Graeme Scott, Quickstep Kennel
When I was asked to write an article on this subject I thought it would be a great idea, a chance to let those of you out there know exactly what is behind these strange looking 'hounds' which are cropping up on the scene these days.
I'll try and do this in two articles. This edition will concentrate on the history of the dogs, what they are and where they've come from. Remember this is only my own personal view, which may be different to others, but I have seen a lot of these dogs in many different countries so it should stand for something. In the next edition you'll find a summary of the dogs you will currently find in this country.
So far we have the following types of hounds competing on home soil;
Eurohound
Scandinavian Hounds
Cumbrian Trail Hounds
German and English Shorthaired Pointers
Alaskan Huskies.
I aim really to identify the misconception between the types in order to determine which type could suit you best.
Fig. 1 Finch, 1/4 English Pointer 3/4 Alaskan
In the mid to late 80's the lure of competition in Alaska was growing for many European mushers. Predominantly Scandinavians, who wanted to arm themselves with teams that could compete at races such as the Open North American Championships (ONAC) and other top races in Alaska. Some very good Alaskan huskies had been previously imported to Scandinavia; these lines were based around Atla, Wright, Champaigne and Streeper dogs but were not progressing any further than their North American counterparts.
Pulka and Skijoring competition in Scandinavia had taken part for well over 50 years by this time, they were used for traditional hunting in the summer months which kept them fit and it was to these 'hunting dogs' that the mushers turned.
English and German Pointers have been used for this cross breeding purpose as well as the Scandinavian equivalent known as the Vorshter.
Because of the individual characteristics of each dog being used the resulting crossbreed would remain an uncertainty until proven in harness, so it was something of an experiment. But then most styles of breeding are the same in this respect.
Other dogs types were used at this point such as Greyhounds and Salukis, but these resulted in dogs that were too houndy, the Alaskan traits simply did not stick. The consideration of crossing dog types was made predominantly by mushers from Norway, they became the pioneers of the Scandinavian hound, otherwise know as the Eurohound but technically the same dog.
Lillehammer huskies became another name due to the location of the main breeders at the time. At the forfront of this experiment were people such as Asbjourn Erdal Aase, Sletti Sedorf and Roger Leegard. Others such as Ellis, Waerner, Hillestad, Ropertz and Helmut Peer came much later when they too saw the competitive advantages and began to simulate the main Norwegian breeders.
It is important to consider the style and characteristics that each dog brings to the 'party'.
From the Alaskan comes the inbred will to pull in harness. Some will have longer coats than others, but the majority will show strong working tendencies due to the lines selected.
Fig. 2. Jenny x Huckle Pups, 3/8 Hound (1/8 EP 2/8 V) 5/8 Alaskan
From most 'hound' types a substantial amount of stamina comes, and varying degrees of speed. The English Pointer will show fairly stubborn tendencies, are often 'solid' in the head and normally heavier muscled than most. The German Pointer shows similar physical characteristics but has a 'softer' head. They are renowned to be more of a thinking dog and have been known to remember stress situations and be permanently put off by them. Bad trail surfaces and fast descents at a young age could be the stress occasions the GSP remembers.
The Vorshter is physically 'finer boned' and tend to throw dogs which are lighter on their feet and consequently smoother running. The down side is a dog which is very easily spooked and require a different handling style, a softer and more calm approach.
But in all cases it is important to determine the use for these dogs as the cross breeding, like all breeding allows the musher to determine the size of the offspring reasonably specifically. So if 4 dog class is your thing, it might make sense to look for parents of predominantly English Pointer lines and if Open class is your goal then a smooth running Vorshter might be your thing.
Fig. 3. Swix, (Jenny x Huckle) 3/8 Hound 5/8 Alaskan
To complicate the issue Pulka racers crossed Vorshters with Greyhounds to produce a Greyster. The smooth running Vorshter gained extra size and muscle from the Greyhound to produce a good limited class dog; suitable for breeding back to the more traditional Pointer crosses.
In general the favored mix at present is a dog that contains two types of hound cross, i.e. a bit of Vorshter with a bit of Pointer and a bigger bit of Alaskan.
The generation of cross also comes into the equation, as does the math’s, what percentage of each is best? Well for these parts you'll have to wait until the next issue when I will attempt to explain this complicated aspect.
Please remember that this article is written from personal observations only and is certainly not a written law.