All about sled dogs

A century or a half ago, most dog breeds had a specific purpose — some were used for hunting, others were herding herds, and still others were useful only as decorative ornaments. Today the situation has changed - representatives of most breeds are kept at home simply as pets. If you decide to get yourself an unusual pedigree dog, pay attention to the increasingly popular sleds. At the same time, domestic breeding of such dogs outside the far North is not too common, so the topic deserves more detailed study.

Belonging to a riding breed means that a particular dog can not only be trained in a certain type of activity, but also in terms of its physical and psychological characteristics, is prone to performing a certain type of action. For a dog of this category, the most important is the instinct, forcing the animal to run forward all the time. It is characterized by maximum restlessness and all the time breaks into the distance. Due to this, such an animal is used for the following needs.

• Transportation of goods in winter conditions. Such a pet is not only restless, but also very strong. Growing up in a long winter, he is able to move effectively in the snow, in which he does not get stuck. With properly designed and lubricated sleds, such a beast can spend hours weighing twice its own.
• Transportation of people. A sled dog can pull a sled with a certain amount of care, choosing a road so that it is passable for the “trailer”. In this case, the dogs obey the voice commands from their passenger and the sentiment of the leader, who leads the whole team.
• Participation in various races. High-speed riding on sleds is also a sport, but until now mankind has come up with a lot of alternative competition options. One of them is a race in which the cyclist and his pet, moving along, must overcome the distance as quickly as possible.
• Motivation. Strangely enough, dogs of riding breeds are considered as one of the best motivators for their owners - they always run forward, even if they do not see the final goal.

The International Federation of Dog Handlers includes in the list sled dogs of representatives of northern breeds, which are officially recognized by the organization. It does not include most of the existing breeds, but it is the “official” dogs that are most popular because they are bred professionally and go to large exhibitions. Beginners will be surprised, but all that they used to call simply “likes” is a great variety of breeds.

This dog went to humanity from the indigenous population of Alaska, which for generations wandered through such animals. A dog constantly living next to a person is specially bred non-aggressive, therefore it cannot be a guard or a hunter.

There is a theory that this breed is farmed not in Greenland. Contrary to the name, it was originally Siberian, and only in the XVII century it was brought to this island.Such a dog weighs no more than 32 kilograms, but it is highly independent and often behaves like a wolf, and therefore is not recommended for beginners. At the same time, the Greenlandshund (another breed name) does not seek to escape, and the territory that it considers its own is inclined to protect.

It is this dog that is most often remembered by our compatriots at the mention of the word “Like”. Outwardly, the dog is very similar to the Malamute, but differs in more modest size - west is not more than 28 kilograms. Kamchatka Chukchi bred this breed even earlier than tamed deer, and for them the Chukchi husky is not a pet, but a family member.

Initially, the breed was bred by the Russian small people of the North - the Samoyeds, but gained wide popularity thanks to the British polar explorer Robert Scott, who used just such traction in his expeditions. A comparatively small (18-30 kilograms) dog is distinguished by excellent charisma qualities and selfless friendliness, and their characteristic expression of the muzzle, aptly dubbed “smile,” fascinates a million dogmakers around the world.

Many breeds of sled dogs today have become widely known among dog lovers, but have not yet been officially recognized by the same International Federation of Cynologists. The reasons for this may be different - sometimes experts do not see a fundamental difference from already existing breeds or consider a novelty to be a banal mixture of two purebred parents of different sled dogs, or else the reason lies in a simple bureaucratic red tape and is about to be recognized. These most often include the following common animals:

• Alaskan Husky - it is extremely popular in the USA, it beats speed records in harness, but the delay, apparently, is in its natural origin - no one deduced such a dog on purpose, and there is no standard for it either;

• Sakhalin Husky, or Gilyak Laika - contrary to what is named in honor of the now Russian island of Sakhalin, it is bred mainly in Japan, suitable for both harness and for hunting;

• chinook - it does not look like a husky at all, which does not prevent this big dog from racing with agility almost at the level of a husky, it is also a good option for the protection of people and territory;

• Norwegian Grayster - a special breed from the number of recently bred, has never been used by any people of the North, but it was created specifically for competitions;

• wolftail - Russian invention, which is a cross between a German shepherd dog and a wild wolf, has a specific semi-wild behavior and is not sold anywhere else officially;

• Eskimo and Yakut likes - rare examples of how a sled dog can be suitable for guarding and hunting.

Most sled dogs do not train too well - the willfulness due to the wolf kind. A person who wants to train a real driving dog will have to be patient, because of too independent a puppy you need to grow an animal that obeys not only man, but also the leader of the pack. At the same time, the dog must be trained in team interaction, because no one uses such pets for transportation alone.

The first thing the beast is taught is the standard for all dogs to commands like "Sit!", "No!" Or "To me!". This is an elementary discipline that is equally useful for both the dog from the team and the apartment pet.

All components of one mechanism should work smoothly, understanding the specific commands, denoting the beginning or end of the movement, as well as turns. When, on the whole, an animal masters the main wisdom of its “profession”, it is taught the so-called correct behavior. - it is unacceptable that individual individuals are distracted by extraneous stimuli or arranged disassembly among themselves. Only after mastering all these skills, it makes sense to train a pet in any other skills, but in the conditions of a city, when a dog is acquired simply as a companion, work in a team can be completely excluded from the training program.

At the same time, in instincts of many representatives of riding breeds there was originally a desire not only to run forward, but also to “work”, that is, to drag along a certain load.

Sled dogs are very curious animals. Everyone knows that with their help you can move and transport goods, but there are some interesting facts that most people do not know about.

• The history of using dog sleds is at least 8 thousand years old. Evidence of this was found on the territory of the Novosibirsk islands belonging to Russia.
• Without sled dogs, white spots from the world map would disappear much more slowly - for example, the first explorers of the poles would reach the desired point on sledges.
• The dogs of the above breeds are able to overcome 80 kilometers in a team for a day. In this case, the cairo, that is, the rider, must ensure that the animals do not overwork, and therefore the speed limit applies to them - no more than 12 km / h.
• In the harness, the load on all participants must be uniform, and if someone from the dogs “tinkers”, he will be punished by the leader at the nearest parking lot when the kayur releases the animals.
• Unlike horses and most other living force, physical “hints” in dog sleds do not apply — there is not something like whips or reins, animals are controlled exclusively by verbal voice commands. In this case, the rider must win the respect of his "engine", otherwise there is no question of proper obedience.
• Smart sled dogs have their own soul - as a reward they want to get not only a tasty treat, but also obvious praise. Experienced mushers at the stops necessarily approach each pet and express their gratitude - they pat him, this will be patched a little on the withers, they will scratch the third. In this case, the dogs are jealous of the owner, and if they notice that he singled out one person, they will arrange a pet for a beating.

Choosing a puppy dog ​​sledding occurs according to its own, special rules. First of all, such a dog must be very active, and it is necessary to choose a healthy pet by this criterion. At the same time, immediately after sleep, the kids, for obvious reasons, will be lethargic, and you will not see the reaction you expected - usually the northern dogs are very happy about the appearance of a new person and are eager to meet him.

Agree with the breeder about the time so that you come shortly before feeding. - This will give you the opportunity to look at the usual behavior of the brood and how it reacts to food. Healthy dogs are always active and mobile, and you need to pay special attention to whether a fluffy little ball that you like is limping.

It is easy to check it - reach out to the flock of kids and see who will be scared and will run away, and who will show leadership qualities and gullibility and decide personally to check why you are doing this.

Fear in any manifestation is in principle considered a negative reaction - such a dog may have mental disorders in the future. For younger puppies, they offer another way - pick up the brood from the mother and lay the cubs a few meters away from their bed: they say the dog returns to the place of the child that it considers most promising.

A healthy dog ​​a priori looks well-groomed, it has no traces of extraneous secretions near the eyes or in the auricles, the bite is even, the appetite is good. A cool and constantly moisturized nose, emphatically pink color of mucous membranes, the absence of any deformities of the abdomen, and also a figure of average slimness - all these are signs of a healthy individual.

If you need a dog for trips to exhibitions or breeding, approach the choice even more responsibly. To get you started, get into the topic - be like the exhibitions themselves, pay attention to whose representatives usually win and why. Looking for a good dog, make sure that it has a direct relationship to the famous kennel and has a decent and at the same time documented pedigree.

About riding breeds of dogs, see the video.