Native Breeds of Canada

Newfoundland

With this Canadian native dog breeds' great size and strength and their natural swimming ability, the Newfoundland dogs were used for draft purposes and as ship dogs. Sweetness of temperament is the hallmark of the Newfoundland, a multi-purpose dog, capable of heavy work as well as being a devoted companion.

CKC: Newfoundland

Canadian encyclopedia: Newfoundland dog

DWN Pedigree Dogs - Newfoundland

Canadian Eskimo Dog

The Canadian Eskimo Dog is called “Qimmiq” by the Inuit and is the oldest indigenous breed still in existence in North America.

Canadian Kennel Club - Understanding the Canadian Eskimo Dog

Primitive Dogs - Canadian Eskimo Dog Breed Info And Characteristics

“Qimmiq” – And Only 279 are Left

Canadian Inuit (Eskimo) Dogs

DWN Pedigree Dogs - Canadian Eskimo Dogs

Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever

CKC: Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever

"Breeders developed the toller specifically for luring and retrieving waterfowl, mainly ducks and geese. Besides their hunting abilities, tollers have many other qualities, such as a happy disposition and devotion to their owners, making them great companions to humans. They also excel in sporting events involving agility and obedience. Their sharp sense of smell, intelligence and desire to work mean they are well-suited as search and rescue and disaster dogs." quoted from...

The Canadian Encyclopedia: Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever

Native Breeds (.org): Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever

Ducks.org: The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever: Originally bred to lure curious ducks into gun range, today’s “tollers” are intelligent, athletic, and versatile hunters

DWN Pedigree Dogs - Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever

Labrador Retriever

CKC: Labrador Retriever

"The breed has had a steady climb in popularity due to its easy, biddable nature, its working abilities for game enthusiasts and, in the later half of the 20th century, showed its versatility in numerous new areas: guide dogs, tracking/bomb/rescue dogs, and beloved family companions. Today the breed not only tops registration numbers with the CKC and in the hearts of Canadians, but also has the distinction of being the world’s most popular breed." quoted from...

The Labrador Retriever Club of Canada

DWN Pedigree Dogs - Labrador Retriever

Now Extinct Canadian Breeds

Salish Wool Dog

• The Canadian Encyclopedia: Salish Woolly Dog
• Behind the Breed: Salish Wool Dog
• Keddie, Wool Dogs 1993

"The Salish Woolly dog’s population declined throughout the 1800s... By 1900, the long, woolly fur characteristics of the Salish Woolly dog had disappeared, though there were a number of rare sightings of woolly dogs on reservations up to 1940."

Tahltan Bear Dog

• CKC:   The Tahltan Bear Dog - Remembering Canada’s extinct dog breed
• Tahltan Bear Dogs — a Breed Living on the Brink of Extinction

"By 1975, only six Tahltan Bear Dogs were known to exist. The final dog died in 1979, the same year the Canadian Kennel Club removed the breed, after more than a quarter of a century of no new registrations, from its list of recognized breeds. And with this, the courageous little Tahltan Bear Dog - the world's most recently extinct breed of dog - vanished."