Greenland Dog / Gronlandshunden, Greenland Husky

Breed history:

 It is considered one of the oldest breeds in the world and it was used by the population of Greenland for sleighing and hunting seals and polar bears.

Description:

 It is a large dog, muscular, powerful, with a rectangular body. The head is broad, triangular, with a conical muzzle, with a big, black or dark red nose, turning pink in cold weather. The eyes are medium-sized, slanting and dark. The ears are small, triangular, set apart and erect. The tail is of medium length, bushy and arched on its back. The coat is double-layered with a thick, soft, dense inner layer and the outer layer having rough, straight, thick hair that can be any color except white.

Personality:

 It is an energetic, strong, intelligent, balanced, independent and dominant dog. It is friendly with everyone including strangers, children and other dogs. Despite being independent, it will still get attached to a member of the family. It howls rather than barks. It has strong hunting instincts and, therefore, this breed is not trustworthy near other small animals in the yard.

Grooming:

 During the shedding period, combing is recommended in order to remove the dead hair.

Living conditions:

This dog is very resistant to weather changes. It feels good outdoors in a colder climate with an active master. It cannot bear being left alone, therefore the purchase of two specimens is recommended. It needs a lot of exercise, like pulling a sleigh or carriage. This breed is not recommended to people who have no time or possibility to offer this type of exercise. It must not work in temperatures over 15°C.

Training:

 It is an independent dog, therefore harder to train. It is not a family dog, rather a sleigh dog, pulling sleighs being something it does well. If left alone, it has the tendency to wander off.

Usefulness:

 It is used to pull sleighs.