Dogs were an important part of Inuit culture. Dogs such as Canadian Eskimo Dogs, Alaskan Malamutes or Siberian Huskies were used as pack animals in the summer to drag supplies and to pull sleds in the winter. Such dogs also played an important role in hunting as they were experts in sniffing out seal breathing holes or in discovering and harassing polar bears. Inuit peoples would perform rituals upon the birth of new pups and would prick their noses with pins to enhance their sense of smell.