#greenland dogs

[wolfslayer]

photo credits

[multyashka-sweet]

Freya

[fjordfolk]

"Obersten" was a lead of the teams of Greenland dogs that took Roald Amundsen and his companions to the South Pole in 1911. He's easily recognizable in photos due to having damaged his ear in a fight with another dog during their stay in Antarctica.

Amundsen's expedition was a right massacre in terms of dogs. Out of the over 100 that were present on Fram, and out of the 52 that left Framheim for the Pole, only 3 dogs returned to Norway and Obersten was the only to have made it all the way. Most of the others were killed for food, some died of sickness on the return trip, and some were sold on to other expeditions.

Obersten's survival and return was, in addition to his hardiness and strength of character, due to his bond with fellow polar explorer Oscar Wisting. He's said to have stood out as particularly willfull and stubborn from the very start of the expedition, and upon retirement, he spent the rest of his life as Wisting's family dog. As the story goes, the family's youngest son and some friends decided one winter day to have Obersten pull a sled in a makeshift dog race - but once their plans became known, Oscar ran out 'in only his shirt' to put an end to their shenanigans (to everyone's great disappointment - including the dog, probably) saying something to the effect of "this dog has pulled far too much for much too far in his life, and should never have to pull another gramme."

[despazito]

ive gotten obsessed with that furry paws game you were posting about. It really scratches that itch of old internet that I've been craving.

Anyway I've been breeding borzois and chihuahuas (aka longs and shorts)

it's pretty neat! i've been sharpening my colour genetic skills with their gene minigame

i'm Lux (#1694448) if anyone wants to add me as a friend, also if you wanna make an account use my referral link to give me some free dog money >:)

[dogfancier]

Helge Ingstad with Greenland dogs Suggen and Storm, carrying packs. Photographed on Greenland, 1932 or 1933.

[darkwood-sleddog]

Hi,

do you know if Canadian Eskimo Dogs and Greenland Dogs have same sex aggression towards members of their pack in a similar way as Alaskan Malamutes?

Same-Sex Aggression is not a Malamute specific trait and is present in many breeds such as GSD, many bully breeds, terriers, etc., although is quite common amongst primitive dog breeds.

The standards of all three dogs (Malamute, Canadian Inuit Dogs, and Greenland Dogs) mention their friendliness with people, but don't elaborate very far on their attitudes towards other dogs. The Canadian Inuit (Eskimo) Dog standard mentions that they are pack oriented which is very true, but also mentions their desire to fight and battle torn ears are allowable in their standard. Historical dog sledding accounts describe these dogs desire and enjoyment of fighting. Additionally, both the Greenland and the Canadian Inuit Dog are known to be more intense, and more energetic than malamutes. When you get one of these three breeds you must be prepared to potentially deal with same-sex aggression. It is genetic, so there's no training away from it, but in my opinion it can be managed quite easily.

It's common, not only because it is a common primitive dog trait, but because a vast majority of adult dogs are not 100% dog friendly. Many are dog tolerant at best while most adult dogs would be considered "Dog Selective" meaning they enjoy a few individual dogs, but could do without the others. Like this scale of general dog aggression, same-sex aggression is a sliding scale from mild to quite intense, with most dogs being in the middle. A squabble between my two males in the same pack is intense to witness, but the dogs barely touch each other, they've never drawn blood, while if my female were to get into it with a strange female she is likely to go for the jugular.

One thing I will mention is that with the primitive dog in a modern environment they are often interacting with other strange dogs that are not raised in a pack environment who thus have a poor understanding of intra-dog communication and language. Dogs who are raised with a related family pack of dogs act so much differently than those raised without. Intra-dog communication is often more subtle and I personally find my dogs raised in family pack environments value politeness. Bold, overly rude behavior as is present in many solo-raised modern dogs is not desirable to them, is considered very rude, and is therefore something to be corrected which can sometimes exhibit as aggression. To them, it is puppy behavior gone unchecked in a mature dog, like an asshole who gets in your face for no reason as if they've never been taught manners. I mean, I would react quite poorly if some random stranger came running up to me and got in MY face, so I don't fault my dogs for this behavior.

[ghost-faces]

edward gow

[kangals]

What's your thoughts on American Indian dogs? (This is a picture of 2 of them that came into the pet supply store I used to work at).

im gonna be honest, i know they exist but not much beyond that - they're not a breed i find particularly interesting, so i haven't looked into them. are these the same things as native american indian dogs, or are those different? there's sooo many of these generic-husky-shepherdy-wolfy projects that i can never remember what is what. but at least with NAIDs i'm pretty sure i remember some bullshit going around recently with a breeder(s?) claiming their dogs had no wolf content when they actually had a significant amount, which is, uh, wildly unethical.

i'm also innately distrustful of any sort of 'historic breed recreation' like this because they tend to be a very... almost fetishistic sort of project. especially considering this is supposed to be a recreation of the dogs that lived with native americans and first nations. are native people actually involved in this project and helping with guidance and direction? or is this just yet another case of Dog People deciding that a historic, landrace breed should Actually Look Like This and ignoring their place of origin? are we actually studying the historic dogs and using the modern american village dogs and rez dogs that still exist today as our founders? or are we just mashing wolfy-looking breeds together because wolves = majestic = totally native american?

idk man i'd love to be proven wrong here, so if someone can refute this and show me that this is a project sanctioned by actual native peoples and with a concise goal in mind, cool. but my surface impression has been more or less that it's Dog People playing dress-up with wolfy-looking dogs under the guise of claiming it's a breed recreation.

[colonellickburger]

Jacob Aue Sobol. A hunter and his dog sled, Tiniteqilaaq, Greenland, 2000

[davidstanleytravel]

Ilulissat, Greenland, is said to have almost as many sled dogs as people.

[losech]

Hi, how much is the level of obedience and docilty of Laika breeds in average comparated to other primitive dogs as sleddogs types like Siberian Husky, Greenland Dog and Alaskan Malamute?

Compared to the average pet Siberian that most people are familiar with, WSL are much more biddable and a bit less hectic. They are still independent, agile, drivey, LOUD working dogs who need an outlet, but all those "funny" videos of Siberians causing chaos in the average pet owner's home is not typical of a WSL (most are owned by hunters who know how to handle them though). They are closer to a working line Siberian in temperament, however, they can be pretty spicy with other dogs, especially strange dogs. Not all of them are but it's something people should definitely be aware of if they're considering a WSL. They don't do well with harsh handling, I've seen more than a few instances of WSL biting someone who did not respect the dog, so they will stand up for themselves if they feel the need. I've never met a Greenland Dog and have only been around a few Malamutes so I can't make a great comparison to those, but they are somewhat similar to those breeds.

[multyashka-sweet]

Freya Commission for foxjump

[fjordfolk]

sled doggos

[tentacion3099]

Danish soldier from the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol on Greenland with a Greenlandic sled dog

[web-gallery-2008]

[darkwood-sleddog]

Hello, do you know something about the temperament of the Greenland dogs comparated for example to other nordic/primitive breeds like Siberian Husky or Alaskan Malamute? I can't find much about them online. They are so extreme and work-driven as many told and cannot be only pets?

Well it would highly depend on what your definition of "pet" is. If your idea of a pet dog is a dog you can take on occasional walks and relax easily inside with, trainable and friendly, easy to take places, than the Greenland is likely not the best choice, if not a very bad one. If your definition of pet includes working the dog in harness on a regular basis, allowing them to live outside if they desire and have multiple dogs, then they could be a good pet.

For me personally, I could probably handle one after having a dog like Slash, but do I want to? Absolutely not. I enjoy the easier going, more chill nature of the Malamute for me personally and that's saying something considering that while Slash is a good house dog, he is only a good house dog because he is given work year round in some capacity.

I have only met a few Greenland Dogs in person, one was at the time young and ran with my dog's parents in a sled team, very tireless, but affectionate. And the other was a retired elder dog who could not retire to being a house pet her entire life and often found it stressful being away from the working team, even if she herself was not working.

Remember, these are primitive sled dogs and are less removed from their origins than many other sledding breeds. The modern Siberian Husky, Alaskan Malamute, Samoyed and even the Alaskan Husky have their origins in the 20th century and have their temperaments highly selected for. A Greenland dog is the same as it has been for centuries and centuries, vastly unchanged due to its isolation from westernized dog breeds and kennel clubs until very recently. A majority of Greenland dogs still live in Greenland (the country has very strict import and export laws for domestic animals and dogs in particular to protect the breed) where they are working dogs. A majority of Greenland dogs outside of Greenland are also working dogs.

As far as temperament goes the Greenland Dog FCI standard states:

The predominant temperamental qualities of the Greenland Dog are energy, mental strength and boldness. He is a passionate and tireless sledge dog. To people - also strangers - he is friendly, and while acting as sledge dog not closely attached to any particular person and therefore not suitable as a guard dog. On hunting seal and polar bear he will show a strong hunting instinct."

The Nordisk Kennel Union says this:

The Greenland Dog is a true unaffected natural dog with all that this entail. Therefore, this breed is only suitable as a family dog for people, who have great canine experience and who understand the special needs and distinctive character of this dog. In the right environment, this dog is energetic, mentally robust, vigilant and generally kind towards adults and children. It is an overall curious dog with a distinct pack mentality. This breed greatly demands allowance to use its immense power on running and pulling heavy loads. It needs a good social life and the pack is of great value to these dogs. This breed enjoys living outdoors. 

They are often said to be amongst the most intense of the sled breeds, more driven to work than Malamutes, more energetic, more prey driven, more more more and more.

The Alaskan Malamute Illustrated Standard says this about temperament for Malamutes (so imagine this + MORE ENERGY):

The Alaskan Malamute is an affectionate, friendly dog, not a “one man” dog. He is a loyal, devoted companion, playful upon invitation, but generally impressive by his dignity after maturity. The Malamute is a true pack animal with the natural instinct to “lead or be led.” This results in an independent, self-confident and strong willed personality, and explains why Malamutes can sometimes be aggressive with other dogs of the same sex. While historically guardians of campsites and Eskimo children, the Malamute is not the type of guard dog that sees a threat in eye contact or the approach of strangers. Dogs who react negatively towards people do not typify correct Malamute temperament and any sign of aggression towards humans is unacceptable.

There are many great Greenland dog mushers (both in Greenland, Scandinavia and even the UK) that are present on Instagram if you have an account and want to learn a bit more about these dogs (note that some of them outside of Greenland also mush Alaskan Malamutes, this is pretty common as the breeds work well together). Here are some ones that I like:

Dodgesled Taxi (Sisimiut, Greenland)

Arctic Living Ilulissat (Ilulissat, Greenland)

Siku Tours (Uummannaq, Greenland)

Ukioq Soul (Åre, Sweden)

Suna-Sanik Kennel (Norway)

Kennel Tasermiut (Norway)

Ikihallan Greenland Dogs (Rovaniemi, Finland)

Infury Sled Dogs (UK)

Greenland Dog Adventures (Sisimiut, Greenland)

And here are some videos I like about Greenland Dogs:

Greenland Way of Life: Raising Dogs

The Insiders Guide: Dogsledding in Greenland

And finally, an article about how these dogs and Inuit are at the forefront of being affected by climate change (even my half house pet/half working pet malamutes are uncomfortable when my house is heated in winter btw...):

In Greenland village, shorter winters cast doubts over dog sledding