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General
The Tamaskan is a rare breed of domestic dog originating from Finland. It is a highly versatile arctic breed of sled-dog type that is known to excel in agility, obedience and working trials. Morphologically, Tamaskan Dogs were bred to physically resemble wolves and they have a notable lupine appearance. Originally coined “the Wolfdog without the Wolf” these gentle dogs are designed to look as wolflike as possible, without the typically associated behavioral traits of true wolfdogs. Tamaskan Dogs should be friendly, social, outgoing and playful, without any signs of aggression nor overly shy.
The Tamaskan is still considered to be a “work in progress” breed and, due to its rarity and scarcity (limited genepool), the Registry has an open-studbook policy whereby unrelated outcross dogs are occasionally added to the Tamaskan breeding program in order to increase genetic diversity within the breed. New outcrosses may also introduce new desirable features into the breed, as well as (sometimes) negative traits; therefore, each potential new outcross dog is carefully selected by the Registries Committee of Breeders and must adhere to strict guidelines with regards to health, temperament and appearance. All offspring from approved outcross litters must undergo a temperament evaluation and a conformation evaluation, in addition to mandatory health testing, in order to qualify for future breeding.
The Tamaskan is still considered to be a “work in progress” breed and, due to its rarity and scarcity (limited genepool), the Registry has an open-studbook policy whereby unrelated outcross dogs are occasionally added to the Tamaskan breeding program in order to increase genetic diversity within the breed. New outcrosses may also introduce new desirable features into the breed, as well as (sometimes) negative traits; therefore, each potential new outcross dog is carefully selected by the Registries Committee of Breeders and must adhere to strict guidelines with regards to health, temperament and appearance. All offspring from approved outcross litters must undergo a temperament evaluation and a conformation evaluation, in addition to mandatory health testing, in order to qualify for future breeding.
Size: Ideal height at the withers:
• Males: 63.5 – 73.66cm (25 – 29 inches).
• Females 61cm – 71cm (24-27.9 inches).
• Males: 63.5 – 73.66cm (25 – 29 inches).
• Females 61cm – 71cm (24-27.9 inches).
Breed Standard
The Tamaskan Dog is a large sized dog with an intelligent gaze who is rangy and wolf-like in appearance bearing witness to his northern heritage of sled dog type. He is a well-balanced working dog, quick and light on his feet and free and graceful in action. He has a well-furred body, erect ears, and bottle-brush shaped tail.
The Tamaskan stands well over the pads; this stance gives the appearance of readiness for activity and a proud carriage, with head erect and eyes alert showing interest and curiosity. His characteristic gait is smooth and effortless, showing good forward reach and rear extension. He is a capable and adaptable worker, able to function as sled dog, service dog, or tracking dog, among other roles. He can easily carry a light load at a moderate speed over short distances.
The Tamaskan is intelligent and a fast learner, however he may be willful. He should be considered a working pet that is both happy in harness or at home. His body proportions, form, and movement resemble that of a wolf: balance of power, agility and endurance.
Male Tamaskan should be easily distinguishable from females.
Faults: In determining whether a fault is minor, serious, or major, these two factors should be used as a guide:
1) The extent to which it deviates from the standard; and
2) The extent to which such deviation would affect the working ability of the dog.
Disqualifications include blue eyes, hanging ears in dogs over 12 months of age, aggression, double-curled tail, male lacking two descended testicles.
The Tamaskan stands well over the pads; this stance gives the appearance of readiness for activity and a proud carriage, with head erect and eyes alert showing interest and curiosity. His characteristic gait is smooth and effortless, showing good forward reach and rear extension. He is a capable and adaptable worker, able to function as sled dog, service dog, or tracking dog, among other roles. He can easily carry a light load at a moderate speed over short distances.
The Tamaskan is intelligent and a fast learner, however he may be willful. He should be considered a working pet that is both happy in harness or at home. His body proportions, form, and movement resemble that of a wolf: balance of power, agility and endurance.
Male Tamaskan should be easily distinguishable from females.
Faults: In determining whether a fault is minor, serious, or major, these two factors should be used as a guide:
1) The extent to which it deviates from the standard; and
2) The extent to which such deviation would affect the working ability of the dog.
Disqualifications include blue eyes, hanging ears in dogs over 12 months of age, aggression, double-curled tail, male lacking two descended testicles.
Temperament
The Tamaskan Dog is an intelligent, alert, active dog with a friendly and outgoing disposition; he is good-natured and seldom quarrelsome. He may be sensibly reserved in initial meetings but is easily won over. Some may be independent. He does not display the possessive qualities of the guard dog, and he is not aggressive with other dogs. Some measure of reserve and dignity may be expected in the mature dog. His intelligence, tractability, and eager disposition make him an agreeable companion and willing worker. Faults: Any display of shyness, fear, or suspicious temperament is to be severely penalized.
Wolf Content
"Wolfdog Without The Wolf"
This was the slogan used early in the Tamaskan history and became the product of much debate when it was discovered that the foundation of the breed did in fact, include wolf content with the use of Czechoslovakian Vlcak and Sarloos in the development of the Tamaskan. After this discovery, the slogan was discarded and the registry and breeders are forthcoming about the content of the breed in regards to wolf content as to ensure responsible breeding and ownership of Tamaskan dogs.
Today, the Tamaskan dog is still growing and many lines differ in regards to content. Although wolf content is not explicitly regected by the ITR and TDR, the registries have certain protocols in place in order to maintain the goal of having very low/no content dogs while having the breed physically resemble that of a wolf. Depending on the line, the content rage for Tamaskans can range from 0% up to 30%, which is the highest allowable percentage of content by the ITR and TDR. The average amount of content in the breed is around 10%. The eventual goal for Tamaskan dogs is between 0% and 15%, the lower, the better.
Although the percentages found in most Tamaskan dogs is considered negligable, if you live in a state which explicitly prohibits the ownership of wolfdogs, it is recommended to find a breeder/line of Tamaskans that have tested at 0% for the safety of your animal. Here at Kaiza Tamaskans, we will not sell to anybody living in an illegal state, for the safety of the animals we produce.
This was the slogan used early in the Tamaskan history and became the product of much debate when it was discovered that the foundation of the breed did in fact, include wolf content with the use of Czechoslovakian Vlcak and Sarloos in the development of the Tamaskan. After this discovery, the slogan was discarded and the registry and breeders are forthcoming about the content of the breed in regards to wolf content as to ensure responsible breeding and ownership of Tamaskan dogs.
Today, the Tamaskan dog is still growing and many lines differ in regards to content. Although wolf content is not explicitly regected by the ITR and TDR, the registries have certain protocols in place in order to maintain the goal of having very low/no content dogs while having the breed physically resemble that of a wolf. Depending on the line, the content rage for Tamaskans can range from 0% up to 30%, which is the highest allowable percentage of content by the ITR and TDR. The average amount of content in the breed is around 10%. The eventual goal for Tamaskan dogs is between 0% and 15%, the lower, the better.
Although the percentages found in most Tamaskan dogs is considered negligable, if you live in a state which explicitly prohibits the ownership of wolfdogs, it is recommended to find a breeder/line of Tamaskans that have tested at 0% for the safety of your animal. Here at Kaiza Tamaskans, we will not sell to anybody living in an illegal state, for the safety of the animals we produce.
Breeds
The following dog breeds (purebred and mixbreed combinations) went into the creation of the Tamaskan Dog :
The list above includes original foundation dogs, as well as recently approved outcrosses. Please note that a Tamaskan is more than its mix, and having a dog with these breeds does not automatically make it a Tamaskan. Just like if you mixed a Rottweiler, Machester Terrier and German Shepherd Dog together, you would not have a Doberman. A Tamaskan is a Tamaskan by lineage. They are carefully monitored by the Tamaskan Registries and very specific conditions apply towards breeding dogs. In order to qualify for breeding, a Tamaskan must be registered and fully health tested and DNA tested (with parentage DNA in the database). Only registered, approved outcross dogs, accepted by the registries Committee of Breeders (CoB) are considered legitimate and only offspring from the Registry approved outcross litters qualify for registration.
- Alaskan Malamute
- Alaskan Noble Companion Dog
- American Wolfdog
- Canadian Eskimo Dog
- Czechoslovakian Vlcak
- German Shepherd
- Greenland Dog
- Groenendael / Tervuren Dog
- Husky (Alaskan / Finnish / Hedlund / Labrador / Siberian)
- Marxdorfer Wolfshund
- Northern Inuit / Utonagan / British Timber Dog / Caledonian Wolfalike
- Saarloos Wolfdog
- Samoyed
- Svensk Varghund
- White Swiss Shepherd (Berger Blanc Suisse)
- Karelian Bear Dog
- West Siberian Laika
- Shikoku Ken
- Irish Wolfhound
The list above includes original foundation dogs, as well as recently approved outcrosses. Please note that a Tamaskan is more than its mix, and having a dog with these breeds does not automatically make it a Tamaskan. Just like if you mixed a Rottweiler, Machester Terrier and German Shepherd Dog together, you would not have a Doberman. A Tamaskan is a Tamaskan by lineage. They are carefully monitored by the Tamaskan Registries and very specific conditions apply towards breeding dogs. In order to qualify for breeding, a Tamaskan must be registered and fully health tested and DNA tested (with parentage DNA in the database). Only registered, approved outcross dogs, accepted by the registries Committee of Breeders (CoB) are considered legitimate and only offspring from the Registry approved outcross litters qualify for registration.