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 but cannot pull as long. They weigh between , and have been selectively bred for both appearance and pulling ability. Numerous non-sled dog breeds have been used as sled dogs. Poodles, Irish setters, German shorthaired pointers, Labrador retrievers, Newfoundlands, and St. Bernards have all been used to pull sleds in the past. FSS held the first World Championships (WCh) in Saint Moritz, Switzerland in 1990 with classes in only Sled Sprint (10-Dog, 8-Dog, and 6-Dog) and Skidog Pulka for men and women. 113 competitors arrived in the starting chutes to mark the momentous occasion. At first World Championships were held