PRODUCTIVE TRAITS OF SLED DOGS OF DIFFERENT BREEDS
The purpose of the research was to study and evaluate the productive traits of sled dogs of Siberian and Alaskan husky breeds. Methodology. The research was carried out at the Russian State Agrarian University named after K. A. Timiryazev and at the Severnaya Nadezhda Research Center in the Kostroma region. The object for the research was sled dogs of Siberian and Alaskan husky breeds that participated in the Northern Hope races, which was held in February 2012-2019. Results. It was found that young dogs had a higher running speed compared to the older animals. It was revealed that the ratio of males and females in relay at different distances influenced their speed, the increase in the number of females in the relay positively influenced on its speed at the distance. It was found that the running speed of Siberian and Alaskan husky relays had different degrees, but unidirectional correlations. With the length of the distance in Siberian husky the correlation was weakly negative -0.135 (P>0.95), in Alaskan husky it was practically absent r=-0.018. The correlation coefficients between age and running speed of dogs at the distance were negative in both breeds. So, in Siberian husky it was -0.345 (P>0.99), in Alaskan husky r=-0.614 (P>0.999). The negative correlation was found between the proportion of males in the relay and the speed of its movement at the distance. The air temperature as a limiting factor had a negative and reliable association with the speed of running relays at the distance in both breeds. Scientific novelty. New data have been obtained on the influence of the sex ratio in the relay on the speed of its movement at medium distances, as well as on the correlation of the length of the distance and the running speed of Siberian and Alaskan husky dogs.