Last time we looked at Spitz type dogs in general and the ways in which they have helped the human inhabitants of those cold polar and sub-polar regions to survive and go about their business. Now let’s take a closer look at what makes the Spitze so well adapted to life in the high latitudes and at some of the individual breeds that make up the Spitz type.

These dogs have thick fur growing on their paws which help to protect the pads from the sharp edges of ice ridges and fragments which so commonly lie underfoot in the frozen wastes. A thick undercoat of extra dense fur, which lies under the outer coat, provides both waterproofing and insulation, keeping body heat where it belongs, in the body.

The small ears which are characteristic of many Spitze are less susceptible to frostbite than larger ears would be. When laid flat against the head they are sheltered from the icy winds experienced in the far north. Spitz dogs’ hearing is no less acute for having such small ears.

The Samoyed, the Alaskan Malamute and the Siberian Husky are all breeds descended from the oldest breed of dog known to man, the sled dogs of Mongolia. It’s reckoned that they probably evolved somewhere between 30000 and 35000 years ago. Scientific studies indicate that humans first migrated to areas to the north of the Arctic Circle some 25000 years ago taking these dogs with them. At that time the dogs were used in hunting. Evidence suggests that it took 22000 years for them to think of using their dogs to pull sleds, that is about 3000 years ago. The breakthrough came when communities that lived by fishing and hunting were driven further north into the desolate, snow covered lands of Siberia as livestock farming and agriculture took over the more temperate zones.

The use of sled dogs soon became widespread throughout the northern latitudes, in what we now know as Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Siberia as well as in Lapland, Norway, Finland and Chukotka. It was as recently as 1908 that dogs from the Anadyr River basin in Chukotka were imported into Alaska. These were the first Siberian Huskies to be seen in that part of North America. Their combination of strength with speed and agility soon made them the sled dog of choice for most users and they became the dominant breed in the region.

Although the name, “Husky” properly belongs to the Siberian Husky breed, it has become a generic term for any dogs that pull sleds in the Northern Hemisphere. It is a corruption of the nickname, Esky, used by non-Inuit people as an abbreviation for “Eskimo” and applied by extension to their dogs.

Siberian Huskies made it possible for whole tribes of human beings to survive in these inhospitable regions. Indeed they made not only survival possible but enabled the tribes to migrate further and discover territory hitherto unknown. As recently as 1909 when Rear Admiral Peary of the US Navy set out to reach the North Pole he relied on sleds drawn by Siberian Huskies for transport.

The Gold Rush years between 1908 and 1928 saw the development of long distance dog sled racing. The Siberian Huskies dominated the sport right from the beginning and they were imported from Siberia in large numbers until 1930 when the Soviet Government put a stop to the importation when it closed the border between Alaska and Siberia to all trade.

By that time the dogs were being bred in Alaska and Canada anyway so there was much less need for imported huskies. The breed was by then established in North America and became recognised by the National and State kennel clubs.

In this article, Siberian Huskies have managed to dominate just as they did in Alaska and push out the other breeds. The Eskimo dog breeds can have our full attention next time.

This article was provided by freelance copywriter uk, Pete Hopper of Write For You.