Attitude: You want smart dogs - dogs that know when to rest, when to get excited and when to get along. They need to mesh into a team, so they must be compatable to what you already have. Some people like crazy dogs, but for distance racing it doesn't matter if they lay down and yawn right before you pull the hook - they just need to do their job comfortably (and you'll know that they love it!). The dogs need to be controllable and trust you. Also, a dog with good attitude is focused when in harness.
A dog who has run in about six 1,000 mile races. He still has a spark in his eye!
Appetite: A dog needs to devour its food and not be picky about what you give it. Obviously, even the most voracious eaters will miss a meal in a race, but you don't want a team that stops eating for the littlest reasons. Also, if your dogs are good eaters, then loss of appetite is a good indication that something is wrong.
You want a dog that dives right in...
Gets excited about eating...
Actually, a whole team of them...
And don't forget the pups!
Conformation: This includes build and how a dog moves. Dogs should be comfortable at a trot, which should be smooth and effortless. No awkward gaits. As far as build, I think it is best to illustrate with a picture of two well-built dogs. These two dogs are pretty much perfect examples of what an ideal dog is like:
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