Sled Dogs
Meet Running Bear
Sled dogs
Malamute
Siberian Husky
Running Bear has a toboggan
The Dog Sled
Running Bear Trains Dog
Training Lead Dogs
Dog Mushing Commands
Running Bear Races Dog
Sled Dog Racing
Finally
Sled dogs and sled dog racing have been around for a long time. It all
probably began when Running Bear's mom sent out on a snowy day to fetch firewood.
Now Running Bear had a dog which he called Dog. And since Running Bear knew
that if he didn't fetch the wood, Running Bear Senior would tan his hide metaphorically
speaking. And as all young enterprising young people do, he looked for an easier
way to haul the firewood. Whereas Dog eagerly pulled on anything that was in his vicinity...
history was made.
Now a dog pulling a sled is often pictured as a beautiful Husky. The true working sled dog may or
may not be that picturesque Husky. While Huskies can certainly be a sled dog, sled dogs can be almost
any breed. The early Indian or Eskimo dog we've met as "Dog", was classed as the "Esquimaux" or finally the malamute
dog. This is distinguished as a distinct species from the curs of low degree which infest civilization. With its
heavy, but even coat of hair filling up and rounding off the hollows and angles of his body, his bushy
tail curling over his back, erect, and the expression of intelligence, the Esquimaux dog is a handsome animal.
Its color varies from white to black through the different shades of gray and brown, many being piebald.
Some of the variations in size and color are due to the slight mixture of foreign blood. There are among the Alaska
Esquimaux a large number of mongrels, with the Indian dogs of the Interior, the Siberian dogs introduced by the
Russians, and various others. Most notable is the external coating of long hair underlaid in the Esquamaux dog by a denser mat of closely interwoven fibers. This, with the dense covering of shorter hairs on
their legs and feet, appears to make them indifferent to almost any degree of cold. The best known types of sled
dogs are the Alaskan Malamute and the Siberian Husky. Breeding is very important to the dog sled racer and buying
and selling of sled dogs is big business. A dog that is a big race winner can fetch a high price for its offsping.
The Alaskan malamute, a working dog, originally pulled sleds for the Malamute (Mahlmut)
Indians of northwestern Alaska.
This dog is known for its endurance as a draft animal and for its affectionate nature: it is especially good with children.
The malamute has a compact, powerfully built body and a broad head. It stands 58-63.5 cm (23-25 in high at the shoulder
and weighs about 35 kg (80 lb). The coat is double-layered with wooly underhair and a coarse topcoat. The tail is bushy
and loosely curled over the back. The paws are large and well padded with fur, enabling the dog to run over snow. The
malamute's brown, almond-shaped eyes and its coat--gray to black with white--give it a wolflike appearance.
The Siberian husky is a compact, powerful dog developed by the Chukchi tribe of extreme northeastern Siberia as an all-purpose
sled dog. Leonard Seppala is credited with bringing the first team of huskies to Alaska in 1909, when sled-dog racing became
popular. The breed was officially recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1930.
Male Siberians stand about 53 to 58 cm (21 to 23 in) at the shoulder and weigh 20 to 27 kg (45 to 60 lb); females are slightly
smaller. They have small, prick ears, a bushy, curled tail, and double coat. The topcoat is medium length and soft, the undercoat
thick and downy. The breed exists in a wide range of colors from black to white with grays and reds frequently seen.
Poor Dog was having a little bit of difficulty pulling the leather thong attached to a
piece of wood. Running Bear had to figure out a way for Dog to pull bigger loads a lot faster. Running Bear was getting tired of
Big Eagle laughing at his stupid dog trick and just knew that Dog would show them all. That piece of whale bone Running Bear just kicked
sure slid a long way. Hmmm....
Now, it is a known fact that the early Eskimos did have dogs pulling firewood and dragging home spoils from the hunt across the frozen, snow-covered tundra. Certainly the next step was adding a toboaggan. The hitching of several dogs to a whale bone or wood tobaggan was a significant advance. A traditional sled consisted of two hollow wooden runners attached to crosspieces by sealskin thongs. A central trace was tied to the front of the sled, and individual lines extended from the central trace. A sealskin harness was tied around each dog's shoulder. The breed commonly used was the husky. The driver sat sideways at the front and turned the sled by pushing or pulling in the desired direction.
Sled: A dogsled is a sledge, or sled, a wooden rig on which you stand drawn by a team of dogs, usually over
ice and snow. Probably originating in Siberia and brought (AD c.1000) to Arctic North America by Thule people (modern Eskimo), the dogsled is
used primarily by Arctic peoples for long-distance transportation. Captain Cook and his expedition of 1778
found the Eskimo dogs pulling sleds by the same leather thong around the neck that their predecessors had
used thousands of years before.
The Russians introduced the idea of the lead dog. Traditionally, both the Indians and the Eskimos had run or snowshoed ahead of their dogs. The system of guiding dogs by voice command from behind the sled was innovated by the Russians. From five to seven dogs are generally used together in a team, although less maybe used for a poorer musher and more for racing teams.
Well, now that Running Bear has a little spare time after Dog has hauled all his firewood in just one trip, he has to
figure out a way to keep Dog from chasing that darn rabbit and spilling firewood all over the trail. Big Eagle sure had
a good laugh at that one. Well, Dog WILL do better next time. So now how to train that darn Dog...
Training of a sled dog begins with the puppy as soon as the first snowfall of the year. Puppys are given their shots and vitamins and then
exposed to all kinds of weather. By the time pups are six months old they are usually running behind the team. Gradually a harness in introduced
and the sled dog runs with the team. Different mushers have their own techniques but generally follow the same patterns. They keep a close
eye on their puppies and know which ones will make good sled dogs. The lead dog is the most important dog in the team and needs to be intelligent--one
that catches on quickly and has a lot of self-control. Sled dogs need to obey commands, perform around crowds, automobiles, snow machines, loose
dogs and cats, and photographers as well as the usual road hazards of the back country, such as moose in their trail. Remember the musher is the one
that drives the sled dogs and mushing is the act of driving sled dogs. The lead dog steers the sled dog team and regulates speed. The wheel dog
are the dogs closest to the sled.
Dog Mushing Commands:And now Running Bear is in trouble. As the nature of people around the world, we must compare, prove, show off, and otherwise
enter foolish challenges as to who is bigger, better, faster and stronger. Therefore Running Bear must now have to prove to Big
Eagle that his Dog can out pull Big Eagle's Dog. And dog sled racing has begun, well sort of....
Sled dog racing, as the international sport we know it today, had its beginning in Nome in 1906. Under the leadership of Albert Fink,
an attorney, and A.A. "Scotty" Allan, the Nome Kennel Club was organized to encourage the breeding of superior trail dogs by promoting
racing. The Nome Kennel Club set up races varying in distance from 5 miles to the 408-mile All-Alaska Sweepstakes, in order to ensure
that such races would be used to develop dogs which would function efficiently uner all trail conditions. The All-Alaska Sweepstakes race
was from Nome to Candle and return. The rules of the Nome Kennel Club have stood the test of time; with only minor changes to fit local
conditions, today they form the basic pattern by which racing clubs in all parts of the country govern their competitions. The All-Alaska
Sweepstakes, along with shorter races, was run at Nome up to the First World War. The war and the decline of gold mining brought an end to
that first era of expansion in sled dog racing. By then, though, racing sled dogs had become popular in many of the villages along the vast trail
systems. Sled dog racing then became centered more around Fairbanks and new associations were formed. Revivals of the Fur Rendezvous and other races
continued. While Anchorage and Fairbanks races have continued to be the backbone of Alaskan sled dog competition, the same revival of interest in the sport
swept Canada and the Lower 48 from Maine to California. A number of dog racing clubs and associations have expanded around the world. The most famous of the annual dogsled races is the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska,
a distance of about 1,850 km (1,150 mi), begun in 1973. Rick Swenson has won the race five times, Susan Butcher four. For this year's winner visit the
Iditarod Web Site.
Finally you got a few clues. While this report cannot include everything about sled dogs, their care, or more on racing, you can explore the vast amount of information
provided by the good people on the internet. You can start your exploration by visiting Links galore!!
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