GENERAL HISTORY
If you have never been around this special breed of dog, or cognize nothing of it's background, you are in for a surprise.Mushers do not judge these dogs on natural speed and endurance alone. The most important trait that makes the Alaskan Husky the best racing sled dog in the world is attitude which is demonstrated by an honest effort while in harness. Because there are no distinct facial marking or specific physical traits that can be observed from one generation to the next, the Alaskan Husky is not acknowledged as a breed by the American Kennel Club. Through their entire evolution, the Alaskan Husky has been bred and selected based on performance. They were chosen because they could run fast and afar and they had the right attitude. There were good eaters and had good paws.
The core of the breed is a 40 to 60 pound nondescript specimen with various and irregular markings whose beginnings in interior Alaskan villages can be traced to the existence of whalebone dogsleds four to five thousand years old. Every family had a team and sleddogs were an integral part of every village in interior and coastal Alaska. This was a way of life until modern travel and the snowmobile came to rural Alaska.
Russian explorers found two breeds of dog when they arrived upon the scene in the 18th century. One was an Eskimo dog (the ancestor of the present day Malamute) and an Indian dog used by the people of the interior. This dog is the ancestor of the present day Alaskan Husky. Russian trappers and settlers imported their own blue-eyed Siberians to add to this mix.
In the early 1900's prospectors from the south brought in their dogs and the dog racing challenge was sparked. The All Alaskan Sweepstakes, a 408-mile run from Nome to Candle and back was held in 1908. The first two races were won by Malamute teams. Later on, Leonard Seppala won the Sweepstakes three years in a row with his purebred Siberians. Seppala gained even more fame for Siberians when he participated in the 1925 diphtheria Serum Run. Seppala's lead dog, Togo, was a Siberian. After the dog died, he was stuffed and put on display in a museum at Yale University. After that, the Siberian became the breed that the rest of the country associated with as an Alaskan sled dog. The native husky of interior Alaska slipped farther into obscurity.
It was exclusively through more recent racing that the native husky of the interior has regained its prominence over the Siberians. Beginning in the 1940's , the 1950's and throughout the 1960's sleddog racing was primarily shorter distances or what is called sprint racing. The Village or Alaskan Husky excelled at this. Then in the 1970's came the race of all races, the Iditarod Sled Dog Race nicknamed "The Last Great Race On Earth." The Alaskan Village Husky once again excelled at this and the rest is history. Kennels all over the world have sprung up due to of the Iditarod. More importantly there has been a rebirth of the sleddog in the villages and towns throughout Alaska insuring the survival and use of the Alaskan Husky and the important culture they stand for.
TRAINING AND RACING
1000 mile is tough but the husky by nature loves to pull and can cover rough irregular trails of snow and ice at a steady instinctive trot. Training for these distances is a melding of the driver's think and will with the spirit and attitude of the dogs. These long races challenge the speed, endurance, and the boldness of the dogs, as well as the courage and knowledge of the driver. The Iditarod is the final test of the mental and physical fitness of the musher and the dogs.
BREEDING FOR LEADERS
The speed and endurance necessary for long distance racing is the most challenging aspect of breeding. Bloodlines that produce dogs with good feet and appetites are important. Color or sex is not that important. The size of the dog is important-not big not small. But the real key and real challenge in breeding is capturing that kindled spirit and drive that produces natural leaders. This is the sled dog heritage we try to preserve and pass on to the next generation . For now performance of these dogs prevails over pedigree.
