GETTING A
PUPPY
So you want to know more about bringing home and living with a Tamaskan Dog...
OUR WAITING LIST FOR 2022 IS FULL. WE WILL NOT HAVE ANOTHER LITTER UNTIL 2024 AND WILL NOT TAKE APPLICATIONS UNTIL THAT TIME. THANK YOU!
Puppy price includes: microchipping, microchip registration, initial vaccines, worming, Tamaskan Dog Register pedigree and registration papers, American Rare Breed Association / Kennel Club USA registration, puppy pack, food samples, collar, leash, temperament testing, structural testing, photos and video from birth.
Hawthorne Tamaskan only takes applications close to breeding dates. If you contact us at some point during the year we will email you back to inquire if you are still interested in a puppy once we have more firm plans. From there, we send out paper applications and conduct phone interviews and check references. If you would like recommendations on other kennels, please inquire in an email and we will be happy to point you in the right direction. Because this is a rare breed, most people spend twelve months or more on a waiting list. There are places that always have puppies available, but please beware as those places are puppy mills. Sadly, our beloved breed has fallen into the wrong hands. For a list of registered, reputable breeders in the US, please consult our international registry's website: www.tamaskandogregister.com If you are interested in importing, there are additional kennels in Germany and the Netherlands which are not listed on the TDR website. Please email us for additional information.
For more info than you know what to do with about the breed, please join our chat forum: www.tamaskan-forum.com
This breed is NOT for first time dog owners. I highly recommend a 6' fence. I also recommend that pups go to homes that have other dogs as this is a very social breed.
Bringing a puppy home is an exciting thing. Be sure to know the best breed for you before you consider any puppy. Tamaskans are not the breed for everyone. They are considered to be an arctic breed (like huskies and malamutes) so they do have a pack mentality. Because of this, they do not like being alone--so having a second dog, a pet parent who stays home most of the time or a pet parent who is fortunate enough to have a job that allows fur kids to come along every day is ideal! Please be sure you have the time to commit to raising and keeping a dog! Ensure that all family members want to participate in dog ownership. Puppies are NOT surprise gifts. Dog ownership is for the life of the dog!
Tamaskan Dogs are a working breed. More specifically, they are bred to have workability including pulling sleds, tracking, obedience and agility. We find that walking our Tamaskan Dogs every day is an important part of their mental and physical well being. Daily exercise also reduces the chances of any dog for becoming bored, and as a consequence finding ways to entertain himself that may not be so amusing to you!
Grooming is necessary. We brush our dogs 2 to 3 times per week, and bathe them when they are stinky. If you brush your dog well, there is usually not very much fur floating around in the house. But I do vacuum more than once a week. Tamaskan do blow their coats twice per year. The worst is the puppy molt.
Tamaskan Dogs have a keen interest in learning. I would highly recommend positive reinforcement training methods. Our male Tamaskan is particularly keen on a clicker, while our female loves praise and treats. Neither one of them can resist the diced up venison we give them while they are off leash. We have practiced recall with our dogs on a regular basis and taking our dogs off leash is an enjoyable experience, rather than a stressful one because of this training. However I would encourage every dog owner to invest in a fluorescent orange dog vest. Remington and Redhead make a nice skid plate style that not only protects their underside from thorns and sharp brush, but protects them from being mis-identified. Let's face it, we love this breed because they look like a wild-type dog. So much so that they could easily be mistaken for a coyote or wolf. Play it safe and make it clear to everyone whom you might meet in the fields and woods that this animal running around is indeed someone's pet. A collar is not enough. Give your dog the protection of maximum visibility a dog vest offers.
We also highly recommend crate training your dog. It keeps them safe from themselves when you cannot give 100% of your attention to them. Crate training can be particularly challenging with some individuals. The key is to take it slow and not expect too much from your puppy. The crate has to be a happy place where the pup loves to go. The DVD "Crate Games" can be a good resource: https://youtu.be/ebjBo_spqG0
Many young Tamaskan do experience motion sickness. This is displayed by excessive drooling or even vomiting in the car. Both of our Tamaskan have grown out of this and no longer drool in the car. In fact, they've come to like the car! Going for a ride almost always means something fun is going to happen! We tend to take our dogs on most of our outdoor recreational trips: wether it be camping in the mountains, or just going for a day hike. All our dogs come along!
Some Tamaskan have shown less of a tolerance for grain in their diets. We rotate our dogs through several of the five star brands. Food rotation keeps a dog healthy and helps prevent allergies from developing.
Never EVER give your dogs cooked bones. These can and do splinter and can kill dogs. Raw, non-weight bearing bones are best (such as wing bones from a chicken or rib bones).
Tamaskan Dogs do drink a lot of water. Always have fresh, clean water available for your dog. Especially outside.
BUYER BEWARE
The Tamaskan Dog Register is the only registry for Tamaskan Dogs in the United States. A list of registered breeders can be found on the TDR's website. This does sometimes change as new breeders sign up, and some breeders leave the organization. Please be sure to check if your Tamaskan Dog breeder is listed on the Tamaskan Dog Registry website. You can find this listing here: TDR Registered Breeders. There are other legitimate registries in Germany and the Netherlands.
Any Tamaskan Dog purchased through an unregistered breeder will not have registration papers through the Tamaskan Dog Registry. Owners of unregistered dogs cannot prove parentage, and generally will not be able to breed their dogs and register puppies through the TDR. Why is this important? Once Tamaskan Dog numbers are high enough and the Board determines we wish to register as a Rare Breed with the AKC or UKC, only dogs registered with the TDR will be registered under the national kennel clubs. In addition, some Tamaskan Dogs have fallen into the hands of puppy mills. Puppy mills are cruel places where dogs are kept in kennels all year round, never allowed to socialize with people, are bred on every heat cycle, and where dog health and well being is the last consideration. By purchasing a puppy from a registered breeder, you are supporting ethical dog breeding practices, and are rejecting animal cruelty.
Our dogs live inside and are most often in the same room as us. Tamaskan Dogs love the company of their pet parents.
THE IDEAL HOME
The ideal home for a Tamaskan Dog has many characteristics. Because of the Tamaskan's nature, it is best if the Tamaskan either goes to a forever home that has other dogs, or one where the owner stays home most of the time or can take their dog with them.
Tamaskan Dogs are a working breed. They enjoy activities such as pulling in Canicross, Skijoring, or Cart or Sled Pulling. Tamaskan Dogs also can be trained and excel in agility, tracking and some individuals are suited for therapy dog work.
We enjoy taking our dogs for long hikes in the countryside. We walk them almost every day and this keeps them healthy, happy and out of trouble!
FOOD
Due to findings regarding grain free food, we no longer recommend a grain free diet. These foods were found to cause DCM, a permanent and irreversible heart condition in dogs. We rotate through Purina Pro Plan flavors and also supplement with whole foods such as venison, sweet potato and broccoli, green beans, carrots, etc. (Freyja LOVES broccoli!).
TOYS
Tamaskan Dogs are fairly hard on toys. We recommend toys of the hard rubber type such as Kongs, as well as Nylabones, natural antlers, and stuffed animals without the stuffing such as skinz. Squeakers are usually destroyed quickly--but they do enjoy them. Please keep an eye on your dog so that they don't ingest the squeaker.
TRAINING
We highly recommend positive reinforcement training. Please consult a professional regarding training and especially for behavior modification for your dog. A great place to start is your local dog club. Basic clicker training can be learned from When Pigs Fly as a place to start.
To apply for a puppy, please visit our application site hosted by Good Dog. We do try to review applications on a rolling basis. But an application is just that: it is a screening tool for us to eliminate homes that are not breed appropriate. Please fill it out accordingly. After we review your application you should hear from us and get several questions regarding the information you’ve provided. Then we usually go back and forth with email a few times making sure you have all of your questions answered and that we have ours answered. If we then decide that your home would be a good one, we will invite you for a phone interview. After the phone interview we determine if we would like to place you on our waiting list. Unless we have a litter planned, we may not complete the interview process right away. It may seem like a lot, but we do our best to ensure our puppies go to the best homes.