True North Nordics

Wander With Willow

True North Nordics and Willow’s Wolfdogs is the fruition of years hard work, research, and passion for creating a healthy, well rounded family companion and raising them in an exceptional environment. Our goal here is to create your new best friend, a healthy dog that is suited for your family, and a dog that is adaptable to many different lifestyles. Wolfdogs and aren’t the breed for everyone, and neither are our Wolfalikes but we believe if you are willing to put the time and energy in to consistently socializing and training a dog from us—that you will be able to experience the bond of having a Wolfdog or Wolfalike as your family’s greatest companion.

We pride ourselves in giving exceptional care to not only the puppies born and raised here, but also to the adult dogs who are a part of our family. True North Nordics and Willow's Wolfdogs are proudly partnered together and work closely together with all of our pairings and dogs. We share the same goals of creating healthy dogs, that have great temperaments and are family orientated, affectionate and well rounded. We very selectively choose the adults in our program based off of these goals in mind—with health and a family orientated temperament being our main focus.

The puppies that are born here are raised on the training/developmental/socialization program called Puppy Culture. Puppy Culture is a program implemented at 3 days of age that work on the puppy’s developmental and socialization skills while they are raised in our homes. By spending this extra time following the Puppy Culture Protocol we help create a more well rounded puppy in trainability, temperament, socialization and problem solving skills which will help set the foundation for the puppy’s future. We find this extremely beneficial to all puppies but especially Wolfdog puppies who need that extra time and socialization during those critical first 8 weeks. This is a lot more work for us as breeders to raise the puppies this way, but to us it is so worth it.

Our dogs and puppies at True North Nordics & Willow’s Wolfdogs have great temperaments and personalities that are trainable, intelligent, affectionate and well rounded to make an amazing companion if the new owner is diligent on continuing the puppy’s training and socialization. We take pride in the confirmation and overall look of our Huskies and Wolfdogs and specialize in a variety of coat lengths and colours. The majority of the puppies produced by us will be Low Content Wolfdogs as they are much more suited for family homes than Wolfdogs with more content. All of our Wolfdogs are Multigenerational Wolfdogs which means that they are over 5 generations (F5) removed from a full Wolf parent. Some of our dogs have even more generations separating them from a full Wolf parent, which then makes the puppies we produce anywhere from 6-10 generations removed (F6-F10). We do not want our puppies living in enclosures their whole lives, and find that Multigenerational Low Content Wolfdogs, for obvious reasons, are much adaptable to living inside with the rest of the family, which is what we want for our puppies.

We also offer Wolfalikes that have 0% wolf content for families that may not be ready for a Wolfdog or live in areas that are illegal for Wolfdog ownership. Wolfalikes have similar breeds to our Wolfdogs or even are purebred dogs but they have been specifically chosen for our program. They have temperaments similar our Wolfdogs and are still very unique in appearance and are raised exactly the same as our Wolfdog puppies. Wolfalikes are very relaxed, social, family orientated, and friendly and are easier to train and socialize than our Wolfdog puppies.

We want our puppies to live the best lives possible and therefore are very picky with where they end up, as we want to keep up with them throughout their whole lives. We have a very thorough application and screening process to choose the best families possible for our puppies as we will not give them to just anyone. We require new families, once approved, to sign a “Puppy Contract” stating that the puppy will be loved and taken care of, amongst other things and if the new family can no longer keep the puppy, no matter the age, that that puppy must be returned to us. We love our puppies and never want to see them in a shelter or in any bad situation. For this reason we DO NOT offer any breeding rights on puppies whatsoever, with absolutely no exceptions.

Our dogs and puppies are fed the highest quality dog kibble filled with whole meats, complex carbs, fruits & veggies and are supplemented with raw food like chicken breast, organ meats, bones, salmon, beef, and venison to name a few. They are supplemented with multivitamins, probiotics and omega oils for extra health benefits. We believe this greatly impacts the overall health and well being of our animals which reflects in their muscle tone, shiny coat and balanced mind and keeps them healthy candidates for breeding.

Our dogs that are used for breeding are tested for OFA Hips & Elbows after two years of age to ensure they are breeding quality. They are also Embarked DNA and Health tested for genetic diseases. All of our dogs, whether they are part of the breeding program or not, receive yearly exams by our licensed veterinarian. They also are always up to date on DAPpvc2 vaccine (distemper & parvo vaccine) Rabies vaccine, Bordetella vaccine (kennel cough vaccine) and are treated for fleas, ticks and worms regularly. As well as any other veterinary care they may need. Health of our pack is our number one priority!

With large, luxurious indoor play areas, sleeping areas, as well as individual whelping rooms, our home creates a full, enriched, indoor environment for our dogs. This allows them to be the focal point of our family. Everything we do is for the dogs! 

We have many large, secure, fenced in runs that allow for plenty of play and exercise. We also have many structures, tunnels, rocks and logs for the dogs to climb and play on in our outdoor pens. We even have enrichment pieces like dig pits and ponds to allow for plenty mental and physical stimulation. 

Training and socializing our dogs is very important to us. And is something that is always being worked on as training and socialization is a life long task. Whether it’s small amounts of training each day, socializing our pack to new people, children, dogs, environments and other species,  or simply taking them on a new adventure—we are always striving to continue the dog’s training and socialization. 

We love taking our dogs on walks and hikes in the coulees in our back yard and greatly enjoy getting away for the day and taking them to the mountains. Showing them off in the nearest city is always a great experience. We love meeting new people and sharing our love for our dogs with them. With living on a ranch we love taking one dog at a time and having them follow us around on the ranch that day. We believe time spent with your animals is never wasted. We hope our next adventure with the pack will be mushing for a fun form of exercise!

Our dogs are our whole world and family. We are very grateful to have them in our lives and live the lifestyle that we do. Our dogs live with us until their final days. Our retired dogs live out their golden years here in our home with us. Our goal is to allow future puppy owners to experience the love, loyalty, companionship and adventure these dogs can offer you. We know that they will bring their future owners the happiness they bring us, as a bond with a Wolfdog is truly like no other. We want our puppies to have the wonderful life they deserve, with a family that can offer them a full, healthy life, for their whole life. We look forward to potentially adding you to the True North Nordics & Willow's Wolfdogs pack one day!

Tayler

Founder True North Nordics, Canada

Growing up on a ranch in rural Southern Alberta, Canada instilled a passion for animals within me from the beginning. I grew up in what I believe is the best way possible; which was in nature surrounded by many different species of animals. From a young age I understood the responsibility and dedication it takes to raise animals—and in return I got to experience their unconditional love, friendship and loyalty. I was never afraid of the hard work involved that comes with living on a ranch, or complain about the little to no sleep you get when trying to keep a newborn foal or an orphaned bottle calf alive. To me, this is a lifestyle I was born into and I couldn’t be more grateful. I truly believe it is my purpose to work with animals; this is what I was meant to do. So transitioning into a full time dog breeder was very natural for me as I was already very accustomed to the lifestyle that would be required.

I have always loved and been passionate about dogs and they have always been a part of my family. I can’t imagine my home or family without a dog. I worked for many years at a luxury dog resort where I learned so much about dog behaviour, training, and had hands on experience with socialization and pack dynamics. From there, venturing into the world of ethical breeding was a very easy and exciting transition. Little did I know my background in breeding and showing horses, as well as working at vet clinics and studying genetics would lead me to this opportunity.

Nordic breeds have always held a special place in my heart and I have always been drawn to their unique temperament and demeanour. I admire that Nordic breeds, especially Wolfdogs, require you to show you are worthy of their respect and affection, since for them it is earned and not just given. Once you have earned their respect and affection, you will have the greatest bond with them that is unlike any other in this world. This deeply resonates with who I am as a person which is part of why I feel so connected to this breed in particular.

I am extremely passionate about my dogs and my goal is to be able to share this unique and intuitive breed with others. I want to show people that with a little work, patience, and love they too can experience the magical bond between Wolfdogs, or Nordic dogs, and their people. I want to change the stigma behind these beautiful dogs and change the way they are bred and raised. By doing so, we are working towards creating a Wolfdog that is much more manageable for the average person. The way we raise our dogs and socialize our puppies within the first 8 weeks is what sets us apart from other breeders, and is what is going to allow us to change all of the misinformation about the Wolfdog or even change the tainted reputation the Nordic breeds have like the Siberian Husky or Malamute.

Courtney and I, as breeders, want to set the standard—for the Wolfdog breed in particular—of how this breed should be raised in order to give these dogs the opportunity to live wonderful lives, with wonderful families. We do this because care deeply about our animals and genuinely want what is best for them—and work tirelessly to make this happen.

Joining the forces of Wander with Willow in the USA and True North Nordics in Canada allows us to work side by side in all aspects of our business—we believe this is a great opportunity for us to share these wonderful dogs with you and provide a level of experience, professionalism and support to all of the new families that get a puppy from us. We are so lucky to be able to pursue our passions and share them with you on our websites as well as our social media platforms. Whether you plan on becoming a member of the the Wolf Pack family with a new puppy from us, or you are just here to support us through our journeys on social media, we are extremely grateful to you! We are so thrilled about continuing our journey and developing our lines and are excited to be able to share all of this with you!

-Tayler

Courtney

Founder Wander With Willow, USA

My whole life I’ve always had a massive love for animals, dogs specifically. I have spent many years volunteering at shelters, working with dog trainers, and studying wolf and wolfdog behavior. From 2011-2015 I studied canine behavior and genetics at University of California Davis. Over the years, I also had developed a niche for photography. Since then, we try to travel with our pack as much as possible while also doing our best to capture our dogs being their free selves, enjoying the earth without boundaries or limitations. My first Wolfdog, Willow, is the inspiration for everything I do with not only my art, but setting goals to set the standard for raising and helping these one of a kind souls. She has inspired me to live life in the moment, and share with the world how deep and special the bond is between humans and their dog. Wolfdogs have especially wise souls, and there’s nothing that can truly compare to the relationship that can blossom with these once in a lifetime companions. My goal is to not only to share this unique connection through our adventures, but also to help guide others to find their once in a lifetime companion. Thank you for coming along on this journey with us!