Native American Indian Dog

The Native American Indian Dog has quite a bit of controversy surrounding its origins and continued breeding. Those that selectively breed the dogs aim to recreate the appearance and usefulness of the original dogs of the Native Americans. Before the Spaniards introduced the horse to tribes in the mid 1500s, the dog was the only animal to be used in daily village life by the Native Americans. Often times, they would pull the family’s belongings, hunt, and took care of children and elderly when it was necessary for the women to leave. Through historical documents that detailed what life was like for these Native Americans, the breed was established.

However, what is so controversial about the breed is the claims made by others that the Native American Indian Dog is not a recreation since the original native dogs went extinct.To continue, it seems impossible that the Native Americans possessed a purebred dog, making it impossible to “recreate them.”

Despite the controversy over its origins, the Native American Indian Dog is an intelligent and loyal companion. They typically come in two distinct sizes, hair coat lengths, and coat color combinations. They can weigh between 55 and 120 pounds, and measure around 23 to 34 inches tall. Their coat is typically short and dense or long with a dense undercoat. Their coats can be silver and black, a tortoise shell color, or the color that the Native Americans referred to as the “Spirit Dog” coloring which was comprised of a broken pattern coat.

The Native American Indian Dog is a great family pet and, if socialized well, will not be shy with others. They do best with a firm authority to establish order within their “pack”—it’s always best to have a distinct pack leader within the family to ensure the best home life with your dog. The Native American Indian Dog is very active and would ideally need a large yard to run and play outside, but they are always ready and willing to snuggle with their owners on the couch!

As far as grooming goes, the Native American Indian Dog sheds about once a year. Just brush the unwanted hair out to avoid hair in the house! This dog breed has quite a lengthy lifespan for a larger dog at 14 to 19 years, and doesn’t have very many serious health concerns aside from a proneness to hip dysplasia.