Take a walk or take a “sled dog” ride. This expression is so common that it is difficult to see where the fault lies. Here is what should be used according to the French Academy.
By using them in this way, certain words in the French language are perfectly integrated into everyday language, even though they are sometimes incorrect. This is the case of this expression linked to a winter activity: “sled dog” walks which are often offered in ski resorts or in the mountains, for an extraordinary experience. Taking a “sled dog” ride has become so common that we can’t really see where the mistake is. And yet, the French Academy points out this French fault.
On its website, the French Academy explains that it is a “hazardous shortcut” to designate these dogs of Nordic origin which serve as draft animals on snow or ice. Thus, taking a sled dog ride would amount to saying that “those who take these walks would perch them on these poor animals”, as when one “rides a horse”.
So what should we say instead? The correct expression that no one uses should be: a “dog sled ride, an expression which of course assumes that the dogs in question are sled dogs”, specifies the French Academy.
Of course, it would be difficult to change our habits by talking about “sled dogs” otherwise. Moreover, in addition to winter sports activity, this term is often associated with a breed of dog, such as the Husky, the Greyster or the Malamute: typical breeds for sled dogs.