Patrick Baker, age , of Vancouver, Wash., for his question:
HOW CAN ESKIMO DOGS WITHSTAND THE COLD?
An Eskimo dog is a dog from the Arctic zones that is often used to pull sleds. The name is given to three different pure breeds of dogs: the Eskimo, the Alaskan malamute and the Siberian husky.
Eskimo dogs have a special protective covering of hair that allows them to withstand the cold. They can sleep outdoors in deep snowdrifts even in the coldest weather.
The dogs have coats of outer hair, with another coat of fine hair next to the skin so that they can never get soaked to the skin. The sturdy dogs carry their tails curled above their backs to keep them from being hardened with frozen snow.
Eskimo dogs have ears that are pointed and stand upright. Their faces are oval shaped.
The dogs have extremely strong bones in their legs and their feet are large and hairy so they will not sink into the snow.
Many Eskimo dogs lift their heads and howl instead of barking.
The Alaskan malamute is a powerful dog that was developed and bred by a group of Eskimos called the Malamutes. These dogs live mostly along the west coast of Alaska.
The malamute is a large, compactly built dog. Its coat is usually wolf gray or black and white, with darker markings in the head. The dog always sleeps curled up with its thick tail covering its nose.
A malamute usually weighs from 75 to 85 pounds.
A female Siberian husky will weigh about 40 pounds and some of the males can weigh as much as 135 pounds. The Eskimo dog weighs between 50 and 85 pounds.
The Eskimo dogs have great courage, fighting ability and endurance. These are qualities that are necessary in a country where it is so difficult for dogs to survive.
Eskimo dogs can pull sleds and can also be used to hunt seal, bear and musk ox.
The sleds that Eskimo dogs pull are usually long and low with space for supplies and a passenger. The driver walks most of the time, however, or runs along in the rear, riding a little every few minutes by standing on the sled's rear.
Three to eight dogs make up a team. They may be hitched one behind the other, or in groups of two or more side by side. Or each may be hitched separately so that the team fans out in an arc.
"Mush" is the word the driver shouts to start the dogs. The dog in front is the lead dog, and he takes commands from the driver. The lead dog turns the other dogs, and also starts and stops them.
A dog sled with a well trained team can travel 20 to 40 miles a day or more. A team of five dogs can pull a load of 250 pounds.
Sometimes the dogs carry supplies on their backs.
The lead dog is master of the other dogs. This dog has learned a half dozen basic commands, in addition to "mush," such as "go," "stop," "faster" and "lie down." He is chosen to lead the team because of his intelligence, endurance and speed.