Greenland Dog

Greenland Eskimo Dog, Inuit Dog, Grønlandshund

The Greenland Dog is a magnificent Northern specimen, but he is not what you would call an easy dog. He has great qualities, but one must consider his great need for exercise, and the fact that he is very dominant, requiring an iron hand and great strength of character from the master who will have to impose himself on his dog. Even if he is superb, one must be sure to know the breed well before getting a puppy and be able to provide his animal with the education and space necessary to his happiness so that in return, he can also make his master happy.

Height 51 to 68 cm
Weight 30 to 40 kg
Life expectancy 13 to 15 years
Home country Denmark

Quick Overview of the Greenland Dog

Temperament

  • Rather independent
  • Proud and loving
  • Not very docile
  • Brave and tenacious

Appearance

  • Strong build and muscular silhouette
  • Appearance that shows his strength
  • Independent and very proud look
  • Rough, short and straight double coat

Health

  • Very hardy
  • No particular pathology
  • Generally healthy

Temperament of the Greenland Dog

Like most Nordic dogs, the Greenland Dog is rather independent, proud, affectionate but not very docile. He tends to impose himself as leader of the pack if he is not properly trained.

He can warn as a guardian but is never aggressive. He warns of the arrival of strangers, but his work stops there, he does not attack and nor bite.

Brave, strong, tireless, dominant and tenacious, he must be educated accordingly.

He is an independent and very proud dog in his category, but he is still a working dog at heart. Even though he is an excellent companion dog, he remains very primitive.

He loves humans, but sometimes gets into fights with his own kind.

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Breed Appearance

Greenland Eskimo

Belonging to the Spitz family, the Greenland Dog has a strong build and a very muscular silhouette.

His appearance exudes strength, tenacity and endurance required for sleigh dog work.

He leaves an impression of great power. He has an independent and very proud look.

Height

Between 58 and 68 cm (22.83 to 26.77 inches) for the male
Between 51 and 61 cm (20.08 to 24.02 inches) for the female

Weight

Between 30 and 40 kg (66.14 to 88.18 pounds) for the male
Between 30 and 40 kg (66.14 to 88.18 pounds) for the female

Color

His dress can be of any color, whether uniform or not. However, albinos are not part of the breed standard.

Hair

His double coat is rough and straight, rather short on the legs and head, and longer on the tail and trunk, with a soft, very thick undercoat.

Morphology

His domed head is broad and the stop is quite pronounced with a strong muzzle, pointed towards the nose.

His eyes are dark but in harmony with the coat color. His small triangular ears are rounded at the tip and carried erect.

His nose is dark. His tail is short and thick and curled well over the back and carried in the shape of an arc.

According to the FCI breeds nomenclature, this breed belongs to group 5, section 1 and is #274

Tips About this breed

He's practically tireless and never stops. He continues his work until total exhaustion, if his master does not stop him.

He is very difficult to train because he is very independent and considers himself to be the leader of the pack.

To become a good life companion, the master will have to give his dog a very firm early education and dominate him totally.

The master must impose himself as leader of the pack to get his dog to submit.

He is a wonderful dog that can live in a family environment as long as he has the space he needs for daily exercise.

He has to run free to be truly happy. He is obviously not a house dog, unless he lives close to a field or green space where he can run as he pleases.

Health of the Greenland Dog

Very robust, he is a dog born for work. Extremely strong, no pathology seems to affect him.

He's rarely sick and tireless. This sleigh dog generally has excellent health and life expectancy.

GROOMING

His beautiful, dense coat requires regular brushing. Moulting periods require more maintenance because he sheds hair in large quantities during these periods of the year.

No other particular maintenance is required.

History of this breed

This magnificent Nordic specimen is a breed quite similar to the Husky.

Frequently used as a sleigh dog, like the Husky, or for hunting seals or polar bears, the Greenland Dog is believed to be descended from the dogs brought to Greenland by the first Inuit almost 4,000 or 5,000 years ago.

It is said to be one of the oldest dog breeds on earth. The Greenland Dog comes from the Arctic regions of Greenland, Canada, Alaska, and Northern Siberia.

Archaeological digs have proved the existence of this dog a very long time ago, as well as his Nordic origin. Even the Vikings noted the existence of the breed when they settled in Greenland.

It was the Greenland Dog that explorer Roald Amundsen (1872-1928) used for his expedition to Antarctica, where he was the first man to successfully reach the South Pole, accompanied by his ninety-seven sleigh dogs.

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