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OUR SLEDGEDOGS The greenlandic sledgedogs are special compare to other sledgedogs. According to the archaeological excavations it is known that the greenlandic sledgedog came to Greenland for appr. 4000 - 5000 years ago. And it is probably right when it is said that the sledgedog since that time has been used as a dogsledge and as a helper during the hunting.
It is said that the sledgedog has wolves as their forefathers. That kinds of dogs are called the greenlandis dogs. It is not mixed ith other kinds of dograces, thatīs why it is an interesting dog, because it has through the time passing been adapted to the surroundings and to its usage. It has been a law and still is a law that at the places where there are greenlandic sledgedogs, it is prohibited to import other kind of dograces/-breeds from foreign countries. The main reason for that is that we do not want to change that specific race/breed. There are sledgedogs in Northern Greenland and in Eastgreenland where the sea froze into ice during the wintertime. There are more than 30.000 sledgedogs in the whole Greenland. A dog which is a growing up and big can easily weight appr. 45 kg. thatīs the same as 90 pounds, but it is more usual that itīs weights is 30 kg., thatīs the same as 60 pounds. The fur of that kind of dog are very tight, so it can manage the cold, and the toes are close to each other, so it can go through the wintertime without getting wounds because of the ice. I can mention when I drove a 4000 km. long dogteamtrip that it was even unnnecessary for me to put the kamiks on the dogs because they didnīt get any wounds in their paws. It does not bother them to eat frozen meat and fish, and they can even satisfy their thirst by "eating" snow. Itīs abdomen can manage to eat whatever, even rotten meat and fish. It is usual to feed the sledgedogs with sealmeat, fish, surplus from the fishery industries and dried dogfoods. During the summertime it is not necessary to feed the dogs often, but during the wintertime, when they are pulling a sledge and it is cold, the need a lot to eat and it is also necessary to give it some water to drink. The sledgedog is very much used as a pulling animal in Greenland. The hunters can go out hunting without it. During the wintertime it is used when the hunters and fishermen are out fishing on the ice. During the sparetime it is used when people are out in the nature to enjoy it. Places where it seems to be impossible to get to with other kinds of transportations, it is possible to do that with sledgedog. The tourists from other countries loves to go out by dogteam. The sledgedog is heavy, and that is the reason why it can not run for very long time. But it is very good to ork hard very long time and good to track a heavy sledge. The greenlandic dog is very steadfast and whatever it is very enduring and the cold weather does not make any different for it. And like itīs forefathers it has an instinct for hunting. It has to be upraised tough and hard and if it is going to be used as a sledgedog you can not have it as a pet.The must important for a greenlandic dog is to be together with the other dogs in the dogteam, so they themselves can find their own hierachically places. Very fast it gets used to habits. The greenlandic sledgedog can be dangerous, but at the same time it can be a very gentle dog, it can be calm and when it is still a puppy can it be very active and energytic. The greenlandic sledgedog has a huge importance for the Inuits. The sledgedog and the Inuk are one and together. |
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