Husky

Husky (English Husky) is a common name for several breeds of sled dogs bred in the northern regions, which are distinguished by a fast manner of pulling a team. They are an ever-changing cross between the fastest dogs. The Alaskan Malamute, on the contrary, is the largest and most powerful sled dog, and was used for heavier loads. Although the delivery of goods and people using dog sleds has largely gone down in history, in recent years many companies have offered tourists a ride on dog sleds in snow-covered regions. Huskies are kept as pets today.

Origin

Almost all the genetic affinity of dogs with the gray wolf is associated with an admixture. However, some Arctic breeds also show genetic affinity with the now extinct Taimyr wolf from Northern Asia due to admixture: the Siberian Husky and the Greenland dog (which is also historically associated with Arctic human populations), and to a lesser extent the Sharpey and the Finnish Spitz. The ancestors of the husky were Siberian huskies, which, according to one version, were bred in Chukotka and brought to North America. Here they merged with the local sled dog population and formed a new breed. The Greenland dog mixing graph shows the optimal variant in 3.5% of the total material; however, the proportion of ancestors ranged from 1.4% to 27.3%, which is consistent with the data and indicates a mixture between the Taimyr wolf and the ancestors of these four high-latitude breeds.

Such introgression could provide the first dogs living in high latitudes with phenotypic variations useful for adapting to a new and complex environment, making a significant contribution to the development of huskies. This also indicates that the ancestors of the current breeds originate from more than one region.

Specifications

Huskies are energetic and athletic. They usually have a thick double coat, which can be gray, black, copper-red, or white. Such wool protects against hypothermia in frosty weather. Their eyes are usually light blue, although they can also be brown, blue, yellow, or heterochromic. Huskies are more prone to uveitis than most other breeds.

The weight and height of this breed depends on the subspecies, but on average their height reaches 50-60 cm, and weight - 20-35kg.

Breeds

Huskies were bred by the indigenous peoples of the Arctic.

Examples of these breeds in the modern era have been selectively bred and registered in various kennel clubs as modern purebred breeds, including Siberian Huskies and Labrador Huskies. The Sakhalin Husky is a Japanese sled dog related to the Japanese Pomeranian and Akita Inu.

The Alaskan Husky is a variety of sled dogs that appeared in Alaska (and not in Siberia and other areas of the Arctic), and the Mackenzie River Husky is a subtype belonging to different dog populations in the Arctic and subarctic regions of Alaska and Canada.

Other husky breeds include the Greenland dog, the Samoyed.