Eurohound

{{Infobox dog breed  | name = Eurohound | altname = Scandinavian hound, Eurodog | image = eurohound.jpg | caption = Eurohound | cross = yes | breeds = Alaskan husky, pointing breeds | unrecognised = yes | country = Scandinavia  |note = }}  A '''Eurohound''' (also known as a '''European sled dog''' or '''Scandinavian hound''') is a type of dog bred for sled dog racing.<ref name="thet_Coul">{{Cite web| title = Could you keep up with your dog?| last = Smith | first = Sharon| work = The Times| date = 2018-03-17| access-date = 28 December 2019| url = https://www.thetimes.com/uk/article/could-you-keep-up-with-your-dog-jsk5kwzqb}}</ref> The eurohound is crossbred from the Alaskan husky and any of a number of pointing breeds ("pointers"), but most often the German Shorthair Pointer.<ref name="theo_Fora"/><ref name="spok_Alas">{{Cite web |author=Friedman |first=Sam |date=2017-02-04 |title=Alaskan huskies bred for all-around sledding performance |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/feb/04/alaskan-huskies-bred-for-all-around-sledding-perfo/ |access-date=29 December 2019 |work=The Spokesman-Review}}</ref><ref name="Sundance2010">{{cite book |author=Sundance |first=Kyra |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q_15qW6bM40C&pg=PA49 |title=101 Ways to Do More with Your Dog: Make Your Dog a Superdog with Sports, Games, Exercises, Tricks, Mental Challenges, Crafts, and Bondi |date=1 October 2010 |publisher=Quarry Books |isbn=978-1-61058-070-0 |pages=49 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="cadi_Sled">{{Cite web |last=Airgood |first=Bryce |date=9 February 2019 |title=Sled dog racing, the 'loudest silent sport' |url=https://www.cadillacnews.com/news/sled-dog-racing-the-loudest-silent-sport/article_efcdbdd3-27db-513e-8e6e-99a169014337.html |url-status=dead |access-date=28 December 2019 |work=Cadillac News |archive-date=6 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206213920/https://www.cadillacnews.com/news/sled-dog-racing-the-loudest-silent-sport/article_efcdbdd3-27db-513e-8e6e-99a169014337.html }}</ref><ref name=":0" />

== History == left|thumb|Philippe Wéry, Belgian canicross and bikejör champion competing with a eurohound After World War II, skijor and pulka style dog sled racing gained rapidly in popularity in Norway and neighboring Scandinavian countries.<ref name="Waaler2019">{{cite book |author=Waaler |first=Rune |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W9OMDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA33 |title=Dog Sledding in Norway: Multidisciplinary Research Perspectives |date=January 2019 |publisher=LIT Verlag Münster |isbn=978-3-643-91097-4 |pages=28–40 |language=en}}</ref> These styles of racing required small, fast teams of 1-4 dogs who competed over short, hilly distances of {{Convert|15-30|km|mi}}. Required to use purebred dogs by the Norwegian Sled Dog Racing Association, the German Shorthair Pointer quickly emerged as the dog breed of choice.<ref name="Waaler2019" /> At the beginning of the 1970s, the "sled pointer" had emerged, a pointing dog who was bred for sledding and not hunting.<ref name="Waaler2019" />

In the 1970s, "Nome-style" sled racing, which mimicked the bigger teams running long distances and overnighting in subzero temperatures seen in North American-style races, started to attract interest in Scandinavia. In 1974, the first Nome-style sled race, the Skjelbreia Sweepstakes, was hosted near Oslo.<ref name="Waaler2019" /> For this style of racing, Norwegian mushers began to import Alaskan huskies; popularized by mushers like Stein Havard Fjelstad and Roger Leegaard who traveled to Alaska to race in the Iditarod.<ref name="Waaler2019" /> However, as a performance crossbreed, the Alaskan husky could not be raced in Norway until 1985, when the Norwegian Sled Dog Racing Association removed the requirement that sled dogs be purebred.<ref name="Waaler2019" />

This new ruling paved the way for Nordic-style mushers to breed their best performing dogs regardless of breed, with mushers mixing Alaskan huskies, sled pointers and even greyhounds for Nordic-style racing, while Nome-style mushers began to mix Greenland dogs with Alaskan huskies to produce a dog better suited to Scandinavia's heavy snowfall. <ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Little Wolf |first=Stephanie |title=Sled Dog Central : A Deeper History of the Origins of the Alaskan Husky by Stephanie Little Wolf |url=http://www.sleddogcentral.com/features/little_wolf/alaskans.htm |access-date=2023-04-26 |website=Sled Dog Central}}</ref> The Nordic-style dogs gained in popularity across Europe and later North America, especially with the rise in popularity of dryland mushing, such as bikejoring and canicross.<ref name="Waaler2019" />

The term "eurohound" was coined by Ivana Nolke, to distinguish the European racing dogs being imported into Alaska.<ref name="howl_Abou">{{Cite web |author= |date= |title=About Us – Howling Dog Alaska |url=https://howlingdogalaska.com/pages/about-us |access-date=28 December 2019 |work=Howling Dog Alaska}}</ref>

== Description == thumb|Eurohound front profile Rather than inbreeding similar-looking dogs in order to create a new breed with a consistent appearance, eurohounds are bred for the specific working traits and health needed to run short, high intensity sprint races.<ref name="theo_Fora" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Templeman |first1=James |last2=Mai |first2=Susan |last3=Cargo-Froom |first3=Cara |last4=Shoveller |first4=Anna-Kate |date=2018-01-08 |title=Assessment of Current Musher Practices across the Sled Dog Industry with an Emphasis on Nutritional Programs Implemented |url=https://thescipub.com/abstract/ajavsp.2018.16.26 |journal=American Journal of Animal and Veterinary Sciences |language=en-US |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=16–26 |doi=10.3844/ajavsp.2018.16.26 |issn=1557-4563|doi-access=free }}</ref> The foundational dogs most often used for eurohounds are German Shorthaired Pointers (and English Pointers), other pointers, and Alaskan huskies from tightly bred sprint dog lines used for racing.<ref name="theo_Fora">{{Cite web |last=Peterson |first=Jane |date=22 February 2019 |title=For a thrilling winter experience, try perfecting the art of dog sledding |url=https://www.theoaklandpress.com/lifestyles/for-a-thrilling-winter-experience-try-perfecting-the-art-of/article_683a71ba-2c1a-11e9-807e-fb7c33641c8c.html |url-status=dead |access-date=28 December 2019 |work=The Oakland Press |archive-date=29 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191229042133/https://www.theoaklandpress.com/lifestyles/for-a-thrilling-winter-experience-try-perfecting-the-art-of/article_683a71ba-2c1a-11e9-807e-fb7c33641c8c.html }}</ref><ref name=":0" /> Alaskan huskies are chosen for their ability to pull for extreme distances and in subzero temperatures while pointers are vigorous and energetic sprint racers.<ref name=":0" /> Greyhound and saluki may also be crossed with sled pointers; however; these dogs are known as Greysters. Greysters are popular for dryland racing, and limited-class snow racing.<ref name="Waaler2019" /> left|thumb|Eurohound side profile A first-generation eurohound cross (fifty percent pointing breed, fifty percent husky) have short coats, suitable for sprint races, which doesn't involve resting or sleeping on the trail.<ref name="the-_Sled" /> Often sprint racing eurohounds are housed indoors or in heated barns in subzero temperatures, whereas their Alaskan husky counterparts would be immune to the cold.<ref name=":0" /> When the first-generation cross is crossed again with the Alaskan husky, the resulting generation can have thicker coats, suitable for longer-distance teams. Most distance mushers prefer the pointer genetics to only be 1/8 in a dog for maximum performance. This then reduces the eurohound influence, and dogs should be termed Alaskan Husky crosses or mixed hounds.<ref name="the-_Sled">{{Cite web| title = Sled dog racers hope third time is a charm for race| author = Romeo, Jonathan| work = The Journal| date = 2017-01-07| access-date = 28 December 2019| url = https://the-journal.com/articles/122757}}</ref> The eurohound is sleeker than a husky and can hit speeds of 25 miles per hour.<ref name="Wojna2008">{{cite book|author=Lisa Wojna|title=Amazing Dog Stories: Stories of Brilliance, Loyalty, Courage & Extraordinary Feats|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bXD5MoU67U0C|date=7 April 2008|publisher=Folklore Publishing|isbn=978-1-894864-72-5}}</ref>

Fairly common features of fifty percent crosses are half-dropped ears, black with white blazing as shown in the photo, or solid with patches of spots. Some completely spotted dogs appear as well. These dogs have a similar coat to German Shorthair Pointer and looks like standard hunting dogs.<ref name="theo_Fora" /> Once the percentage of pointer drops, the dogs start to look more like Alaskan huskies.<ref name="spok_Alas" /><ref name="theo_Fora" />

== References == {{reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.sdas.org.uk/hounds.htm Personal observation of some of the newer sled dog mixes]

Category:Sled dogs Category:Dog breeds originating in Norway Category:Dog crossbreeds