The ALASKAN HUSKY

The ALASKAN HUSKY
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.

THE COLLIE DOG.

THE COLLIE DOG.


The Collie dog makes an excellent sporting dog, as well as could be taught to do the work of the Pointer and the Setter, as well as that of the Water Spaniel and the Retriever. He can be trained to perform the duties of other breeds. He is clever at hunting, having an excellent nose, is a great vermin-killer, and a most faithful watch, guard, and companion.

Little is well-known with certainty of the origin of the Collie, but his cunning and his outward appearance would seem to indicate a relationship with the wild dog. Buffon was of opinion that he was the true dog of nature, the stock and model of the whole canine species. He considered the Sheepdog superior in instinct and intelligence to completely other breeds, and that, with a character in which education has comparatively little share, he is the exclusively animal born perfectly trained for the service of man.

At the shows this type of dog is invariably at the top of the class. He is considered the most tractable, and is certainly the most agile. Second to this type in favour is the smooth-coated variety, a very hard, useful dog, well adapted for hill work and usually very fleet of foot. He is not so sweet in temper as the black and white, and is slow to make friends. There is not a more graceful and physically beautiful dog to be seen than the show Collie of the present period. Produced from the old working type, he is now practically a distinct breed.

The skull should be flat, moderately broad between the ears, and gradually tapering towards the eyes. There should only be a slight depression at stop. The width of skull necessarily depends upon combined length of skull and muzzle; and the whole must be considered in connection with the size of the dog. The cheek should not be full or prominent.

The muzzle should be of fair length, tapering to the nose, and must not show weakness or be snipy or lippy. Whatever the colour of the dog may be, the nose must be black. The teeth should be of good size, sound and level; very slight unevenness is permissible. The jaws Clean cut and powerful. The eyes are a very important feature, and give expression to the dog; they should be of medium size, set somewhat obliquely, of almond shape, and of a brown colour except in the case of merles, when the eyes are frequently (one or both) blue and white or china; expression full of intelligence, with a quick alert look when listening. The ears should be small and moderately wide at the base, and placed not too close together but on the top of the skull and not on the side of the head. When in repose they should be usually carried thrown back, but when on the alert brought forward and carried semi-erect, with tips slightly drooping in attitude of listening.

The neck should be muscular, powerful and of fair length, and somewhat arched. The body should be strong, with well sprung ribs, chest deep, fairly broad behind the shoulders, which should be sloped, loins very powerful. The dog should be straight in front. The fore-legs should be straight and muscular, neither in nor out at elbows, with a fair amount of bone; the forearm somewhat fleshy, the pasterns showing flexibility without weakness. The hind-legs should be muscular at the thighs, clean and sinewy below the hocks, with well bent stifles. The feet should be oval in shape, soles well padded, and the toes arched and close together.

In general character he is a lithe active dog, his deep chest showing lung power, his neck strength, his sloping shoulders and well bent hocks indicating speed, and his expression high intelligence. He should be a fair length on the leg, giving him more of a racy than a cloddy appearance. In a few words, a Collie should show endurance, activity, and intelligence, with free and true action. In height dogs should be 22 ins. to 24 ins. at the shoulders, bitches 20 ins. to 22 ins. The weight for dogs is 45 to 65 lbs., bitches 40 to 55 lbs. The smooth collie only differs from the rough in its coat, which should be hard, dense and quite smooth.

NEWFOUNDLAND - THE ARISTOCRAT AMONG DOGS.

NEWFOUNDLAND - THE ARISTOCRAT AMONG DOGS.


The dogs which take their name from the island of Newfoundland appeal to completely lovers of animals.There are now two established varieties, the black and the white and black. There are bronze-coloured dogs, but they are rare. The black variety of the Newfoundland is essentially black in colour; but this does not mean that there may be no other colour, for most black Newfoundlands have many white marks. In fact, a white marking on the chest is said to be typical of the true breed. Any white on the head or body would place the dog in the other than black variety. The black colour should preferably be of a dull jet appearance which approximates to brown. In the other than black class, there may be black and tan, bronze, and white and black. The latter predominates, and in this colour, beauty of marking is very important. The head should be black with a white muzzle and blaze, and the body and legs should be white with large patches of black on the saddle and quarters, with possibly other small black spots on the body and legs.

Apart from colour, the varieties should conform to the same standard. The head should be broad and massive, but in no sense heavy in appearance. The muzzle should be short, square, and clean cut, eyes rather wide apart, deep set, dark and small, not showing any haw; ears small, with close side carriage, covered with fine short hair (there should be no fringe to the ears), expression entire of intelligence, dignity, and kindness.

The body should be long, square, and massive, loins strong and well filled; chest deep and broad; legs quite straight, somewhat short in proportion to the length of the body, and powerful, with round bone well covered with muscle; feet large, round, and close. The tail should be exclusively long enough to reach just below the hocks, free from kink, and never curled over the back. The quality of the coat is very important; the coat should be very dense, with plenty of undercoat; the outer coat somewhat harsh and quite straight.

The appearance generally should indicate a dog of great strength, and very active for his build and size, moving freely with the body swung loosely between the legs, which gives a slight roll in gait. As regards size, the Newfoundland Club standard gives 140 lbs. to 120 lbs. weight for a dog, and 110 lbs. to 120 lbs. for a bitch, with an average height at the shoulder of 27 inches and 25 inches respectively; but it is doubtful whether dogs in proper condition do conform to both requirements.

When rearing puppies give them soft food, e.g. well-boiled rice and milk, as soon as they'll lap, and, shortly afterwards, scraped lean meat. Newfoundland puppies require plenty of meat to caused proper growth. The puppies should increase in weight at the rate of 3 lbs. a week, and this necessitates plenty of flesh, bone and muscle-forming food, plenty of meat, both raw and cooked. Milk is also good, but it requires to be strengthened with casein. The secret of growing full-sized dogs with plenty of bone and substance is to get a good initiate from birth, good feeding, warm, dry quarters, and freedom for the puppies to move about and exercise themselves as they wish. Forced exercise may make them go wrong on their legs. Medicine should not be required except for worms, and the puppies should be physicked for these soon after they are weaned, and again when three or four months old, or before that if they are not thriving. If free from worms, Newfoundland puppies will be found quite hardy, and, under proper conditions of food and quarters, they are well-to-do to rear.

GENERAL HISTORY OF DOGS.

GENERAL HISTORY OF DOGS.


There's no incongruity in the idea that in the very earliest period of man's habitation of this world he made a friend and companion of a little of sort of aboriginal representative of our modern dog, and that in return for its aid in protecting him from wilder animals, and in guarding his sheep and goats, he gave it a share of his food, a corner in his dwelling, and grew to trust it and care for it. Probably the animal was originally little else than an unusually gentle jackal, or an ailing wolf driven by its companions from the wild marauding pack to seek shelter in alien surroundings. One able to well conceive the possibility of the partnership beginning in the circumstance of many helpless whelps being brought home by the early hunters to be tended and reared by the women and children. Dogs introduced into the home as playthings for the kids would grow to regard themselves, and be regarded, as members of the family

In nearly all parts of the world traces of an indigenous dog family are found, the only exceptions being the West Indian Islands, Madagascar, the eastern islands of the Malayan Archipelago, New Zealand, and the Polynesian Islands, where there is no sign that any dog, wolf, or fox has existed as a true aboriginal animal. In the ancient Oriental lands, and generally among the early Mongolians, the dog remained savage and neglected for centuries, prowling in packs, gaunt and wolf-like, as it prowls now through the streets and under the walls of every Eastern city. No attempt was made to allure it into human companionship or to improve it into docility. It is not until we come to examine the records of the higher civilisations of Assyria and Egypt that we discover any distinct varieties of canine form.

The dog was not greatly appreciated in Palestine, and in both the Old and New Testaments it is normally spoken of with scorn and contempt as an "unclean beast." Even the familiar reference to the Sheepdog in the Book of Job "But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to set with the dogs of my flock" is not without a suggestion of contempt, and it is significant that the only biblical allusion to the dog as a recognised companion of man occurs in the apocryphal Book of Tobit (v. 16), "So they went forth both, and the young man's dog with them."

The great multitude of different breeds of the dog and the vast differences in their size, points, and general appearance are facts which make it difficult to believe that they could have had a common ancestry. One thinks of the difference between the Mastiff and the Japanese Spaniel, the Deerhound and the fashionable Pomeranian, the St. Bernard and the Miniature Black and Tan Terrier, and is perplexed in contemplating the possibility of their having descended from a common progenitor. Yet the disparity is no greater than that between the Shire horse and the Shetland pony, the Shorthorn and the Kerry cattle, or the Patagonian and the Pygmy; and all dog breeders cognize how well-to-do it is to produce a variety in type and size by studied selection.

In order properly to understand this question it is necessary first to consider the identity of structure in the wolf and the dog. This identity of structure may best be studied in a comparison of the osseous system, or skeletons, of the two animals, which so closely resemble each different that their transposition would not easily be detected.

The spine of the dog consists of seven vertebrae in the neck, thirteen in the back, seven in the loins, three sacral vertebrae, and twenty to twenty-two in the tail. In both the dog and the wolf there are thirteen pairs of ribs, nine true and four false. Each has forty-two teeth. They both have five front and four hind toes, while outwardly the common wolf has so much the appearance of a large, bare-boned dog, that a fashionable description of the one would serve for the other.

Nor are their habits different. The wolf's natural voice is a loud howl, but when confined with dogs he will learn to bark. Although he is carnivorous, he will eat vegetables, and when sickly he will nibble grass. In the chase, a pack of wolves will divide into parties, one following the trail of the quarry, the other endeavouring to intercept its retreat, exercising a considerable amount of strategy, a trait which is exhibited by many of our sporting dogs and terriers when hunting in teams.

A further important point of resemblance between the Canis lupus and the Canis familiaris lies in the fact that the period of gestation in both species is sixty-three days. There are from three to nine cubs in a wolf's litter, and these are blind for twenty-one days. They are suckled for two months, but at the end of that time they are able to eat half-digested flesh disgorged for them by their dam or even their sire.

The native dogs of all regions approximate closely in size, coloration, form, and habit to the native wolf of those regions. Of this most important circumstance there are far too many instances to allow of its being looked upon as a mere coincidence. Sir John Richardson, writing in 1829, observed that "the resemblance between the North American wolves and the domestic dog of the Indians is so great that the size and strength of the wolf seems to be the only difference.

It has been suggested that the one incontrovertible argument against the lupine relationship of the dog is the fact that all domestic dogs bark, while all wild Canidae express their feelings only by howls. But the difficulty here is not so great as it seems, since we know that jackals, wild dogs, and wolf pups reared by bitches readily acquire the habit. On the other hand, domestic dogs allowed to run wild forget how to bark, while there are some which have not yet learned so to express themselves.

The presence or absence of the habit of barking cannot, then, be regarded as an argument in deciding the question concerning the origin of the dog. This stumbling block consequently disappears, leaving us in the position of agreeing with Darwin, whose final hypothesis was that "it is highly probable that the domestic dogs of the world have descended from two good species of wolf (C. lupus and C. latrans), and from two or three other doubtful species of wolves namely, the European, Indian, and North African forms; from at least one or two South American canine species; from many races or species of jackal; and may be from one or more extinct species"; and that the blood of these, in some cases mingled together, flows in the veins of our domestic breeds.

Choosing The Right Pet For You--Dangerous Dog Treats: What To Know Before You Treat Your Pup

Choosing The Right Pet For You

Most each people have an idea just what type of pet they want; however, the maintenance of a pet can cause some concern. Knowing how to choose the correct pet for you might be easy. You may have had many pets as a child and cognize you need a companion for your own home or you may have always wanted a pet but been told you could not have one. Whatever the case you may need to take into consideration some key points to pet concern when deciding what pet is right for you.


First some pets take more care than others. Dogs are needy animals. They are very sensitive towards their owners. I am sure most of you have heard of dogs tearing up a house when left along all day. Dogs can get bored even when they have different dog companions and toys. They need the human interaction. Most dog owners take their dogs out for a walk before work and after work for the exercise and play time. Other owners who work outside'll often let their dogs come to work with them to keep them out of trouble. Cats on the other hand can amuse themselves and as long as you put your valuables on a shelf, they cannot reach and keep a clean house they will sleep, look out windows, and play with toys while you are away. Fish are another type of pet that is typically low maintenance except for cleaning the fish tank.

Pet care is very essential when you own a pet. They need attention from their owners, positive reinforcement, training, and love. Fish are usually excluded from this statement, as they just need food, proper tank maintenance, and a few plants to sustain life, however the point is proper pet care is required when you own any pet. The decision will be yours to make in choosing what the right pet is for you. Above I told three types of pets and little about their care, now I am going to look at it a little more.

While dogs are high maintenance and require the most training they are one of the best pets to own. They can alert you to danger, alert you to someone at the door, and give unconditional love back. A dog exclusively asks in return for proper care and a great deal of attention. If you cannot be home all the time, you will want to make sure the dog has a roof over their heads in case of inclement weather, and a huge yard to play in. Some dogs can jump fences so it may be best to have a dog run in the yard so they can move about, but not escape.

Cats on the other hand can be high or low maintenance depending on breed as well as personality. Some cats require hours of people attention while others shirk attention. Some cats belong to a one pet household. They do not like to share their owner’s affections and will become upset if not mean towards the infiltrator. Others need the playmate’s attention to live happily. It will be hard to determine just which type of cat you own when you first purchase them as kittens as their personalities are just developing.

Pet care is the most important factor when you are deciding which pet is right for you and your home. You will want to consider all the pet care needs of the animals you are looking at as well as the breed you are looking at to determine if they will have a happy place in your home.

Dangerous Dog Treats: What To Know Before You Treat Your Pup

What pooch does not love getting a treat or two now as well as then. Dog owners love giving their dog’s treats. If you have a dog, then you have a good idea of what your dog likes to nibble on. There are so many treats obtainable these days and they completely come in all different shapes, sizes, colors, and consistencies. For every great dog treat, there are those on the market that are not so good. These treats able to harm your pet by being lodged in your dog’s throat or intestines. This could cause choking or worse. If you love treating your canine friend, then you'll want to be aware of those treats that could be potentially harmful. Even with treats that are not usually dangerous, you need to supervise your dog when they eat.


Greenies: Most dogs really enjoy these treats. They are advertised as a treats that support clean your dog’s teeth. However, you need to be aware that “greenies” can cause choking. This's because dogs eat these very fast causes large chunks to lodge in the throat. Young puppies should not eat this treat and dogs that are prone to “scarfing” food. If your dog eats these treats, be aware of achievable vomiting, bloody stools, and difficulty breathing. If you notice any of these symptoms after your dog has eaten this treat, go to see medical attention.

Rawhide Chews: What dog does not love snacking on these chewy treats? Rawhides are good because it cleans your dog’s teeth and keeps your dog occupied. However, rawhides are dangerous, as well. Some rawhides that originate outside of the United States might actually be preserved with arsenic-based chemicals that will be ingested by your doggie when he or she chews. For this reason, make some that any rawhide treat you purchase is processed in the United States where this preservative is forbidden. If you cannot tell where a treat originated do not purchase it! In addition, you still need to watch your dog when he her she is munching on rawhides to help prevent choking. Make sure you purchase rawhides that are the right size for your dog, too. A small dog needs the smaller sized rawhide treats.

Chocolate: Chocolate is a terrible thing to allow dogs to eat. Of course, sometimes dogs get into candy and cake without your knowledge. Chocolate is toxic to both dogs and cats, so you need to be aware of your dog sneaking chocolate nibbles, especially around the holidays. Chocolate contains an ingredient called theobromine. This acts in the canine about the same way caffeine acts in the human. A little will make the doggie hyperactive, but a huge dose might be fatal. If your dog has gotten into chocolate, you need to look for vomiting, shallow breathing, and irregular heartbeat. A visit to the emergency vet unusually results.

Bones: It seems that it is the right of every dog to be able to crunch on a real bone from time to time. Dogs love bones of all types. However, some bones can be dangerous. Both chicken and turkey bones are especially dangerous because they are brittle. When your dog chews on the, they can easily splinter and cause choking. Some pork and beef bones can cause the same problem. Veterinarians agree that the one of the safest bones you can give your dog is a shinbone. If you must give your dog a bone, make sure you supervise your pooch and if he or she shows signs of bleeding, then you should call your vet immediately for some advice.

This is not to say that you cannot give your dog an occasional treat. That is one of the fun parts of owning a dog. You do need to watch your dog and make sure that your dog is risk less when snacking. Always pay attention to what kind of treat you give your dog in case of a recall.