History
– Skijor and pulka style dog sled racing gained popularity in Norway and neighboring Scandinavian countries after World War II.
– These styles of racing required small, fast teams of 1-4 dogs competing over short, hilly distances.
– The German Shorthair Pointer quickly became the breed of choice for these races.
– In the 1970s, the sled pointer, a pointing dog bred exclusively for sledding, emerged.
– Nome-style sled racing, mimicking long-distance races in North America, started to attract interest in Scandinavia in the 1970s.
Description
– Greysters are bred for specific working traits and health needed for short, high-intensity sprint races.
– The foundational dogs used are German Shorthaired Pointers, other pointers, and Greyhounds.
– Genetic studies indicate that Greysters are generally 75% German Shorthair Pointer and 25% Greyhound.
– Greysters are favored for their heat tolerance, making them popular in dryland racing events.
– They can run 5-8 kilometers at an average speed of 30 kilometers per hour, with a max speed of 50 kilometers per hour.
See also
– Alaskan husky
– Eurohound
References
– Rune Waaler’s book ‘Dog Sledding in Norway: Multidisciplinary Research Perspectives’
– Paul Snyder’s article ‘Canicross Pulls Runners To Unprecedented Paces’
– Rich Landers’ article ‘Skijøring Nordic skiers let dogs pull their weight through winter’
– Frąckowiak, Brylewski, Pęzińska-Kijak, and Zdun’s study on the biometric characteristics of Greyster dogs
– Mila Benito and Laure Boutigny’s study on cardiovascular clinical assessment in Greyster dogs in bikejöring training.