Chinook

The Chinook is an American sled dog breed developed in New Hampshire by Arthur Treadwell Walden in the early twentieth century. It takes its name from Walden's lead dog, Chinook, and was bred from a mix of northern sled dogs, mastiff-type dogs, and other working stock to create a steady freighting and expedition dog. Chinooks are usually tawny, from pale honey to reddish gold, with a muscular but not bulky build and a friendly, cooperative expression. They are rarer than the better-known arctic sled breeds and are valued for versatility as much as speed.

A Chinook generally needs more than a backyard and occasional stroll. Hiking, skijoring, carting, obedience, scent games, or recreational sled work suit its history and help keep it settled indoors. The double coat sheds seasonally and tolerates cold better than heat, so warm-weather exercise should be managed carefully. Because the population has been small, breeders pay close attention to pedigree diversity, hips, eyes, seizures, and temperament. For buyers, the important question is whether a breeder is preserving a functional, stable working companion rather than producing only a rare name.

Colors: Apricot, Bicolor, Black, Black and Tan, Black and White, Black Marked Tawny, Black Mask, Blue, Blue and Tan, Blue Merle, Blue Roan, Blue Tick, Brindle, Brown, Brown and Tan, Brown and White, Chocolate, Cream, Dapple, Domino, Fawn, Fawn and White, Gold, Gray, Harlequin, Honey, Irish Marked, Liver, Liver Mask, Mantle, Mask, Merle, Mottled, Parti-Color, Piebald, Red, Red and White, Red Gold, Red Merle, Red Roan, Red Tick, Reverse Brindle, Roan, Sable, Saddle, Silver, Speckled, Spotted, Tan, Tawny, Ticked, Tricolor, Tuxedo, White, Yellow