| Sled dogs, known also as sleigh dogs,
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| | hitched in tandem, with harnessed pairs
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| sledge dogs or sleddogs are dogs that are
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| | of sleddogs pulling on tuglines attached
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| used to pull a wheel-less vehicle on
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| | to a central gangline. Trappers in deep
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| runners (a sled or sleigh) over snow or
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| | snow conditions using the toboggan will
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| ice, by means of harnesses and lines. It
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| | hitch their dogs in single file with
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| is not certain when this unique form of
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| | traces on either side of the line of
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| transport was first thought of by
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| | dogs. Dog teams of arctic natives are
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| humankind nor where it originated, but it
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| | usually run in "fan hitch", each dog
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| may well have been in eastern Siberia,
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| | having its own tow line tied directly to
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| whose tribes have a long history of
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| | the sled.
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| nomadic winter travel.
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| | Driving sleddogs has become a popular
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| Several distinct dog breeds are in common
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| | winter recreation and sport in North
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| use as sleddogs, although any
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| | America and Europe; sleddogs are now
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| medium-sized breed may be used to pull a
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| | found even in such unlikely places as
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| sled. Purebred sleddog breeds range from
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| | Australia and Patagonia.
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| the well-known Siberian Husky and Alaskan
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| | A dog sled (or dogsled) is a sled pulled
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| Malamute to rarer breeds such as the
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| | by one or more sled dogs used to travel
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| Mackenzie River Husky. Dog drivers,
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| | over ice and through snow. Numerous types
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| however, have a long history of using
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| | of sleds are used, depending on their
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| other breeds or crossbreds as sleddogs.
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| | function.
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| In the days of the Gold Rush in The
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| | A basket sled has a bed raised several
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| Yukon, mongrel teams were the rule, but
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| | inches above the surface of the snow.
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| there were also teams of Foxhounds and
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| | This type of sled is used in dogsled
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| Staghounds. Today the unregistered
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| | racing. Sprint sleds are often
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| hybridised Alaskan husky is preferred for
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| | short-bodied basket sleds. A toboggan
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| dogsled racing, along with a variety of
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| | sled has a lower carriage and uses a
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| crossbreds, the German Shorthaired
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| | closed bed, allowing the sled to slide or
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| Pointer often being chosen as the basis
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| | float over deep snow. Freight sleds,
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| for crossbreeding. Some years ago, a team
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| | which are heavier and sturdier than
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| of Standard Poodles participated in the
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| | sprint sleds, may be toboggan or basket
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| Iditarod long-distance race.
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| | sleds. Both of these types of sleds have
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| Sleddogs are expected to demonstrate two
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| | runners which stick out behind the sled,
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| major qualities in their work (apart from
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| | on which the musher can stand. Older
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| basic physical capability to pull the
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| | sleds relied on hooks attached to the
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| sled). Endurance is needed to travel the
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| | sled with a rope, whereas modern sleds
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| distances demanded in dogsled travel,
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| | usually include drag and claw brakes
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| which may be anything from five to eighty
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| | built into the sled.
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| miles (8 to 130 km) or more a day. Speed
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| | A recent innovation in sled design was
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| is needed to travel the distance in a
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| | introduced in the 2004 Iditarod by Jeff
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| reasonable length of time. Racing
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| | King, who used a split sled for the race.
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| sleddogs will travel up to an average
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| | This sled, the Tail Dragger, has a
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| twenty miles per hour (32.2 km/h) over
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| | basket-style body with a freight-holding
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| distances up to 25 miles (40 km). Over
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| | back end, and an open middle. The musher
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| longer distances, average travelling
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| | can sit on the back part or stand in the
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| speed declines to 10 to 14 miles per hour
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| | middle.
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| (16 to 22 km/h). In poor trail
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| | The komatik is a traditional Inuit sled,
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| conditions, sleddogs can still usually
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| | used in Canada and Greenland, low-slung
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| average 6 or 7 miles per hour (10 or 11
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| | and on which the hunter or racer sits or
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| km/h). Sled dogs have been known to
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| | lies down, facing forward. The runners do
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| travel over 100 miles in a 24 hour
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| | not stick out as in basket sleds.
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| period.
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| | A pulk is a short, flat sled used in the
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| Sleddogs pull various sorts of sleds,
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| | Scandinavian sport of pulka. The dog is
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| from the small 25 pound (11 kg)
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| | hitched to the sled and the sled to the
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| sprint-racing sleds, through the larger
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| | skier. The pulk is used to carry supplies
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| plastic-bottomed distance racing toboggan
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| | or equipment, but not usually a person.
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| sleds, to traditional ash freighting
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| | The expedition led by the Norwegian
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| sleds and the trapper's high-fronted
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| | explorer Roald Amundsen used dog sleds
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| narrow toboggan. Sleddogs are also used
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| | when they reached the South Pole before
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| to pull skiers and to draw wheeled rigs
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| | Robert Falcon Scott's party did.
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| when there is no snow. A team of sleddogs
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| | A dog sled race was included at the 1932
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| may consist of anywhere from three to two
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| | Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York
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| dozen animals. Modern teams are usually
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| | as a demonstration event.
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