Dog Sledding Lesson- Don't Let Go of Sled!

Our winter has been warmer than normal and that makes for heavy, wet snow which is difficult to sled through with our two dog teams.  We haven't got out once this year...

So instead we wanted to show you one from last year with Chance and Blaze pulling Mark through the wooded area across from our street.  Mark isn't very good at controlling the dogs, as you'll see he almost panics when he takes off.  And today's lesson is, don't let go of the sled!

The video's about 7 minutes long and you can watch here on YouTube 

Chance and Blaze take you for a sled ride!

For those of you who might have guessed it, the second video in yesterday's post was Chance and Blaze.  And that is all thanks to my wonderful husband who has a way with the dogs that I can not compare to and has the magic to make things work.     

I've been working with happy, positive reinforcement with getting Chance and Blaze comfortable with their sledding harness and taking it very slow and steady.  We are making great progress.  Chance and Blaze have both been watching Zappa and Silver take off on the sled and I know it is driving them crazy to sled.  So my husband surprised me after our run and just put on Chance and Blaze's harness, calm, cool, and assertive and off we went!  Just like that, they had them on and were ready to go.  No fear, no anxiety, no freezing up.  Daddy is magical that way.  :)

To warn you the video is 10 minutes long.  I ran them up and down the road a couple of times, just to work out some of that pent up frustration that you see Chance giving Blaze when we first take off.  He was probably letting her know that he is lead dog and not to crowd him.  He is used to running alone. 

The camera is off a little (sorry for the view!) but there's no mistaking the speed or power these two have together.  They know each other in and out and become quite a mental and physical powerhouse when they are paired. 

 Watch on YouTube here.

 

The speed is incredible.  When I ride with these two I can not imagine having 2, 4, or 6 more dogs hooked up!  It's a little bit scarier and I tend to be a little more high strung with Chance and Blaze than I am with Zappa and Silver.

Didn't they do great for their first time out this year?  I'm so proud of them for being willing to try and doing such a great job! 

And my wonderful husband who made it all happen is having a birthday today!  He'll be turning 28 again!  BOL!!

MUSH!

We had a great weekend of dog sledding and Zappa and Silver were flying even faster today.  It had warmed up to just above freezing and the road was soft enough for gripping and just slick enough for some real speed.  Other than the straight away the rest of the ride was a mess of stopping and untangling.  Here's a quick video of Zappa and Silver kicking ass again!  Plus we thought you might like to see their faces every so often!  :)

If you've been following our sledding practices, you'll note that we've only taken out Zappa and Silver, well...do we have a treat for you!  Not only did we get to take them out, but two other dogs as well.  Not at the same time, bol, I've hardly reached that level.  See if you can guess who our new racers are.  This super short video is just a preview for the video I have for tomorrow where I'll put you back in the musher's seat and show the real speed and power of these two dogs pulling a sled.  It will blow you away!

 

Make sure you check back for another ride of a lifetime!

Readers Dog Sledding Questions

Well they say the road to hell is paved with good intentions and my entire weekend was spent on just that.  Our weekend sledding update has been delayed because of technical problems (#@!!#&*@#!!), so hopefully tomorrow we'll have the video up and running for you to show off my little team of Zappa and Silver's sledding skills and speed.  I don't want to give too much away, but they were AWESOME!

So we'll take this time to answer some readers questions about dog sledding.

Collie222 from All things Collie asked:  if I ever run more than two dogs?  Working with two is a challenge enough and we are still beginners.  For a long time I only ran with one, usually Chance.  I hope to be able to make it up to 3 dogs and then 4, but with more dogs, more problems.  Working with two dogs has been a big step for me, but a comfortable one this year.  Zappa and Silver are quite compatible in many ways and they work together well, which makes running with them much easier.

She also asked if the dogs ever get cold with their thinner coat?  Since all the dogs are part Husky, they all have that thick Husky undercoat that keeps them well protected.  And we usually run when them between 18-32F (-7.7-0C)depending on the wind chill.  If it's too cold for me, it's too cold for them is our motto.  :)

Emily from It All Started With a Pitbull asked:  If all the dogs like to pull?  Yes, they do.  Chance and Blaze were my top dogs for sledding when we got them back and they still love it, but I rushed into getting them used to their harnesses and they've never been comfortable with them.  Once we got running they forgot about it, but from the point of putting it on until we would actually go made them both anxious.  Neither of them like things on their back, so I am starting all over from the beginning making the harness a friendly tool and one they won't mind wearing so they can run again.

Brut likes to pull, but he is no good at being a sled dog.  For one he thinks he's completely the boss when he's pulling out in front of me, plus he takes like he's on a walk, stopping every fifteen seconds to mark.  But one thing he is great at is pulling firewood, it is our own little game and I think he just loves the Mommy and me time he gets with no one else around.  :)

Fiona loves it as well, but has bad hips to be able to do it.  Which is a real bummer because she would make a great lead dog, she loves to run and is smart and fast.

Thank you for the great questions and if anyone else has questions please feel free to ask.  I will answer to the best of my ability or find the answer for you.

Be sure to check back tomorrow to watch our latest sled video!

If the Big Guy Runs into a Problem...

WE'VE GOT BACK UP!!

With hardly a snowflake on the ground our new used sled isn't doing much but looking pretty while it catches dust!  We were hoping to unveil our new ride before this, but see this dirt around my paws?  That's just how it looks today with little hope of a White Christmas.

But not to worry...if Santa's sleigh breaks down the 24 Paws of Love are prepared.  And guess what Pamela...we even have BRAKES!!  Yes, real BRAKES!!  No more body slams for Mommy trying to bring our speedy butts to a halt with all her might.  Woo!  Woo!  It is a Frank Hall sled, who was well known for his internationally handmade dog sleds, including big races like the Iditarod and he was an avid musher himself.  (Don't worry, unless your in the mushing world you probably haven't heard of him.  We had to look him up ourselves.)

 Our sled is just over 6.5 ft long (approx. 2m) with a 41 inch (104cm) bed that can handle Santa's gigantic toy bag!   WHEW!!

 There are sleds that may be longer or shorter but this dog sled is a typical style and type for sprint racing and recreational sledding, in other words for shorter distances and beginners.

 

 Do you think it beats our homemade version?  BOL!!  Now we just need some help from Mother Nature to try it out and who knows maybe Santa will be in need of our assistance this year.

Chance, you did remember to rig check over Santa's sleigh, didn't you??   (Now where's that hacksaw?)

Don't worry we'll make sure Santa gets to everyone's house on Christmas Eve!  (wink! wink!) 

Merry Christmas Everyone!