Computer and Internet technologies are always changing, some would say for the better while others strongly disagree. Useful tools such as email have become choked my unsolicited messages, or spam. It's getting to the point that email as a viable communication medium may become obsolete. Spam, spyware, and viruses are creating havoc, slowing down servers and our client computers.

However, no one owns these technologies so anyone can create better tools. There's a revolution going on out there that most people are just beginning to hear about. It's about internet freedom. Instead of software monopolies it's about open source. Instead of client/server models of distribution it's about peer to peer. Instead of being forced to read, watch, or listen to media on their schedules, it's about taking control and getting the information we want when we want it. Individuals are slowly rising up to take back our computers and the internet.

We are happy provide another option for receiving the Makin' Tracks newsletter. Syndication puts you in charge of your information flow. We've created a new RSS feed for Makin' Tracks so those of you who wish to receive it through that method can. That's good news to those with clogged email boxes! Of course, we'll still continue to send it out via email as well for anyone who prefers it. The link to add the Makin' Tracks feed to your aggregator is http://www.redpawfeed.com/makintracks.xml.

To learn more about RSS feeds, take a look at a couple of introductory pages:

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10088_7-5143656.html

http://slate.msn.com/id/2096660/

Randy Carris

Lynda Ninos, of Lancaster, PA, sent us the following question:

I found a small article about using marine grade Tonge oil- any info about stain or waterproofing. I got an older sled with the team I brought home, but it was kept outside, now that I have it inside, the finish is almost completely peeled and the wood is drying out fast, it is a wonderfully riding sled, so I would love to save it- what do you suggest- I've refinished old furniture and stuff, but not anything that would need to go back out in the weather and be used.

I am brand new to dogsledding and absolutely love it- and I find lots of useful information from your newsletter- any additional information is GREATLY appreciated!

Please help out Lynda and others by sending us your tips. We'll forward them on to Lynda and put them in the next issue for everyone.

Summer solstice, 2005

Fairbanks, Alaska

Greetings from sunny Fairbanks, Alaska. Today, June 21st, marks the longest day of the year. "Solstice" here in Fairbanks is always cause for celebration. Lying just 100 miles south of the Arctic Circle, Fairbanksans always celebrate the nearly 24 hours of continuous daylight. Many community events are planned for this day, including the 100th annual Midnight Sun Baseball game. Our local semi-pro team, the "Goldpanners", will play tonight before the biggest crowd in history. The game starts at 10:00pm and will play past midnight all without the aid of artificial lighting. Several major league stars got their careers started with the "Goldpanners", including Dave Winfield, Graig Nettles, and Jason Giambi. The 100th anniversary of this unique event has brought in over 25 national media organizations, including the Today Show and the Early Show, to highlight this special day.

After the party is over, Fairbanks will start losing six to seven minutes of daylight per day. Before we know it the sun will disappear and we'll be back on the race trail. Like most racers, I've been thinking about the next year's race season ever since the end of last year's. There looks to be several more exciting new races to be held next season with good purses, including a mid-distance race in California at Mount Shasta in mid-January and possibly a big stage race in Quebec a month later.

But there isn't a day that goes by where I don't think about the Iditarod. Next weekend is the annual volunteer picnic and first day to sign up for the race. This year they're trying a new starting strategy. Mushers will be allowed to pick their starting number based on the order they sign up. This will make the pre-race banquet a lot more interesting, giving an early glimpse into each musher's strategy. The new sign-up format will ensure lots of mushers show up for the picnic. Many mushers will probably camp out at headquarters to get an early starting choice.

The race seems to be in a big growth spurt. The race organizers are predicting a record purse of over $800,000 for this coming year. Even with a large purse in this and several other races, most mushers will tell you (myself included) that it's pretty hard to survive off of race winnings alone. Many Iditarod mushers have turned to tourism to make a living in the off-season and bring good exposure of our sport to the masses. There are three large glacier operations that employ several current and past Iditarod mushers. These operations fly cruise ship tourists up to glacier camps via helicopter for a one-hour excursion with a dog team. The Seavey family brings thousands of tourists to their kennel each summer for an interesting, informative demonstration of dogs and the Iditarod that includes a cart ride. Jeff King, Martin Buser, Mary Shields (first woman to complete the Iditarod), and Bill Hall also do similar kennel visits. Libby Riddles is a guest speaker on the ships while they're harbored in Juneau. Susan Butcher and Jessie Royer entertain guests on the Riverboat Discovery, a popular tourist attraction that floats by Susan's place on the Chena River three times a day. And I also give an hour-long slideshow presentation at a local hotel. The growth and interest of Iditarod has helped spread the word and spur interest in dog racing in other cold climates as well.

With the dogs lazily basking in the hot summer sun, this is a time to re-group, take a step back, and start painting a picture for bigger and better things to come for next years' exciting race season.

THIS 'N' THAT

Summer is in full force with 85-90 degree weather and unbelievable humidity here in central Minnesota. The dogs don't move much and given a chance to run free find shade and just lay there. Mosquitoes pester and horseflies annoy as the dogs twirl and snap to put an end to the buzzing. A blanket of dog hair coats the yard. It floats through the air. You find it everywhere....in your nose, in your eyes, in your house. The dogs don't care. No thanks. Give me winter.

Spring and early summer have been busy, nonetheless with; you guessed it, dog related issues! The Hedlund Husky pup I wrote of in a previous issue got "tossed" like a cat by an uninformed teenager who caused a terrible trauma to a back leg. Dogs can not be tossed like cats AND puppies are not as sturdy as you may think. The foot began to grow out away from the body and hocked. After several consultations at the University clinic it was determined that if she had a particular surgery her chances of being a working sled dog were very good. The surgery was done and Tuloon spent the last 12 weeks with stainless steel rods going through her leg attached to graphite rods running the length of her leg on both sides. In the crate (specially fitted with a piece of sled plastic on the door so her hardware wouldn't catch), out of the crate, outside, inside, in the laundry room, in the crate, outside and over and over and over again, day after day for 12 weeks! How exhausting and it doesn't end there. She got the rods taken out a few days ago. Another four weeks of slowly increasing activity and she will be as good as new. Sure, I'll take an "oohh you poor girl", thanks!

Then there are the pups due to be born about the time this article posts. Icoa, one of my Inuit Dogs, is due to have pups within a week. She is enjoying time in the air conditioning along with Tuloon and the rest of the hairy house dog bunch.

Due to the rarity of the breed there will be a couple of genetic trades involved to move the genes around. Otok, now 16 weeks is one of those trades. He is a well adjusted, easy going boy with a huge set of lungs. A loud mouthed Inuit Dog? Really? He is quickly finding his place within the rest of the pack and terrorizing the other puppies at puppy class, as a good Inuit Dog will.

This ends my summer diary. Looking forward to cooler weather and reporting on the beginning of Fall Training and the new pups!

A good majority of mushers seem to own and prefer a motorized 4-wheeler to train their dogs in the fall time until a good base of snow fall has settled in. I am speaking of sled dog trainers in climates that favor snow fall in that statement and realize that there are those that go all year with only a training cart or racing cart to rely on to have fun with their four legged friends.

In past years I have used a motorized 4 wheeler also but not because that was my preferred method but because that is what I had. There are reasons to stick to an ATV with speed control being a major one. It is nice to be able to pace the dogs at a desired speed attempting to "program" that pace into the dogs mind with hopes that the team will continue on at or above that speed when transitioning to the sled. Also there is the hill factor, when using an ATV you can help the team up hills again with hopes that they will maintain speed when hitting the hills once you get to the sled. However, this demands excellent muscle development which can be at times difficult to obtain with an ATV when training smaller teams of 6 to 8 dogs. These smaller teams can't pull the weight of a four wheeler easily enough to still make it fun for them therefore making it difficult to build muscle mass in the early training timeframe.

You have to be very wise and have obtained skills by experience over time to train a small team properly with an ATV during the early season. You must build muscle with slow training speeds allowing the team to pull on level or even downhill terrain. The theory here is to build muscle early with slow speeds, yet helping them maintain decent speeds uphill when the weight is too much to pull for them. Then as the season progresses you let the speed come naturally, when transitioning to the sled you loading it with weights at first and then slowly decrease the load to the desired sled weight and increase speed.

I think that many mushers use this theory to train their team regardless of format i.e. sprint, mid-distance or marathon. But, the size of the team makes a big difference in how that is all accomplished.

Last year I tried something completely new and had some pluses and negatives to it. I focused strictly on an 8 dog team running short mid-distance races and wanted to work on programming the dogs for speed. The idea was to train with an ATV running at the desired pace of 15-17 mph as quickly as possible, taking many breaks at first, and then eliminating breaks to build endurance. This all went fine and dandy until it came time for a sled, then when we hit steep hills the teams speed suffered severely due to, I feel, the lack of a good muscle foundation and training for discipline when the going gets tough.

This year my plan is to mix the last years speed training with a much more disciplined muscle building cart training regime during the early season. Learning as I go, intending to keep to the cart vs. a motor as long as my speeds are increasing and the work ethic up hills continues well. Adding easier ATV runs as attitude requires; meaning that I feel that it will become necessary to give the dogs a "break" from the hard work mode and give them a chance to stretch out and run without working so hard at pulling.

I believe that cart training can have great benefits over ATV training especially with smaller teams that will struggle to pull an ATV. The plan is to have a cart small enough for a team of 8-10 dogs so that it feels as close to a sled as possible. Tires are very important here to absorb shock and allow for easy maneuvering through sand, gravel and other varied terrain. Another plus is the lack of motor noise. The dogs, especially young dogs, seem to begin training with a fear of that running motor sound behind them and then get used to the sound. Later they begin adjusting speed and pulling to the sound of the motor. As the engine revs they learn to go quicker and as it idles down they tend to slack off more.

On hills they will have to pull the cart, so with the proper cart you can easily jump off and run up the hill, which also serves to help get you into shape for the season, which can tend to suffer if training with an ATV. You could also stay on the cart and pedal (kicking with one leg) up the hills if you desire to get them to work a bit harder at times.

What is going to be a challenge is making sure you have a safe run with the ability to secure the cart as you would a sled when you need to stop and deal with tangles, training stops, breaks, etc.. To accomplish this make sure you are on a trail that you can snub line to some trees, a post or set a hook into the earth. Make sure that you have the training runs under control!

Most carts offer a way to secure an injured dog if/when the need arises, so plan for that scenario also. A goal when training with a cart is to make sure that you don't over-run the team as you don't have that motor to help ease them back to the truck or dog yard. It could be easy to go too far, push the dogs too hard to early, and actually start to detriment your team's psychological enthusiasm. Keep the runs short and strong.

The fact is that I don't own a cart, so for all of this great planning comes the research into what carts are out there, what prices, what sizes etc. With this I started researching carts that are available today.

Here is what I found during research, I may have not found them all but this is a pretty extensive listing. Please feel free to let me know of any others that you may know of that I have left out and I would be glad to include them in another article to share with others.

Until next time, keep those flies and ticks off the dogs and enjoy your summer!

Sand Lynx Dog Carts
4 wheel, 3 models priced $789 to $889

Fritz Dyck
Imported from Germany , available at http://www.mushinginnovations.com
one 3-wheeled and two 4-wheeled models ranging from $1109 to $2100.

Monkey Rig (UK)
A very light weight 3-wheel racing rig (19 lbs).
Prices run from 485 Pounds (frame only) to 895 Pounds (complete).

HuskyTrike (Germany)
One 3-wheeled model, 1250 Euros

Sierra Kennels
Several 4-wheeled models ranging from $600 to $1295

Artic Rigs
4 models from $295 to $829. Top-end model is ISDRA approved. Two and Three Wheeled.

Risdon Rigs
3-Wheeled carts in 3 weights ranging from $557 to $1700.

Black Ice
One 3-wheeled model, $630. They also sell a scooter.

Sacco (Norway)
One 4-wheeled cart, $1350. For teams of 1-2 dogs. Available ing the USA from Resha Sled Dog Equipment.

Kenworth
Several 6 or 10-wheeled models.

From an article on EverythingHusky.com:

2000 Yukon Quest
World's Strongest Dog Team

On October 21, 2000, the organizers of the Yukon Quest, "The Toughest Sled Dog Race in the World", broke the world's record for the heaviest load ever pulled by a dog team. In 1998 they established a world's record for the largest dog team ever to pull a load (210 dogs), then broke their own record in 1999 with 230 dogs.

The organizers actually promoted the event as the world's largest sled dog team, but I've used the term "world's strongest sled dog team" because I think they now have two legitimate world records - the largest team last year, and the strongest team this year.

This year, a total of 210 huskies from local mushers were harnessed, and they successfully pulled a Kenworth with a flatbed trailer and huge mine drill (total weight 145,002 pounds) 6 blocks (2/3 mile) up Front Street in Whitehorse. They were hooked up in tandem hitch to an 800-foot-long steel cable attached to the front of the truck.

Remember, this newsletter was created for you. We encourage your input on any sporting dog related topic. If you have tips, questions, or suggestions, please send them to us.

Training Tips: training@redpawfeed.com

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Midwest Skijorers

A non profit organization that strives to promote dog sports and work to gain community trail access for other dog sport enthusiasts.

Midwest Skijorers Club is committed to advancing the sport of skijoring in the Twin Cities and upper Midwest.

We endeavor to develop and promote events and activities related to Skijoring.

We seek to educate the public about the nature and benefits of skijoring for dogs and dog owners.

We work with communities to expand trail access and improve trail safety.

We assist beginning Skijorers with seminars and novice events so they may more fully enjoy this unique sport.

http://www.skijor.org

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A Siberian Husky Rescue Serving
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P.R.I.D.E. stands for Providing Responsible Information on a Dog's Environment. The relationship between sled dogs and humans is one of the oldest bonds of its kind. Modern sled dog owners are proud of their dogs as canine athletes that are bred and trained to do what they love: run as part of a team. Mush with P.R.I.D.E. supports the responsible care and humane treatment of all dogs and is dedicated to enhancing the care and treatment of sled dogs in their traditional and modern uses.