Hello from western Massachusetts, USA

[Stormslegacy]

Hello! My name is Michelle and I am here from western MA. I am joining to learn more information on this lovely breed. I am looking to get a second dog sometime next year or so, and thought it best to research now. I have a 2 year-old pit/shepherd mix that I love dearly and would eventually like to add a second dog when he's a bit more mature. I live on 7 acres surrounded by wildlife-management lands with plenty of off-leash trails to wander. I live in the rural part of MA and am working on starting a homestead operation to provide food for myself and my partner. After looking into a number of breeds I've narrowed it down and want to talk to other owners before making any commitments.

There are a number of traits that attract me to the tamaskan, including but not limited to the appearance. I was very happy to find a northern breed that does not have the same independent nature that Siberians are well-known for. German Shepherds are one of my favorite breeds, but both health and temperament issues have significantly turned me off from the breed, it's nice to see a dog similarly described. This seemed to be a good place to learn more and discuss things with owners.

The things I most like about the breed:
-Temperament: I tend to prefer Velcro dogs, and need a dog that can respond well off-leash. I live in a very rural area with no fences so the ideal dog is one that can be trained to come out with me on hikes through the woods and not run off. Intelligence is also a factor. A dog-friendly dog is very important to me, and getting one young and adjusting them to life with cats and chickens is best.

-Size: I’m looking for a dog around 50 pounds, a little more or a little less is fine. It seems the females fit this

-Looks: I love to photograph dogs, so if I can find a photogenic dog that would be great. I'd love my dog no matter what (my current one is far from photogenic LOL) but it would be nice.

And lastly, I firmly support any effort to help stop wolf-hybrid breeding and I do believe if this breed becomes more popular that it could help put a dent in this detrimental practice.

~Michelle

[TParham86]

Welcome to the forum

[HiTenshi16]

Hello Michelle and welcome to the forum

[Rhokk]

Welcome to the forum, Michelle!

[nivenj]

Welcome

[Tsir]

Welcome to the forum

If you're looking for a very photogenic tamaskan, search for Ookami's thread. Your time won't be wasted

EDIT: ah here it is: http://www.tamaskan-forum.com/viewtopic ... lit=ookami

[AZDehlin]

Welcome... With my Tamaskan he is defiantly a velcro dog... I can't leave him by himself for more than four hours, he is miserable without the whole pack home. Recall is something that isn't completely natural but takes working on... No luck with mine but he is in adolescence and hunting is more of and interest than listening to mom. Many of these dogs are extremely photogenic and I highly recommend adding them.

[Rahne]

Welcome

[Tiantai]

Welcome Michelle, you've come to the right place to learn more about the breed

[Stormslegacy]

Thank you all for such a kind welcome =D

Wow, OOkami is a very handsome boy! I love all of the photos I'm seeing.

I realized I should probably have included some pics of my current dog, you can see him here playing with my roomate's Malinois, mine is the brindled beast, Rico:

[Blustag]

Welcome

[JulieSmith]

Welcome, your dog looks lovely. Recall can depend on the dog and distraction, but for mine she does not like to be too far from me when out, today for example she paddled across a stream and jumped out the look if panic when she realised she did not want to jump back in was funny. I carried on up the stream till she raced to the bridge and back to me looking very relieved and happy. If your other dog is good at recall then the chances are that your Tamaskan ( if you get one) would follow).

[Ciaobella]

Welcome Michelle! You will learn a lot about whether this breed is right for you here

[skyedream]

Welcome!

Just out of interest which other breeds are you looking into?

[Canadia]

If your other dog is good at recall then the chances are that your Tamaskan ( if you get one) would follow).

Finch is great with recall when we're walking in a pack of dogs - he'll follow his pack no matter what! He's also really great or when we're all by ourselves but if there are lots of dogs walking separately with their owners he's all over the place (but he always comes back to me...eventually! ) You should check out Rahne's photos - they're gorgeous!

[Sylvaen]

Welcome to the forum!

[Gabriele58]

Hello, Michelle. Welcome to the forum

[Stormslegacy]

Thank you all for your welcomes =D

Rico has fairly good recall, though we're working on a reactivity issue with him which can sometimes affect it. A second dog wouldn't be added until we have that under control. We rescued Rico at a year old with no obedience what-so-ever, so we're still working out the kinks. Thankfully he's got an amazing personality that's helped him overcome lack of socialization in his earlier years.

Other dogs I've looked into include the Icelandic Sheepdog and also the Doberman as I have a soft spot for them. I found a breeder I like whose dogs aren't too big that I plan to meet the dogs of but I'm a little nervous for insurance reasons of getting a dog with a bad rap. I also like GSDs and swiss shepards (WGSD) but the nature of their common health-issues put me off. Lastly, Australian Cattledogs as they have both looks and brains but they can be more independent-minded than I'm looking for. I like Australian Shepherds but find them to be a little too hyper for my taste. My partner's favorite kind of dog is the Sheltie but they tend towards being very yappy and I'm not a fan.

[AZDehlin]

Thank you all for your welcomes =D

Rico has fairly good recall, though we're working on a reactivity issue with him which can sometimes affect it. A second dog wouldn't be added until we have that under control. We rescued Rico at a year old with no obedience what-so-ever, so we're still working out the kinks. Thankfully he's got an amazing personality that's helped him overcome lack of socialization in his earlier years.

Other dogs I've looked into include the Icelandic Sheepdog and also the Doberman as I have a soft spot for them. I found a breeder I like whose dogs aren't too big that I plan to meet the dogs of but I'm a little nervous for insurance reasons of getting a dog with a bad rap. I also like GSDs and swiss shepards (WGSD) but the nature of their common health-issues put me off. Lastly, Australian Cattledogs as they have both looks and brains but they can be more independent-minded than I'm looking for. I like Australian Shepherds but find them to be a little too hyper for my taste. My partner's favorite kind of dog is the Sheltie but they tend towards being very yappy and I'm not a fan.

If your free I recommend going to the us tamaskan show this summer in Wisconsin... you will get to see a huge chunk of the tamaskan in the US and I believe most if not all US breeders will be there too.

[Booma]

Hi welcome. Australian cattle dogs (or heelers as we call them here) can actually be really affectionate. I looked after my uncles blue heeler for a couple of months last year and she loved me. Followed me wherever I went- even changed her name from Misty to Shadow haha.

[issylupus]

A warm welcome from Scotland.

[TeresaC]

Welcome to the forum. Yes, if you have time, please join us at the US Tamaskan gathering this summer. We are expecting a great turn out and this is a wonderful opportunity to meet other owners and others like yourself who are considering the breed, but do not own one yet. Be careful, once you meet one you will fall in love!!

[Stormslegacy]

That is tempting, but the only way I could justify the cost of getting out there is if I could vend (My housemate and I do pet portraits and animal-related art). Maybe next year? I would really like to meet breeders and the breed in person.

Kylievr, my housemate owns an awesome cattle dog, I do like them which is why they are on my list, I just find that they can be a little...too intelligent sometimes. I'd like a dog that's not going to have fun outsmarting me when bored. The personality tends to be a little more sharp than I'm looking for. They're still in consideration, if just the right pair is bred etc.

[wicca1]

Hi welcome

[Misaya]

Welcome to the forum

[4runner84]

Hi Michelle,

I own a an 11 month old female Tamaskan that I got from Blustag. You are welcome to meet her anytime. I live near Boston but I grew up in Western Mass and my parents still live there so I travel out for visits. If you send me some contact info, the next time I come out you can come meet her in person

[Lynwae]

Hi ans Welcome

[Stormslegacy]

People here are so welcoming ^_^

PMed you 4runner =)

[AZDehlin]

I'd like a dog that's not going to have fun outsmarting me when bored.

This is luck of the drawl... My Zephyr, knows how to open doors and his crate if I don't put a carabiniere through the lock on the lion cage ( he broke the regular collapsible wire one I had.) This breed is super smart, my Zephyr has learned more commands than any of the other dogs I have owned and he is only nine months old.

[Stormslegacy]

I'd like a dog that's not going to have fun outsmarting me when bored.

This is luck of the drawl... My Zephyr, knows how to open doors and his crate if I don't put a carabiniere through the lock on the lion cage ( he broke the regular collapsible wire one I had.) This breed is super smart, my Zephyr has learned more commands than any of the other dogs I have owned and he is only nine months old.

LOL Yes, that can certainly happen! I've been lucky to be blessed with a fairly smart dog myself...I had to creatively wire our old crate shut because he learned how to undo the locks >_<. The difference between my pitbull/shepherd and her dog is that my roomate's cattledog can be antagonistic about things when he's bored with training etc, a trait that's fairly common in the breed. He creatively breaks the rules. Intelligence wouldn't be the best way to put it, it's a combo of stubborness and what many work-people call sharpness.

For example on the stubborness, teaching the dog not to chase the cat results in teaching:
no chasing the cat while running
no chasing the cat while walking fast
no chasing the cat while butt scooting
no chasing the cat while lying on the floor and crawling
no chasing the cat while rolling...

Basically she tells him no and he looks at her with the expression "give me 5 reasons why?" He's also come up on the leash during schutzhund training etc.

He's probably the smartest dog I have met, but he has an attitude to go with it that has nothing to do with his sociability etc. It's difficult to explain if you haven't seen it in person. Intelligence and personality is a trait I want, it's sharpness that makes me nervous, and tamaskans seems to lack that.

[Tiantai]

LOL Yes, that can certainly happen! I've been lucky to be blessed with a fairly smart dog myself...I had to creatively wire our old crate shut because he learned how to undo the locks >_<. The difference between my pitbull/shepherd and her dog is that my roomate's cattledog can be antagonistic about things when he's bored with training etc, a trait that's fairly common in the breed. He creatively breaks the rules. Intelligence wouldn't be the best way to put it, it's a combo of stubborness and what many work-people call sharpness.

For example on the stubborness, teaching the dog not to chase the cat results in teaching:
no chasing the cat while running
no chasing the cat while walking fast
no chasing the cat while butt scooting
no chasing the cat while lying on the floor and crawling
no chasing the cat while rolling...

Basically she tells him no and he looks at her with the expression "give me 5 reasons why?" He's also come up on the leash during schutzhund training etc.

He's probably the smartest dog I have met, but he has an attitude to go with it that has nothing to do with his sociability etc. It's difficult to explain if you haven't seen it in person. Intelligence and personality is a trait I want, it's sharpness that makes me nervous, and tamaskans seems to lack that.

It seems that the stubborn breeds have the tendency to challenge their owners for whatever the reason it may be. Always the "I don't have to listen to you" crap until they witness another's consequence from it (such as another dog falling off the tree after attempting to catch the cat in it) and even then some will still do it, just being more cautious to avoid the bad consequence that they witnessed. I've seen all that stuff from Huskies and Malamutes. Hope the traits are more diluted in the Tamaskan breed