness, at how much more active they are in cold weather. Put into a modern dog environment they will always fail to be the 'good dog' when compared to breeds which suit the modern sensibilities of most dog owners more, but their stubborn, cocky, hearty and survivalist nature is perfectly suited to mushing out in cold weather where those more biddable, more 'modernly suited' dogs may struggle and become 'bad' or 'difficult dogs'.

Most of modern society and expectations for dogs are not built with dogs like mine in mind, but I can actively work to provide a home environment and lifestyle for my dogs that does.

[darkwood-sleddog]

You know, at my job we have a lot of dog conflicts we have to mediate around town and one of my co-workers, understandably annoyed by the (growing) list of dog complaints and poorly behaved dogs once stated “if everybody had labs we wouldn’t have these problems.” And why yes, he does have a lab and he is absolutely right because a majority of our dog complaints stem from people that have dog types they expect to act like a lab (be friendly to people, not run off, be biddable, etc). And when these dogs predictably don’t act like the westernized ideal for dog behavior these people turn the cheek, become negligent and uncaring or tell us they are “overwhelmed” by their dog’s behavior (which is valid but then we give them management resources and they don’t comply or use them).

So it’s really frustrating as a “primitive” dog breed owner to see general dog behaviors being labeled as “bad” or “nuisance” behaviors but it also GREATLY affects other dogs to set such a societal preference for extreme biddability and friendliness. Because when people’s expectations about what a dog “should be” falls flat the average person just doesn’t care or know how to fix/manage the issue or how to not look at their dogs and think “bad” and the dogs only suffer for it.