Siberian Husky
The Siberian Husky is a medium-sized dog with a dense-coated. It's a
working dog breed that originated in eastern Siberia, belonging to the Spitz
genetic family. It is recognizable by its thickly-furred double coat, sickle
tail, erect triangular ears and distinctive markings.
An active, energetic and resilient dog whose ancestors came from the extremely
cold and harsh environment of the Siberian Arctic, it was imported into Alaska
during the Nome Gold Rush and spread from there into the United States and
Canada, initially as a sled dog. The Siberian Husky rapidly acquired the status
of a family pet and a show-dog, no longer as much used as a sled dog as
formerly; today it has been largely replaced in dogsled racing by crossbreds.
Siberian Huskys are still used occasionally as sled dogs in dogsled racing
but have been widely replaced by the more popular Alaskan Husky and hound-type
crossbreeds that are specially bred and selected for speed and have less heavy
coats. Freight Siberian Huskies were selectively bred to pull a medium load over
long distances at a medium pace, and simply can't keep up with their faster
counterparts. Siberians are still popular in races restricted to purebreds and
are faster than other pure sleddog breeds such as the Samoyed and Alaskan
Malamute. Today the Siberian Husky tends to divide along lines of “racing”
Siberians versus “show” Siberians. The mixed breed, Alaskan Husky, has taken
over much of the sledding world.
Apart from dogsled racing, these dogs are very popular for recreational mushing
and are also used for skiing (one to three dogs pulling a skier) and European
ski-pulka. A few owners use them for dog-packing and hiking. They have also seen
use as therapy dogs.
In the United Kingdom, Siberian Husky race on forest tracks using specially
designed tricycles, known as rigs, instead of sledges is popular during the
winter months.