Chinook

Arthur Treadwell Walden was a New Hampshire farmer and innkeeper who had freighted with dogs during the Klondike gold rush in the Yukon, where he worked with a Native guide's dog named Chinook. Back in Wonalancet, Walden set out to breed a sled dog of his own type. In 1917 he crossed a large mastiff-type farm dog with a female descended from Robert Peary's Greenland Dog sledge teams, and one of the resulting puppies, which he named Chinook after the Yukon dog, became the foundation of the entire breed.

Chinook proved to be an exceptional lead dog and sire, and Walden line-bred from him. The breed's most famous moment came in 1929, when Walden served as lead driver for the dog teams on Admiral Richard Byrd's first Antarctic expedition. Chinook himself, then twelve years old, went with the expedition and disappeared in Antarctica, an event still commemorated in the breed's history. Walden also drove Chinooks in the first sled dog races in New England and is credited with helping establish the sport there.

Ownership of the breeding stock passed through several hands over the following decades, and numbers fell steadily as recreational mushing moved toward faster Alaskan and Siberian dogs. By 1981 only eleven breedable Chinooks remained in the world. A small group of breeders in Maine, Ohio and California took on the recovery, using a carefully documented programme that included a limited outcross to rebuild genetic diversity. The United Kennel Club registered the breed in 1991, New Hampshire named it the state dog in 2009, and the American Kennel Club admitted it to the Working Group in January 2013 as its 176th breed.

The Chinook is a moderately built, athletic working dog, deeper than it is tall would suggest and slightly longer than tall in profile. Males stand about 23 to 27 inches at the shoulder and weigh roughly 55 to 90 pounds; females stand about 21 to 25 inches and weigh roughly 45 to 65 pounds. Everything about the breed is designed for endurance rather than display: good bone without heaviness, a deep chest, well-muscled hindquarters and an efficient, tireless trot.

Colour is tightly defined and is the breed's most recognisable feature. Chinooks are tawny, running from a pale honey through golden to a deep reddish-gold. Darker markings are preferred on the ears and muzzle, and dark eye markings called guard hairs are characteristic. Black or dark tawny markings on the inside corners of the eyes give the breed its distinctive, thoughtful expression. White or buff markings on the cheeks, throat, chest, belly and legs are acceptable.

The double coat is medium in length, with a thick, downy undercoat and a coarser outer coat that lies close to the body, giving good protection without excessive furnishings. Ears vary and may be dropped, propped or fully erect, all of which are permitted. The tail is a well-furred saber tail, carried low at rest and up but not curled over the back when the dog is working or alert.

Chinooks are people-oriented in a way that most northern breeds are not. They are affectionate, patient and calm at home, dislike being left alone for long stretches, and generally attach closely to the whole family rather than to a single person. Breed clubs consistently describe them as gentle and reliable with children, and they usually get on well with other dogs, a legacy of being bred to work in teams.

With strangers the breed is typically dignified and a little reserved rather than either effusive or suspicious. Chinooks will alert to something unusual but they are not guard dogs and have no protective aggression; shyness is a recognised issue in some lines and is one reason thorough puppy socialisation matters so much.

This is also an intelligent, eager-to-please and highly trainable breed, which sets it apart from most sled dogs. It is sensitive to tone and responds to encouragement rather than force. That said, the working heritage is real: a Chinook has stamina, a fair amount of prey drive, and a strong instinct to pull, and it needs a job or it will become bored, noisy and destructive.

The original job was sled work, both freighting and racing, and the breed still excels at it. Chinooks are used for sledding, dog packing, skijoring and carting, and their moderate speed and considerable endurance suit distance work better than sprint racing. Their willingness to take direction makes them straightforward lead dogs.

Because they are so trainable, Chinooks also do well in obedience, rally, agility, tracking and search and rescue, and some work as therapy dogs. For a family that will not be mushing, dog sports and long backcountry hikes are the practical substitutes. Whatever the outlet, the dog needs regular, structured work; the breed's good manners depend on it.