Chinook

The Chinook is a sled dog developed in New Hampshire in the early 20th century. It is the official state dog of New Hampshire.

History

The breed is the work of one man, Arthur Treadwell Walden of Wonalancet, New Hampshire, an experienced dog driver who had worked in the Yukon. Wanting to breed an ideal sled dog, he mated a Greenland Dog descended from a lead dog of the Peary North Pole expedition with a large tawny Mastiff and St. Bernard cross. One of the three pups, born in 1917, grew into the dog Walden was looking for and was named Chinook, after a dog he had known in the Yukon. Chinook became his lead dog and stud. He was bred to Belgian Sheepdogs, German Shepherd Dogs, Canadian Eskimo Dogs and perhaps other breeds, and the offspring were bred back to him to fix the type.

Walden founded the New England Sled Dog Club in 1924 and was lead driver and trainer on Byrd’s 1929 Antarctic expedition. The original Chinook, then 12 years old, went missing on that expedition and was presumed dead.

The breeding stock later passed to Julia Lombard and then, in the late 1940s, to Perry Greene of Waldoboro, Maine, who for many years was the only breeder. After his death in 1963 numbers fell quickly, and by 1981 only eleven breedable Chinooks were left. Breeders in Maine, Ohio and California shared out the remaining dogs and saved the type.

The United Kennel Club registered the Chinook in 1991. It has about 800 registered dogs, and only around 100 puppies are born worldwide each year. The registry runs a cross-breeding program with breeds thought to have contributed to the Chinook. The American Kennel Club gave the breed full recognition in January 2013, in its working group.

Appearance

The Chinook is a balanced, muscular dog standing 53–69 cm at the withers and weighing 20–41 kg. The medium-length double coat is tawny, ideally from light honey to reddish-gold, with darker shading on the ears and muzzle and black marks at the inner corners of the eyes preferred. White markings are not allowed under the UKC standard. The eyes are brown to amber. Ears vary, though dropped ears are preferred, and the head is more rectangular than in other sled breeds. The tail is a well-furred saber, not the plume of the Arctic breeds.

Temperament

The Chinook is described as affectionate and playful, with a particular devotion to children. It is a willing worker, eager to please and highly trainable. It gets on well with other dogs and works well in a team. Some are reserved with strangers, but the breed should not be shy or aggressive. Most Chinooks today are family pets; some still pull sleds for recreation or take part in dog-packing, search and rescue, skijoring, obedience and agility.

Care and health

Health problems noted in the breed are epilepsy, hip dysplasia and atopy. Cryptorchidism is also common, affecting about 10% of males.

Facts on this page were checked against Wikipedia and may have changed since.