Nature's Fury

This season has been a crazy one so far, and it has nothing to do with the dogs. A few weeks ago we were blasted by Hurricane Sandy. We were left without power for several days. The streets and local trails were littered with downed trees and power lines. And with gas rationing and an empty tank, I couldn’t drive elsewhere to train.

A week later, we were hit by a Nor'easter. As much as we love snow, it wasn’t quite enough to do anything. It was a sloppy, slushy snow that began melting almost immediately – so there was no time to take the sled out. Plus, the power went out again. Luckily, it was only for a few hours this time.

Right after the winter storm, a warm spell struck and I was out walking the dogs in shorts and short sleeves. Go figure.

Finally, it seems Mother Nature has calmed down for a bit. The temperatures are right where they should be for this time of year. I’ve managed to sneak in a few rig runs (between disasters), with the help of my mom or sister (whoever I could drag out with me).

The dogs are doing well, despite the gaps between runs. Denali’s prey drive has noticeably toned down. At the end of today’s run, my dad met us and ran alongside the team for the home stretch. Denali was digging down so hard and pulling with all her might – it was awesome to see.

We will finally be going down to the Pine Barrens this weekend, for the first time this season. Expect lots of photos and hopefully some video of our run next week!

2012-2013 Mileage to Date: 30.48

Trouble on the Trails

Denali is an incredible dog. She’s so awesome in harness, that on bad days (like today), I have to remind myself – she’s only a year and a half. This is only her second season in harness. She’s way ahead of the curve, so little slip-ups are to be expected.

We’ve only done a few runs thus far, but I’ve noticed her prey drive is way more intense than it was last year. She used to get excited by squirrels or ground hogs, and even try to chase after them – but I could always call her off. It took 15-30 seconds for her to regain her composure, and we were moving again.

This year, she’s way more focused on capturing whatever it is that darted into her line of vision. In fact, she seems to be going after imaginary animals, too. Or she’ll stop at places where we saw an animal during a previous run and try to find it.

This behavior throws Knox off and he joins in on the hunt. Dexter either joins in, or stands there pitifully while she yanks at his neckline. Today was pretty frustrating, in particular. I had to get off the bike several times to pull Denali out of the bushes and point her in the right direction.

I don’t like screaming my head off at the dogs (especially when I’m around the neighborhood, with the occasional bystander looking on in awe), but they go deaf to my commands when they’re chasing something. Sometimes, a stern enough shout breaks them out of it. Most of the time, though, I need to physically pull them away. And that’s not good.

Hopefully, with more runs, Denali will settle down and be the leader I know she is. And as the temperatures drop, all the little critters will hopefully be sleeping away in their dens.

2012-2013 Mileage to Date: 18.2

Mushing Season is Here!

Hey everybody! Mushing season is back again, so I think it’s time I get back to posting on here. I’m taking a slightly different approach with our runs this season.

When Knox was little, I could manage bikejoring with all three. Not anymore! At least, not around my neighborhood. There are far too many distractions and I cannot stop all three dogs with my brakes. I actually have a pretty hard time stopping with just two. So yea, we bike carefully. Oh, I don’t think I mentioned it here yet, but I finally got a new bike! It’s a Trek 3700 mountain bike with disc brakes – a heck of a lot tougher than my previous bikes!

Into mid-October, I’m aiming to run the dogs every other day. There are still some random warm or overly humid days (like today) that I’ll skip. I don’t want to over-exert anybody after a long, low-key summer. For the most part, I run Denali and Knox first, then Denali and Dexter second. On some occasions, I’ll switch it up and run each dog separately.

Denali really is an amazing girl. She’s only a year and a half, but she’s teaching the boys more than I could ever do alone. Without her, Knox runs in sporadic bursts and doesn’t have a clean grasp of commands. Hook him up next to Denali, and she keeps him running steady and muscles him into turns.

Dexter runs well – in the Pine Barrens. At home, he still wants to sniff and mark. Denali doesn’t let him.

As it gets colder, I hope to be biking every day. I’ll also be heading down to the Pine Barrens with my new 90-pound rig as soon as the trails are cleared. I plan to eventually use one of my rigs for neighborhood runs, but I want to get the team used to it (safely on the trails) first. They’re a lot more difficult to maneuver than my bike, so I need to be very confident with the dogs’ abilities.

Oh, one last thing! I’m converting a spare bedroom in my house into a dog room. I’ll have photos of the renovation process posted once it’s completed.

2012-2013 Mileage to Date: 12.6

No News is Good News

It’s been just over a month since my last update, and unfortunately, our runs seem to have come to an end. An unusually dry March and April have given way to a humid and soggy May.

On sunny days, the dogs are content to lounge around the yard. Denali could sunbathe from dawn until dusk. Dexter doesn’t care where he is, as long as he’s near me. Knox can only stand the heat for so long. He takes frequent dips in his little wading pool and enjoys lying on the cold patio table. On some of the more humid days, he rather stay inside.

On rainy days, like today, only the huskies venture out. Dexter loathes the rain. He won’t walk on wet grass. Denali and Knox will chase each other if it’s cool enough, but they don’t settle down. After they get bored, they usually come back inside and nap. Dex is the most annoying on rainy days – he begs for walks, as if it’s only raining in the backyard.

Our loose-leash walking has not been as consistent as I would like, but it’s getting there. Everyone gets walked a couple times a week – just enough to keep them progressing.

As for our grand training plans (agility and CGC), they have been put on the back burner. Lately, I’ve been serving myself a hefty dose of reality. Dexter is not ready for a CGC course. He is very well-trained in my house, with only familiar distractions. I need to remind myself how he behaves when he’s somewhere unfamiliar and exciting. In pet stores, he’ll piss on any interesting scent. Outdoors, he’ll yank me about, attempting to suck up an odor or greet another dog. If I were to bring him into a Petco for CGC classes, which are reserved for dogs who have a grasp of basic obedience, it would probably be embarrassing. He is a good dog. I know he could eventually master it. He just needs a lot more work and experience out in the world. So that’s our summer plan for him.

Denali needs some work when it comes to being around other dogs. At her rabies clinic, she lurched and pulled to meet the other dogs. However, when she’s working in harness, no other dogs seem to exist. I think I could get her motivated enough to transfer this skill into agility. However, I don’t think agility classes are in her near future. Something very important that I had overlooked – her first heat cycle. She is due to come into heat within the next month or so. I can’t start a class and have her come into heat – most clubs would not allow her to train, especially as a complete newbie. Once her heat has completely passed, she will be spayed, so she’ll be on the ‘disabled list’ until fall training.

So, there you have it. I may still get Knox in some sort of class. Basic obedience probably wouldn’t hurt. I’ll be saving some money and just working with them myself, and hopefully by next summer, I’ll be able to get them some off-season hobbies.

Dog Food and Other Things

Distance	Moving Time	Average Speed	Maximum Speed
3.96 miles	0:25.52	9.18 mph	19.31 mph

It seems like every time I speculate a run will be our last of the season, we’re able to sneak another in. I went out to the Pine Barrens last Saturday with the gang and had my favorite run so far. Knox has been handling our short one to two mile runs without any problem, so I decided to try the longer trail. After all, if this was going to be our last run of the season, I wanted to make the most of it.

I was the first to arrive and set up on Saturday. Luckily, I had my new quick release (thanks to Roy of Adirondack Kennel), so I didn’t need anyone to hold the dogs while I hooked them up. Denali has an impeccable line-out for a yearling, so that helped too.

It was about 38 degrees with very low humidity, so the dogs ran very well. I stopped them twice for water breaks and to let Knox rest, since this was his longest run yet. Overall it was a very smooth run. The sand was loose in some spots, so they had to work a bit to pull through. We saw some deer right as the trail split in one area, which made Denali want to haw instead of gee. I stopped and waited for her to cool off, and surprisingly, she didn’t take long to regain her composure and gee over. Glad I was on the rig and not my bike, though, or it may have been a different story.

Other than our run on Saturday, we haven’t been doing too much. I’ve been slacking on the daily walks, but the dogs don’t seem to mind as long as they get to hang outside. Denali and Knox chase each other around the yard in the morning and evening. They are a good match for tiring each other out.

It doesn’t look like we’ll be getting a Pine Barrens trip in this weekend, as temperatures aren’t falling below 50. I will be more vigilant about getting some loose leash walks in, though, before they forget all the progress we’ve made so far.

In other-dog related news, I’ve started transitioning my pack away from Canidae and on to Annamaet. I’ve stuck with Canidae for a long time because it’s affordable, available locally, and most importantly, decent quality. However, I always felt like the dogs could be doing a little better.

I’ve been interested in Annamaet for awhile, but couldn’t get it anywhere close by. Shipping it wasn’t really worthwhile because it added on almost $15 to the price. However, I recently realized that with my auto-ship discount from PetFoodDirect, I can get almost $8 off a 40-pound bag, which basically cuts the shipping in half. I did the math, and I’ll be paying about $0.20 more per pound for the 40-pound adult formula Annamaet versus the 35-pound all-life-stages formula Canidae. It’s a small price jump, so I’m willing to give it a shot.

I started the dogs off by mixing an 8-pound bag of Annamaet in with their old kibble, and they really liked it. They even began picking out the Annamaet and leaving the Canidae behind. I plan to stick to the Adult 23% formula for the time being, and then blend in the Ultra 32% when mushing season picks up again.

Annamaet supports a lot of the mushing and husky rescue events I participate in, so it’s nice to return the favor and feed their food. I’m planning a blog post about my experiences with different dog foods (dry, canned, and raw)… this is just the tip of the iceberg. Stay tuned!

2011-2012 Mileage to Date: 133.66

Summer Activities

I’ve been looking into various training classes for the dogs this summer. I want to do something to keep them stimulated, mentally and physically. Plus, I’d like for my team to be well-rounded pets, not just sled dogs.

I want all of my dogs to earn their Canine Good Citizenship certificate. This summer, I’m going to start with Dexter. I found a CGC training course, which he’ll definitely need if he has any hope of passing the test. In order to pass the examination, he’ll be judged on the following:

Accepting a friendly stranger. Sitting politely for petting.  Allowing basic grooming procedures. Walking on a loose lead.  Walking through a crowd.

Sitting and lying down on command and staying in place. Coming when called.  Reacting appropriately to another dog. Reacting appropriately to distractions. Calmly enduring supervised separation from the owner.

He should be able to do all of the above, but it really depends on the distractions around him. When there are lots of other dogs around, he can get overexcited and not listen. However, weekly training classes should help with that. I hope.

Denali isn’t ready for CGC, but I think she’d benefit from some beginner agility. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do with a dog and I think she might be the perfect candidate. She listens surprisingly well for a Siberian and her recall isn’t too bad. 

Yesterday, I was walking her around the park and she was being extra pull-y. It was cooler out and she wanted to run. In order to divert her attention from yanking me, I decided to teach her some spur-of-the-moment agility. The park has benches every 100 feet or so. First, I taught her to hop up on the bench and climb over the other side. Once she had that down, I had her jumping over the back of the bench. She’s extremely athletic and agile, so these commands were a piece of cake.

The park also has three bridges. At the sides of each bridge are cement walls, about 3 and ½ to 4 feet tall, with a broad, flat top. When Dexter was little, I taught him to walk on the top of the wall like a ramp, which he still does. I taught Denali to do the same yesterday, and she seemed to enjoy it. These are very simple little activities, but I think she could handle more complicated stuff with some practice. I found an agility training facility, I just need to wait for a beginners course to open up.

I’m not quite sure what I want to do with Knox. He’ll benefit from a summer of just basic training with me, but I would like to do something “extra” with him. I think he might do well with some kind of weight-pull training. He’s really strong and, well, beefy. A different kind of strength and build than Denali, but equally acceptable in my mind. I think he’ll make a really great wheel dog next season. I wouldn’t mind honing that ability with some weight-pulling. I wouldn’t do too much with him since he’s still growing, but I’d like to learn more about the beginner stuff.

Those are my tentative plans for the next few months. It will be nice to have some one-on-one goals with each dog, instead of working with all three as a team.  

Different Kinds of Training

Distance	Moving Time	Average Speed	Maximum Speed
1.76 miles	0:11.16	9.35 mph	16.78 mph

It’s been almost two weeks since my last entry. Didn’t mean to leave anyone hanging – things have just been pretty boring around here. We’ve had above normal temperatures for awhile (almost 80 degrees last week), so no runs. Loose leash walk training is still happening, though. It’s been going pretty well. Denali is already easing up with her pulling and trots very nicely during the last 10 - 15 minutes of each walk. Knox is a bit of a spazz, but he’s also showing improvement. Dexter is back into his groove, nothing really to report.

This week, temperatures are returning to where they should be for the end of March, which means we should get more runs in. I managed to squeeze a quick run in yesterday with Denali and Knox. It makes me happy to see my puppies working so well together, but it’s a little disappointing that Dexter doesn’t just “click” like they do. He’s been training the longest (although not by much), yet he doesn’t take to it like the huskies do.

I can’t blame Dexter. He wasn’t bred to run and pull. Based on his day to day activities, it seems he was bred to be clingy and pee on stuff. He has the ability to run very well – I’ve seen it. It’s just a matter of motivating him to do so. He loves running in the Pine Barrens, or anywhere less familiar, for that matter. Part of me wants to “bench” him once I have more dogs, but I don’t know if I could leave him behind. He’s shown improvement with the addition of Knox to the team, so he may be just fine once I have four or six dogs. Time will tell.

Oh! I almost forgot. I signed up for Mushing Boot Camp this September! We’ll be traveling to South Colton, NY for a few days in the woods. We’ll be at the Call of the Wild facility, being instructed by some very knowledgeable folks. We’re going to be working on Dexter’s passing issues, as well as honing everyone’s overall ability in harness. I’ve heard good things about this organization, so I hope to learn some techniques that I can use for years to come. I’ll definitely have several blog entries devoted to my experience.

2011-2012 Mileage to Date: 125.22

Keeping Up

Distance	Moving Time	Average Speed	Maximum Speed
2.47 miles	0:13.43	10.78 mph	17.66 mph

Sunday may have been our last trip to the Pine Barrens for the 2011-2012 season. I hope not, but if it was, we ended on a very good note. We did a short run at Mt. Misery – just 1.2 miles out and back, like we had done the week before. This time, I had the rig instead of the bike. And this time, the dogs absolutely flew. 

My phone app clocked the team at 17.66 miles per hour – definitely their fastest maximum speed yet. They held steady, averaging 10 miles per hour after their initial burst at take off. Knox is the added kick of strength and power we really needed. I can’t wait to do longer runs with him, but I’m taking it slow.

Sunday morning was the last bit of cold we’ll be getting for at least a week. Temperatures will be in the upper 60’s and lower 70’s for the next couple of days. Since it’s too warm to run, I’m focusing on the dogs’ loose-leash walking skills (or lack there of).

Denali needs the most work with walking manners. Her walks aren’t walks – they’re still runs, in her mind. It’s not easy to teach a dog, who was bred and trained to pull, to walk nicely. Knox and Dexter each need their own individual training as well.

My plan is to walk each dog separately every day this spring and summer. The huskies will be walked in the morning or evening, Knox getting the cooler time slot (since he’s got the heaviest coat). Dexter isn’t bothered by heat, so unless it’s blistering, he’ll get walked in the late afternoon. As they improve, I’ll walk in pairs. The ultimate goal is to loose-leash walk all three together without issue.

I will be walking each with a leash attached to a limited slip O-ring collar. I need for them to differentiate between the collar/lead and pulling with their x-back harness. After all, I still want them to pull when the cool temperatures return.

I’ll also be walking the dogs on a different path, at least for the beginning of their loose-leash training. Right now, they associate our usual route with running and pulling. If I go a different direction, I’m hoping they’ll be thinking more, instead of just acting on their RUN RUN RUN instincts.

To further work their manners, I’ll be taking them around the local park, where lots of distractions will come into play: other dogs, kids, people, etc.

Today was Denali’s first real test. She did better than she usually does, since she was by herself and not focusing on leading the other two. She pulled, as expected, but also had a few stretches of loose-leash walking. I also got her to check out her surroundings a bit – sniff the ground, look at the lake, watch joggers pass. Usually, she’s all business and doesn’t look anywhere but forward. 

Knox is still getting used to walks by himself, so I don’t think it will be quite as hard to train him to walk nicely. Dexter can walk well, but he has a different problem entirely – he marks and sniffs every few feet, which can get annoying.

I’ll continue to update on our runs, assuming we get a few more before the temperatures stay consistently above 50 degrees. Once that happens, I’ll be using the blog to document the dogs’ non-mushing related activities and training. I’ll also use the off-season to write up some articles about mushing in general – not just my little team. So don’t go anywhere!

2011-2012 Mileage to Date: 121.94

And Then There Were Three

I’ve been meaning to write about Knox’s first run with the big dogs in my usual trail entry format, but I got delayed – and now we’re already three runs into his “career”. I decided I should write a little recap of each, before any more time passes and I forget the details.

Our first three dog run was on Friday, March 2nd. Since Knox is right around 6-months-old and seemed more than ready to join the team, I decided it was time. My rig is still in need of a new bearing, so I had to resort to a 3-dog bikejor. Not the best idea and certainly not something I will do once the rig is fixed, but I wanted to give him a practice run before the Pine Barrens.

Our first run went pretty well. Denali ran in single lead with Dexter and Knox behind her in wheel. Knox did fantastic… he pulled hard and slammed into his harness like he was bred to do it (which I’m fairly certain he wasn’t). Dexter also did well – he was more focused and went into “chase” mode with Denali in front of him. Denali – my sweet, oh-so-perfect Denali – was less than perfect in single lead. I didn’t realize how much Dexter grounded her. It wasn’t a catastrophe or anything. She ran like a yearling (which she is), and not the incredibly focused girlie she usually is. Her commands were a little fuzzy and she turned around to mess with Knox halfway through the run.

Towards the end of Knox’s first run, we came upon a fleeing cat. Because we can’t have a single run without some sort of animal darting away from us. My bike brakes were working, but didn’t do any good. The wheels slid, until I managed to swing up against a tree and hold the team back.

The second run was flawless. We went to the Pine Barrens, where there are rarely any animals near the trail. The freshly laid scent of other teams also helps my guys stay focused. All three did great, although Denali couldn’t understand why we had to turn back after just over a mile – she wanted to run our usual four mile trail. I didn’t want to push Knox too hard, so we only did 2.4 miles with the team. I took Denali out again later and repeated the same trail, so she could get her fix.

This morning was Knox’s third run and probably the worst thus far. As soon as we took off, I realized something wasn’t right. The duct tape job I constructed on the front brake had ripped apart. I thought about turning back, seeing as three dogs + only a rear brake might = suicide… but I had my helmet on, so god damn it, we kept going!

First test was a squirrel that darted by Denali. In double lead with Dexter, she gets excited for squirrels, but I can usually call her off. She then channels her ‘need-to-chase’ urge into pulling extra hard. In single lead, she loses her focus and tries to chase. I had to swing against a tree and wait for her to cool off.

Dexter and Knox did very well. Denali obeyed most of my commands, but she wasn’t as quick and sharp with them as usual. Towards the end of the woods loop, something caught her eye and she hopped off the path and into the high, dead brush. While she was goofing off, Dexter took the opportunity to roll around. Knox just whined and slammed into his harness, trying to get the team to keep going – nice try, little one! I had to dismount and pull Denali into the right direction. The remainder of the run home was mostly uneventful. She was a little better with the commands, but still a bit unruly.

All in all, they’re doing fine. This minor setback is just a dose of reality. For the most part, Denali has been unusually great in harness. Asking her to lead without Dexter by her side is a big step for a puppy still a few days shy of a year old. AJ plans to take her running every day and I’ll be doing more single lead practice with her. I’m sure we’ll work out the kinks as time goes on.

Someday in the distant, but hopefully not too distant future, a fourth dog will even out the team and solidify their flow. Dexter and Knox can be the powerhouses in wheel and maybe another Sibersong lady will balance Denali out in lead. Someday!

Broken Down

Distance	Moving Time	Average Speed	Maximum Speed
3.8 miles	Unrecorded	Unrecorded	Unrecorded

The past few days have been fun, but destructive. On Friday, my bike’s brakes gave out entirely. The duct tape job on the front brake lost its effect and all the brake pads have worn down.

I realized I had no brakes about halfway through our run, right before the dogs spotted a cat – in the middle of the trail. The cat took off running and the dogs followed behind. She eventually went off the trail and the dogs lost sight of her, giving me just enough time to fully stop the bike after a scary few seconds. They must have saw her again, because they did a 180 on the trail and tried to pull off into the woods. I had to dismount and drag them away… they were far too excited for “leave it” to work.

The brake-less bike foiled my plans for joring at the D&R Canal, so I ended up taking the dogs to Sandy Hook with my parents. I left the harnesses at home and attempted to make it just a “walk”, but all three were pretty amped up and looking to run. Everybody got to dip their paws in the ocean and nose around in the sand, so it was a nice change of pace. It was windy and we were pelted with sand the whole time, but three tired dogs on the way home was well worth it.

Sunday, I went to the Pine Barrens with AJ and the pack. I brought the chambers rig, since the bike is still out of commission. About halfway through our 3.8 mile run, I noticed the front wheel seemed to be rubbing on something and making a weird noise. I stopped the dogs and tried to figure out what was causing the issue. As it turns out, the wheel was wobbling because one of the bearings had fallen into the center of the wheel. The inner part of the wheel was rubbing on the axle on one side, while the other side still had a bearing holding it in place.

We finished the remainder of the run, but it was a real workout for me and the dogs. I’m hoping I can replace the bearing without too much trouble. However, it seems anything involving these unusual sized wheels can be a hassle to find. If I can, I’ll just replace all three wheels completely. Bike brake pads should be easier to come by, but I’m leaning towards buying the new bike sooner rather than later. It’ll be a financial hit I was hoping to put off or offset, but it may be necessary.

2011-2012 Mileage to Date: 111.76