Sled dog

As sled dog is called every dog that is harnessed to a dog sled to pull it by means of crockery and linen. Huskies need to be persistent and resistant to cold.

History

Where and when dogs were first used as draft animals for carriage, is unknown., It is assumed, however, that this took place in northern Siberia, look back its indigenous peoples has a long tradition of winter travel in front of each other Zugtiereinsatz.

Today there are several breeds that are specifically used as sled dogs, although any medium-sized breed is suitable to pull a sled. So took a few years ago, for example, a team of purebred poodles on the Iditarod race part. However, the participants took the team after two days of racing out of the race, as the poodle fur was not adapted to the former weather conditions. Hand drivers (called Musher ) often use other than the typical sled dog breeds or hybrids as a team animals. During the time of the Klondike gold rush mongrel teams were even the rule.

The typical sled dog breeds appeared in the northern regions, about 100 BC and developed in the individual tribes into their current homogeneity. The so-called dogs Equator in Greenland was used to prevent introgression of undesirable properties. After the individual tribes they were given different names; so the dog from Siberia "Siberian Husky" The Hound of the Malamuten " Alaskan Malamute " was called. 1926 introduced the " American Kennel Club " on the standard for the Malamute. In its original home of Malamute sled for racing is very much appreciated. The typical breeds have rough, straight and tight -fitting outer coat with a thick, soft undercoat; they are up to 70 cm tall and up to 45 kg.

Mid-20th century, lost as a sled dog race in the public interest, the breed of sled dogs pursued a separation in different breeding goals: on the one hand, developed breeding lines for so-called show dogs that have been optimized in breeding it, conform to exhibitions to the breed standards as optimally as possible and to present accordingly, on the other hand, the very old, original, pure defined benefit work - breeding lines were continued to a lesser extent (eg Seppala ). In the 70s, the sled dog race through a renaissance and were first held in Central Europe. Now, showed the benefits of further cultured in the lines of work animals.

Even today there are in the breeding of Nordic dogs both orientations, without the purchaser of these dogs are always aware of the differences. One therefore often finds extremely large differences in investment-related performance of Nordic dogs, even in dogs that are quite similar in appearance.

Required characteristics

From sled dogs high physical and mental skills are required. The physical abilities allow good sled dogs with optimal investment and optimal training to pull a sled over 200 km in 24 hours. The mental skills consist of the proverbial "desire to go", the unconditional run will, which is responsible for ensuring that the motivation is maintained even under long -lasting physical stress and in extreme conditions. Despite the stress, the sled dogs must be able to understand and implement the commands and be self-employed will be able to find the "right" trail. In short races sled dogs achieve an average speed of 20 to 25 miles per hour ( 32 to 40 km / h), in endurance racing, the average travel speed is still 10 to 14 miles per hour ( 16 to 23 km / h). Huskies can go the total up to about 10,000 km so during a winter. At the same time the sled dog distinguishes highly social behavior, low pain sensitivity and a strong cardiovascular system, which allows the working dog to develop a metabolism that despite all the efforts and scarce food sufficient.

Composition of a vehicle combination

A sled dog team, known as the team may consist of two up to about 12 dogs. Today, the teams are usually clamped as a double, where they are each attached to a central pull string. The Inuit of the Arctic tighten their animals as " subjects ", where every animal is connected to its own pull string with the slide. Furthermore, there is the rarely seen Tande My voltage at which the dogs run individually and consecutively between two parallel pulling lines ( on each side of the animals ); this restraint is advantageous in densely wooded areas and on narrow, winding trails.

In team double or tandem My tension has the following positions: Leader - the / the lead dog (s) and initial (s) Dog (s) in the team; Wheeler - of / Dog (s) in front of the sled and swingers - all the other dogs in the team.

The highest demands are placed on the leader, as they set the pace and need to communicate with the mushers and implement its commands. In them depends the motivation of the entire team, especially under high physical loads from. In addition, they must largely on your own the right way, the trail found, so that the musher must intervene only in doubtful situations for the leader commands. Physically they do the hardest work, particularly in deep snow. Amazing is the orientation and local memory good lead dogs. They often recognize a once overflowed way even after years.

As Wheeler, the physically strongest dogs are often used so that their tension must not be transferred through the case of large -trailer combinations up to 20 m long tug, which could result in narrow, winding passages to particular that the dogs in the middle area of the vehicle combination against curve obstacles be drawn. Wheeler must, apart from the run will not provide special mental performance. Often be clamped as Wheeler dogs in training or those who like to go their own way. Because they are prevented by the tension of the anticipated current team members.

The dogs of a team generally know their position in the team and are in this respect, as in many other areas, outspoken creatures of habit. For very intensive use of dogs, it may be useful to occasionally replace the two side by side running dogs in the position, although this is not appreciated by the dogs. The exchange leads to a more uniform physical stress, because the dogs in the described tandem formation necessarily always have a slight angle to the direction of pull. Externally, may show uneven wear fur to wound through the skin under the Harness this.

Sled dog race as a sport

In 1925, the up to now most famous sled dog Balto gained its worldwide fame. He was the one dog that the sled dog team led at the last relay race between Anchorage and Nome in western Alaska by ice, snow and blizzards with over vital medicine in the luggage that was supposed to save the city from a diphtheria epidemic. Of these, inspired the first " Iditarod " was executed in 1973 race, which leads over 1161 miles through frozen land, wilderness and mountain ranges, the Arctic Ocean and hard winds. Since these races both in North America and in Europe have become a popular winter sport.

In Europe, meanwhile the Huskies athletes have organized in several sports federations, with different objectives and structures. The largest association for the sled dog sport in Germany is the Association of German sled dog sports clubs; at its events can go to the start dogs regardless of race. It was created by the merger of purebred oriented Association of German sled dog sports clubs and the independent German race sled dog sport association. There are also sports clubs and associations, such as the German umbrella organization for purebred sled dog sports, the drive exclusively with the Nordic sled dog breeds, mainly Siberian Husky, Samoyed, Greenland Dogs and Alaskan Malamutes, Huskies Sports.

In Europe, a large number of sled dog race is held every year. Once a year, the Huskies World Cup, the largest sled dog event in Central Europe instead. In 2009 she was in Werfenweng, Austria discharged. The race consists of three days of racing. At the World Cup just the typical Nordic breeds are allowed.

Generally, a distinction is sled dog race between car racing and sled or snow race.

The chariot races have more training character. For them, the sled dog teams pull mainly training cart. These are three-wheeled, but mostly four-wheeled, companion of very different construction on which the musher is quite similar to a carriage, behind which, however, he can constantly pushing or participate in the movement itself. The majority of Central European musher is forced due to lack of snow, mainly their dogs instead of the training cart to train with the carriage.

The real and important domain of the sled -dog racing form the sled racing on snow. Comparable to the subdivision of running sports in athletics by distances distinction is sled dog race on very different distances. They are called sprint, middle distance and long distance races. The assignment of individual events to one of these categories is done regionally. So you get, may still be described as Sprint in Northern Europe and the United States races are classified as mid-distance in Central Europe.

In Germany, the division is made like this: sprint races up (depending on team size ) 10-20 km, 20-50 km middle distance, long distance, some 100 km.

According to the length of a race rises from the perspective of the organizers of the effort to host the event. Consequently, many sprint races will be offered as a car race in the fall and as a sled race in the winter season, much less middle distance races and only a few long-distance races in Central Europe.

Among the famous long-distance race, who have made known the sled dog sports, including in the first place the above-mentioned Iditarod in Alaska, but also the Yukon Quest ( current names are also sponsor dependent) in Alaska and Canada. Both races will take place under the very harsh climatic conditions of the Far North and sporty seen in their field extremes, in terms of the demands on the participants comparable to the extreme mountaineering.

Less known, but no less demanding than those two races in North America is an event, which now also decades of tradition in Europe, the Finnmarksløpet in Northern Norway. This long-distance race, the northernmost endurance race in the world, will be held in two categories on the basis of Alta annually in early March. In the 8- dog class team for a distance of 500 km to cover, in the 14- dog team class, there are 1000 kilometers. The race takes place under almost arctic climate conditions and provides to the participants, the dogs, the preparation and the material the highest requirements. Accordingly, the race will be on an equal footing with the said North American events.

Huskies and the conquest of the Pole

Huskies have played a major role in the conquest of the north and south poles. Roald Amundsen she successfully advocated in the conquest of the South Pole, while Robert Falcon Scott had only poor experience in dealing with these animals and also defeated in the race for the conquest of the South Pole due to this fact Amundsen.

One of the advantages of using in the polar regions is their simple diet. Huskies can be fed with seal meat, it is not necessary to introduce feed -consuming for them. Amundsen went further during his expedition to the South Pole. He shot the dogs that he no longer needed, and for fodder their carcasses to the remaining team dogs.

While sled dogs in the Arctic today are used, they are gone from Antarctica now. As there is not endemic, had to be slaughtered countless seals for their maintenance, saw before the provisions of the Antarctic Treaty that the animals had to be removed by April 1, 1994. A real function, the animals had no longer worked reliably since snowmobiles. The British Antarctic stations, however, had still kept sled dogs from tradition. Just before this last huskies Antarctica were transported to Maine or to the Hudson Bay, they came in memory of their traditional role in the last Antarctic expedition again used. The report of this trip ended with a quote from Helmer Hanssen, who was responsible for the welfare of animals in Amundsen's South Pole team:

"Dogs like that, Which share one 's hard times and strenuous work, can not be Looked upon Merely as animals. They are supporters and friends. There is no such thing as making a pet out of a sledge dog; synthesis animals are worth much more than that. "

"These dogs share the hard times and tedious work of the people, can not be viewed simply as animals. They are helpers and friends. You can not make pet from a sled dog; these animals are worth much more. "

Breeds

The classic sled dog breeds include:

• Greenland dog: strong and persistent
• Alaskan Malamute: largest and heaviest sled dog
• Siberian Husky: smallest and fastest of the classic sled dog breeds
• Canadian Eskimo Dog: wolf -like expression
• Samoyed: mostly pure white fur

Sled dog types that are not recognized as a breed, not yet, or only by individual breed associations:

• Alaskan Husky
• European Sled Dog, Hound Scandinavian, German Trail Hound
• Tschukotskaja Jesdowaja
• Yakut Laika

Nowadays the somewhat overwhelming majority of participating in Sled Dog Race dog is not purebred, and therefore attributable to the aforementioned carriage breeds not clearly or completely different origin. In the sprint and middle distance range dogs dominate with a hounds -like physique, in their breeding lines from a purely performance- oriented points of suitable dogs without regard to race standards have been cut off and. Dogs of this type are characterized particularly on shorter distances by high power delivery and walk it rather to their performance limit, possibly even beyond. But you have the time and under harsh climatic conditions are not the resilience of Nordic dogs. These dogs are mentally more similar to domestic dogs and can be very personal in nature and designed to obedience.

The longer the race distances are, the stronger the case for the optimized in breeding dogs breed out the features of the original Nordic sled dog breeds; they are optimally adapted to Arctic climate conditions and duration of services. In comparison to the aforementioned hunting dogs like dogs Dogs Put the Nordic type their economic performance one, come with comparatively very little food and are generally at sufficiently low temperatures barely overloading in a deleterious manner. In character these dogs are wolves still quite close, have in the pack a strong social structure, often try to clarify the ranking of each other with their teeth, are less personal and is often pronounced by its own will.