The sport of sled dog racing has evolved over the years just as any sport has, NASCAR, Track and Field, Swimming, Soccer, etc. Sled dog racing tracks are still breaking records every year along with the Iditarod trail and middle distance races. Dogs are getting faster, stronger, and more efficient. Mushers rarely, unless competing in a sanctioned RNB (registered northern breed) category, use dogs like the Alaskan Malamute, Canadian Eskimo Dog, Greenland Dog, or Siberian Husky. Those heavy coated dogs are built for being outside without shelter from the elements 24/7/365. Racing sled dogs are not, they need shelter, dry bedding, or sometimes coats while recovering. Every dog in our kennel has their own insulated house packed with straw that is refreshed every three weeks during the winter months. Living outside allows the dogs to acclimatize to colder weather making their bodies more efficient at managing calories and staying warm.
Sprint racing Alaskan huskies have very dense, dual layered, but shorter coats to help them cool off during exercise. Mushers do not breed for looks, only functionality and drive. We must choose our breeding pairs wisely to get the perfect mix for our program. Obviously, a dual layered coat is a basic requirement for being a sled dog just like having four legs to run with is. We are not allowed to race dogs without a dual layered coat. Sprinters also have a lot of muscle mass which increases their metabolism and heat while resting and exercising causing them to eat more than the distance racing Alaskans. We have some dogs here who would do just fine in an arctic environment without any shelter because their coats are very dense and protect them from the elements. Unfortunately, they have a difficult time running when it’s above 35F because they are generating too much heat. Our dogs run and perform the best when it’s 0F and colder. We start to see the speed go down as the temperatures rise. Winter is their favorite season, they can run all out without overheating.
All of our dogs bred here at the kennel come from very long lines of world champion sled dogs. We do not mix in pure bred dogs, that would set us back several generations.
Check out the images of our dogs, you can see how dense their coats are. Very soft and sleek too.
