What is a sled dog?

And,

Where do they come from?

Well sled dogs, as people traditionally think of them, are northern breed animals that have been bred to withstand cold weather... they actually have two fur coats... a short thick fluffy under coat to trap warm air next to their body and a longer, wiry outercoat to help shed water and snow...

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They also love to run! Really! Think about it... just about everybody in the US, and most Western countries has experience with... and would agree with... the fact that Labs love to play fetch... they'll play all day! Every day! They are hunting dogs, bred to retrieve a bird shot down out of the sky... and so that's what the stick represents to them... and they love it! it is part of them! Why? Because for a few hundred years we have been breeding them to love it! And boy do they ever love it.

Well sled dogs have been bred to run down the trail for well over 4,000 years... 4 thousand years! At least! Running... Pulling a sled... working with us silly little humans for the survival of both species! This is so much a part of them, ingrained in their genetic code, that if they are not running they go nuts! Really, truly... Nuts!

They need to run!

That is the defining characteristic of a sled dog!

Most have the double coat I talked about earlier.

They usually have smallish tough feet with shorter toes that help prevent sprains.

They can be large or small... 120 pounds for an old-time frieght pulling dog to 35 pounds for a modern "sprint" dog.

Color doesn't matter at all!

Real sled dogs are defined by one trait... and one trait only... the desire to work with the musher to go down the trail!