Frequently Asked Questions about Utonagan

This page bypasses the usual “What are they?” all Utonagan owners get asked, because that should be answered on the rest of the site!

Q.  Where do they come from?

A.

England. They are an entirely British bred breed, though some Canadian and American dogs were in the precursors of the breed.

Q.  How much do they cost?

A.

All the breeders in the society are currently selling pups at £600 – about standard for most large pedigree breeds. If you see someone advertising them for more than that they are not members of The Utonagan Society so we cannot vouch for their reputability.

Q.  Where can I buy one from?

A.

Since you are already on our website(!) the easiest thing would be to check the breeders pages, or email any of the breeders, or visit their websites. If no-one has any pups at present they will pass you on to someone who does or will soon.

You may well see adverts either in local press or on other internet pet sites, but it's well worth checking with the society as there are some unscrupulous breeders out there. Some have been known to sell GSD x husky pups as Utonagan (which would give you a completely different and unexpected temperament of dog) others may not be providing accurate pedigrees, which will matter a lot if the worst happens and your dog develops health problems.

Q.  Are there many rescues because I would like to give one a good home?

A.

Fortunately no. There have been some instances of dogs needing to be re-homed, but any rehomees should go back to where they were bred as it is general policy that any breeder will take back a dog they have sold, if necessary. Sadly Utonagan have started turning up in RSPCA centres, though not in large numbers. Anyone wanting to rehome a Utonagan, who for some reason cannot, or doesn't want to return it to the breeder is welcome to contact the Society and we will do our best to help them rehome him or her.

Q.  How many Utonagan are there, because I’ve never heard of them before?

A.

Hard to say as not all are registered. We currently have over 350 on the Society database.

Q.  Your dogs don’t all look identical, as most pedigree breeds do. Why is this?

A.

Basically it’s because the breed is still in it’s formation. It’s been going about 15 years, but if you consider that in terms of dog generations it isn’t so long. We don’t feel we have a broad enough gene pool to completely rule out breeding from dogs with soft ears OR curly tails (not both). As long as they are put to better quality animals these cosmetic faults can be bred out.

Q.  Does the breed carry any genetic faults?

A.

Until recently the answer would have been a resounding no … unfortunately some conditions have come to light. There are not many cases of any one condition, nevertheless we are working hard to trace ALL origins of the gene inheritance and eradicate any negative genes as best we can.

We are also now insisting that all breeders have their dogs hip scored and eye tested.

Any breeder, when approached, should be open and honest with you about any problems they have encountered, or are aware of. We all want the breed to be taken seriously so are taking the above measures to ensure the ongoing good health of our animals … and, of course, be able to prove, quantitatively as well as qualitatively, that we are only breeding from healthy, good quality stock.

Q.  I think I want to breed Utonagan. How do I go about this?

A.

Don't buy a puppy with the concrete intention of breeding from it. You can't always tell how they'll mature so wait and see how he/she turns out before going down that road. Then you'll still have to have all the relevant tests done. If your Utonagan passes with flying colours you'll need to agree to and sign TUS’s Breeders Rules. The committee have a central database from which they can advise any potential breeder of which dog or bitch would be compatible with theirs. Plus, of course, they can then put you in touch with any of the registered, existing, breeders.

Q.  I’ve heard that the Utonagan came from breeding Northern Inuit dogs (another wolf lookalike breed) with GSD’s, Akita’s and Collies … is this true?

A.

In a word … no! This myth seems to have cropped up due to misinformation being passed on as the “gospel truth”. The Utonagan did start off as the Northern Inuit – there are several dogs around today who began life as Northern Inuit, but are now registered Utonagan! However, there have not been any registered crossbreeds. Accidents do happen, but the progeny from them have been sold to pet homes as Utonagan crossbreeds, and therefore not listed on the Utonagan Society register … as they are NOT Utonagan!

Q.  OK, now I’m confused … the Utonagan started off as the Northern Inuit and then turned into the Utonagan???

A.

The Facts are:

  1. About 1996/7 “Northern Inuit” was the name chosen for an up and coming new breed of dog, that had it’s origin in the Siberian Husky, Alaskan Malamute and German Shepherd.
  2. A group of people separated themselves from the “Northern Inuit Society”, and formed the “Northern Inuit Society of Great Britain”.
  3. In 2002 the “Northern Inuit Society” decided on the breed name Utonagan, and thus renamed as “The Utonagan Society”, as they felt this provided some further clarity between the now diverging breed lines of the two societies.
    1. There is also a further, completely separate, northern breed of dog called the “Inuit”, which was causing some additional confusion as those dogs are quite different in nature to both the laid back, non-aggressive Utonagan and the Northern Inuit.
  4. This left just one NI Society which, quite reasonably, reverted to the title the “Northern Inuit Society” (i.e. minus the GB part) who are still going strong today.
  5. In 2003 there was, yet another, parting of ways and the one “Utonagan Society” split into two; “The Utonagan Society” (us!) and the “British and International Utonagan Society”.
  6. March 2006 the “British and International Utonagan Society” disbanded.
  7. Now, The Utonagan Society are definitely still here and moving forward after a couple of committee reshuffles!! It’s been hard at times, but we feel it’s been worth it. Since you’re still reading, I hope you agree!! :)

It really just goes to show that dogs are smarter than humans ... lol

If you have further questions and want to find out more, contact a member of the committee, or join the forum and talk to some of our members.