Candace suggested this and I thought it was a good idea. Instead of answering her questions about siberians in a Rainbow Bridge thread, we could discuss it here.
In far northeast Siberia near the bering Strait, lives an aboriginal people, that still live there today, though only has an historical artifact to the russian government. These people are the chukchi people. Chukchi means "reigndeer people." They have herds of reigndeer. For 1,000 years, they also bred the chukchi dog to herd reindeer and pull sleds. The chukchi dog had an advantage over reindeer in pulling sleds. It didn't cost much to feed them. The breed had developed the ability to pull hard and run fast, getting no heavier than about 60 pounds, on very little food in one of the coldes places in the northern hemisphere. Some of the coldest winter temperatures measure - 96 F. Food was basic. Not much even grows wild in Northern Siberia. So, the chukchi fished, harvested seal, and herded reindeer, any of which they could trade for other foodstuffs, such as rice. More often than not, their food was often cooked, even if just enough to thaw, and of course, table scraps. At -70 F, meat isn't just cold, it's frozen solid.
In the early part of the 20th century, american traders were making it across the Bering Strait and trading with russians and even the chukchi. Some, such as Leonard Seppala, brought the chukchi dog back to Alaska. It was given the breed name, Siberian Husky. He then developed a winning racing line, known as the Seppala line, and a breed standard was developed. People who brought Sibes to America were not interested in herding reindeer. They were interested in sled pulling, both as a daily transportation and racing. To this day, there are people in Alaska who's main transportation is dog sled. I have that fact on authority of my son-in-law's sister, who lives outside of Anchorage.
Because of the harsh living conditions in which the Sibe was bred, the breed has some unique characteristics. Thick fur against the cold. Sibes are comfortable in sleeping snow as low as -70 F. Small, pointed ears, also against the cold. Longer ears would be a liability. Bushy tail, usually carried in a hook or curled over the back, keeping it out of the snow. Webbed toes, for better traction in snow. Medium to large breed weight with light bones. Average male husky adult weight is around 60 pounds, the female usually less. The eyes. Well, I've noticed that humans from northern climates have lighter colored eyes, as well. But I think the chukchi admired the eyes as magic and any eye coloration was fine, as opposed to having a breed conformation of only one or two eye colors, such as the lab. Huskies can have light blue eyes, brown eyes, one of each, and parti-colored.
Unloaded, siberian huskies can run 30 to 35 mph. They have a running style similar to greyhounds, including double suspension gait. This means, in full run, there are times when all four limbs are suspended. On the gangline pulling a loaded sled, a team of sibes can average 16 to 20 mph on a long haul. It's not uncommon in racing to run for 40 miles at a whack, approx. 2 hours or so, before resting. They are an athletic breed.
Because of their history, their food needs are basic. Meat, some grain (most likely rice), fat. Knowing this helped me figure out what happened when I tried feeding Shadow Innova. Innova is so full of great ingredients, none of which were common to the siberian diet. I went back to Nutro Large Breed Adult Lamb and Rice and he's always done great on it. Here's why. Linoleic acid was in abundance, through fish and seal and reindeer. Well, the Nutro I feed him has linoleic acid from sunflower oil and it has linoleic acid from lamb. And the food is simple. Meat meal, rice, fat, and supplements. Their metabolism is variable, slowing down when they aren't working much, or are overheated. It also is a metabolism that is geared to getting as much as possible out of a small amount of food. Siberian huskies tend to regulate their own intake, based on demands of work or exercise. They are good candidates for free feeding. I can leave a bowl of food and Shadow won't eat a full portion unless I am there. This leads to another breed characteristic. They are rank conscious. You have to show them who's alpha
Pound for pound and for their size, they are some of the fastest, most powerful dogs there are. The Alaskan Malamute is larger, heavier and can pull more weight but can't run as fast. The Alaskan Husky is a non-breed breed. It's not so much a particular breed as it is a type of dog, with many out-breedings, with the intention of breed the fastest, strongest sled dog ever. Alaskan Husky teams have been known to run faster than sibe teams.