05/25/2026
You may have heard that sled dogs don’t need health testing. This runs contrary to modern standards for ethical breeding. There is a kernel of truth to this, but it is being wildly misconstrued
Dogs cannot run thousands of miles on bad joints. Distance sled dogs are a relatively closed population all running thousands of miles. Only the best of the best of those chosen for breeding for many generations - thousands of years in some cases. This has produced a population with an incredibly low incidence of orthopedic issues
That does not mean it can not happen. The genetics haven’t ceased to exist, they’ve been suppressed and under continuous pressure to stay suppressed. Essentially, their work IS the joint test, and has been applied to every dog in the program from the start
If a dog is not running thousands or even hundreds of miles, then they have not passed that test. We know joint disorders are polygenetic and can skip generations. If that individual dog is not proven, it’s no different than saying “well his parents OFA excellent so it’s fine”
As things stand, because the overall incidence is low, you probably would get lucky. But you don’t know and the further down the line things go, the more likely your luck is to run out
The lower your distance, the younger the dog is bred, the more likely things are to slip through the cracks. Ironically, this is exacerbated if you have a solid high drive dog, because when it does start to hurt, they’ll run right through the pain. The more recent the outcrossing to non-sledding breeds, the more likely you are to still see something pop up from the other breed
This also only applies to orthopedic testing. There are other genetic tests that should be run, for instance Siberians have DM, PRA, SPS1, SHPN1… Plus the importance of pedigree tracking to identify glaucoma and epilepsy risk. Alaskans have AHE, and a test for PCD in the works, maybe more depending on the line (for example DCM has been identified in some sled dogs) plus the importance of pedigree tracking
So yes, it is normal and acceptable for a kennel with established sled dog lines, actively running their dogs to significant distance and performance standards, to not being doing orthopedic health testing. That does not apply to sled dogs as a whole indefinitely, dogs with questionable orthopedic health in their recent pedigrees, or dogs that occasionally run and/or only run short distances in harness. Nor does it justify neglecting genetic testing or the monitoring of pedigrees
