Northern inuits and training... General Chat

after looking on some rescue sites there seems to be northern inuits popping up, more than there is normally, and because of this ive been looking at the breed a bit more but dont really know much.

my uncle is thinking about getting one, whether this is a good idea or not i havent made my mind up yet....

from what i can gather they have GSD in them? does this make them generally easier to train than the husky or malamute dogs? im just wondering, as look wise some can look quite similar to huskys, but people say huskys are harder to train as they are very primitive still, so does the northern inuit train that bit easier because of the GSD in them? do they even have GSD in them or have i got that wrong?

just wondering really...

Can open.....I can see the worms emerging!

They are a mix of breeds - some are easier to train - others not so IME. The ones I have met recently have been very full on and (certainly in one case) brought for the wrong reason.

I think One person (at least) is now deliberately breeding with GSD - but it also looks like she is adding Malamute and the ones we are not to mention!

I have been ducking and covering since i read the post ..lol

i did think that after reading some of the other threads

but just genuinely curious about them. my mum also really likes the look of them, was just wondering i could maybe tell them what they are letting themselves in for if they got one...

A big(ish) dog who will need a lot of training, could possibly have a high prey drive and is pretty much guaranteed to shed bucket loads!

Health is one thing I would be concerned about - but there are breeders about now who are testing for HD etc.

Yes they have GSD in their background.

Yes this was put in I believe to try and make them more trainable than the other northern breeds.

On average most are more trainable than the average husky/mal and unlike huskies are relatively reliable off lead however there are those that do lean more to their husky/malamute heritage and are not and therefore this is something that would need to be considered before getting one.

I have a Ni and used to own a NI x husky and my ni was always easier to train then my mix BUT my mix had been abused and had a awful lot of issues so this could have been a factor to be honest,
I can only go on Shila but she was and is still very eager to learn and please, never had many problems with Shila to be honest.
Isis my mix was a monster has a horrendous prey drive, she is a cracking dog but her issues for the first 2 years were off the scale for someone who had never had any experience of them before, she settled down as she got older and her only problem now is she hates to be left alone.

Both lived well with cats and other dogs, Isis was trained using food and shila was trained using a ball, its hard to sum up a whole breed for training as a lot of people have different experiences to be honest x

They are all very different. They are nothing like a gsd. I do not have enough experience of huskies to compare.

I agree with Tassle that they can be very full on. They also can very easily turn off.

I have spent the last 5 years training NI's in obedience and agility and the last 3 years competing with them. One is 5, one is nearly 4 and one is 2. They are nothing like each other.

I personally would never have another NI. I love my lot and will never give up with them, but I would honestly say they do not have a set temperament and you could end up with anything.

i agree with Abbie i love my N.I dearly but wouldnt have another....but not for trainability reasons...schhh,but she is such an easy dog but then again i have sibes as well lol... my n.i is very gsd like with only a hint of sibe.

u must remember they are a 'type' not a breed not one will be alike in the way that 'pedigree' dogs are if u catch my drift.

cheers for the replies guys, obviously its their choice and i cant tell them what to but i can at least give them some of this info

Is your Uncle looking at buying a puppy? Maybe it would be easier to not tempt him away from the breed but for him to consider adopting an adult from a rescue? That way the recent (if they're a decent one) has had a chance to assess the dog and there'll be a better idea of the dog's temperament.

good idea, ive seen a couple on dogs blog, and some on many tears too. so maybe could point that out to him.

There is a most beautiful older NID for re homing called Phoenix. Sounds and looks like a lovely dog.

One in the mayhew as today ...

I think this is the main issue - probably not dogs for the novice owner, but from what I gather they are being mis-sold to people (some novices) who eventually can't cope with them (possibly due to the variations in temperament). And some of the breeders' motivation for money will lead to them being sold to the wrong people.

I can't otherwise work out how a minority 'type' is ending up in rescue so often, when other breeds that are more numerous and have been around for 100 years, are so rarely seen in mainstream rescue centres. (Abbie will know what I mean).

There's a few in rescue here too (misnamed as husky mix sometimes - originally stray) and I was wondering as Merlins mum is how come such a rare breed has such a high percentage of unwanteds.
Most odd.

To be fair - I would not call them Rare. They are very common as a Type (down here at least).

i actually think its the type of people that get these dogs,and the reasons they do , is why they end up in rescue :-(

and Hiho..... they are not misnamed by being called 'husky mix' that is what they are!

Me and my worms (appropriate highlighting in bold ) are staying firmly in their can on this thread!!

I would never ever go out a purchase a puppy of that cross. There are so many issues (health, temperament, and the people breeding them!) in those crosses it is unreal.

I'd settle for a purebred German Shepherd any day of the week.