Talk:Mushing

Gender of lead dogs
The statement that lead dogs are commonly female was added, but in my experience this is not correct. I see both males and females run at lead. Other factors than gender are much more important. Unless someone can cite a reference that this is true, I don't believe the statement belongs here so I undid this addition.botanybob (talk) 04:32, 5 February 2009 (UTC)

Types of dogs
This section has no citations and the list of breeds seems fishy. Canine ethologists Ray and Lorna Coppinger have written that Malamutes are useless for any but the lightest mushing because of their size. They are incapable of regulating their brain temperature under competitive mushing loads. OTOH, standard poodles have run the Iditerod. It would be nice if a knowledgeable contributer edited this section. http://home.gci.net/~poodlesleddog/ Svejkist (talk) 22:04, 20 September 2009 (UTC)


 * Alaskan malamutes ARE used for mushing. We have had 4-dog and 6-dog malamute classes in our races at Priest Lake, Idaho for many years. This breed also is particularly well suited for freight racing. The ability to run the Iditarod, one of the most extreme races in the sport, should not be used as standard for whether a particular breed is a sleddog. Mushing includes running sleddogs both competitively and recreationally.botanybob (talk) 02:38, 22 September 2009 (UTC)

Why wheelers if there are no wheels?
If some musher can find a reference in the literature it might be good to add the explanation that the names of the dog positions come from carriage driving. A six-horse team has leaders, swing horses, and wheelers. The wheelers are closest to the wheels. Snezzy (talk) 00:52, 30 December 2010 (UTC)