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Dog Articles
Past and Present: Alaskan Eskimo Dogs
There is
no set standard for Eskimo dogs, and nowadays one must go very far
into the Arctic to find the packs pure and uncontaminated with the
blood of the white man's dogs; for the best Huskie is the strongest,
most willing, and obedient dog, whatever his lineage, and these
qualities have undoubtedly been increased through the introduction
of such strains as the Newfoundland, Dane, Shepherd dog, and others
of less pure but equally civilized blood.
There are
a good many names for the Eskimo dogs and a good many types, as
their range covers a stretch of country some 4,000 miles long and
1,500 miles wide. It is therefore easily understandable that the dog
of the Aleutians and Alaska should present quite a different
appearance from that of Hudson Bay or Greenland.
All
Eskimos are strong, wolfy, self-reliant dogs, with straight, strong
legs, solid body, and massive head; even of jaw, keen of eye and
ear, and well equipped by nature for the semi-feral life they lead
among their nomadic masters. They have the pricked ears, deep-furred
neck, dense waterproof coat, well-furred feet, and gaily carried
tail of all the Arctic and northern Asiatic dogs, and are
represented by similar dogs across northern Lapland, Russia, and
Siberia.
A good
average weight for these dogs is about 70 pounds, though they often
scale much more. They share with the Asiatic dogs the peculiar
horizontal width of jaw so marked in the Chow. They are used by the
Eskimos for pulling sledges and for hunting Musk Ox and Polar Bear
which are overtaken and held at bay until the hunters arrive.
Source:
National Geographic 1919
Recommended Reading
Dog Training
Mastery - An Owners' Manual
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