Utonagan
A Utonagan at a dog showThe Utonagan is a dog breed-under-development that strongly resembles a wolf.
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Appearance
The Utonagan is large and well-muscled but with a slender build so as to resemble a wolf as closely as possible. Similar breeds include the Northern Inuit and Tamaskan Adult males weigh around 70-110 lb and stand 25"-33" to the shoulder. Females are approximately 20lb lighter at between 55-90 lb and stand 24"-26" to the shoulder.
The breed has a thick double coat that appears quite different in winter and summer. The guard hair is straight and slightly coarse to the touch. The pelage can be silver grey, cream, or brown with black overlay and a characteristic wolf mask. It also comes in all white and all black.
Temperament
This breed's temperament should be completely sound, even when challenged. They are intelligent, although occasionally strong willed.
The Utonagan is a companion dog, they are not a dog that likes to be left alone. Problems may arise from long periods of solitude, such as destructive behavior and escaping.
Health
They do not eat as much as many other large breeds but are prone to obesity and bloating if overfed.
Some have thick coats that keep them warm in cool conditions but they have great difficulty staying cool in summer. This becomes a problem when walking the dog during hot weather, so owners must be careful not to overexercise the dog and to keep water available when playing.
Utonagan can live between 8 and 12 years.
History
The name Utonagan was taken from a Chinook tale and interpreted as "Spirit of the Wolf".
Until recently they were thought to contain a percentage of wolf (Canis Lupus) but, on investigation by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (UK), have been found to contain only three breeds of domestic dog: Alaskan Malamute, German Shepherd, and Siberian Husky.
The Utonagan was originally selectively bred from the Malamute, Husky and German Shepherd. The aim being to create a dog that resembles the Wolf as closely as possible.
The breed now known as The Utonagan and the breed known as the Northern Inuit shared some common ancestors early in thier history. The two breed societies initially both used the same breed name. The Utonagan Society developed its lines by returning to stock from the conceptual breeder, as such the Utonagan and Northern Inuit are therefore now two separate breeds.
The development of the Utonagan is well under way in Britain with registration and records being held. All breeding stock must be KC/BVA eye tested and Hip Scored
These dogs have been bred in Britain for approximately fifteen years, but only recently has the breed been known as the Utonagan. Although initially record keeping was poor (the breed being at an experimental stage) This has now been rectified with official records being kept by the Utonagan Society of all pedigrees and registrations over the last eight years or so.