Greenland Dog Characteristics And Traits

The Greenland Dog or Greenland Husky is an ancient northern breed originating from the coastal regions of Alaska, Canada, Greenland and northern parts of Siberia. It is a Spitz type dog, which has a lot of similarities with the Siberian Husky or the Canadian Eskimo Dog. He is included in the Nordic Sledge Dogs section in the class of primitive dogs. This dog is a descendant of the ancient dogs brought to Greenland by the Saqqaq people almost 5.000 years ago. They are quite large and strong working dogs primarily used for pulling the sleds with heavy load. This is the reason people often call them Greenland Sled Dogs. They are perfectly accustomed to the harsh winter climate, and can endure very low temperatures (down to -75 Fahrenheit). Main Greenland Dog characteristics are stubbornness, strength, independence, endurance, boldness, agility, playfulness, loyalty, and briskness.

Meet The Greenland Dog

Like it’s the case with all other working dogs, Greenland Dog possesses large pools of energy. In other words, he is literally tireless. As such he demands lots of exercise or any kind of activity. So, make sure you have a plan of daily activities for him, otherwise, well, you know, he will make a mess :) I recommend some hiking or jogging together with your dog minimum once a day. These dogs demand large spaces to feel comfortable, like a huge yard. So, if you live in an apartment, maybe it’s best to avoid this breed. In the case you have to leave your Greenlander home alone, make sure to give him some toys to be sure he won’t do something crazy. Also, if you live in warmer climates, it is necessary to keep your dog in the cooler room during hot days because this breed is not at all used to excessive heat.

The Greenland Dog life expectancy is somewhere around 13 and 15 years. These dogs are very affectionate with humans. They are after all developed to be the human’s right hand. They love company and they love to play with children a lot. They aren’t aggressive with strangers and they rarely bark. This is the reason they are not suitable for guard dogs. However, they howl from time to time, which can be very annoying. Also, they have a strong prey drive, so make sure you keep your Greenlander off of the cats and other small animals. Tell your neighbors to watch out their pets! Also, need to warn you that they can be very aggressive with other dogs, especially of the same sex. So, the proper training and socialization is a must, but Gronlandhund is very stubborn and hard to train. It will demand days of hard work to teach this buddy even the most casual commands.

The reason for that is that the Greenland Dog is a pack-oriented dog, he is very independent and hard to control. No wonder this breed is not for everyone, only experienced and dominant owners can successfully deal with this buddy, and even they will have to put a lot of effort to train him properly. I suggest you start your training sessions as soon as you bring a puppy home. It’s very important! Once the training’s done successfully, he becomes an ideal companion. However, take note that this dog won’t get attached to a single owner, he will equally well appreciate every member of the owner’s family. Dear sweetheart :) Anyway, I suggest you better have a tall wall around your yard because no matter how affectionate your Greenlander really is, he will try to run away. Free will is part of his nature!

Physical Characteristics of Greenland Sled Dog

The Greenland Dog is known as Greenland Husky, and when you take a look at him, it is quite obvious why. They are almost identical to Huskies. However, there are some minor differences, which are more or less obvious. His body is strong and compact in shape, covered with middle-length, dense double coat. As it is the case with other Nordic primitive breeds, the coat consists of longer, rougher outer coat and shorter, softer undercoat. The coat is waterproof by the way, which is of great importance in such harsh surrounding of his native country. Of course, they are seasonal shedders and regular grooming is necessary, especially during shedding period. Greenland Dogs can come in various colors, in all sorts of combinations, variants and motives. Some of the common colors are black, grey, yellowish, white, tan, or even red.

The Greenland Dog has a wedge-shaped head, which is slightly broader in comparison to some other Spitz type dogs. The muzzle is medium-length with strong scissor jaws. He has a triangular, erect ears and almond-shaped brown eyes with black eye rims. His back is slightly lean, but strong. The brushy tail is long and curved atop the dog’s back. His strength is quite obvious by the look at his chest, which is deep and broad. The front legs are straight and elegant, while the hind legs are muscular and very strong. Both pairs of legs have furry paws with nice and big pads. Thanks to such gracious stature, this dog is capable of crazy maneuvers and direction changes with small effort. He is the embodiment of pure strength and agility. As such he is very useful for various tasks – sledding, transportation and hunting.

Greenland Dog Size And Weight

Male
– Height between 23 and 27 inches (58–68 cm)
– Weight between 66 and 70,5 pounds (30–32 kg)
Female
– Height between 20 and 24 inches (51–61 cm)
– Weight between 66 and 70,5 pounds (30–32 kg)

Tireless Worker

The Greenland Husky is a great sled dog, who is mainly used to transport the goods, and sometimes for racing too. His stamina is unmatched, his speed combined with his endurance are the things to admire, and his resilience is just phenomenal. These dogs can withstand harsh winter conditions and very low temperatures. They can come across vast distances with limited food supplies, no matter how hard and dangerous terrain is actually. With such qualities it is no wonder this breed is so prized in its native country. Although dog sledding is used less frequently lately, thanks to the nowadays more popular and practical snowmobiles, some Inuit people are still using sledges pulled by dogs as the main transportation method. To them, this dog breed is irreplaceable and there’s a good reason for that – it proved its worth numerous times throughout history.

Sled Dog Used For Hunting

Maybe it is not common for other Nordic sled dogs, but Greenland Dog possesses incredible hunting skills. His raw strength, incredible agility and great senses combined, make this dog a perfect hunter’s companion, especially when in a pack. Eskimos often use them to hunt walruses, seals or even polar bears. When trained accordingly to work in groups, Greenlanders can be a force to be reckoned with. In pack they can successfully oppose every animal, no matter how large and dangerous it really is. All in all, Greenland Dog is a marvelous breed, much prized for its capabilities, especially among the Inuit people. He was and still is a perfect working dog used for all sorts of endeavours. So, if you decide to buy Gronlandhund for yourself, I’m sure you’ll have a lot of reasons to be the proud owner. Of course that will be the case if you put some effort into his training ;)