The Alaskan Husky

Alaskan husky

The most commonly used dog in dog sled racing,^[21] the Alaskan husky is a mongrel^[7] bred specifically for its performance as a sled dog.^[1]

The first dogs arrived in the Americas 12,000 years ago, however people and their dogs did not settle in the Arctic until the Paleo-Eskimo people 4,500 years ago and then the Thule people 1,000 years ago, both originating from Siberia.^[23] In 2015, a study using a number of genetic markers indicated that the Alaskan husky, the Siberian Husky and the Alaskan Malamute share a close genetic relationship between each other and were related to Chukotka sled dogs from Siberia. They were separate to the two Inuit dogs, the Canadian Eskimo Dog and the Greenland dog. In North America, the Siberian Husky and the Malamute both had maintained their Siberian lineage and had contributed significantly to the Alaskan husky, which showed evidence of crossing with European breeds that was consistent with this breed being created in post-colonial North America. The modern Alaskan Husky reflects a century or more of cross-breeding with Pointers, Shepherds, and Salukis to improve their performance.^[23] Occasionally, Alaskan huskies are referred to as Indian Dogs, because the best ones supposedly come from Native American villages in the Alaskan and Canadian interiors.^[1] They typically weigh between 18 and 34 kilograms (40 and 75 lb) and may have dense or sleek fur.^[1] Alaskan huskies bear little resemblance to the typical husky breeds they originated from, or to each other.^[1]

There are two genetically distinct varieties of Alaskan husky: a sprinting group and a long-distance group.^[9] Alaskan Malamutes and Siberian Huskies contributed the most genetically to the long-distance group, while English Pointers and Salukis contributed the most to the sprinting group.^[9] Anatolian Shepherd Dogs contributed a strong work ethic to both varieties.^[9] There are many Alaskan huskies that are partially Greyhound, which improves their speed.

Bron:Wikipedia