Breeze Blog
Breeze Blog
Some of the dogs you might see at the Eukanuba Sled Dog Race are Eurohounds or Eurohound crosses. What in the world is a Eurohound you ask? Well, let me tell you!

(I retrieved this information from Wikipedia –

What is a Eurohound?)


“A Eurohound is a cross between an Alaskan Husky and German Shorthaired Pointer… This cross first successfully entered the competitive sled dog racing world in Scandinavia.” The Eurohound is not a purebred breed of dog but instead is continually crossbred from purebreds and mixes in order to produce dogs for specific running conditions.


According to Egil Ellis, a top sled dog racer, various types of pointers have been popular with Swedish sled dog racers for at least the last 50 years. When Alaskan Huskies were imported to Sweden in the 1980s; crossbreeding pointers and Huskies began “to come up with something new, something that the mushers did not have in Alaska”... the Eurohound.

 

Appearance and Breeds
As the Eurohound is a carefully bred performance dog type rather than a kennel club registered purebred breed, its appearance will vary. Characteristics of Pointers, Huskies, and any other breeds used in breeding may show up in the dogs. Breeders may target a specific size or coat length for the type of racing they do. “Our pointers and most of our crossbreeds have a weight of 18-24 kilos” (Egil Ellis). Fairly common features of fifty percent crosses are half-dropped ears, black with white blazing, or solid with patches of spots. Some completely spotted dogs appear as well. Once the percentage of pointer drops, the dogs start to look more like Alaskan Huskies.

 

If you missed the movie in the last blog, CLICK HERE. The short clip talks about the Eurohound and today's race dog.