Natural History

Sled dogs in the Yukon, 1890’s

March 30, 2013 by SWestfall3

Photo courtesy of Nara U.

Newfoundlands, arctic spitzes, and at least one St. Bernard.

I particularly like that Newfoundland in the front.

He’s obviously the leader.

He looks very sharp.

Posted in working dogs | Tagged malamute, Newfoundland, Qimmiq, St. Bernard | 18 Comments

18 Responses

1. on March 30, 2013 at 6:30 pm Dave

   And people say hunting dogs and mastiffs can’t be sled-dogs.

   
   
   • on March 30, 2013 at 7:21 pm M.R.S.

     Some years ago, Lynda Reddington, daughter of the well-known musher Joe Reddington, ran a small team of regiatered Golden Retrievers. At least one was also a show champion. I’ve also heard of Labrador and pointer crosses being used.

     
     
     • on March 30, 2013 at 7:56 pm massugu

       It depends on the type of sled race. Dogs w/ an abundance of slow twitch muscle fibers are favored for the long distance races. Those w/ a preponderance of fast-twitch fibers are preferred for the fast, relatively short-distance races. You can almost tell what kind of race it’ll be by the physical conformation of the dogs selected.

       
       
     • on March 31, 2013 at 4:06 pm Giraffe

       There was that woman, in the 1970s I recall? She competed with her Lab, a great tour. And she’s done the book about it all.

       
       
   • on March 31, 2013 at 10:52 am bearcoatpei

     I have a book with a photo of a pair of Tibetan Mastiffs running a sled for their owners in Alaska. Not a traditional job, but the nomad dogs could be on the move all day carrying a pack at certain times of year, so they have stamina an efficient gait. Here’s one, but she’s looking for her mum at first. Her owner said she was a natural once she go going.
     

     Most dogs of roughly the right size and conformation can pull a sled for fun – there’s everything from malinois to a saluki in this very mixed bunch. (-:
     

     And my favourite one – look at that little shar-pei go! My bearcoat is a tireless fluffy ball of energy and muscle who would love to do this (might end up in a lake after the swans though).
     

     
     
2. on March 30, 2013 at 9:27 pm vladadog

   The dogs you call Newfs I would have called Collies…

   
   
   • on March 30, 2013 at 9:35 pm retrieverman

     Lord Byron’s Newfoundland, the one he wrote a poem about:

     http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/paintings/lord-byrons-dog-boatswain-18031808-the-newfoundland-47822

     
     
   • on March 30, 2013 at 11:02 pm Dave

     Collies weren’t historically used as sled-dogs. Their conformation don’t allow for long distance or heavy hauling.

     Also, Newfoundlands and Labradors were much more variable in 1800s than their homogeneous state of recent decades.

     
     
3. on March 31, 2013 at 8:24 am Adam

   I must admit looking at the lead dog I thought big long haired border collie! Before I read the post.

   Adam

   
   
   • on March 31, 2013 at 9:12 am retrieverman

     The Newfoundland dog was THE dog you had to have in the nineteenth century. They were very different from the current version.

     
     
4. on March 31, 2013 at 11:02 am bearcoatpei

   I love the keen look on that newfie’s face. I can see his/her sibling further back too. You can just see the same ears and identical expression. The saint at the back doesn’t look all that impressed though.

   
   
   • on March 31, 2013 at 5:33 pm massugu

     The Saint was probably looking for somebody to lean on (LOL.)

     
     
5. on March 31, 2013 at 12:06 pm Peggy Richter

   during the gold rush in Alaska the demand for “sled dogs” exceeded what was available. So stray & unwanted dogs of any kind were often used. Also, of course, there isn’t that much difference to a dog between pulling a cart (which was done by a large number of dogs in Europe if not in England) vice a “sled” if you discount the environment. A lot of dogs that weren’t able to deal with the environment died. Those that survived probably added to the “Alaskan husky” population. Since those flocking to the Alaska “Yukon” and any other area where they thought they’d “get rich quick” were seldom “dog” people and even less often knowledgeable about dog sledding (although many probably knew more about harnessing an animal to something than most of us), the results were not always good. That they used dogs they “thought” would suffice (Bernards were used for carting and did come from a cold/snowy Alps area, at least that’s how it was portrayed) is no surprise.

   
   
   • on March 31, 2013 at 4:14 pm Giraffe

     Also it was typical to buy a dog from a local innu or eskimo.

     
     
   • on March 31, 2013 at 7:34 pm M.R.S.

     There’s a photo in the GRCA Archives of a gold miner accompanied by a dog that looks very much like a Golden Retriever, carrying a pack. Can’t remember if it eas Yukon or Klondike. But you can see other miners on the trail behind the miner with the yellow dog.

     Jack London’s stories tell of some of the too-often tragic fates that befell dogs of that era and place.

     
     
6. on April 1, 2013 at 8:32 am Kali

   And how nice the St. Bernard is! Today’s dogs are such a big slobby mess they can’t be used in snow anymore as they’re just too heavy.

   
   
7. on April 4, 2013 at 2:04 pm Adam

   I’m surprised collies aren’t good. I have 2 and they have tonnes of stamina. I guess they are not strong enough for heavy loads though.

   I must admit I always enjoyed call of the wild (though some of the scenes are very intense).I thought it made some good points about different attitudes to the dogs ect. I also thought it made some good points about how the person who got the most from the dog was also the person who treated it the best (white fang does this too).

   Adam

   
   
   • on April 6, 2013 at 1:56 pm Nara

     Collies were used for sledding as well. Pretty much any dog at gold rush era was, if it could pull it was good enough.

     
     

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