We get a number of regular questions being out and about with Clara. To check them out you can see our FAQ. But, to save you some time and point out the now obvious, one one of those common questions is how are Tamaskans as Service Dogs. We also get questions about what Clara does as a service dog and what being a service dog team means in general. Fair warning - if you want the answers to those question and a feel good read you should check out those stories and links. 

As a handler and trainer this post isn't about the feel good answers and the underdog story - this is about if you should go looking at  Tamaskans as service dogs and the quick version I’ve said 1000s times if I've said it even once - This breed is far from build for service work, not only are they far from ideal as a standard, but if the dog fits breed standard it is a one in a million chance that your disabilities and task needs will align with the behavior, mannerisms, needs, and drive of the breed in order for the team to be successful. Before we begin I also encourage you to read our working dogs article (this way you know exactly what a service dog, therapy dog, ESA, SAR, HRD, etc. are before dipping into if this is the right fit - less confusion that way).

Now on to dashing many hopes. As a breed advocate I am both sad and joyous for this. Everything this breed should be is everything I could dream of in a dog, but it is also exactly why Tamaskans don't work as service dogs. I love the independent, intelligent, trickster like behavior of these dogs; I adore their wolfish appearance and endurance. But in service work you want predictable, pliable, excited to please dogs that will rarely question or vary from a given task or command - none of which fits the breed standard of the Tamaskan dog. You also want an approachable dog that will blend in - not have people run screaming wolf or stop 20 people in the check out line and turn a Walmart silent. You are yet again getting the exact opposite with a Tamaskan. That said you may say, "But you have one. It is possible, you can't be the only one . . ." So I will address a number of the points that typically come up or should be considered if you are even going to consider the idea of working Tamaskans as service dogs.

 Tamaskans are not bred or fit on a whole, as a breed, to standard for service work in any capacity. There are 4 finished, actively working service dogs in the world as I write this. Four out of over 1200 dogs. that is 0.3% (Update 2023: This percent out of existing working Tamaskans/the number of Tamaskans is still creates the same sucess rate or lower depending on what year/time you do the math). That is under half of a single percent of an entire breed. Then please consider 3 of these four are off of a single line (Saxson) and two are from the same breeder off of a pair of sisters - both of those dams now retired. One out of the four is Clara - the only female, and the first in the breed. You may ask why I am only including finished, working dogs. That is because until a dog works for over a year you honestly have no idea if it will last. This is a sad and distressing aspect of training and working service dogs. Just because a dog has the proper temperament, is trained well, and properly socialized does not mean that the dog will enjoy working, and last through the challenges, stresses, and risks of working. Those of us who have these few, unique dogs are truly lucky and I am beyond grateful for the gift that my dog has been. It wasn't just our hard work and the assistance of those who assigned or directed us to that exact dog it was a combination, a perfect storm. These dogs are not the norm they are the exception.

These dogs are meant for high energy endurance work and require a high amount of exercise. Clara can mush and still work a full day. Being a service dog means adapting and preparing for a vast number of uncomfortable and unusual scenarios including but not limited to sudden sounds, high stress situations, requiring a high level of obedience and trust in these situations, and being capable of calmly completing tasks and behaviors like being able to task while fitting into small spaces calmly for hours.

Photo Captions: The first photo is of Clara standing in harness on the line after a run. The second photo is of Clara tucked into the foot space on a flight. The third photo is of Clara standing next to an operational aircraft (That's All - Brother) on a live flight-line.

That all said it is not impossible, but statistically it is not a solid choice a common saying in the service dog world (for good reason) is need before breed and the skills needed and desired in a service dog are rarely found in our breed as much as a part of me wishes they were. My desire to see this be an aspect of our breed that wouldn't remain so far fetched is what leads me to my second point. The number of Tamaskans fit to work as stable, high quality, service dogs are currently exhibiting in breeding quality dogs. When you are looking for something so rare and special in the breed you are looking at the same dogs the breed needs to continue to grow and develop. This poses a direct threat to the breed as much as we could all wish it didn't. Consider the following scenario - a breeder has a litter of 10 pups. Out of that litter let us assume 2 are of breeding quality. The chances of the 1 service dog quality dog in that litter being one of the other 8 dogs is slim. That means that a breeder needs to make a conscious choice in one of two areas or a combination there of. They can either (1) allow a dog to go to a service home and risk a high wash rate where the dog could possibly need to be rehomed to fit the medical and personal needs of the handler/home (as a Tamaskan needs activity, is highly intelligent, and a large breed - many handlers can not afford to have a non-working dog in their home long term) or (2) they can place the pup with a future breeding home where they will hopefully continue to breed to type and maintain the best of their litter to build on, comopete in sport, try a larger variety of activities and have less hurdles afffecting that progress (the entire purpose of breeding). The risk of the first option is very high and much less stable for the dog, the second is the safer and more beneficial choice for the dog, breeder, and the breed. The only other option is that the home is dual purpose (but even that has high risks). In this case the handler would work an intact dog, possibly need to pull the dog because it is intact and to have any litters (therefor risking their health), and incur the extra costs, duties, and responsibilities of breeding. Speaking from personal experience the last choice is a difficult road that many handlers can not safely take on or afford. I am lucky that I have service dogs in training at my disposal to fill any gap where Clara needs to be pulled. I also never intended her to work as a service dog when I got her, so unlike those looking at the breed for this job it was a pleasant surprise for me - not a requirement or even a serious consideration.

The last point is a legal one and a safety issue. Please check out the Tamaskan Timeline I have on our site for the origins of the breed, but the point we will touch on is that the breed was founded to be wolf like in appearance without actually giving the breed content. Sadly, the originators lied and included wolfdogs without making that information known. Now it is public knowledge, but for many of it it was not even a few years ago. That said some of us just got plain lucky and have dogs with limited or no content. It is beyond terrifying to raise and train a dog for service work to watch the possible loss of your lifeline flash in front of you. Because the working service dogs live in a variety of countries and cities I can't possibly go into everyone's laws, but as a handler I can not possibly say anything that can fully impress the weight of this next point home to you. Do your homework! Know your lines! Look at health testing! If it isn't legal to work a dog or own a dog with content where you are or where you travel don't get a dog with content. Not all Tamaskans have wolf content, but some do. The variety (at the time I write this) is in the range of 0%-40% out of the publicly released, tested dogs. There is not a unilateral breed standard for content at this time (only the NTC has made an official stance and plan addressing content), so you really need to look at not only each breeder's personal philosophy but the exact litter since we all need to work with what is available to us and will better the breed on a whole, not just in one area. In this same thread content or not an educated individual will see a dog, not a wolf, but the vast majority of people you see while working a service dog are the general public. Many may not have even been to a zoo or may not own a dog. Not only are they going to constantly get the breed wrong they are going to call your dog a coyote and a wolf... every day. This isn't an isolated incident, it isn't something that stops or comes in waves. People will badger you, they will scream and run away, they will howl at you. I have worked a vast number of different breeds and none have come close to being as stressful or unnerving and constantly frustrating when it comes to the public, questions, and their reactions as working a Tamaskan as a service dog has been. There is no way to prepare someone for this. I can tell you people scream or run, but I can't find words to convey what it is like to jump out of your skin when someone turns around in a store and screams like someone assaulted them and 20+ people all look at you and watch you check out for 5 minutes without moving or speaking at all.

Tamaskans are an arctic breed. They tend to have a more wolflike appearance and in or out of vest can be intimidating and stunning. While striking this adds a completely different dynamic to working them as a service dog. The high drive dynamic of these dogs along with some having wolf content makes the challenge even greater when working a Tamaskan in some places around the world.

Photo Captions: The first photo is of Raiden and his handler standing on main street in Disneyland. The second photo is of Raiden out of vest on an adventure. The third photo is of Clara and Kelly standing in front of the castle in Magic Kingdom, Disney World.

I know this all sounds harsh and hopeless. I don't want to hurt anyone or tell them not to dream or try, but I do want these dogs to be safe and happy. I never want to see a home fail because an owner was unprepared or didn't look at what the breed is bred and intended for. We are seeing a huge influx of people thinking Tamaskans as service dogs are a great idea. If it is within my power we will see more working dogs coming out of the Tamaskan breed, but it is a marathon, not a sprint. Sheer will and strength of mind can not make a dog into a service dog, especially not a highly trained, purpose driven, quality service dog. It is a combination of temperament, health, placement, training, and good luck. I hope that as we see type forming and stabilizing in our breed, as more breeders work towards content free lines, and we establish more research and testing to identify and hone in on ideal traits we will hopefully see more dogs working and showing off their amazing abilities, but we are not there yet. Until then I know I am grateful for every second I have working with a Tamaskans as my better half and hopeful that one day she will retire from old age and I will work a dog from her lines to build or the amazing gift I was given in her.