5/20/2005: Strange angle on sled racing dog

[xoxoxoBruce]

Yeah, but what about Queenie? SHE rides in the truck. SHE's his special dog....always licking his face and stuff.....brownnose bitch.

[staceyv]

It WAS a paw print! cute.

[Lady Sidhe]

Originally Posted by hampor

The sled dogs do work hard and don't really know why. They look smart, especially in the eyes, but they are really bred to run in the cold and not think. Even dog experts rank the breed as below median. Beleive it or not standard poodles are near the top.

My roommate had a husky that he kept in the back yard in a dog house.

Most of the time the dog prefered to sleep in the snow, but if it got really cold my roommate would put a doggie bed in the dog house. He had to be careful though, because if it got above 25 degrees (F) the dog would rip it to shreds, and wouldn't have a doggie bed anymore.

But they really do prefer the cold. One time I came home and saw the dog licking it's frozen water dish. I felt sorry for it, so I knocked the ice out and refilled it with room temperature water. The dog sniffed it and walked away.

I've heard that german shepherds are the smartest. I watched some dog show on tv, and they put different breeds through intelligence tests. The German Shepherd came out on top, and the Afghan was Mississippi.

Also, I was told that Huskies have no depth perception, at least according to the vet who took care of mine. That's why they'll run at a car and get hit. They don't realize how close they are. I don't know if it's true, but....if it is, I find that very strange....what purpose would lack of depth perception serve? Especially in the snow?

[wolf]

Even if you have depth perception, in a wide expanse of snow it doesn't really make any difference?

[Happy Monkey]

Originally Posted by Lady Sidhe

I find that very strange....what purpose would lack of depth perception serve? Especially in the snow?

It doesn't have to serve a purpose. They were bred for other things, and may have lost depth perception in the process. If it didn't hurt their racing ability, the breeders didn't care.

[capnhowdy]

The Husky has been trained for eons to just go. They will go until the master says stop. Perception is irrelevant. They don't really know where they are going, nor why.
Kinda reminds me of Marine training at Paris Island, S.C.. Just do what the master says until you either die or he tells you to stop. Makes no difference which one it is. Both are the reward if you are an unconditional servant (soldier). SEMPER FIDELIS
Unconditional is a very broad term, whether in love or allegiance. Dogs, as well as soldiers, have this naturally instilled. Training only polishes the inherent qualities.