Yeah- when I said cornish lass I meant that's what I am. I'm from cornwall. The land of the black cloud.
I haven't read all of this thread so not sure really what the disagreement is over, just assuming it's the word husky.... but I'm going to chip in here on semantics. 'Husky' doesn't refer to a breed, but a type of dog that includes Malamutes. Other types of husky - Siberian, Alaskan.
I have no idea And as for Husky referring to Alaskan sled dogs etc, I know that, but the general public doesn't, they actually think my dog is a Husky ! And In Alaska and Canada Husky actually refers to crossbred sled dogs as most are Alaskan Huskys, and not purebred at all. They still refer to Malamutes as Malamutes
And they'd be correct. Husky is derived from the word for Eskimo and now means Eskimo Dog, which a Malamute is.
Afraid not. An Eskimo Dog is a breed of it's own Smaller than a Malamute with it's own breed standard
Brian, I have two very beautiful KC reg, Siberian Huskies. Both are fed a dry diet and only ever eat cooked meat that i buy from a butcher and cook for them. (Pigs trotters etc). Your dogs will let them know what suits them because if somethings doesn't agree you will know when you clear their mess up. All I can suggest is that, trial and error is the best way. If you have siberian huskies or want any other advice, please e-mail me and I will give you some sites that have forums for Siberian husky owners. Hope this helps. Tania
There is a Canadian Eskimo Dog yes. They are all different types of Eskimo dogs ie Huskies - The Malamute, Siberian, Canadian, Greenland Dog etc
and they are all completely different dogs, hence 'not' Husky type ! And as the word 'Eskimo' is no longer PC to use, and instead we are to use 'Inuit' on the request of the Inuit people, does that mean we now call all 'Eskimo/Husky' Types...Inuits then ?? Because that would be very confusing especially as we now have the Northern Inuit and British Inuit to take into consideration. This is the reason they all have breed names, and my dogs are Malamutes of Malamute type
They have their breed defining features of course but certainly not completely different. They all have the spitz criteria ie pointed ears, wedge head and high tail carriage, plus sled dog characteristics like harsh, dense coat, same basic body proportions and the construction that suits sled pulling. Whether 'Eskimo' is no longer used or not is immaterial. The work 'husky' was derived from that word, and was applied to their dogs to mean 'dogs of the Eskimo people.' All breeds that have developed from the Eskimo people's dogs are therefore huskies. Edit: Just looked up the KC standards. They still use the word 'Eskimo' for the Canadian Dog. http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/47
Not really. Many don't have the Spitz tail at all, and Construction of (for example) Mals and Sibes are different.........Sibes for speed and Mals for Weight, it's the difference between a Sprinter and a Strong Man, just because they are athletes, doesnt make them the same ;-) Precisely, and only a few of them 'Are' actually dogs of the Eskimo/inuit people. Many of them were never created for sled work, and their sledding ancestors are so far back, that they have very little in common at all. Most people are surprised to know that Malamutes and Shiba Inus are related, because the difference is huge. With that generalisation, being that many are nothing like the actual Eskimo dogs and are so far down the line, you may as well say, all dogs should be referred to as wolf type, because they all derived from Wolves !!! And besides, Malamutes didn't derive from Huskies therefore they arent Husky type, they are Malamute type ;-)
A spitz tail is simply high carriage on the move, they all have this, they are in fact all classified as spitz. Their construction is the same in that they have similar angles ie you don't have over angulation (as in GSD) or very straight (as in Chow). The moderate angulation is required for sled pulling whether it be weight pulling or sprint. Nevertheless they are all of husky type. And this is what I would take this thread title to mean. Brian said 'Husky type' not Siberian or any other specific breed.
This is what Wiki have to say on it - Husky is a general term for several breeds of dogs used as sled dogs. Because of their strength and stamina, the name "Husky" is popular for products and for sports mascots. Breeds of sled dog Alaskan Husky Alaskan Malamute Canadian Eskimo Dog Eurohound Greenland Dog Mackenzie River Husky Sakhalin Husky Samoyed Seppala Siberian Sleddog Siberian Husky http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huskies#Breeds_of_sled_dog
So explain why a Chow is a Spitz type then ?? Exactly. Huskies are mainly Siberian, Malamutes are from Alaska, therefore not even from the same region, but assumed they are the same type. Several, not all. What did we all do before WIKI ?? .......................... because all their information is submitted by the general public, who assume they know what they are talking about ! I think we will have to agree to disagree, because my dogs are not Husky type, they are Malamute type. Just because the general public are ignorant in calling them all huskies, doesn't make it so.
thankyou- that is actually what I thought, but wasn't sure so didn't want to say. My impression from reading dog books is that spitzes are dogs from a cold northern origin, which have thick fur, a foxy face, prick ears, and straight hocks, with a tail that very often curls over the back (but not in all breeds)
Well, you carry on believing that. It seems a bit strange to me though. What Pod said made sense even if it is from Wiki- a husky being a 'type' of dog rather than just a specific breed. If it was just on specific breed there wouldn't be numerous dogs with 'husky' in the title which have different origins. In my opinion you own members of the malamute 'breed,' not 'type'. If your dog is a 'type,' then what other dogs are also classed as malamute type?
I think respect plays a part in how people should address dogs. If I wanted to ask a question about working Labradors, golden retriever etc, I woudn't dream of saying "all Labrador types" because it was easier, I would probably say "gundog types" or similar, so why can't people accept that most with Malamutes don't like their dogs being called Huskies ?? They are sled dogs, not huskies.
I personally think that the original questionee did nothing wrong in saying husky- type breeds- and your reaction may well be because you know more about that sort of dog, but the hostility you used was far, far OTT. I remember at Crufts last year, quite innocently asking a Brittany owner in Discover dogs if the breed was a spaniel. She really snapped back at me- no they're hunt, point, retrieve. OKAYYYY!!!! I was only asking. Some people....! I only asked coz they used to be called Brittany Spaniels and look very spaniel-esque, so people are bound to assume that, or ask about it if they don't know. Few people have heard of brittanies anyway- same with mals, so why get so nasty? Anyway, the labrador example you used is a good idea. Most non-dog people can't tell the difference between GRs and labs either. If you honestly wouldn't Dreeeam of saying 'labrador types,' because it would be such an abomination, such shame....then you seriously need to take some relaxation classes or yoga or something. You are far too hung up over petty things. There's more to life than just words, and terms, and certainly more to a dog. If I used a generalisation for labs and GRs then I would say 'retrievers,' not lab types. And I think that is a similar generalisation as the term 'husky- type.' Many of the retriever breeds have totally different ancestry to each other yet can be generalised in this way, and to the unexperienced eye look very similar, just the same as a malamute being classed as a husky type. You could say Spitz type instead, but that covers a wider range, as not all spitzes look like huskies and mals. Therefore its more likely people are going to see a Malamute and say- hey, look a Husky, than they are to say, 'look, a Spitz, or Hey, a dog of the Malalmute-type', !!!!