Alaskan Malamute
It all started when I was very young, watching and admiring adventures on an old television series called “Sergeant Preston of the Yukon” with his lead dog “Yukon King” driving his Alaskan Malamute sled dog team as an RCMP to police the territories while saving the day!
I was offered a stray Alaskan Malamute 40 years ago. I named him Teke, who was on his way to the pound when I rescued him. I had plans to leave in two days for a trip to Mexico and back along Highway 101 in a Volkswagen, which started my adventures with the breed. He’s the one who started it all and provided a direction for my future sled dog accomplishments.
After his loss, I purchased a couple of AKC Alaskan Malamutes from known breeders/show handlers, then went on to achieve AKC championships. Unfortunately, major discrepancies were discovered with “Show Champions” and the original purebred Alaskan Malamutes. Kennel Club “Show Dogs” are bred for beauty, specific colors, and markings. Puppies that did not meet the Kennel Club “Show Quality” beauty standards, but may have met the most important standards such as health, temperament, endurance, etc., were not bred. We found this to be the ultimate detriment to the breed by not maintaining the inherent standards. Their endurance, proper conformation, and attitude for working were not dominant traits within the AKC “Show Dog” bloodlines. This has also happened with the other northern breeds, such as the Norwegian Elkhound, the Keeshond, the Akita, the American Eskimo, the Samoyed, and the Siberian Husky.
I then went on to achieve winnings in the IWPA (International Weight Pull Association) with Alaskan Malamutes, and started to become acquainted and familiar with a very diverse “sled dog community”. I became much more aware of the major differences that were inherent within the different bloodlines of the Alaskan Malamute in terms of their abilities.
This led to over a decade of study, training, building, planning, mentoring from professionals, and participation in many different events. I also ran mid and long-distance backcountry travel teams as a hobby, taking people on day and overnight trips in the Oregon Cascade mountains. The goal that we finally reached was to have a working purebred Alaskan Malamute bloodline that could travel 75-100 miles per day. Our best accomplished time was 435 miles in 4.75 days over the Continental Divide 6 times. Unofficial, however, a “World Record” with purebred AKC Alaskan Malamutes. We were also taking 1st places in IWPA weight pull competitions and dogs that could “Win” in the AKC Kennel Club show ring. We also participated for many years in the annual Oregon Dune Mushers Mail run, traveling 75 miles over the Oregon dunes from North Bend, OR to Florence, OR with wheeled carts. There are memorial sites with placards at various locations off HWY 101 showing our participation. Even though we bred for temperament, intelligence, conformation, and endurance, the Alaskan Malamutes were never bred to be a racing dog. During this time period, I had the fortunate opportunity to “train the trainers” and provide my experience for the famous “International Transantarctic Expedition” guided by well-known Will Steger.
Alaskan Husky Hybrid
While running Alaskan Malamute purebreds, I befriended many top professional sled dog drivers and kennels that won the most extreme races with the Alaskan Husky.
Please note: Unlike the Alaskan Malamute and the Siberian Husky, the Alaskan Husky is a hybrid /mix breed type that could include Hound, Setter, Pointer, etc., for speed and endurance in the breed mix, which was in a development stage at that time to achieve the “Ultimate Sled Dog”. We studied race results, the results of different highly successful kennels, Cornell University studies, and acquired dogs over several years from different award-winning professional bloodlines. We learned in the past, “You can’t breed good dogs from bad dogs.” From studying diligently about the breed, kennels, and race results. I invested in proven top-notch breeding dogs, which rewarded us tremendously and ended up saving money, efforts, and time in the long run.
We were able to enter the “Race to the Sky” in Montana, which many considered the toughest of the long-distance races in the world. 500 miles 7 times over the continental divide in 4 days. This was in very brutal, horrific weather. The gain and loss in altitude of the race was equivalent to climbing Mt Everest twice. Our best run was leading the race for half the way and ended the race in 3rd place, receiving a bronze medal. Last year, the 500-mile race was run.
We also accomplished wins in the 50-mile, 75-mile, 100-mile, and 200-mile classes, and again, many years of participation with the Oregon Dune Mushers, where I achieved ”Sportsmanship Award”, “Team of the Year”, and “Trail Boss” earnings.
Siberian Husky
This is the breed we predominantly work with today.
Over the past several decades of being heavily involved with the different northern breeds ,I was around many different pet companion owners and racing kennels that worked with the original Chukchi Siberian Husky breed.
To my dismay, there were not very many that I came across that I was fond of. Primarily due to the extreme aloof, independent, and complex nature of focus and trainability without the ability to be let “off leash”.
However, every so often, I would come across a Siberian Husky that I really liked. They were very friendly, listened, were well-focused, were willing to please, knew when and how to be calm, had outstanding personalities, and wanted to be involved. They were ones you could let “off leash,” where they would have good recall and come back when called.
Just like the other breeds I worked with, the most important thing to know is that the Siberian Husky breed is not all bred alike. Bloodline history made all the difference between a great Siberian and a complicated Siberian. Essential for the expectations to be an excellent Pet/Companion within the home environment.
Many years of arduous work, with endless hours and effort, have brought us to where we are today. It has always been a true passion that has left us with a strong desire to help others by sharing accurate information to prepare better those looking for the right dog that best fits their home and lifestyle, and to support other Husky enthusiasts.
~ Jay
