Summer time is fun time for our dogs; running stress free, chasing birds and bunnies, marking bushes and trees, jumping in ponds, creeks, and rivers to cool off, and playing with and challenging each other.
I like to take smaller groups of 4-6 dogs to start the season out working on focus and training and then increase the group size to 8-9 dogs once everyone is on the same page, leading everyone with the ATV. Our new Garmin Alpha 100 training system has helped us a lot keeping track of dogs that wander off into the woods and making corrections if necessary while giving us accurate GPS training data. It will be interesting to see how many hours and miles each dog puts in before we start harness training mid September. During the 2014 season the dogs put on 500 miles before harness training. With a structured program and a slight increase in time spent on the trail, I’m sure we can beat this mark although time and intensity are key measurements in athletic training. Mileage is only a measurement of ground covered and can be skewed by temperature, surface density, resistance, and altitude change. What I want to know is how hard the heart and muscles are working and for how long.
This is usually the time that we run into porcupines too, Breve, Domino, and Turbo found one last week when were still about 2 miles from home. Pulling quills is no fun for musher or dog and sometimes requires sedation which can only be done by your vet. That’s now 9 dogs that have tried playing with the porcupines in the last 6 years! Weird thing is none of them have been hit twice, yet.
Last year we did a lot of 5-7 mile runs training every other day if the weather permits. I will not take them out if it’s warmer than 60 F they get too hot. It also has to be wet for us to run above 50 F and even those runs will be cut short.
This year I would like to mix it up doing short fast runs and longer slower runs.
Why do we free run? Maybe it’s better to ask, why not? The direct benefits our athletes get from free running are:
- lactate tolerance
- learning to pace
- confidence at high speeds
- stronger ligaments and flexible muscles
- stimulation
- increased mitochondrial density
- increased heat tolerance by being in great shape
Lactate Tolerance
Or lactic acid tolerance, is the direct benefit of interval training. The higher your lactate threshold is, the faster you can run on oxygen without producing lactic acid. Anaerobic exercise produces lactic acid which needs to be removed efficiently in order to continue with short bursts of speed. A great sport example is Hockey, track cycling (points race), basketball, lacrosse, and soccer. Although anaerobic exercise is not the primary energy system used in sled dog racing, a dog that goes out too hard can have a better chance at recovering and keeping up with the team. Have you heard of the term “speed kills”? This can help reduce the likelihood of that happening.
Learning How To Pace
I control our “training pace” by driving the ATV. The dogs are trained to not pass me unless I allow them to run and accelerate forward. Depending on the weather and distance we are training, the pace can be higher or much lower on any given day.
Confidence at High Speeds
During the harness training and racing seasons, the dogs are limited to the amount of speed they are allowed to run. The primary goal is to run as fast as we can at a consistent pace or negative split as Buddy Streeper showed on Day 3 during the 2015 Open North American Sled Dog Championships. Free running allows the dogs to limit their own speed traveling much faster than they ever would in harness training. One of our fastest dogs Crema shows this by topping out at 33.3 mph during one of our free running training sessions. The only way to accurately measure your dogs speed is to attach a GPS device. Our Garmin Alpha 100 training system is a great example. Letting them stretch out helps me see the drive and true athleticism of each athlete individually which can help our breeding selection.
Stronger Ligaments and Flexible Muscles
This one is obvious. Keeping the dogs moving year round helps them stay strong and flexible vs. sitting on a chain or in a kennel run for 4-5 months. There isn’t a single professional athlete that takes extended periods of rest unless they are sick or injured.
Stimulation
Seeing different trails, smelling different smells, hunting, and traveling is great mental stimulation for any dog. Seeing and smelling the same things day in and day out is extremely boring, even for humans! Although no two training sessions are exactly the same, it’s healthy to mix things up a little bit.
Increased Mitochondrial Density
Mitochondria are the energy producers in our cells, metabolizing fat and turning it into ATP. During extended periods of endurance exercise we need to keep burning fat to keep moving. The only way to increase mitochondrial density is more exercise. The more mitochondria we have the more efficient we can burn fat to create energy. Sugar can only get us so far, and burns really quick and is extremely inefficient. Read more about mitochondria and exercise HERE->
Increased Heat Tolerance by Being in Great Shape
When you are in great shape your metabolism is also in high octane mode keeping all of your body systems are in sync. Your body can adapt to environmental changes much faster with a high metabolism.
Going into the harness season last fall we could start our first training runs at 4.5-5 miles while most are doing 2-3. The dogs are full of energy and willing to do more and not completely wiped out. Within two weeks we were already up to 8 miles which has never happened since I have been training dogs.
I encourage any musher to try free running, you will notice the benefits right away in the fall going into harness season. Who knows, you might even learn something about you and your dogs that you’ve never seen before and expand your own dog training skills! But be aware that once you start training you need to continue training. Consistency is VERY important, you could do more harm than good if you don’t stick to a scheduled and structured program.
Here’s a short video of us running. Follow us on Instagram if you haven’t already!
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