Already with the advent of sled dog sport at the beginning of the 20th century, Alaska began to cross the native dogs ("Indian dogs", rather wolf-like) with polar dogs like the Siberian Huskies in order to get the optimal sled dog for the races. In the course of time hunting dogs and greyhounds were added to the breeding. The dogs were bred more and more specifically to the requirements of the races.
Description
The range of Alaskans today is very wide: from the 50 kg trapper dog to the 17 kg racing dog everything can be found. Despite their different size and weight, they have a lot in common: an unruly, persistent will to run, hard, tough paws, dense and weatherproof coat, frugality, compatibility with other dogs and especially with humans. There are some very well-known breeding lines, which almost reach race character and whose pedigrees can be traced back some generations. By the crossing with hunting dogs and greyhounds this type became more compatible with herd comrades and humans and lost some characteristics of the polar dogs, which benefited the function. A similar type of dog developed in Europe: the European sleddog.
For heavy races a rather light type has established itself: Bitches should weigh between 22 and 25 kg and a male between 25 and 27 kg. The performance in the race is enormous: the Alaskan Husky should hold out over 25 km/h for a distance of 50 km. At distances of 80 to 100 km an average speed of max. 20 km/h can be maintained. In long races like the Iditarod, the Alaskan Husky is able to run 240 km per day for 10 and more days.
Source: Wikipedia
