Tamaskan

A group of British breeders undertook a project in the 1980s to develop a new dog breed with a wolf-like appearance. The Tamaskan was one of the results of that effort, which combined German Shepherds, Siberian Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes, and Samoyeds to create new breeds.

These dogs are highly trainable and make excellent working dogs due to their intelligence and strength. They have also excelled at agility and other dog sports.

Tamaskans are not a good fit for first-time dog owners or owners who primarily like to unwind and relax with their dog on the couch over the weekend. Because of their high energy levels, these dogs need regular exercise and mentally challenging jobs or activities to truly thrive. Socialization at an early age, together with proper training, is important for your Tamaskan to be happy, healthy, and well-adjusted.

Tamaskans are loyal and sensitive dogs that respond best to positive reinforcement. Harshly punishing this dog can have the opposite effect and result in more mischief from your dog. These dogs can suffer from high separation anxiety and may be best suited for active single people or families that want a daily companion.

Owning A Tamaskan: 3 Pros And Cons

Size And Weight

Tamaskans are a large dog breed. Males are larger than females and typically weigh between 66 and 99 pounds and are between 25 and 28 inches tall. Females weigh between 50 and 84 pounds and are between 24 and 27 inches tall.

Common Health Issues

Overall, the Tamaskan is a healthy breed. They were created using hearty breeds, so most don’t suffer from serious health concerns. However, because Tamaskans are still a relatively new breed, we don’t know everything about their health concerns. Below are a few conditions that Tamaskans may be more prone to.

Epilepsy is one of the most prevalent brain-related diseases that impacts dogs. In fact, between 0.5% and 5% of the overall dog population suffers from this neurological condition. Much like humans, canine epilepsy involves seizures. Genetic defects, brain formation issues, and environmental conditions can all contribute to epilepsy in Tamaskan dogs.

Humans sometimes exhibit changes in behavior or other bodily changes before the onset of a seizure. Unfortunately, dogs do not exhibit symptoms that can reliably predict when a seizure is imminent. However, two different types of seizures will impact the effects and courses of treatment for your dog.

General seizures impact both sides of a dog’s brain and can involve tics or other unexpected muscular movements. Your dog may also drool, urinate, or defecate during a general seizure. In contrast, a focal seizure affects only one side or one specific area of a dog’s body. These seizures commonly involve twitches or chewing movements in your dog’s face.

Hip Dysplasia is unfortunately a common condition for large- and giant-sized dogs. In a normal dog, its hip includes a ball and socket that slide smoothly back and forth while your pup walks. For dogs suffering from hip dysplasia, the ball and socket do not come together correctly. Instead of a smooth motion, the hip bones rub and grind together.

Over time, your dog’s hip will wear down, and the joint can deteriorate completely. This condition is painful for your pet and will eventually lead to a loss of mobility in his or her legs. However, careful exercise and proper nutrition can help to slow the progression of this condition.

Tamaskan dogs, similar to their German Shepherd ancestors, can also suffer from Degenerative Myelopathy. This condition affects a dog’s back and spinal cord and causes a loss of function in its back legs. This disease generally only appears between the ages of 8 and 14 in most dogs.

However, it does get progressively worse over time. During the initial onset, dogs with this condition will appear to wobble or lose their balance while walking. As your pet continues to age, its hind legs will stop working, and it will have to drag them behind it.

This degeneration occurs because your dog’s own immune system attacks and damages the fibers and nerves in the spine. Unfortunately, there is no cure for degenerative myelopathy, but physical therapy and supportive care can help slow its progression and maintain quality of life. Eventually, the immune system will harm the nerves that your dog needs to breathe, resulting in death.

Temperament And Behavior

Tamaskan dogs are intelligent, loyal, and devoted to their families. They are tolerant of children and love to romp and play outdoors for hours. These dogs can be wary of strangers if they are not socialized correctly from an early age.

Due to their intelligence and activity level, Tamaskans need to be kept busy. They can become bored and destructive in the house or in the yard if they do not have a job to do. These dogs do well with obedience trials, working group trials, agility training, and other athletic activities.

How To Take Care Of A Tamaskan

Your Tamaskan’s biggest need is for physical activity and companionship. They love long walks or challenging games of frisbee outside. Many vets recommend 90 minutes or more of physical activity per day for this breed.

This breed would make an excellent hiking companion. They love to be with their owners as much as possible. They can get separation anxiety if they are left alone for more than a few hours at a time.

The Best Dog Food

These dogs are generally content eating most diets if they are balanced properly. Tamaskans are happy eating kibble, wet, or canned food. They will also eat raw food if you prefer a more natural approach.

Some Tamaskans have more dominant wolf genes than others. These dogs may do better with a raw diet.

Adequate nutrition is essential to help prevent hip dysplasia in Tamaskans, as a large breed. Dog foods for large breeds often contain glucosamine and chondroitin as joint supplements. 

Tamaskan puppies should eat multiple smaller meals each day until they are about 8 weeks old. Puppies between 8 and 5 months should eat three times each day. After the puppy is 5 months old, you should be able to switch to feeding them twice a day.

Maintenance And Grooming

Tamaskan dogs are surprisingly low-maintenance as far as grooming goes. They have thick fur, but it sheds only twice per year. You will want to brush your dog three to four times per week during those peak shedding periods. However, a weekly brushing to remove dirt, debris, and dead hair is enough for the rest of the year when your dog won’t be shedding very much.

The Tamaskan coat also has natural oils that help to repel water and keep your pup clean throughout the year. As a result, you should only bathe your dog when it gets muddy or overly dirty from playing outside. More frequent baths will remove your pet’s natural oils and damage its coat.

If you can provide 60 to 90 minutes of outdoor exercise each day, then your Tamaskan should naturally wear down its nails. Nail clipping should be minimal in those instances. However, you may have to cut its claws if your pup gets less physical activity or primarily runs on grass or other soft surfaces.

Training

As noted above, Tamaskans are known for their intelligence. They love to learn and find obedience training to be extremely mentally stimulating. They have also been known to excel at agility events, working group trials, and other similar challenges.

Please keep in mind that these dogs aim to please and have a gentle temperament. They will respond best to an experienced dog owner who uses positive reinforcement techniques rather than stern punishment. Yelling at or punishing this dog too harshly can have the opposite effect and cause them to act out and be destructive.

Tamaskans can become stubborn if not trained properly as puppies. Their high energy can also make them difficult to handle as they get older if they do not know what the rules are. It is important to be firm but caring with this breed.

Exercise

Before adding a Tamaskan to your family, you must understand that this breed descends from the Husky, Alaskan Malamute, and Samoyed. Humans have used those breeds as sled dogs for hundreds of years. Their other ancestor, the German Shepherd Dog, is a world-renowned police, military, and service dog.

In other words, you should expect that your Tamaskan will need a long walk or jog each day to remain happy and healthy. Other outdoor activities, such as obstacle courses and frisbee tosses, can be a great way for you and your pup to bond while also burning off some excess energy. Most vets recommend that this breed get up to 90 minutes of physical activity and mental stimulation per day.

Puppies

Tamaskan dogs often have large litters of puppies. In fact, it is not uncommon for each litter to contain between six and ten puppies. These pups typically come in one of three colors, including wolf or light gray; red gray; and black gray.

These dogs also normally have different designs on their faces, known as their masks. Some puppies have what is known as a minimal mask, which has more white fur around the cheeks, snout, and eye areas. The middle mask has solid coloring around the head, eyes, and nose with only a little white on the cheeks and around the mouth.

Lastly, a full mask has only a small amount of white around the cheeks. In all three cases, the face coloring should go all the way down to the nose.

Tamaskans And Children

This breed is an excellent choice for families with children. They are extremely loyal and become attached to their packs. Tamaskans are also gentle and patient with kids and can make good play companions.

As with any dog, it is important to teach your kids how to behave around them. You should closely supervise young children around all dogs until you are sure that they know how to gently pet and interact with your Tamaskan.

Dogs Similar To Tamaskans

Tamaskans are closely related to large North American sledding and working dog breeds, including Alaskan Malamutes, German Shepherd Dogs, and Siberian Huskies.

• Alaskan Malamute: The Inuit people initially bred the Alaskan Malamute as a sled and working dog. Like their Tamaskan cousins, these dogs are also highly intelligent, energetic, and loyal. Malamutes are also large dogs and can weigh between 75 and 100 pounds and reach heights between 23 and 25 inches tall.
• German Shepherd Dogs: British breeders initially utilized German Shepherds as part of the breeding stock to create the Tamaskan breed because of their intelligence, loyalty, and strong working ability. These large dogs can reach up to 95 pounds and stand between 22 and 26 inches tall at the shoulder. They are excellent guard dogs and have also found a home as police and military dogs.
• Siberian Husky: This breed is smaller than the Tamaskan dog. Siberian Huskies weigh between 35 and 60 pounds and reach shoulder heights between 20 and 24 inches. These dogs have a thick coat that allows them to survive in temperatures below zero degrees Fahrenheit. These are well-known sledding dogs and have been able to work in even the coldest environments.

Famous Tamaskans

For a relatively young breed, the Tamaskan dog has had several famous roles on television and in the theater. A Tamaskan dog played the role of a wolf in a recent Broadway production of The Crucible.