Most of our customers are very curious about sled dogs and ask really good questions. I distinctly remember an eleven year old girl asking very mature questions more than three years ago. She was smart as a whip and had done her research well! We do a lot more than give rides to tourists at the kennel. The typical ninety minute experience is entirely educational and includes a tour of the entire kennel where customers can interact with all the dogs in our yard.
Those aren’t huskies!
Puppies!
No, they’re not. They’re sprint racing sled dogs they’re more powerful and faster than huskies. They’re mutts with a combination of greyhound, GSP (German Short-haired Pointer), ESP (English Short-haired Pointer), and husky (Alaskan). Most sled dogs are mutts. See all that muscle? Big muscles also create a lot of heat these dogs get HOT and have a high metabolism. We’ve never had a cold dog but a handful of hot dogs. They also eat two to three times more than huskies.
Who’s the alpha or the leader?
I am the alpha. I make the rules and set boundaries. I decide when it’s time to eat and drink. I decide when it’s time to train. I decide the trail we run on. We don’t let dogs dominate humans. Some dogs are more dominant than others but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re leaders. We also don’t let their dominance get out of hand by nipping it in the bud when they’re very young. Not all of our leaders are dominant dogs either. Leaders are confident dogs who can handle the pressure of 8-16 athletes chasing them. Most dogs don’t like that since their natural instinct is TO chase. It’s much easier mentally for any dog to run and chase within the team.
How do you arrange your teams?
We strive to maximize ability, working with what the dogs are naturally best at. We don’t like to mix old adults and young adults if possible. The youngsters (2-7 years old) want to go fast and are held back by the old farts (7-11 years old). The veterans want to cruise and not have the pressure of going further and faster. We never ask a dog to do something it cannot do on it’s own, pushing them beyond their limits. We start picking our teams with the leaders, then the backup leaders, then the team dogs, and the hard working wheel dogs. We move dogs around all the time so they don’t get bored running in the same spot but usually keep similar partners so they travel smoother. This is why a lot of mushers breed their own dogs so their team has similar attitude, speed, age, ability, and gait. Sometimes a whole litter can make a good dog team.
If you would like to ride with us please visit our booking page to check dog sledding in Minnesota off of your bucket list!
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