Our Philosophy

It is our intention to only breed healthy, well-conformed dogs.  We abide by the guidelines as set forth in the Chinook Owners Association Code of Ethics.  We strive to add genetic diversity to the Chinook population and will only recommend the best puppies from each litter to move forward in our breeding program.

We seek assessment of our dogs by putting them in the conformation show ring.  This way, an unbiased judge can evaluate how our dogs measure up to the UKC Chinook breed standard. Movement, structure and temperament all come into play.   We also take our dogs through obedience training, from puppy socialization classes to advanced obedience.  Being smart, active dogs, Chinooks need to be mentally challenged from time to time.  Pet obedience training is a great way to learn about canine behavior – the more you understand how your dog thinks, the better you can teach it to look to you for leadership.  The time we spend showing and training gives us an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in our dogs, and helps us to evaluate the best breeding partners for them.

Only Chinooks who are free of disease and physical ailments (e.g. hip dysplasia, cataracts, seizures, allergies, etc.) will be considered for our breeding program.  With such a rare breed and small gene pool, it is imperative that we keep a record of health history for all of our dogs.  We maintain contact with all MountainThunder puppy owners throughout the lifetime of their Chinook.  The combined health information and feedback from our puppy owners is factored into all of our future breeding decisions. 
 
In summary, our goal in breeding is to advance the health, temperament, structure and movement of the Chinook … and to share the joy of Chinook ownership!