Northeastern Siberia is a land of vast expanses and great contrasts, a land cut in half by the Arctic Circle. It is a land of high mountains and deep valleys, vast plains and snowy tundra, merciless winds and blinding blizzards, long white nights and black days, numbing cold and intense heat, a land of feast and famine. Dogs were held in high esteem by the people who lived in this land because their existence often depended upon their sled dogs. These sled dogs were the ancestors of the present-day Seppala Siberian Sleddog. In 1908 William Goosak, a Russian fur buyer from northeastern Siberia brought a team of 10 Siberian sled dogs to Nome, Alaska. They finished third in the All-Alaska Sweepstakes race of 1909. Over the next 10 years, a number of additional Siberian sled dogs were imported, and Siberian sled dog teams, driven by John "Iron Man" Johnson and Leonard Seppala, dominated the All-Alaskan Sweepstakes races. In January of 1925, a child in Nome died of diphtheria. It was imperative that serum be brought in at once. It was mid-winter, and the only way to get the serum to Nome was by dog team. A relay was set up to cover the 658 miles from Nenana to Nome. The primary cog in this relay was a team of Siberian sled dogs driven by Leonard Seppala. With temperatures hovering around 30 below, over hazardous ice and rough mountainous terrain, Seppala drove his team approximately 260 miles over a five-day period to get the serum to Nome. Once again, in relatively modern times, the survival of people depended upon their sled dogs. This, then, is the heritage of the Seppala Siberian Sleddog. He is a working dog of moderate size, specifically adapted in temperament and physical construction to the needs of rapid, long-distance dog-sled transport with a light load in a cold arctic climate. This includes sled dog racing.
This standard has been adapted from the International Siberian Sleddog Club’s official standard.
The Continental Kennel Club (CKC) is proud to announce that the registry for the Seppala Siberian Sleddog (SSS) will open its books to additional stock on September 10th of 2019, and they will remain open until September 10th, 2021.
Breed Characteristics
Head: Mesaticephalic skull type, proportionately sized, and wedge-shaped. It should be smooth and without exaggeration, wolf-like or foxlike in appearance. The topskull is moderately broad and long. It appears flat between the ears. It may be flat or slightly arched in profile. Masseter and temporalis areas are smoothly muscled to give substance to the head and face. The head is clean-cut and without excess skin or wrinkles.
Eyes: Moderate in size, oval to almond in shape, and of any color or combination of colors ranging from blue to dark brown in color. The eye rims are well-fitted. The eyes are never bulging. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes.
Ears: The ears are medium in size, triangular in shape with rounded tips, firmly erect, set high on the head, and close together on top of the skull. Broken ears are also possible: they are not incorrect but not preferred.
Muzzle: The muzzle is full, deep, and broad. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight. The muzzle tapers from a broad base toward the nose. The upper and lower jaws are well-developed, approximately equal in length, and have good bone substance, never appearing snipey or weak.
Nose: The nose is well-pigmented, black, or self-colored, according to the coat. The nostrils are well-opened.
Neck: Moderate length that allows for a proud head carriage and good movement. It is strongly muscled with a slight arch. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut, without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows. The forechest is somewhat narrow to moderate in width and is somewhat well-developed. The complete chest should have the appearance of a boat keel.
Body: A true athlete, their body is somewhat substantial and capable of power, speed, stamina, and endurance. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
Feet: Oval to round, compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.
Tail: Set neither high nor low on the croup but as a natural extension of the topline. It is thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. The tail is carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level but never tucked. The tail is of a medium length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. The tail may be straight or gently curved.
Movement: The overall movement of a Seppala is effortless, smooth, flowing, and graceful, with a powerful forward thrust. They are light on their feet and quick in their action, balanced and smooth in their forward progress. No choppiness or exaggerated movements should occur with any of their body parts—legs, shoulders, head, buttocks, etc. They should never appear clumsy. The limbs should travel in straight-forward paths, the head should be held low, the tail should be down and at a fast trot or more, and they should single-track. At an easy lope, they may have a slight up-and-down movement, but no excess energy should be used in vertical movement, which should occur only to allow momentary relaxation of the limbs. At a fast lope, their head should be straight out or down as if they are trying to eat the trail, and their motion should be totally directed forward. Their power should be coming from their rear end and should never appear to be pulling their body from their front end. When moving and pulling at a rapid pace and viewed from the side, they should display a long front-end reach (stride) without undue upward movement of the head and a well-extended rear movement, both backward and frontward. Viewed from the rear, they should single-track and show a powerful rear thrust. The front and rear movements should be balanced and synchronized. There should be absolutely no distortion of body movements, such as crabbing, hackneying, or slow-motion double suspending, to accommodate the front and rear legs under the body. To be correctly assessed, movement should be evaluated in a pulling situation at speeds greater than 12 miles per hour.
The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the center line of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.
Temperament: The Seppala Siberian has a positive attitude toward their work of pulling in harnesses and a strong desire to please their owner. When raised in a healthy, wholesome, exercise-oriented environment, they will be amenable to light harness work by six months of age. In good physical shape, they will always pull, and if not totally exhausted or injured, they will never quit. They are always enthusiastic to start, whether at the beginning of a run or after a stop within a run. Their desire to pull remains undiminished even after several days of running and resting. They always maintain a tight tug line within reason and are subject to the limitations of their physical ability with respect to speed. Attitude is the number-one consideration of a good sleddog, and it can be evaluated only under a stressful team situation, such as a long, tough race. The Seppala personality is a happy, curious, and intelligent one that, when properly socialized, results in a joyful companion. He has high energy that needs to be regularly exhausted. They can be predatory towards smaller animals but well socialized towards their own kind once a hierarchy has been established. They are never aggressive towards people. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.
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Breed Standard
BREED GROUP 2: Spitz and Nordic Breeds
Proportions: Somewhat off-square to slightly rectangular, with the length of the body measured from the point of the forechest to the point of the rump, being just slightly greater than the height at the withers. The ideal body-height-to-length ratio is between 5:4 and 10:9, with the body length equaling approximately 112% of the height at the withers. Females may be slightly longer. The body is well put together, with sturdy substance and medium bone. The weight of males or females is always in proportion to height.
Head
General Appearance: Mesaticephalic skull type, proportionately sized, and wedge-shaped. It should be smooth and without exaggeration, wolf-like or foxlike in appearance. The topskull is moderately broad and long. It appears flat between the ears. It may be flat or slightly arched in profile. Masseter and temporalis areas are smoothly muscled to give substance to the head and face. The head is clean-cut and without excess skin or wrinkles.
Expression: Lively, alert, watchful, anticipatory, energetic, confident, and curious.
Stop: Stop may range from slightly defined to moderate or definite.
Skull: The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio may range from 5:4 to 1:1, with the topskull being equal to, or just longer than the muzzle. The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis is parallel.
Muzzle: The muzzle is full, deep, and broad. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight. The muzzle tapers from a broad base toward the nose. The upper and lower jaws are well-developed, approximately equal in length, and have good bone substance, never appearing snipey or weak.
Lips or Flews: The lips are clean and fit tightly over the teeth and jaws.
Nose: The nose is well-pigmented, black, or self-colored, according to the coat. The nostrils are well-opened.
Cheeks: The cheeks are smoothly muscled and never chiseled or coarse.
Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, and white teeth. The bite may be level, scissor, or reverse-scissor.
Eyes: Moderate in size, oval to almond in shape, and of any color or combination of colors ranging from blue to dark brown in color. The eye rims are well-fitted. The eyes are never bulging. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes.
Ears: The ears are medium in size, triangular in shape with rounded tips, firmly erect, set high on the head, and close together on top of the skull. Broken ears are also possible: they are not incorrect but not preferred.
Body and Tail
General Description: A true athlete, their body is somewhat substantial and capable of power, speed, stamina, and endurance. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
Neck: Moderate length that allows for a proud head carriage and good movement. It is strongly muscled with a slight arch. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut, without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows. The forechest is somewhat narrow to moderate in width and is somewhat well-developed. The complete chest should have the appearance of a boat keel.
Topline: Level from withers to croup. The back is broad, strongly muscled, and straight, yet supple. The loin is taut, flat, level, or slightly arched, yet supportive. The back is never overly long, especially short, swayed, or roached.
Croup: The croup is broad, long, somewhat rounded, and gently sloping downward toward the tail.
Underline: A slight tuck-up is present. The underline is taut and firm, without any indication of sagging or excess weight.
Ribs: Long, well-sprung, well-laid-back, and oval-shaped, never barrel-chested or slab-sided.
Tail: Set neither high nor low on the croup but as a natural extension of the topline. It is thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. The tail is carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level but never tucked. The tail is of a medium length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. The tail may be straight or gently curved.
Forequarters and Hindquarters
Forequarters: The forequarters are always in balance with the hindquarters and well-angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. Shoulder blades are approximately equal in length to the upper arm and forearm.
Elbows: The elbows are close to the body. The point of the elbows is approximately half the dog’s height at the withers.
Forelegs: Frontal View: Straight, of good muscle, of moderate bone, and parallel to one another. Side View: The forelimbs appear straight with strong pasterns.
Pasterns: Never weak or broken.
Hindquarters: The upper and lower thighs are equal in length, strong, sturdy, of moderate bone, and well-muscled. Rear View: When viewed from the rear, the rear pasterns are parallel to one another. Side View: Good angulation will allow the rear toes to align with the point of the rump or within one to two paw-lengths behind the point of the rump, with the rear pasterns remaining perpendicular to the ground and parallel to one another.
Stifle Joint: Well-angulated with a good bend to well-let-down rear pasterns.
Angulations: The angulation of the hindquarters is always in balance with the angulation of the forequarters.
Feet: Oval to round, compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.
Coat
Skin: Well-fitted, yet supple. The skin should never obstruct the outline of the dog.
Coat Type: The Seppala coat is a "plush" coat in which the undercoat is practically as long as the guard hairs. The coat should be soft and of sufficient thickness to protect the dog in extremely cold temperatures, such as -40° F. A heavy coat is proper, but a long, dense, "wooly" coat is not desirable. Long, flat, possibly wavy coats and short coats with no or little undercoat are faults.
Coat Color or Pattern: All coat colors and patterns are equally permissible. Well-pigmented eye rims, lips, and nose are preferable but not a fault if not fully pigmented.
Movement
The overall movement of a Seppala is effortless, smooth, flowing, and graceful, with a powerful forward thrust. They are light on their feet and quick in their action, balanced and smooth in their forward progress. No choppiness or exaggerated movements should occur with any of their body parts—legs, shoulders, head, buttocks, etc. They should never appear clumsy. The limbs should travel in straight-forward paths, the head should be held low, the tail should be down and at a fast trot or more, and they should single-track. At an easy lope, they may have a slight up-and-down movement, but no excess energy should be used in vertical movement, which should occur only to allow momentary relaxation of the limbs. At a fast lope, their head should be straight out or down as if they are trying to eat the trail, and their motion should be totally directed forward. Their power should be coming from their rear end and should never appear to be pulling their body from their front end. When moving and pulling at a rapid pace and viewed from the side, they should display a long front-end reach (stride) without undue upward movement of the head and a well-extended rear movement, both backward and frontward. Viewed from the rear, they should single-track and show a powerful rear thrust. The front and rear movements should be balanced and synchronized. There should be absolutely no distortion of body movements, such as crabbing, hackneying, or slow-motion double suspending, to accommodate the front and rear legs under the body. To be correctly assessed, movement should be evaluated in a pulling situation at speeds greater than 12 miles per hour. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the center line of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.
Temperament
The Seppala Siberian has a positive attitude toward their work of pulling in harnesses and a strong desire to please their owner. When raised in a healthy, wholesome, exercise-oriented environment, they will be amenable to light harness work by six months of age. In good physical shape, they will always pull, and if not totally exhausted or injured, they will never quit. They are always enthusiastic to start, whether at the beginning of a run or after a stop within a run. Their desire to pull remains undiminished even after several days of running and resting. They always maintain a tight tug line within reason and are subject to the limitations of their physical ability with respect to speed. Attitude is the number-one consideration of a good sleddog, and it can be evaluated only under a stressful team situation, such as a long, tough race. The Seppala personality is a happy, curious, and intelligent one that, when properly socialized, results in a joyful companion. He has high energy that needs to be regularly exhausted. They can be predatory towards smaller animals but well socialized towards their own kind once a hierarchy has been established. They are never aggressive towards people. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.
Faults
All dogs should be in proper healthy condition, free from disease or defect. Any departure from this description is considered a fault. Unless altered, all male dogs should have two fully descended testicles. Seppala Siberian Sleddog standard adapted from seppalas.com/page4.htm
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Breed Standard
BREED GROUP 2: Spitz and Nordic Breeds
Proportions: Somewhat off-square to slightly rectangular, with the length of the body measured from the point of the forechest to the point of the rump, being just slightly greater than the height at the withers. The ideal body-height-to-length ratio is between 5:4 and 10:9, with the body length equaling approximately 112% of the height at the withers. Females may be slightly longer. The body is well put together, with sturdy substance and medium bone. The weight of males or females is always in proportion to height.
Head
General Appearance: Mesaticephalic skull type, proportionately sized, and wedge-shaped. It should be smooth and without exaggeration, wolf-like or foxlike in appearance. The topskull is moderately broad and long. It appears flat between the ears. It may be flat or slightly arched in profile. Masseter and temporalis areas are smoothly muscled to give substance to the head and face. The head is clean-cut and without excess skin or wrinkles.
Expression: Lively, alert, watchful, anticipatory, energetic, confident, and curious.
Stop: Stop may range from slightly defined to moderate or definite.
Skull: The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio may range from 5:4 to 1:1, with the topskull being equal to, or just longer than the muzzle. The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis is parallel.
Muzzle: The muzzle is full, deep, and broad. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight. The muzzle tapers from a broad base toward the nose. The upper and lower jaws are well-developed, approximately equal in length, and have good bone substance, never appearing snipey or weak.
Lips or Flews: The lips are clean and fit tightly over the teeth and jaws.
Nose: The nose is well-pigmented, black, or self-colored, according to the coat. The nostrils are well-opened.
Cheeks: The cheeks are smoothly muscled and never chiseled or coarse.
Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, and white teeth. The bite may be level, scissor, or reverse-scissor.
Eyes: Moderate in size, oval to almond in shape, and of any color or combination of colors ranging from blue to dark brown in color. The eye rims are well-fitted. The eyes are never bulging. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes.
Ears: The ears are medium in size, triangular in shape with rounded tips, firmly erect, set high on the head, and close together on top of the skull. Broken ears are also possible: they are not incorrect but not preferred.
Body and Tail
General Description: A true athlete, their body is somewhat substantial and capable of power, speed, stamina, and endurance. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
Neck: Moderate length that allows for a proud head carriage and good movement. It is strongly muscled with a slight arch. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut, without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows. The forechest is somewhat narrow to moderate in width and is somewhat well-developed. The complete chest should have the appearance of a boat keel.
Topline: Level from withers to croup. The back is broad, strongly muscled, and straight, yet supple. The loin is taut, flat, level, or slightly arched, yet supportive. The back is never overly long, especially short, swayed, or roached.
Croup: The croup is broad, long, somewhat rounded, and gently sloping downward toward the tail.
Underline: A slight tuck-up is present. The underline is taut and firm, without any indication of sagging or excess weight.
Ribs: Long, well-sprung, well-laid-back, and oval-shaped, never barrel-chested or slab-sided.
Tail: Set neither high nor low on the croup but as a natural extension of the topline. It is thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. The tail is carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level but never tucked. The tail is of a medium length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. The tail may be straight or gently curved.
Forequarters and Hindquarters
Forequarters: The forequarters are always in balance with the hindquarters and well-angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. Shoulder blades are approximately equal in length to the upper arm and forearm.
Elbows: The elbows are close to the body. The point of the elbows is approximately half the dog’s height at the withers.
Forelegs: Frontal View: Straight, of good muscle, of moderate bone, and parallel to one another. Side View: The forelimbs appear straight with strong pasterns.
Pasterns: Never weak or broken.
Hindquarters: The upper and lower thighs are equal in length, strong, sturdy, of moderate bone, and well-muscled. Rear View: When viewed from the rear, the rear pasterns are parallel to one another. Side View: Good angulation will allow the rear toes to align with the point of the rump or within one to two paw-lengths behind the point of the rump, with the rear pasterns remaining perpendicular to the ground and parallel to one another.
Stifle Joint: Well-angulated with a good bend to well-let-down rear pasterns.
Angulations: The angulation of the hindquarters is always in balance with the angulation of the forequarters.
Feet: Oval to round, compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.
Coat
Skin: Well-fitted, yet supple. The skin should never obstruct the outline of the dog.
Coat Type: The Seppala coat is a "plush" coat in which the undercoat is practically as long as the guard hairs. The coat should be soft and of sufficient thickness to protect the dog in extremely cold temperatures, such as -40° F. A heavy coat is proper, but a long, dense, "wooly" coat is not desirable. Long, flat, possibly wavy coats and short coats with no or little undercoat are faults.
Coat Color or Pattern: All coat colors and patterns are equally permissible. Well-pigmented eye rims, lips, and nose are preferable but not a fault if not fully pigmented.
Movement
The overall movement of a Seppala is effortless, smooth, flowing, and graceful, with a powerful forward thrust. They are light on their feet and quick in their action, balanced and smooth in their forward progress. No choppiness or exaggerated movements should occur with any of their body parts—legs, shoulders, head, buttocks, etc. They should never appear clumsy. The limbs should travel in straight-forward paths, the head should be held low, the tail should be down and at a fast trot or more, and they should single-track. At an easy lope, they may have a slight up-and-down movement, but no excess energy should be used in vertical movement, which should occur only to allow momentary relaxation of the limbs. At a fast lope, their head should be straight out or down as if they are trying to eat the trail, and their motion should be totally directed forward. Their power should be coming from their rear end and should never appear to be pulling their body from their front end. When moving and pulling at a rapid pace and viewed from the side, they should display a long front-end reach (stride) without undue upward movement of the head and a well-extended rear movement, both backward and frontward. Viewed from the rear, they should single-track and show a powerful rear thrust. The front and rear movements should be balanced and synchronized. There should be absolutely no distortion of body movements, such as crabbing, hackneying, or slow-motion double suspending, to accommodate the front and rear legs under the body. To be correctly assessed, movement should be evaluated in a pulling situation at speeds greater than 12 miles per hour. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the center line of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.
Temperament
The Seppala Siberian has a positive attitude toward their work of pulling in harnesses and a strong desire to please their owner. When raised in a healthy, wholesome, exercise-oriented environment, they will be amenable to light harness work by six months of age. In good physical shape, they will always pull, and if not totally exhausted or injured, they will never quit. They are always enthusiastic to start, whether at the beginning of a run or after a stop within a run. Their desire to pull remains undiminished even after several days of running and resting. They always maintain a tight tug line within reason and are subject to the limitations of their physical ability with respect to speed. Attitude is the number-one consideration of a good sleddog, and it can be evaluated only under a stressful team situation, such as a long, tough race. The Seppala personality is a happy, curious, and intelligent one that, when properly socialized, results in a joyful companion. He has high energy that needs to be regularly exhausted. They can be predatory towards smaller animals but well socialized towards their own kind once a hierarchy has been established. They are never aggressive towards people. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.
Faults
All dogs should be in proper healthy condition, free from disease or defect. Any departure from this description is considered a fault. Unless altered, all male dogs should have two fully descended testicles. Seppala Siberian Sleddog standard adapted from seppalas.com/page4.htm
Dog Fact #26
The typical canine move of walking around in a circle before laying down for sleep is believed to go all the way to the time before dogs were domesticated. Back then, it would benefit a dog to take a look around the den area before plopping down for a nap.
