Dog sledding, a type of skijøring, which can also be called sled dog/dog sled racing or dog mushing, is a Wintertime dog sport. This is popular in the USA, Canada, Russia, and some European countries.
This sport involves teams of sled dogs that pull a sled with the driver. The driver stands in the runners. The team who completes the course in the fastest time is crowned the winner. Dog sledding was a demonstration sport at the 1932 Winter Olympics.
Dog sledding events vary in distances. The shorter races range from 4 to 100 miles, the mid-distances ranges from 100 to 300 miles, the long distances events range from 300 to over 1000 miles. Some of these distances are done in two or three days. Long-distances races are most of the time continuous or stage races, they go through a different course every day.
The races are also categorized by the number of dogs allowed in each team. Some categories include: four-dog, six-dog, eight-dog, ten-dog, and unlimited.
Similar Sports
- Bikejor — a single dog or a team of harnessed dogs pull along a rider on a bike.
- Skijør — races while being pulled either by a dog, a horse or a motor-operated vehicle while on skis.
- Canicross — a variant of cross country running in which runners have to complete the course accompanied by their dogs.
Related Pages
- About Dog Sports, sports involving dogs
- Complete list of sports
- The Encyclopedia of Sports