Sled dogs have been used for centuries to carry important goods across frigid and difficult terrain. These hard-working dogs also make amazing pets! The following are the best sled dog breeds and what you’ll want to know about each of them.
What Makes a Great Sled Dog?
There are many different types of sled dogs, but they all have certain traits in common. Sled dogs need to have a good defense against the cold, which means they all have a dense, warm coat. They also need to be intelligent and obedient to listen to commands. Finally, sled dogs need powerful muscles and amazing endurance to carry heavy loads over long distances.
Samoyed
The Samoyed is a beautiful white dog with a thick, fluffy coat that was built to protect them from the cold of their native home of Siberia. They were bred by the Samoyedic people, who migrated from Asia to icy cold Siberia, and this faithful dog breed was used to herd reindeer.
After the Samoyedic people had herds of reindeer, they used the trusty Samoyed to protect the herds, as well as carry heavy loads. Now, this friendly but powerful dog is still used to carry supplies in cold terrain but is also popular as a gentle and affectionate pet.
Alaskan Malamute
The Alaskan Malamute is one of the most ancient sled dogs. This wolf-like Alaskan sled dog breed was originally from Siberia but crossed the land bridge to Alaska with native people who settled down in the frigid terrain. There, they were used to hunt polar bears and seals, as well as carry supplies on sleds.
This is an intelligent yet stubborn dog breed, which doesn’t make them the best option for first-time dog owners. With a firm hand, however, these intelligent dogs can be loyal and hardworking companions.
Siberian Husky
The Siberian Husky is probably the best-known of the Russian sled dog breeds. This muscular and powerful medium-sized dog started becoming popular in the 1900s, when the developers of the breed, the native Chukchi, began winning sled races with them.
Then, in 1925, a team of Siberian Huskies relayed over 600 miles in five and a half days in order to deliver an important serum that saved countless lives. Ever since then, the Siberian Husky has been one of the most popular dog breeds in the world! Like all sled dog breeds, the Siberian Husky has a thick coat to protect them from the cold, which means they don’t do well in hot climates.
Chinook
The Chinook was developed by a man named Arthur Treadwell Walden. Walden bred his dog “Chinook,” a mixed breed made up of Mastiff, Saint Bernard, and Greenland Dog to Canadian Eskimo dogs, German Shepherds, and Belgian Shepherds. The offspring were then bred to each other and then back to Chinook eventually creating a new breed.
The result was a golden-colored dog with dark, gorgeous eyes and a great love for people and children. These dogs are known for being both fast and strong, and this allows them to carry heavy loads over great distances quite quickly. Sadly, the Chinook breed nearly became extinct, and while a group of breeders was able to bring it back, it is still one of the rarest sled dog breeds in the world.
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Eurohound
The Eurohound is a crossbreed of an Alaskan Husky and a German Shorthaired Pointer. While the Eurohound isn’t a true dog breed, they are still one of the more popular types of sled dogs. Rather than pulling sleds for days at a time, the Eurohound was specifically created for sprint distancing, where they run very quickly without stopping to rest.
Since the Eurohound is a hybrid, their physical appearance can vary greatly, but all Eurohounds are intelligent, obedient, and amazing runners. In fact, by many, they are considered to be the best dogs in all of Scandinavia, where they were developed.
Greenland Dog
The Greenland Dog is similar to other types of sledding dogs, with an incredibly thick coat that can protect them from temperatures between negative 50 and negative 75 degrees Fahrenheit! This is an independent and sometimes aloof dog that cares more about work than play.
This breed descended from the ancient dogs that crossed the land bridge from Siberia to Alaska over 12,000 years ago. Between 4,000 and 5,000 years ago, the Greenland Dog was then brought to Greenland with the Inuit people, who used it for hauling food and other supplies.
Alaskan Husky
Unlike the Siberian Husky, the Alaskan Husky is not an officially recognized breed and is instead a dog breed of mixed lineage used specifically for pulling sleds. This Alaskan breed is much larger than the Siberian Husky, and while its mixed heritage means that it can vary in appearance, they are all hard-working dogs with amazing strength and endurance.
Not only can these dogs pull heavy loads for long distances, but they’re also incredibly fast. In fact, they’re actually recognized as being the seventh fastest kind of dog in the world!
Canadian Eskimo Dog
The Canadian Eskimo Dog, known more correctly as the Canadian Inuit Dog, is one of the rarest sled pulling dog breeds. In 2008, there were only around 300 of these dogs in the entire world! These dogs were used by the Inuit people to travel across the Arctic but sadly became very rare as they were replaced by snowmobiles.
This is a powerful dog with a curled, fluffy tail and a thick, cold-resistant coat. They are genetically identical to the Greenland Dogs, but can be distinguished by their shorter height and curled tail.
Alusky
The Alusky is a hybrid of the two most common sled dog breeds- the Siberian Husky and the Alaskan Malamute. Because they are a crossbreed, physical traits can vary greatly so they don’t have a uniform appearance. However, all Aluskies do have thick, cold-resistant coats, pointed, wolf-like ears, and are medium to large in size.
Like their parents, Aluskies are playful and intelligent. However, they also need great amounts of exercise, and are not tolerant of warm climates. These dogs thrive in colder areas and places with lots of space to run around.
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