Everything about Sled Dogs totally explained
Sled dogs, known also as
sleigh dogs, sledge dogs or
sleddogs are
types of
dogs that are used to pull a wheel-less vehicle on runners (a
sled or
sleigh) over
snow or
ice, by means of
harnesses and lines. The origins of this arrangement are unknown.
Several distinct dog breeds are in common use as sled dogs, although any medium-sized breed may be used to pull a sled. Purebred sled dog breeds range from the well-known
Siberian Husky and
Alaskan Malamute to rarer breeds such as the
Mackenzie River Husky. Dog drivers, however, have a long history of using other breeds or crossbreds as sled dogs. In the days of the
Gold Rush in
The Yukon, mongrel teams were the rule, but there were also teams of
Foxhounds and
Staghounds. Today the unregistered hybridized
Alaskan husky is preferred for dogsled racing, along with a variety of crossbreds, the
German Shorthaired Pointer often being chosen as the basis for crossbreeding. From 1988 through 1991, a team of Standard
Poodles competed in the
Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race
Sled dogs are expected to demonstrate two major qualities in their work (apart from basic physical capability to pull the sled). Endurance is needed to travel the distances demanded in dogsled travel, which may be anything from five to eighty miles (8 to 130 km) or more a day. Speed is needed to travel the distance in a reasonable length of time. Racing sled dogs will travel up to an average twenty miles per hour (32.2 km/h) over distances up to 25 miles (40 km). Over longer distances, average traveling speed declines to 10 to 14 miles per hour (16 to 22 km/h). In poor trail conditions, sleddogs can still usually average 6 or 7 miles per hour (10 or 11 km/h). Sled dogs have been known to travel over 90 miles in a 24 hour period while pulling 85 pounds each.
Sleddogs pull various sorts of sleds, from the small 25 pound (11 kg) sprint-racing sleds, through the larger plastic-bottomed distance racing
toboggan sleds, to traditional ash freighting sleds and the trapper's high-fronted narrow toboggan. Sled dogs are also used to pull skiers and to draw wheeled rigs when there's no snow. A team of sled dogs may consist of anywhere from three to two dozen animals. Modern teams are usually hitched in tandem, with harnessed pairs of sled dogs pulling on tug lines attached to a central gangline. Trappers in deep snow conditions using the toboggan will hitch their dogs in single file with traces on either side of the line of dogs. Dog teams of some
Arctic natives are run in "fan hitch", each dog having its own tow line tied directly to the sled.
Driving sled dogs has become a popular winter recreation and sport in North America and Europe; sled dogs are now found even in such unlikely places as Australia and Patagonia.
Sled dog breeds
Further Information
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