Alaskan Husky General Chat

I remember watching a breed programme (US) about the Husky and on it they had the Alaskan Husky. I am curious as to whether there are any of these dogs in the UK and also what Husky enthusiasts think of the breed?
Thanks for your input.

I thought the Alaskan Husky was just a first cross of a husky and a mal given a poss name. Like a puggle or labradoodle and not a breed.

An Alaskan Husky is like a lurcher in that it is a type rather than a breed, bred for a purpose and looks irrelevant.

They are a sled dog made up of a variety of mixed breeds.

We don't really have them here as there is no job for them - a few people have mixed breed sled dogs for racing, they can be run up in Scotland but no real call for them so not popular and they have no specific "look" either - just a lean houndy look which I personally like, but not overly different from so many other dogs so the designer dog seeker is unlikely to jump on their bandwagon!

A Mal/Husky has a stupid designer name of 'Huskamute'

An Alaskan Husky, like Julie (Muddiwarx) says, is a type, not a breed. They are dogs that are crossed with varying breeds to create a sled dog for work purposes, widely used in the big races like the Iditarod and Yukon Quest etc.

same thoughts here a alaskan malamute X siberian husky

with a made up name!

same as 'huskamutes' & 'snowdogs'

No they are not the same

A Huskamute is simply a Mal cross Husky

An Alaskan HUsky is a 'Type' of dog, NOT a breed, containing varying breeds, used for working sleds, primarily for the big alaskan races.

Oh what do you know T?? ;-)

It is NOT a Mal x husky..

Yes it is

And just to add the term 'Snowdog' is just a descriptive term for dogs that originate from 'snowy' lands etc, it's not a breed term of any breed or cross !

ahhh yeh thats what i said huskamute mal x husky!

etc!! ahhhh there all the same you know what i mean!!

No they are NOT all the same !

An Alaskan Husky is NOT a Huskamute !

It's statements like yours that put people in a spin and confuse people about the differences. A Huskamte is a crossbreed of 2 specific breeds. An Alaskan Husky is a mix of many breeds and usually look nothing like any Northern breed.

And NO you didn't say that. You said :

that an alaskan Husky was the same as a Huskamute ! There is absolutely NO reason for the mix to create a Huskamute, the breeds are so similar, there are no benefits for the cross.

The alaskan husky were created to WORK or RACE.

god here we go again its not a statment i was mucking around hence the laughing. :

i know i understand i get it it was a joke *sigh*

Alaskan Huskies are the chosen sled dog of those who are into serious sled dog racing throughout the world. Alaskan Husky breeders regard them not as a breed, but as a type of dog bred to do a particular job. As has been explained, although they are bred with as much expertise and care as a pedigree show dog, the only consideration when assessing the quality of the dog is racing performance! Anything else is regarded as cosmetic.
These are Alaskan Huskies:


There are a few Alaskan Huskies here in the UK, imported purely for racing purposes, but they are certainly not widespread.

Mick

awww they look very nice! i bet they love racing!

what great dogs, bred for working not showing, which is the whole point of a sled dog to me

Strange post !

Dogs aren't bred 'For' showing, they are shown, to prove they are worthy of continuing in the gene pool !

malady
I meant that these dogs are bred for performance and that looks are irrelevant, as opposed to show dogs who are judged in the show ring on looks, as how can a show judge know the dogs working or racing ability

Dogs aren't judged at shows on looks Hence 'Going Over' a dog and watching it's movement round the ring and how the two affect eachother. A dog's conformation plays the most part in the show ring, hence why a judge needs to know the points of conformation and movement and how it's affected and how it manipulates movement to the dog. Hence if a dog of a certain breed has the correct conformation for that breed, then it sits correct to the standard which was devised as having the best construction for the job it was bred for ;-)

The outward appearance of a dog (coat/eyes/colour) are aesthetics only and gain very few points in the show ring. Construction is everything ;-)

yes I did know about movement and construction and conformation, that is why my dog that does have a colour fault still does well, and my dog that is a standard coat colour and poor movement does not.

how would a show judge be able to comment on a working sled dogs health, stamina or speed

Ah now that depends on which sled dog. Different sled dogs for different jobs.

Mals are bred to be freighting dogs, therefore capable of hauling heavy loads, therefore needing good bone, legs not too long etc there's lots of things that even if a dog is constructed well, there are particulars to a breed which would determine whether it would succeed in its job, that's the point of the breed standard. A Mal moving around a ring indicates it's drive and if it's coming from the right place, which in turn would indicate if it had the stamina needed.

Speed in Mals is not an issue, they are a freighting dog, not racing dogs ;-)

Showing has nothing to do with internal health, there is no way of knowing.

yes indeed Mals are freighting animals, but this thread is about Alaskan huskies