View source for Dog sled

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Short description|Sled pulled by one or more sled dogs}}
[[File:Trond Hansen (8436514576).jpg|thumb|A [[mushing|musher]] riding a dog sled in [[Røros Municipality|Røros]], Norway, during a [[sled dog racing|sled dog race]]]]

A '''dog sled''' or '''dog sleigh'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Collins 2012 digital dictionary |url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/dog-sleigh |access-date=3 December 2014}}</ref> is a [[sled]] pulled by one or more [[sled dog]]s used to travel over [[ice]] and through snow, a practice known as [[mushing]]. Numerous types of sleds are used, depending on their function. They can be used for [[Sled dog racing|dog sled racing]]. Traditionally in [[Greenland]] and the eastern Canadian [[Arctic]] the [[Inuit]] had the dogs pull in a fan shape in front of the sled, while in other regions, such as [[Alaska]] and the western part of [[Northern Canada]] the dogs pull side by side in pairs.

==History==
[[File:Fur Trader in Toboggan oil painting by Cornelius Krieghoff.jpg|thumb|An 1840s oil painting of a [[fur trade]]r using a dog sled pulled by three dogs. Dog sleds have been used for over a thousand years.]]
Dog power has been used by humans for hunting and traveling for over 9,000 years.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Vitale |first1=Emma |last2=Rasmussen |first2=Jacob A. |last3=Grønnow |first3=Bjarne |last4=Hansen |first4=Anders J. |last5=Meldgaard |first5=Morten |last6=Feuerborn |first6=Tatiana R. |date=2023-11-01 |title=An ethnographic framework for identifying dog sledding in the archaeological record |journal=Journal of Archaeological Science |volume=159 |article-number=105856 |doi=10.1016/j.jas.2023.105856 |bibcode=2023JArSc.159j5856V |issn=0305-4403|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Swan |first=Thom |title=Early Sled Dog History |url=http://www.tworiversak.com/sleddoghx1.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090617050554/http://www.tworiversak.com/sleddoghx1.htm |archive-date=17 June 2009 |access-date=17 October 2013 |website=Swanny's Place}}</ref> While dog sledding is an ancient tradition, it remains a crucial practice for remote communities that depend on it both culturally and economically, such as [[Qaanaaq]] and [[Ittoqqortoormiit]], remote settlements in [[Greenland]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Dubreuil |first=Nicolas |date=2021-07-23 |title=The History of the Polar Practice of Dog Sledding |url=https://escales.ponant.com/us/dog-sledding-north-pole/ |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Magazine de voyage Escales : interviews, inspirations et conseils |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ameen |first1=Carly |last2=Feuerborn |first2=Tatiana R. |last3=Brown |first3=Sarah K. |last4=Linderholm |first4=Anna |last5=Hulme-Beaman |first5=Ardern |last6=Lebrasseur |first6=Ophélie |last7=Sinding |first7=Mikkel-Holger S. |last8=Lounsberry |first8=Zachary T. |last9=Lin |first9=Audrey T. |last10=Appelt |first10=Martin |last11=Bachmann |first11=Lutz |last12=Betts |first12=Matthew |last13=Britton |first13=Kate |last14=Darwent |first14=John |last15=Dietz |first15=Rune |date=2019-11-27 |title=Specialized sledge dogs accompanied Inuit dispersal across the North American Arctic |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume=286 |issue=1916 |article-number=20191929 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2019.1929 |pmc=6939252 |pmid=31771471}}</ref> With sea ice surrounding these areas for nine months each year, mushing is a skill passed down from a young age. Sled dogs continue to play a vital role as hunting and fishing companions, essential to the survival of those living in these harsh environments.<ref name=":1" /> 

== Design ==
Dog sleds come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and designs. Often regions will have a unique dog sled design that best accommodates the cultural traditions, local terrain, and climate as well as available resources.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Losey |first1=Robert J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b1ZgDwAAQBAJ&q=qamutiik&pg=PT150 |title=Dogs in the North: Stories of Cooperation and Co-Domestication |last2=Wishart |first2=Robert P. |last3=Loovers |first3=Jan Peter Laurens |date=2018-06-13 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-315-43771-2 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-04-06 |title=Dog sledding: Transportation meets legacy |url=https://www.intrans.iastate.edu/news/dog-sledding-transportation-meets-legacy/ |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Institute for Transportation, Iowa State University |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> Generally dog sleds can be divided into two main types: the built-up sled and the low sled.<ref name=":0" /> Many anthropologists and archaeologists consider the low sled to be a traditional design, and is primarily used across parts of [[Siberia]], Greenland and [[Canada]] for transporting heavy loads, such as carcasses, dried skins, or camp gear, across ice or land.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Bergman |first=Sten |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0F7Smt9UkwIC&q=narta+dog |title=Through Kamchatka by Dog-sled & Skis: A Vivid Description of Adventurous Journeys Amongst the Interesting & Almost Unknown Peoples of the Most Inaccessible Parts of this Remote Siberian Peninsula |publisher=J.B. Lippincott |year=1927 |location=London |pages=62–63, 261 |language=en}}</ref> The built-up sled, featuring a high rail on each side, was typically used for carrying lighter items like clothing and is primarily linked to dog sledding in [[Alaska]] and Siberia. Both types of sleds are constructed using [[Lashing (ropework)|lashing]].<ref name=":0" />
[[File:Чукотская или колымская нарта.jpg|thumb|A narta, a traditional [[Siberia|Siberian]] sled.]]
While components vary in appearance and materials depending on region, a cross pieces is common feature in all sleds. Also known as a crossbars or cross beams, the cross pieces join two parallel runners and are evenly spaced from the back to the front of the sled. The structural parts of the sled are secured together with lashing through binding holes which historically may be made from baleen or seal skin. Sled runners are attached underneath the entire edge the sled, either by lashing or with nails. Traditional sleds may be made from material such as driftwood and, fragments of whale jaws. To ensure a smooth ride, the runners are traditionally coated with ice or a mixture of water, mud, or snow or more modern components like iron and nylon. A harness rope is fastened at the front of the sled, with the front strap threaded through drilled holes on the inside of the runners or front crosspieces.<ref name=":0" />

A traditional [[Siberia|Siberian]] wooden sled called a "narta."<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=2021-02-05 |title=Рабочая группа по вопросам сохранения традиций народов Севера продолжает осматривать питомники |trans-title=The working group on the preservation of the traditions of the peoples of the North continues to inspect nurseries |url=https://kamtoday.ru/news/society/rabochaya-gruppa-po-voprosam-sokhraneniya-traditsiy-narodov-severa-prodolzhaet-osmatrivat-pitomniki/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220430045207/https://kamtoday.ru/news/society/rabochaya-gruppa-po-voprosam-sokhraneniya-traditsiy-narodov-severa-prodolzhaet-osmatrivat-pitomniki/ |archive-date=2022-04-30 |access-date=2025-03-27 |website=kamtoday.ru |language=ru}}</ref> Nartas from forested areas such as [[Kamchatka Peninsula|Kamchatka]] are narrow, low-slung sleds in which the musher sits.<ref name=":2" /> The [[Itelmens]] used dog sleds featuring two pairs of curved stanchions, and a saddle-shaped seat. Many parts of the dog sled were crafted from [[birch wood]], when available, or bone and fastened with twisted lashings.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Dikov |first=Nikolaĭ Nikolaevich |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bjZy0GNhhVsC&q=sled&pg=PP7 |title=Archaeological Sites of Kamchatka, Chukotka, and the Upper Kolyma |date=2003 |publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Shared Beringian Heritage Program |page=8 |language=en |translator-last=Bland |translator-first=Richard}}</ref> The [[Chukchi people|Chukchi]] also used driftwood from [[Pine|American pine]] or [[oak]], while whalebone was commonly used for the runners.<ref name=":0" /> While most modern [[Sled dog racing|dog sled races]] use built-up sleds, [[Beringia (sled dog race)|Beringia]] not only allows mushers to compete using a narta but also awards prizes for mushers using nartas for "honoring the traditions of the North."<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-03-15 |title="За верность традициям Севера" на "Берингии" борются 4 чукотских каюра |trans-title="For loyalty to the traditions of the North" 4 Chukchi mushers fight on "Beringia" |url=https://anadir.bezformata.com/listnews/beringii-boryutsya-4-chukotskih-kayura/65548763/ |access-date=2025-03-27 |website=News of Anadyr and Chukotka Autonomous Okrug |language=ru}}</ref>
[[File:Kulusuk-sled-and-kayak.jpg|thumb|A [[qamutiik]], pictured here with a kayak on top, is a traditional [[Inuit]] sled designed to travel on snow and ice.]]
The [[Inuit]] use a traditional low sled design called a [[qamutiik]] which travels easily on snow and ice.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-03-01 |title=Runners of Mud and Ice: the Historic Qamutiik |url=https://mushing.com/culture/runners-mud-and-ice-historic-qamutiik/ |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Mushing Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> The sled design believed to be the earliest Inuit sled in Canada consists of two runners and cross pieces. Despite its simple design, it has been recognized for its technical refinement. The curved runners are connected by crossbars made of either bone or wood or in the absence of these, frozen skins may be used.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Russell |first=Frank |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/97880#page/38/mode/1up |title=Explorations in the far North being a report of an expedition under the auspices of the University of Iowa during the years 1892, '93, and '94 |date=1898 |publisher=State University of Iowa |isbn=978-0-665-30660-0 |location= |page=17}}</ref> Anthologist [[Franz Boas]] and archaeologist [[Therkel Mathiassen]] both noted the use of deer skulls with attached antlers at the back of the sled.<ref name=":0" />

The low sled design remains largely consistent throughout Greenland, with some regional variations as well as variations in length and width. West Greenland sleds are generally shorter and wider compared to those from the northwest. Longer sleds from North Greenland are a more recent development, coinciding with the increased availability of wood. Additionally, the longer sleds are better suited for traveling on flat sea ice, while shorter sleds with curved runners are preferred for inland travel. Greenland sled construction is designed to ensure the sled can navigate various conditions, such as steep hills, rocky ground, ice cracked by currents, or rough ice.<ref name=":0" />

Assembling a dog sled team involves picking lead dogs, point dogs, swing dogs, and wheel dogs. The lead dog is crucial, so [[mushing|mushers]] take extraordinary care of these dogs. Another important detail is to have powerful wheel dogs to pull the sled out from the snow. Point dogs (optional) are located behind the leader dogs, swing dogs between the point and wheel dogs, and team dogs are all other dogs in between the wheel and swing dogs and are selected for their endurance, strength, and speed as part of the team. In dog sledding, [[Siberian Husky|Siberian Huskies]] or [[Alaskan Malamute]]s are the main types of dogs that are used for recreational sledding because of their strength, speed, and endurance as well as their ability to withstand the cold.  However, [[Alaskan husky|Alaskan Huskies]] are also a popular dog for [[sled dog racing]], because of their endurance, good eating habits, speed, and dedication to running even when tired.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 October 2020 |title=Do many Siberian Huskies run the Iditarod? If not, why? |url=https://iditarod.com/do-many-siberian-huskies-run-the-iditarod-if-not-why/}}</ref>

In some situations, some Indigenous peoples' tribes would eat the dogs they had either because they were not useful, or if the sledder needed food.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Millman |first=Lawrence |date=2021-11-20 |title=Exploratory cuisine: Sled Dogs |url=https://explorersweb.com/exploratory-cuisine-when-in-greenland |access-date=2025-01-04 |website=ExplorerWeb.com}}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=April 2025}}

==See also==
* [[Drafting dog]]
* [[Dogcart (dog-drawn)|Dogcart]]
* [[Sirius Dog Sled Patrol]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Dogsleds}}
* [http://www.civilization.ca/cmc/exhibitions/cpm/smail/smaile.shtml The Canadian Museum of Civilization - History of Dogsled mail in the Yukon]


[[Category:Dog sledding]]
[[Category:Animal-powered vehicles]]