How much do you know about the wintry sport of sled dog racing and sled dogs? Test your knowledge with this fun quiz.

1. The sled dog races with the most entries are:
        a. Hundreds of miles long (i.e., the Iditarod)
        b. Middle-distance races of 50 to 250 miles
        c. Sprints of three to 15 miles
        d. Whatever the distance is from the couch to the dinner bowl

2. The most popular breed of dog used for sled dog sprint racing is currently:
        a. A Siberian Husky
        b. An Alaskan Malamute
        c. A Samoyed
        d. An Alaskan Husky

3. An Alaskan Husky is:
        a. An ancient breed of the Eskimos
        b. Part wolf, part dog
        c. A mix of Alaskan Malamute and Siberian Husky
        d. A hybrid of Siberian Husky and Pointer

4. The first sled dog club in the world was founded in:
        a. Sweden
        b. Germany
        c. New England
        d. Alaska

5. To stop a dog sled running full tilt, you’ll need this:
        a. An anchor
        b. Brakes
        c. A snow hook
        d. A loud “Whoa!”

6. A fast team of sled dogs can average speeds of:
        a. 10-11 mph
        b. 15-16 mph
        c. 21-22 mph
        d. 28-29 mph

7. A popular training tool used for dry land or off-season training is:
        a. An ATV 
        b. A wheeled cart
        c. Scooters
        d. All of the above

8. A four-dog sprint team is run in the following configuration:
        a. 2-2
        b. 1-2-1
        c. 1-1-1-1
        d. Most commonly in pairs (a) but a 1-2-1 configuration is possible

9. When connecting sled dogs to a sled, each dog’s harness is connected to:
        a. A tug line
        b. A gang line
        c. Side reins
        d. The sled brakes

10. An unlimited sprint race is:   
        a. A race with an unlimited purse
        b. For large teams of dogs, usually 14 to 22 
        c. A race with no time limits
        d. For the truly insane mushers

Answer Key:
(1) c; (2) d; (3) d; (4) c; (5) c; (6) c; (7) d; (8) d; (9) a; (10) b

Joan Hustace Walker is a freelance writer in Virginia.