A dog sled (or dog sleigh) is a sled pulled by one or more sled dogs and used to travel through snow and over ice areas. Dog power has been used for hunting and travel for over a thousand years, and has contributed to human culture as far back as the 10th century BCE. Originally a means of transport in Arctic regions, Greenland, Alaska, Canada and Siberia, today it is also a hobby/leisure activity in many countries with suitable climates, such as Norway, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Switzerland, USA etc. Different types of sleds are used, depending on their function; the main types are the ‘Greenlandic sled’, the ‘Toboggan’ and the ‘Nome sledge’. The ‘Greenlandic sled’ is used on surfaces with mostly ice and little snow, as in Greenland and the eastern Canadian Arctic. The sledges are narrow and the Inuit have the dogs pull while harnessed in a fan shape in front of the sled, with each dog having its own line connected to the sled. The ‘Toboggan’ is used on terrain with high snow, originally in the forested areas of Canada: it is narrow and consists of a kind of giant ski. The dogs are harnessed individually on a long line. Traditionally, there was often a “forerunner”, a person on snowshoes who trampled the snow for the dogs. The ‘Nome’ sledge, also called the ‘Nansen’ sledge, is a sort of hybrid of the two above, with medium-wide medians and suitable for terrain with both ice and snow. The dogs run and pull side by side in pairs in a long line, possibly with a guide dog alone at the head. The Nomesled and the Toboggan are run with a guide dog, whereas in Greenland guide dogs are not normally used. The guide dog is often confused with the so-called “bass”, which is the dominant individual of the dog pack and at the top of the pecking order, but which has no function in the running itself. Sled dogs have historically been of quite mixed pedigree, but three breeds are most often mentioned: the ‘Greenland sled dog’, the ‘Siberian Husky’ and the ‘Alaskan Malamute’. Other breeds are now seen in racing, including hunting dog breeds. As a general guide, a sled dog can pull its own weight (around 30-40 kg) and it can cover about 60 km a day. The dog sled is controlled by command call and whip:
Greenlandic: Stop: “Uniit”; right/left: “juv” / “ili”
English: Stop: “Whoa”; right/left: “gee”/ “haw”
Assembling a dog sled team involves picking lead dogs, point dogs, swing dogs, and wheel dogs. The lead dog is crucial, so mushers take particular care of these dogs. Another important detail is to have powerful wheel dogs to pull the sled out from the snow. Point dogs (optional) are located behind the leader dogs, swing dogs between the point and wheel dogs, and team dogs are all other dogs in between the wheel and swing dogs and are selected for their endurance, strength, and speed as part of the team. In dog sledding, Siberian Huskies or Alaskan Malamutes are the main types of dogs that are used for recreational sledding because of their strength and speed and endurance as well as their ability to withstand the cold. However, Alaskan Huskies are also a popular dog for sled dog racing, because of their endurance, good eating habits, speed, and dedication to running even when tired. Sometimes, for sprint races, mushers use short-haired hounds that are faster than the average husky. These hounds are raised from a young age to pull, but they are harder to train than Siberian Huskies and Malamutes because it is not in their nature.
