Northern Inuit - Yes or No Advise Questions

Hi Advise Sort

I have recently lost a jack russell who run off out of a park and got run over. This has devasted myself and kids. Me with guilt and the children with loss of a family pet.
I have been offered a Northern Inuit by a rescue center. The lady concerned has had the dog 7 months, and has various other dogs, cats and quite a few children. She is telling me it is perfectly well behaved, very loving and good on a lead.
From the dogs perspective I work from home and enjoy walking. I am a single dad with 4 kids ranging from 6 to 14.
However I have spoke to my brother who has said that NI are prone to epilepsy. I have also been told that I could not trust a medium sized dog with my eldest to walk it around the block, even though rescue center has reported no problems.

Any advise please, even if I do not really want to hear it, as I am planning to pick the dog up on monday and take it for a trial walk to see how it gets on.

Jason

Sorry to hear about your JRT

Northern Inuits can be amazing companions to have. BUT they can also be extremely stubborn. NI's are also prone to alot of health problems if they haven't had health checked parents, essentially hip scoring in my experience!

Is the lady you are getting the dog from rehoming the dog for any particular reason? or is she just the fosterer? Does she have the NI's breeders certificate with the history of the dogs dam & sire on it? There are huge issues with the whole NI saga depending on breeders etc

One thing to consider with someone like a NI is that they have breeds in their makeup that are well-known for not having the best recall. If you want a dog that you and the kids can play with off-lead at the park without worrying about it running off across a road, the NI may not be the best breed. However, all dogs are individual, and there is GSD in the mix which is well-known to be "velcro dogs", not wanting to lose sight of their owner.

I don't know about proneness to epilepsy but many breeds have health issues that they're more prone to, if you go down the rescue route then you cannot guarantee that the dog has been bred for the best health. You can either do your best in terms of providing a good diet, exercise, training and other requirements and hope that's enough to keep the dog in good health, or you could find a breeder who does all the necessary health tests on their breed to minimise the chance of a dog that has health problems.
As for a 14 year old walking a medium sized dog, it really depends on the individual - the dog and the child. Personally I wouldn't let a child walk my dogs on their own because they're large breeds (GSD and Rottie cross) but I have let my stepsister walk Kiki (stepsister was probably around 13 at the time) when I've been there with her, and using a headcollar for extra control. I think you will just have to see what the dog is like, whether it has as good lead manners as suggested, whether it reacts to other dogs, wants to chase rabbits, etc. Also bear in mind that the rescue/fosterer could be 100% honest with you about all this and the dog could become reactive or start chasing rabbits in the new home just from the change in environment. Expect the worst and be pleasantly surprised by anything better!

I got the Jack Russell from the same person. The lady was 100% honest, even gave me the dogs bowl, coat, leads and bedding. She was not interested in taking money only ensuring that the dogs have a good home. Milo was a fantastic dog even though we only had him a relatively short time.

She has said that I can have the cage for the Northern Inuit for sleeping at night. If you leave her out she will wet the house but not when in the cage over night. What she has also said if she goes shopping she leaves the dog in the cage with the radio on.

Again money is not an issue, she is looking for the right home. I appreciate the advise, the lady is fosterer, and has dogs, cats, horses, birds and is someone who really comes across as genuine and honest. She has said the NI has an excellent temperament, does not pull on a lead, and enjoys walking.

What I am looking for in a dog is a pet not for breeding, but to be part of the family. What I am worried about is getting another dog for a short period of time.

Jason

There are a couple of these types of dogs (NIs or Utes) on here who had Epilepsy, it is one of the things that these dogs can have.

Sounds like this dog needs a home - if you get her - put a decent insurance policy in place.

Some of them can be a bit bad on the recall thing, and separation anxiety can be an issue as well.

I would suggest you have a search through some of the threads on here - that should give you an idea of what has gone on around these dogs.

I would tend to be asking why this lady - having rehomed her JRT then ended up with a NI that she is now passing on as well....

ETA - did not see the fosterer bit.

It is the health of the dog you need to look into. Is it originally from a reputable breeder? Do you have any pictures by the way?

Totally agree with the insurance too!

its a bit of a hard one, Northern Inuits can be pretty badly bred as have suffered for their popularity at the hands of breeders who churn them out for the money, you could get a lovely temperament dog with no issues but you might not, but then thats the risk you take with ANY dog rescue or not.

I think you have to consider what you want from your family pet, perhaps go and meet some NI's and also meet this dog, but keep an open mind, take it for a walk, see what you think do not just take this womans word for what its like.

I don't recommend children walking dogs alone anyway, as too many things can happen with other dogs aswell as your own, however it is a consideration for you.

I think you need to research the breed and see if the activity levels etc are going to suit your lifestyle and that of your family, also consider its going to eat a lot more and cost more to insure etc than your JRT did, as its a much bigger dog, there is also moulting ( lots of hairs in house etc) etc to consider and grooming, again a JRT needs very little, a NI more so.

No pone can tell you what you should do - only you can decide if its right for you and your family.

Firstly just to say am so sorry about your Jack Russell. That is every dog owner's nightmare.

As someone who has a rescue dog, albeit not a NI, my advice is: meet the dog and definitely walk the dog.

Try and walk the dog in a busy area - watch carefully how he responds to sounds, traffic, people and other dogs.

Take a headcollar with JUST in case he is not as good on the lead as the fosterer claims he is!

Walk him for a good half hour! I honestly think this is vital when assessing a possible new dog for one's family.

I suspect that once you have walked him, you will have a far better feel for his temperament and whether you have 'clicked' with him

If you DO adopt him, then as others say, immediately sort out the insurance.

Personally I would not allow a teenager or child to walk the dog UNTIL he has been with you for a few months and you all know him well.

Do let us know what happens!

[/IMG]
I have an NI which I got from Dogs Trust in Glasgow. I am her third owner. She can be a bit velcro and acts up a bit with other family members when I have to travel. Which thankfully is not very often. But I find her very willing to learn and work. She is now a Senior Advanced road safety dog and is competing in competition agility at grade one large obviously. She has won 10th, 8th and 7th places in classes of nearly 200. If you are used to handling dogs that are a bit head strong and can be a confident but patient leader then I would say go for it. It's well worth it.

Oh I forgot to mention. I have not seen any signs yet of epilepsy in her and I have had her now for two years. But she does have a wee leak which I suspect is as a result of her being dressed when she was with Dogs Trust but this is being managed quite easily with propaline. She doesnt like getting her her wet though. Unlike my two labs

well.... my n.i doesnt have separation anxiety,is very very clean,does not chew and i couldnt loose her if i tried

that said its a lottery with an n.i as they are a 'type' not a breed so as long as u bear in mind any of the traits of the breeds involved and u think u can deal with any of them if and when they surface(in varying degrees) then go for it...if u dont then choose another cross or breed

eta...she doesnt need much grooming(compared to my sibes lol) and is a lazy mare but will give or take as much or as little exercise as u wish..... actually lets face it,im really lucky with my girl,which is why i will never have another she is one of a kind

Thank you for all your words of advise and encouragement. My plan on monday is too take the dog for a walk over beacon fell, as I have a day of work. However I think the idea about traffic is good and I will walk her in that environment.

I have 3 NI. One is very active and amazing with kids, out alone she will walk well on the lead and generally has very good recall and doesn't stray far despite her very high prey drive (unless its a cat) so it is possible this foster is also that way inclined.

My second also great with the kids, pretty lazy round the house, doesn't take much exercise to wear her out and has quite a good recall also but pulls a fair bit onlead. She is very quiet and apart from the occasional 'woo woo' she doesn't make a peep.

My male is a bit of a polar opposite to my girls. He is fine with kids but doesn't like being pulled about or being grabbed too roughly - total mard ****! He is a gob on legs, pulls like a steam train and his recall can be pretty selective.

All breeds have specific prelevant health issues so without knowledge of the dogs lines and parents health tests it is pretty much just pot luck like with any rescue dog. Epilepsy is one of the more common ailments along with Addissons Disease & Hip Dysplacia. Undescended testicles in males is a very common issue.

My advice like that of others, is go along and see what she is like for yourself and whether once you have met her you feel that she is the dog for you.

I have been told this one is good with kids and cats, and walks well on a lead. Can take it or leave it for walks but does not like being on own for too long.

I will see it on monday and take it from there and keep everyone updated on my decision to take it or not.

Jason

Hi All

I got Tia the Northern Inuit yesterday, she is a great dog, fantastic on lead, and around people. We went for a walk with her and had some lunch in an outside cafe. She did not beg or hassle throughtout the meal. Last night she was crated, as part of the training i put chicken into the cage so it was a good place. She did whine a little but I ignored it and she eventually settled.

At home the youngest 2 kids are nervous around her but youngest is now eating his breakfast with Tia near him . She is quite a nervous dog. I was practising putting some chicken to my forehead and saying watch, when she did I gave her a piece. Also practised this on lead outside.

Only issue I am having is that she will not poo outside the house, despite taking her out every 45-60 minutes. I took her out at 10 pm and at 4 am this morning, and given her breakfast around 6-00. I have now told the children that all doors in the house must be shut. Next step is trying to get her to pee and poo on a lead.

Any advise greatfully appreciated.


Jason

Glad to hear it's going well. For the pooing issue, perhaps contact the fosterer to see if they had any issues, and what surfaces are in their garden. They may have, accidentally or on purpose, trained her to 'go' on certain surfaces, e.g. avoid the grass and only go on the gravel/patio/bark.

I would imagine if she is this shy, it is a confidence issue. She maybe does not yet feel secure enough to go in the garden or outside generally.

Really it will be time and patience - continuing to take her outside, but try not to put pressure on her, and do NOT get cross if she goes in the house, (all this will make her do is avoid going when you are watching, inside or out).

I hope you have many happy years together

We got rescue dog about four weeks ago, for the first couple of weeks he would pee inthe house, he haas settled down and is fine now.

When we first got Guinness (also a very nervous dog) he didn't poo at all for several days. I telephoned his fosterers for advice, and they suggested taking him for very short walks instead of just out into the garden. He did eventually go on one of these walks on the third day. (Thankfully, as I was on the point of ringing the vet as I was so worried about the lack of poo).

It took months for Guinness to be happy to poo in the garden, and even now it's something he will only do if he really, really needs to go.