Everything about Chinook Dog totally explained
The
Chinook is a rare
sleddog type or variety developed in the
New England region of the
USA in the early
20th century.
Description
Appearance
Standing 21 to 27 inches (53-69 cm) in height at the
withers and weighing 55 to 90 pounds (25-41 kg), the Chinook is balanced and muscular. The UKC standard states that "The ideal coloration runs from light honey color to reddish-gold. Black markings on the inside corners of the eyes are preferred. Dark tawny to black markings on the ears and muzzle are preferred. Guard hairs on the tail may be black. No white markings are allowed. Buff markings on the cheeks, muzzle, throat, chest, breeches, toes and underside are acceptable." The UKC standard faults any color other than tawny and disqualifies
Albinism. Other proposed standards state that the medium-length
double coat is “tawny” in colour, with darker shadings on muzzle and ears; white dogs are not allowed, nor are other colours. Eyes are brown to amber in colour. Ear carriage is variable, but dropped is preferred and the head more strongly rectangular than other sleddog breeds. The tail is a well-furred saber and not the usual brush or plume of
Arctic breeds. Overall, the Chinook seems to owe more to
mastiff than to
spitz ancestry.
Temperament
The breed is described as calm, nonaggressive and friendly, though sometimes reserved with strangers. They are inherently gentle with children.
Health
Health issues in Chinooks are
epilepsy, canine
hip dysplasia, and eye defects.
History
The Chinook owes its existence to one man,
Arthur Treadwell Walden of
Wonalancet, New Hampshire. The breed derives principally from one male ancestor born in
1917, named “Chinook,” who was Walden’s lead dog and stud. Chinook derived from a crossbreeding of husky stock from the
Peary North Pole expedition with a large, tawny
Mastiff-like male. Photos of “Chinook” show a drop-eared dog with a broad Mastiff head and muzzle. Walden’s leader was bred to
Belgian Sheepdogs,
German Shepherd Dogs,
Canadian Eskimo Dogs and perhaps other breeds; the progeny were bred back to him to set the desired type and was apparently a strong reproducer of his own traits. Arthur Walden was an experienced dog driver with years of experience in the
Yukon; he was lead driver and trainer on the
1929 Byrd antarctic expedition. He is credited with bringing sleddog sport to New England and with founding the New England Sled Dog Club in
1924. The 12-year old “Chinook” was lost on the Byrd expedition.
Control of the core breeding stock passed from Walden to Mrs. Julia Lombard and from her to
Perry Greene in the late 1930s. Greene, a noted outdoorsman, bred Chinooks in
Waldoboro, Maine, for many years until his death in
1963. Rare and closely-held by Greene who was for many years the only breeder of Chinooks, the population dwindled rapidly after his death. By
1981 only eleven breedable Chinooks survived. Breeders in
Maine,
Ohio and
California divided the remaining stock and managed to save the type from extinction. The Chinook obtained registered status with the
United Kennel Club in
1991; current numbers of registered animals are around 800. Only about 100 puppies are born annually worldwide. The registry has a cross-breeding program under which Chinooks are bred to individuals of other breeds thought to have contributed to Chinook development; fourth-generation backcross descendants of such crosses may be accepted as UKC purebred Chinooks if they meet the Chinook Owner Association's CrossBreeding Program requirements.
Working Life
Although still used for recreational dog sledding by some owners, Chinooks today appear to be used largely as family pets. Individuals are also used for dog-packing,
search and rescue,
skijoring, and
obedience and
dog agility trials.
Miscellaneous
Chinooks have been recognized by the
United Kennel Club for over 15 years, and are working for recognition in other major kennel clubs.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Chinook Dog'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://chinook__dog.totallyexplained.com">Chinook (dog) Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
