Because I Saw It
While it is five months until Susan Butcher Day and the start of the next race, MSNBC ran this article that I have been meaning to post: Why Iditarod sled dogs are super dogs
Alaskan huskies that participate in the grueling Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race must run 1,100 miles while enduring heavy blizzards, temperatures as low as -40 degrees Fahrenheit and winds up to 60 miles per hour, all of which earn the hearty canines status as the world’s premier ultra-endurance animal athletes.
How do they do it? New research suggests the canines are superior to most other mammals, including humans, in at least three key areas: They are unusually adept at adapting to exercise, they have superior aerobic capacity and are unusually efficient in using food as fuel.
These dogs have evolved into the nearly perfect endurance athletes, although the article is mistaken in identifying them as “Alaskan huskies” as the sled dogs tend to be the result of a mix of several different breeds.
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They left out two other important differences… They have superior intelligence, and have no interest in destroying their only habitat. 🙂 Did I miss anything? LOL
I was trying not to rub it in, Kryten, as they will still be here after we have gone. Sled dogs and cockroaches have a bright future.
actually, most breeds were originally mixes of other breeds, as people liked the size of this breed, the color of that breed, the hunting abilities of the other breed…
and alaskan husky really is the name most often used to identify the breed-in-the-making that has become the premier racing sled dog.
Ahhhh, well… But you are a little older, and therefore probably wiser than I Bryan. And a tad more… subtle. 😉 I’m in the *Boots ‘n’ all* phase of my life! LOL
You are a wonderful font of arcane knowledge hipparchia! 😀
There actually is a cross between the Malamute and Siberian Husky that is called the Alaskan husky. They tend to be too “husky” for the endurance events. The long distance sled dogs are smaller and faster although not as strong or heavy. While some people still race pure breds, like the Siberian huskies of the Frekings of Minnisota, most of the top mushers breed their own to get exactly the qualities they want. Lance Mackey’s team look more like a local Rugby side than an elite racing team, but they win consistently.
The key seems to be matching the size and pulling capacity of the dogs to the specific sled and musher.
I suspect it’s somewhat like horse racing. You have to get the right horse for the event. 🙂 And there are people who are very good at finding the right animal for the job. 🙂
They find good ones and breed better ones, but they are definitely selected for the event. You can’t use the same dogs that are successful in the sprints for something like the Iditarod.
malamutes aren’t sprinters, they’re freight haulers, slow and steady, and either short or long distances, but definitely not built for speed.
storm kloud kennel entered an all-mal team in the iditarod several years ago though, just because. they made it 600 miles, i think.
whether alaskan husky = only huskies or huskies mixed with other ‘outside’ breeds seems to depend on who you ask. but yeah, the iditarod mushers have produced a remarkable animal.
Malamutes are deep winter dogs that are added for strength and endurance, as well as superior cold weather protection. They are like draft horses. They can do the 1000 miles, but it definitely won’t be quickly, and they need the cold weather.
You could pull the sled with fewer dogs, but you still won’t get the speed.
The smaller breeds are better sprinters, but they just don’t have the ability to recover that the purpose bred dogs do.