Nunavut's language commissioner isn't pleased with a southern dog food company's move to trademark qimmik, the Inuktitut word for "dog."

Qimmik Manufacturing says its name is a tribute to the Canadian Eskimo dog breed.

The Ottawa-based company's product, a dog treat, is fortified with Omega-3 fatty acids. The company website describes its biscuits as "high quality, high digestibility, and 100% vet designed and vet tested."

Company spokesperson Ann Yourt said Qimmik meant no offence and has great respect for Inuit culture.

"And this is one of the reasons that we chose the qimmik word because it pays tribute to the plight of the beautiful and majestic Canadian Eskimo dogs," she said.

But Nunavut's Languages Commissioner Johnny Kusugak doesn't see it as an honour.

"I was shocked, but at the same time not surprised," he said, noting symbols of Inuit culture have been used in the past by companies to sell everything from banking services to rubber boots.

Kusugak says this company's move is more disturbing. By trademarking the word, he says no one can use it again to name their business or organization – including Inuit.

"There are words out there that identify who we are. Just like the inuksuk identifies the Inuit, qimmik fits in with that," he said.

Kusugak said it's an especially sensitive word since many Inuit believe their sled dogs were systematically killed by the government in the 1950s and 1960s.

Yourt said Qimmik Manufacturing went through every legal channel to trademark the name, and said she's aware of Kusugak's concerns.