Question about Utonagans Questions

Hi everyone,

Im a newbie to the site and have a question about Utonagans. Having done some research into the breed (and i must admit i did get a bit confused between Tamaskans- i know we cant talk about them, shhhhh- Utes and NI's) i do seem to have taken a fancy to them.

I have grown up around GSDs and was just wondering that if we did decide to take the plunge and get a Utonagan, we would also want to get a GSD at the same time. Do you think that these pups would get on okay? One of the reasons we would want to get 2 dogs is that i know Utonagans cant be left alone for any length of time as it causes them alot of anxiety, so if it had another pup to grow up and play with, would this lessen the anxiety? Is getting two pups together better than getting one and intorducing a new pup later on down the line?

If anyone has any advice that would be great!

It is never advisable to get two puppies at the same time and I would pesonally wait a minimum of 18mths between pups especially with regards to the breeds you are considering.
When researching the Ute don't believe everything you hear from certain quarters. Check out as many breeders as you can and only choose those that health test such as hips etc and truely have the furthering of the breed at heart. Try to get to know them first and visit them before puppies are planned so you can check out the dogs and how they are kept.
Becky

Thanks for the advice becky.

I didnt know that it wasnt a good idea to get two pups at the same time, so thanks for that.

Hello,

Where abouts in the midlands are you? we are in Telford but would be happy to let you meet up with Ela (i know she is an NI not a ute). A lot of people with NI/Utes seems to have come from GSD and the two breeds mix well together.

Hi Razcox,

We're in Birmingham, so not too far away! Thanks for the offer, would be great to meet Ela before we take the plunge and find out more about NI's and Utes. As i said, i have done research into the breeds, but theres quite a lot of confusing info out there!

Why did you decide to get a NI? Is there a big difference between NIs and Utes?

Hi

I have 2 Utonagan girls and I love them to bits. Have a look on my website if you want to get more of an idea about them, it is link removed, and if you need any more information e mail me from the site and we can have a chat

Hi Tawneywolf

The link got removed! Maybe you could message me it? Im tryint to get my posts up so i can send/recieve messages!

ooh yes, i came across your website yesterday! lovely looking dogs and the pups are sooooo cute!

Thank you

I choose the NI as i felt it had a larger gene pool and i also owned a husky before so i prefer the shorter coat. A lot of the Utes i saw had a longer coat and there were more black or black and tan colours cropping up. So i just was more draw to the look of the NI and then we met some and i was hooked! We are going to be adding another one in a few months time

Fantastic news, will you be getting a pup? How old is ela when you'll introduce the new dog? I really didnt know that you shouldnt get 2 pups together, so maybe something we could consider is getting the GSD first and then introducing a Ute/NI pup later on.

most dogs have to learn to be left alone,i think you will find that gsd's suffer from separation anxiety as much as utes;-)
as above,i wouldnt get two pups together they will bond to each other and not you.
good luck;-)

Well Ela is now 15 months old so she will be about 18 months or so when we get the new pup. I know a few people that was had pups with only a few months difference and it hasnt cause problems TBH. I think as long as you have the time and the experince then i dont see a problem with it.

Here is our girly:

I know there are more NI numerically, but that doesn't mean the gene pool is necessarily any bigger. What made you think the gene pool was any larger than the Utonagan Raz, if you don't mind me asking?

@ the OP. If I were you, when looking for a pup, look at the pedigrees and make sure there's been no recent father to daughter matings or sibling matings or anything. Ask the breeder about their lines and whether they've brought in any 'new blood' recently or what their strategies are to preserve genetic diversity, and thus health, within the breed.

Good luck with your search, they're fantastic looking dogs.

TBH it was based i what i have read from the different groups and speaking to a few breeders. A lot of Ute groups say the gene pool is too small so i took this from them.

I wouldn't ever advise getting two pups at the same time - it is definitely a case of double trouble, double effort, double patience etc etc lol! Two pups would tend to bond with each other also, instead of with you, and so you would need double time to be able to take out, socialise and train each pup independently of the other.

I know zilch about NIs/Utes so I can't comment on them as a breed, but as a GSD owner and lover, I would stay just stick with GSDs ;-) ;-)

thanks for all the advice guys, its really appricated.

just stemming from another thread i posted on the pastoral forum, do utes/NI tend to bond with one person in the family in particular?

the reason i ask is that this seems to have happened with the GSD im looking after, and apprently this breed are known for this. Is it the same for these dogs?

Well Ela loves everyone in the family and is happy to go for cuddles to all. My OH would say she is more bonded to me but i dont see it! Also when we go to shows and camping the dogs all seem happy to mix with everyone and have a play. I am sure you get some that do bond to one person more then another ( this seems to be dogs more then bitches) but i would say they are prone to it. If its loyalty you want i wouldnt say the NI or i am guessing the Ute is not the best at this. Also when we first met our breeder Elas grandmother met us like we were long lost friends and never left my OHs side, i owe her a lot as it sold him on getting an NI

Goodluck chosing a breeder and your new puppy , (I am sure Tawneywolf will steer you in the right direction xxx) xxxx They are both lovely breeds xxxxxxxx

[mod edit] We love piccies too so you can have a good look at what you like. We are actually right know bringing more of the Founders in to increase our gene poll and have a few litters of Ute x GSD planned for the near future so you could have the 2 in one

I agree that you should look around and talk to different breeders and owners and also make sure they have had their tests done on the parents, most breeders also litter eye screen the pups also.

Taking 2 pups on at the same time is a lot of work so I would consider one at a time, the Utonagan does suffer from seperation anxiety worse than any breed I have ever had and they can be very destructive if this is the case, it depends how long the pup would be left as with all breeds if they are introduced to being left they do get used to it but will not tolerate being left along time with no company at all.

I would say the ute is similar in temperament to GSDs but with a bit more of a stubborn streak and also sometimes a prey drive, these things are all highlighted on our web site and forum... hope this helps...

I should warn you though they are seriusly addictive...I have 3 now