So...I'm looking to get a Tamaskan in the next year or two (or three or four, however long it takes) and I want to make sure my lifestyle and home are suitable. I was originally looking at Siberian Huskies, since I have a mix, but after meeting a few I came to realize she's more than a little deviated from the norm and my house would NOT be appropriate for a husky by any stretch of the imagination.
I'm glad I didn't settle for a husky, since that meant I had to look further and now I've found the Tamaskan. =) However, although I love the look and sounds of the dog, there's only so much you can learn from the breed standard. I'd like to meet some real dogs before I make any serious decision, but since that isn't in the cards anytime soon, I have a few questions for those of you living with these wonderful dogs.

One - I have cats. A lot of cats. Eight, to be exact. Four of them range between 12-15 and three of those don't look to be with us much longer. But I'll still have four or five. (to explain this, we adopted a young female from a farm, were told she wasn't pregnant, and bam! three kittens later... Of course everyone grew attached to a different baby...)

My question is: how are Tamaskans with cats? We never (repeat, never!) leave our dog alone with any cats. If we go out, either the dog comes with us, someone stays home with her, or if we're only gone for a half hour or so then the cats get put upstairs and the dog downstairs, all in separate rooms. But would it be all right if we're there? My pup tries to herd the cats sometimes, and they've learned to put up with each other. She has a very strong prey drive but this doesn't translate to the cats. Can a Tamaskan socialized from puppyhood with lots of cats live in peace with them? Would a breeder be willing to send a puppy to a home with so many cats?

I will not buy a puppy only to send it back, and I also won't buy from a breeder who'd be willing to sell if they thought the pup wouldn't fit in (though it seems most of the breeders in the TDR wouldn't allow this sort of thing). I guess this is partially a question for the breeders: do any of you have cats that the pups learn to live with from a young age? would you trust them in a house with so many cats?

And second question. I promise, I'm almost done. =)
My house has a fenced in backyard with a four foot fence that we're adding to in the spring. However, most of the yard is taken up by an above ground pool, and as such the dog we have isn't allowed back there unsupervised. I go out once or twice a day with her and read or study while she putters around, and she has four or five walks a day (depending on how tired she is, since she's still growing). We keep her as mentally and physically tired as is safe, since it makes us all happier and keeps the house peaceful.

Anyway, I know a lot of breeders want a dog to have a fenced in backyard, but I don't think ours qualifies. (We do have a run at the side with a sandbox for digging in). Would the run, supervised play, and lots of walks and hikes (and when old enough, maybe a little biking) be enough to keep a Tamaskan happy? Sufficient for the breeder? I live in a house with seven people (probably going to be only five or six in the next few years) so there's almost always someone to take the dog out if it needs a walk or a run or just wants to sniff. (the youngest is fourteen, so no children if that's an issue.)

This is the schedule we've come up with to keep our border collie/husky mix satisfied, and it's worked immensely well. When she's in a growth spurt and tired all the time, we let her sleep, but if she's bugging then she gets to go out.

Would this all be all right for a Tamaskan? I refuse to bring home a dog that won't be happy, as I'm sure any breeder refuses to send a dog to a home that wouldn't be suitable. In short, would my house be suitable?

PS - wow, that is horribly long. I commend anyone who actually reads it. =P

I personally do not have cats, but I am sure that a Tamaskan brought up with cats and properly socialised and supervised with them would be fine. Blufawn has Tamaskans and Rabbits and they are fine together

Here is the proof on YouTube!

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Tamaskan and cats are fine so long as the owner realises that puppies want to play and cats can scratch. There are many Tamaskan owners with cats. Puppy would need to be taught to leave the cats alone and vice versa. I have sold to people with the large Bengal cats and also the hairless cats. There is a breeder of hairless cats in Finland who has my Tamaskan and no probs there.

All right, that's good to know. The dog I have right now learned very quickly that chasing/herding the cats will not be tolerated. She's hardly ever alone though, and I'm sure that helps. As for the cats, seven out of eight couldn't care less that the dog exists. One of them even tries to play with her sometimes. The eighth cat doesn't like the dog at all but is pretty reliable about staying away from her (she's afraid of her). Needless to say, that one's the one we watch the most carefully, and if she's in a room with the dog I make sure I know where the pup is at. every. minute.

Good to know about the cats though. I was worried that I might not be able to get a tamaskan because we've got so many cats. =S

Also, thanks for the video. Vixen (right?) is soooo good. It took two or three times to convince my pup not to stick her nose in the cat's faces. I trust her not to eat them, but I don't trust them not to claw her.

It gives a great idea of a Tamaskan's size, too. For some reason, I'm never able to translate 21" or 27" or whatever to an actual dog's height, even if I hold up a tape measure. Now I know - taller than a sofa. =P That's good though, I love big dogs.

I think I remember Jennie saying Vixen is one of the smaller Tamaskan out there...lol.

Good grief! Seriously? Ah well, that just makes them all the more awesome. =P As I said, I love big dogs. (my 35 pound skinny-minnie is big at heart!)

Yep.

I still love Vixen though. She was the first red/grey I fell in love with. So cute and beautiful! ^_^

Then, I fell in love with all the other Tamaskan out there...Sorry, off-topic.

Hah, that's okay. You're still talking about tamaskans, so not that off topic (we could be talking about tractors...) =P

The first tamaskan I saw was Jodie, and then Kenai, and then Tums. and then all the others on Blustag's site, and then alllllll of the pictures on facebook. =P So yeah, I'm going to have the say that the face of the tamaskan in my head is probably Jodie's, just because she was the first I saw.

I have 4 cats and my 2 Tamaskans get along with them fine. I never worry about leaving them alone together.

I've had the 3 adult cats for a couple of years before I got Jasper as a puppy. Then when he was 7 months old I got another kitten and then 3 months later, Vixen (who's an adult, the one in the video posted above, and she'd already been around rabbits / cats so she fit right in).

There's a firm hierarchy in the house:

- Libra (female cat) is alpha. She's the boss, always has been right from the start. She's the most outgoing / friendly / confidant of all our animals and she won't stand for any nonsense: she'll happily chase the dogs (Jasper mostly) around the house if she thinks it's necessary (to reassert her authority). Jasper likes to wind her up sometimes but he's always wary of her claws and gives her the respect she deserves.
- Leo (her brother) is beta. He's a bit more timid than his sister but is willing to stand up for himself. He's a bit scared when strangers come over to the house but he loves cuddles and sitting on keyboards when you're trying to type. He tries to avoid conflicts with the dogs but isn't afraid of them, he'll growl when they get too close but won't lash out and he doesn't mind them.
- Gizmo is unlike all the other cats. She grew up with the dogs and utterly loves them. She's now about 4 months old and will happily play with them (biting their faces, legs, and tails) and they are both so gentle with her. She's rough with them and has sharp little teeth and claws but they never hurt her... they seem to enjoy it! Since getting her, all the other cats are much better around the dogs because they see for themselves that they aren't in any danger.
- Jasper & Vixen are both great with all the cats. Vixen in particular is very respectful and never bothers them. Jasper, being young, likes to torment the older cats somewhat, to try to get them to play or just to wind them up, by "wooo wooo woooing" in their faces. However, since getting Vixen he's got a "real" playmate now and between Vixen and Gizmo he's got all the fun he can handle.
- Pi is the omega of the pack, she's a big wimp and is scared of the dogs. She doesn't stand up for herself and will always try to run but she never lashes out and the dogs would never hurt her... she's just a major pacifist. Sometimes when she runs the dogs will instinctively chase her but they never try to catch her... one time Jasper sat on her and she wasn't too impressed but neither tried to hurt the other. Whenever one of the other animals is scared or in pain, she's the first one to run over to investigate. She's very compassionate and worries a lot for the wellbeing of the others.

So you see, it is possible for dogs and cats to get along and Tamaskans are no exception. Since you'll be getting a puppy I'm sure it'll fit right in and will soon learn to respect the cats. Proper socialization is the key, if they're together a lot then there's nothing to worry about. Jasper & Vixen both still get very excited when they see strange cats on our walks and I'm sure they'd love to chase them but I don't think they'd cause any harm... not that I'd give them the chance. Either way, the cats at home are totally safe and I have no worries leaving them all together unsupervised.

Thanks for the reply. Your cats sound a lot like ours, actually. The one we got from the farm who turned out to be pregnant is unquestionably the alpha. She sounds just like yours, actually. Nobody does anything unless Q (her name. don't ask) signs off on it first. She has ZERO fear of the dog, and sometimes they almost seem to be playing. The oldest cat doesn't like the dog and just avoids her, and one of Q's kittens will hiss if she feels the dog's inside her personal bubble. the rest of them will let the dog close enough to lick their heads, and they'll sometimes chase the ball when we're playing fetch with her.

I didn't think it would be a huge, huge issue, since our pup was fine with them. However, when I spoke to a breeder of huskies a while ago, just feeling things out, talking about the pitfalls of owning a purebred, etc. Anyway, she said she won't sell a pup to a home with cats. Go figure. But then, apparently huskies have been known to kill cats they've lived with in peace for years. I don't know, seeing as I've never owned a purebred. My girl, though, well...although she's almost never alone, if she is then we don't trust her with the cats. She is a dog, after all. Best not to tempt fate.

Ahahha, sure why not? How does a tractor compare to a car? And why, oh why do they always end up in front of you when you're in a hurry???

=P

Banjo's a beauty, though really that could be said of any of them. I don't think I've seen a picture of this other one you mention though...

Ha, sorry, I was trying to respond without going back. Sometimes I read too fast and then I forget everything. I meant Wyatt(?). Dammit, now I've gone and forgotten again. I hope it's Wyatt. If not then it's the dog who isn't Vixen (also not Banjo). I really hope it is Wyatt.

Oh WOW!!! Thank you sooo much for drawing my attention to him. I can't believe I haven't seen him before. He is GORGEOUS. NC is a long ways from here, but it would for sure be worth it....

We might be the closest to you--Erie, PA is right on the lake. We have Wyatt's sister (photo on left). You'd be welcome anytime. I think we're four hours from Toronto.

That would be AMAZING. Can I message you in a few months when things here quiet down? Life's kinda crazy right now, and then it'll be Christmas...so sometime in the new year whenever it works for you? I would love love love to meet a Tamaskan!!! words can not describe how much I'd like to.

Ahhhh!! Tamaskan kisses are the best and are freely given to all friends

Yes ... dogs are Tala's downfall, she's so good, but if there is a dog she likes the look of, she just has to go and say Hello!

Thank you so so so much!!! =D I'm so excited now!!! Christmas comes TWICE this year! =P

I've had a bit of experience with lake snow =P Last year we had a three day super-blizzard (yep, I coined that word) and I promised a friend I'd watch her theatre group play thing...except it was in Guelph, so we had a three hour (usually 30-45 minute) car ride to get there. I've never understood why snowstorms bring out soooo many cars. People have the sense to stay home in an ice-storm, so why not in a snowstorm too?
The drive was...interesting, to say the least.

I'll probably make my brother drive if that's okay and if he's around. He also likes Tamaskans, though slightly less than me, and he's the other insane dog person in my house. =P Plus, he's a WAYYYYYY better driver than I am, courtesy of driving to York U everyday for four years.

oh the jealousy...

make sure to take some pictures then