Dog sled Assembling a dog sled team involves picking leader dogs, point dogs, swing dogs, and wheel dogs. The lead dog is crucial, so mushers take particular 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 Huskies or Alaskan Malamutes are
Sled dog may be pickier on the trail. They are fed high-fat diets, and on the trail may eat oily salmon or blubbery sea mammals. Sled dogs also must not be overly aggressive with other dogs. The most commonly used dog in dog sled racing, the Alaskan Husky is a mongrel bred specifically for its performance as a sled dog. They first came into existence in the late 1800s. Occasionally, Alaskan Huskies are referred to as "Indian Dogs", because the best ones supposedly come from Native American villages in the Alaskan and Canadian interiors. They weigh between and may have dense or