- Eurohound
Infobox Dogbreed
name = Eurohound
country =Scandinavia
notrecognized = trueA Eurohound is a cross between an
Alaskan husky and a pointer. The hybrid first successfully entered the competitive sled dog racing world inScandinavia . It is one of the most formidablesled dog s in the world, combining the husky's centuries-honed sledding ability and a pointer's enthusiasm and athleticism.Crossbreeding
Crossbreeding between two established breeds with two tightly bred but unrelated gene pools is done for the purpose of
heterosis (hybrid vigor) but also can include breeding the first generation cross back to one of the purebred breeds in order to enhance specific traits. [ [http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/beef/400-805/400-805.html Crossbreeding in cattle] ] In the Eurohound, a first generation cross (fifty percent pointer, fifty percent Alaskan Husky crosses) have short coats, suitable for sprint races, which don't involve resting or sleeping on the trail. When the first generation cross is crossed again with the Alaskan Husky, the resulting generation can have thicker coats, suitable for longer distance teams.Breeds used
The Alaskan husky sprint dog has been tightly bred [ [http://www.sleddogcentral.com/features/little_wolf/alaskans.htm Racing Sled Dogs] "Many racing bloodlines in Alaska have become extremely inbred"] for performance since sled dog racing began in Alaska. The German Shorthaired and English pointer gene pool is restricted by the fact that they are registered breeds, but they too were bred for performance; the Scandinavian pointers from which the first Eurohounds came had been used historically for sled dog racing and hunting. [ [http://www.sleddogcentral.com/interviews/ellis.htm Egil Ellis Interview] "In Sweden it has been a long tradition to race with german and english shorthaired pointers. These dogs have been bred for this purpose the last 50 years."]
Appearance
As the Eurohound is a carefully bred performance dog rather than a purebred modern breed, its appearance can vary. Fairly common features of fifty percent crosses are half-dropped ears, black with white blazing as shown in the photo, or solid with patches of spots. Some completely spotted dogs appear as well. Once the percentage of pointer drops, the dogs start to look more like Alaskan huskies. Weight is around 18-24 kilos (40 to 50 lbs.) [ [http://www.sleddogcentral.com/interviews/ellis.htm Egil Ellis Interview] "Our pointers and most of our crossbreeds have a weight of 18-24 kilos"]
Terminology
Although more accurately and traditionally called "crossbred", crossbred dogs are sometimes referred to more fashionably as "hybrid", for unknown reasons. In biology, a hybrid animal is one with parentage of two separate species, differentiating it from crossbred animals, which have parentage of the same species. Hybrids are usually, but not always, sterile. [ [http://news.softpedia.com/news/Why-Hybrids-Are-Sterile-42118.shtml Why Are Hybrids Sterile ? - Because of gene evolution] ]
See also
*
Crossbreed
*Dogsled racing
*Sled dog
*German Shorthaired Pointer References
External links
* [http://www.sdas.org.uk/hounds.htm Personal observation of some of the newer sled dog mixes]
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