The Tamaskan’s name means ‘mighty wolf’ in the Native American language. This dog breed first originated in Finland and has existed for about 40 years. However, his origins still remain unclear and up for debate as it wasn’t properly documented.
Some believe that his history can be traced back to 5 Husky-type dogs that were imported to the United States in the early 1980s. The breeding programme crossed these canines with Siberian Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes, and German Shepherds. This resulted in the creation of the Tamaskan dog.
Others claim that only 3 dog breeds were used to develop the breed. These are the Alaskan Malamute, German Shepherd, and Siberian Husky. Later on, Finnish Siberian Husky crosses were included in the breeding pool. Note that Tamaskan dogs are not purebred dogs but designer dogs.
How the Tamaskan breed came to be is vague, but the purpose of his creation is not. Breeders were aiming to create a new dog breed with a wolflike appearance but has an even temperament and possesses a hard-working drive.
The Tamaskan is a new dog breed, thus he is not yet officially recognised by the Kennel Club or any other major kennel clubs. However, he is acknowledged by the Tamaskan Dog Register, the American Canine Association, and the Dog Registry of America.
Tamaskan dogs are rare, but their popularity is slowly rising not only in the United States but the rest of the world. United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany, Croatia, and Canada are becoming fond of these wolflike dogs.
Although this wolflike breed is rare, there are a number of well-known Tamaskan dogs. One of them is Tuffy, who became the mascot for the North Carolina Wolfpack in 2010. Another famous Tamaskan is Luchta, who played a wolf in The Crucible, a Broadway production of Arthur Miller’s play.
Are Tamaskan dogs part wolf?
Probably not. As mentioned earlier, the breeding of the Tamaskan is poorly documented. Thus, it is difficult to know if purebred wolf dogs were used in creating the dog breed.
However, even if dogs possessing wolf genes contributed to the creation of the Tamaskan, the possibility that he has a high percentage of wolf blood is extremely low. This means he has the same percentage found in any other dog.