It's been a strange start to winter this year. Some places (like Iowa) had a lot of snow very early while other places accustomed to early snow did not get it. We also started out colder than usual and now are much warmer than the norm. Hopefully winter will return soon. If its not going to be warm enough for shorts I'd just as soon have snow, since all the brown grass and leafless trees are no fun to look at anyway.

Race season for mushers is in full swing in areas where there is snow. Congratulations to contributor Ken Anderson for his win at the Sheep Mountain 150 up in Alaska. He went in just hoping to get some experience on a young team of dogs and ended up in first place! I guess those guys (and gals) must have wanted the experience of victory too! Ken and his wife, Gwen, are currently competing in Europe's La Grande Odyssee, a 1000 Km stage race set in France and Italy. I as write this the results from the first stage put Ken in 3rd place and Gwen in 8th. There are 9 more stages to go so anything can happen.

The winter Olympics are set to start very soon, so the world's attention will soon be focused on those human athletes that we largely do not hear about but once every four years. The mushing community is working to try to get their sport included at some point in the future. Who knows, it could happen. I just hope the dogs don't make too many of the human athletes feel inadequate! :-) In all seriousness, however, the Olympics are a great event. Just don't forget to keep following your favorite sled dog races too. They need all the fans they can get.

Linda Fredericksen was unable to get a article ready for this issue, but we hope to see her back for the next one! Thanks to Amy Cooper for stepping up and providing us with a great article on her recent travels. For those who don't know Amy, she's a fantastic competitor in several dog sports for smaller teams. If you've been to sprint races in the upper midwest you may have seen her burning down the tracks in the 4 and 6 dog classes.

Randy

Late December, 2005

Well, the race season is finally here, ready or not. With marginal snowfall, several of the Fairbanks area races have been cancelled or postponed. However, there have been a few races pulled off so far. Our first race of the year was the Sheep Mountain 150, which went well. Stay tuned for a write-up on the race in the next Sled Dog Sports magazine.

Our next adventure is going to be the Grande Odyssee over in France. Gwen and I always wanted to runthe Alpirod and we are really excited that there's a new race over there taking its place. It's been a whirlwind of planning and coordinating to pull this race off. We are travelling with Jacques and Magali Philip and together have completely run Fairbanks out of Sky Kennels (56 total). The list of hoops to jump through has been endless, as well as the things to buy; from tire chains for the vans we'll be using, to snow shovels in case of an avalanche (mandatory sled gear), to book tapes on how to speak French.

Assuming we make it back in one piece we'll most likely head back to Wyoming for the stage stop. Turnaround time from when we land in Fairbanks to the vet check in Wyoming is five days. I'm not whining.....okay, yes I am. It's the night before I fly out and I'm a bit frazzled. I'm sure I'm not the only musher feeling the pressure of the oncoming race season. Here's to more snow and good luck in whatever races you may be pursuing.

Ken Anderson

I remember the beautiful fall day when I decided that I just had to get Oscar to a dryland race. Oscar has been my main leader since his first year in harness, but I had never tried him bikejoring without a co-leader. But this particular day, I decided to do some bikejoring instead of training with the ATV. The grassy trails were extremely wet with dew, so I decided it would be safer to run one dog at a time since the brakes on my bike weren't particularly effective when wet.

It takes a very special dog to not only single lead, but to have the natural drive to give it his all the entire run without a dog beside him. You also want a dog that is totally focused and one that will never, ever stop for any reason. This is especially important with sprint dogs because you're traveling pretty darn fast and you risk being launched over the handle bars if your dog decides to chase a squirrel or mark a tree.

Well, Oscar's performance blew me away. He not only had all the qualities mentioned above, but he's also gee-haw trained, and will even whoa on command, so I felt like I was driving a fine-tuned jet. We were flying! I can't even describe the feeling, but I remember I was smiling the entire ride. I've always enjoyed mountain biking, and just love the bike race portion of triathlons, but this was enjoyment at a whole new level. It's similar to the "high" I get when running a team on a beautifully groomed race trail, but different. It was just the two of us, totally "in the zone", working as a team.

I knew after that first solo run that I had to get him to a race. This was way too fun to just do at home. For me, the ultimate high is racing, and I honestly believe Oscar loves to race too.

So I started looking at my options. Since there aren't any Dryland races in the Midwest, I looked into several races scheduled that fall out east. Then I saw the announcement for the IFSS Dryland World Championships in Belgium December 3-4. How cool would that be?! When I found out that MUSHING USA didn't require you to pre-qualify (there aren't enough Dryland races in the US and they're trying to promote interest in the sport), I knew I had to find a way to go.

With some help from Redpaw and a new racing bike (thanks to my local bike shop, Smith's Cycling and Fitness), I started making plans. It's amazing the amount of paperwork involved in flying one dog overseas. Fortunately, Belgium doesn't require a quarantine, so that wasn't a concern. In the meantime, I had to focus on getting myself and Oscar in shape for the big race. I knew we were at a disadvantage because the Europeans had been racing for the last 2 months, so we had a lot of catching up to do. My training program involved running 3 times/week, spinning (indoor cycling) twice/week and mountain biking or bikejoring once/week. Oscar continued ATV training with the rest of my team 3 times/week and bikejoring once/week, weather permitting (it was a very warm fall).

The first leg of the journey couldn't have gone smoother. I met up with the other 4 team members from Maine (Sara Vanderwood, Jeff and Heather Brannen, and Luke, Heather's son) at O'Hare and we all flew over together to Brussels. Once in Brussels, we collected our massive amounts of luggage (4 dogs, 4 bikes and 8 duffels) and headed out to get our rental vehicles. No one ever asked to see any of the numerous forms supposedly required to fly a dog into Belgium. This seemed too easy. We rented a small car and a van which worked out perfectly for all of our gear, and then we followed 2 race officials to the race site. We were told that the race had almost been canceled due to snow. They received 6" the weekend before, which is very rare. But most of it was gone except for trace amounts on the hilltops. All that remained was mud.

At the race site, we checked in, put or bikes back together, and then went to ride the course. They of course wouldn't let you take your dogs, and you had to ride the course backwards. It was a beautiful trail, 4.2 miles long, and 2 very big climbs. The first was about a half mile into the course, and very steep. The second wasn't as steep, but was long, and right at the end of the race. There were only a few sharp corners, but nothing too crazy, and overall, not a very technically challenging trail. Perfect for my first bikejor race! That night they had the opening ceremonies, which was very cool. I believe they said there were 11 countries represented and 350 teams running. Everyone was dressed in their countries team uniforms and many had flags. Norway especially had a huge contingent with an amazing amount of team spirit and national pride. Looking at the list of competitors was a bit intimidating. The BEST were all present. I had no idea how we'd stack up compared to these other teams. The Europeans take this sport VERY seriously. I was told that many of the countries have team coaches, training camps, and they train all year. The US is going to have to get organized if we ever want to compete at their level.

We were served a traditional meal of meatballs and french fries, which wasn't exactly the best pre-race meal. After dinner, we headed to our hotel which was about 7 miles from the race site, in the beautiful little town of Maasvallea.

Luke was the first one out on Saturday in the canicross class with his borrowed dog, Vodka. Jeff was next in the bikejor class with his dog Billy Bob, then Sara and Ebba, myself and Oscar, and Heather with Texas, a dog she borrowed from Sara. I had a pretty good run, but Oscar did seem a little "jet-lagged". The other 3 had some un-planned stops which hurt their times. At this race, they broke the bikejoring down into Men's and Women's, and then had 2 age categories. I ended up second in my class behind a woman from France. Jeff, Sara and Heather finished 6th, 9th and 5th respectively in their classes.

In addition to the bikejoring and canicross (which is like skijoring, but the person is running instead of skiing), they also had 1 and 2-dog scooter classes, 4, 6 and 8-dog rig classes and Junior canicross and bikejoring.

That night, they had a wonderful meal for everyone (which included vegetables!), presented several skits and had a DJ.

During the night, it poured down rain, and the race site the next morning was under water. Teams that came in were unrecognizable due to the mud. But the temps were in the low 40's again, perfect for dog racing. Oscar was 100% on Sunday and we had an awesome run, although our time was a little slower due to the mud. But what a blast! There's nothing like being out on a beautiful trail with your best canine buddy working your butts off together. I didn't want the race to end. We held our place and ended up winning the Silver Medal in our class.

The awards ceremony was Sunday evening and most of us receiving medals brought our dogs up on the podium with us. I figured Oscar deserved as much recognition as I did. The winners' national anthems were played, and special awards were given out to the fastest runs of the weekend. It was a wonderful close to a spectacular weekend.

After leaving the race site, we drove to Brussels to check into our new hotel, and spent all day Monday being tourists in the beautiful city of Brussels.

Now the exciting part: We get to the airport on Tuesday morning and they said we couldn't fly to Chicago because it was too cold for the dogs (they have a 20F cut-off and it was 15F in Chicago). They said they could re-route the other 4 to fly to JFK and then on to Boston, but I was screwed. My options were to stay in Brussels at my own expense until it got warm enough in Chicago, or go back with the other 4 and stay with one of them in Maine until Chicago warmed up. I decided it would be best to just get back to the States and decide what to do from there. Well, in the rush to get us booked on that JFK flight, the ticket agents booked us on a flight that didn't give us enough time to make the Boston flight. It was a mess. While we're trying to figure this all out, the ticket agents found out that I really needed to get to Chicago, so they literally worked for 3 hours trying to get special permission for me to fly Oscar into Chicago. And they succeeded! I finally arrived in Chicago at about 7pm and was in my own bed by 3am. I received my duffle a week later with all the chocolate and beer I bought in Brussels missing.

Except for the final leg of the journey, it was a fantastic trip, one I hope to do again. I already have ideas on how I'd change my training and which dogs I think I'll start to prepare for next year. And with any luck, we'll get some dryland racing going here in the Midwest.

I'd like to thank Redpaw for their support and for making such a phenomenal dog food.

If anyone has any questions or interest in dryland activities, I'd love to hear from you. You can contact me at cooper.amy@uwlax.edu.

Your Dogs' Home Away from Home

Over the years, we have all seen just about every type of dog truck or dog hauler at trail heads, races, and driving through town. It might seem odd to include this article this time of the year. We thought it was time to share our experiences over the years to help you come up with a good design you can build on. Ask yourself, "What do I want in terms of comfort, affordability, safety, and drive-ability?"

Now is when you have the opportunity to observe what other mushers are using to transport their dogs, what works for them, what doesn't work, and combine it into one amazing dog transport vehicle. If you are one of those mushers that is just getting by with what you have or have outgrown your current dog rig: this is the article for you. Jump ahead to the spring; a time when you can build the ultimate dog hauler of your dreams. Your dog truck is a reflection of you and your sport. Driving to a race in something that may or may not get you home, has so much rust that it is an embarrassment, doesn't leave a good impression at a race, or is a frustration to the musher and handlers.

There are several questions you should ask regarding your needs:

1. How many dogs are you aspiring to have? Is there growth in the future for your team?

2. What type of sledding will you be doing- sprint, mid-distance, long distance, or recreational?

3. Is a second tier too high for you to unload easily?

4. Are you comfortable backing up a trailer or long flatbed loaded with dogs?

5. Personalities of the dogs?

6. Will you be traveling long distances?

7. How many support handlers or other racers will be traveling with you?

8. Traveling temperatures?

9. Options that are important to you and your dogs?

10. Who will be primarily driving this vehicle and what are their driving skills?

11. What vehicles do you currently own?

We have made a list of considerations when building or buying dog boxes or a rig to transport your team. You need something dependable that works whether that means taking dogs to a race, on a training run, or even to your veterinarian for shots.

A. The size of the boxes
Will you be doubling up dogs or do you like the dogs to be traveling one to a box? Do your dogs like to travel together and would they enjoy being able to play with a kennel-mate being doubled up? What type of traveling will you be doing (short trips versus months at a time)?

In cold weather, it is nice for the warmth and the body heat can aid the healing of sore muscles. In warm weather, you must travel at night or when it is cooler so the dogs don't get overheated. In hot weather, dogs could overheat easier when traveling two in one dog box. On a longer trip, if one of the dogs gets on another's nerves, you may not have space to separate them. Also, each dog should have proper ventilation (see next point) and be able to move around (stand or at least crouch, stretch, lie down and move around.

Boxes that are too large may encourage the dogs to relieve themselves inside the box. On rough roads, they may not be able to brace themselves as easily. A good starting place for box size for individual dogs would be 19 inches wide, 22 inches tall and 32 inches deep and go from there based, on your needs.

B. Ventilation
Your dogs need ventilation and plenty of fresh air and a good oxygen supply. Be careful where your exhaust comes out so your dogs aren't breathing carbon monoxide fumes on their trip to the races (can be deadly). In warm weather, ventilation is very important. Some mushers use steel screen in between each dog box so the dogs get better ventilation and can't chew them. Outside vents are essential for your dogs, again, with steel screen. If you have chewers, the doors shouldn't be decorative wood cut-outs without steel mesh. Likewise, openings in the doors that allow the dogs heads to protrude could invite eye injuries going down the highway at 65 miles per hour or even a dog getting out. Inevitably your dogs, who never chewed before, will learn a new trick, too. Use chew-resistant materials (even the doors) so they don't get chewed up. Also be careful about placement of screens so toenails can't get caught or broken (for the dog that likes to scratch). The expanded mesh that is often used is bad for breaking nails and toes if the mesh is aligned up and down, creating a place at the bottom where the nail gets pinched. Instead, mount it so the long part of the opening is horizontal.

C. Step boards.
You can lock up the entire row of dogs and padlock them at night so they are safe by using step boards (or flapper boards). Keeping your dogs safe at night is very important especially if you are in heavily populated areas. Step boards are helpful for loading dogs in upper boxes--giving them a place to land with their front feet--both going in and out of their box. One disadvantage of individual brass snaps for each dog box is that in cold weather, they can freeze. You may have to take your mittens off and warm each one if there is freezing rain or wet snow at the race. Worse yet, first thing in the morning when the dogs need a quick escape, it could become a problem to get them out.

D. Compartments inside the dog box
Making compartments for harnesses, food, buckets, a sled inside, and all the gear you need for a race is an excellent idea. Making sure you have a light source inside the tunnel is very important. Depending on what size you make your dog boxes, you may have limited storage or you could have quite a bit. Some people use tunnels in between the boxes to store an extra sled and equipment, others have small pantry-type doors on the back to hang harnesses and extra gear. Always make sure all dog boxes, kennels, or airline kennels are secured in case of sudden stops. If you want to use the space under a dog box that is mounted on a regular sized pickup, it may be helpful to make a shallow wood box that fits between the wheel wells and slides back and forth to access items that are stored toward the front. You could also use some larger totes with ropes attached to pull them out of that space.

E. Trucks versus trailers versus stock trailers
They all have their advantages and drawbacks. Small pickups, full-size pickups, trucks with flatbeds or flatbed trailers, stock or enclosed cargo trailers, and vans. Nothing beats a dog truck if you are in situations where you are always trying to back up. Good mirrors will help you where you can't actually see. You can get in tighter spaces but then you may need a support vehicle if you plan to carry a lot of equipment or enough for two or more mushers. If you can get all the dogs, support crew, and equipment in one vehicle, why waste the gas with an additional support vehicle? However, with a truck you will no doubt need a double decker and may have to extend to a 10 foot flatbed to make it big enough for 24 dogs. Getting all your gear in one still takes an expert packer. Trucks with trailers have the advantage of not being so high off the ground to drop dogs. It is easier on your back to unload and leaves your pickup or towing vehicle free for other equipment. It does take practice backing a trailer but once mastered, it isn't a problem. There are many variations of these two methods. Many mushers use RV's for musher comfort and large stock trailers to house the dogs. These stock trailers have compartments in them for dogs and equipment and it is nice to be out of the elements while preparing food for the dogs. You must make sure the dogs are secure when you are moving the trailer. Secured shipping crates have been used in the back of stock trailers to carry dogs. We have even seen vans converted for smaller teams using shipping crates or wood compartments to carry the dogs.

F. Outriggers and picket lines
When using a dog truck or trailer you will want to drop the dogs around the truck or trailer. Outriggers seem to work very well with cable picket lines from one end to the other and swivel snaps. A locking carabiner on each end will work nicely to hold everything securely. The distance between the dogs has a lot to do with the temperament of the dogs and the length you have to drop the dogs around the truck or trailer. Each dog must be able to eat without the dog next to him infringing on his food. The drop chains should NOT drag on the ground nor be too high. If they are too high, the dog can't move around them freely because it is too tight. The dogs should be far enough away from the wiring, trim, and tires of your vehicle so they can't chew. We had one group of puppies that took all the trim off the side of our truck and then tried to go for the wiring! Don't leave your truck running if the dogs are on drop chains near the exhaust and be careful about any antifreeze leaking near the dogs.

G. Materials to use.
Many dog boxes are made of plywood and seamless rubber roofing material. The only drawback we have seen with rubber roofing is that it tends to get slick in snow or ice. Remember black will hold the heat in and a lighter color will help reflect the sun. If you live in a warmer area, that will be important for your dogs' comfort when traveling. Drywall screws and a 2" x 2" framework are recommended to hold the plywood together. Paint must be non-toxic. Filling the dog boxes with clean straw or grass hay will help your dogs ride more comfortably and stay warm if you experience subzero temperatures. Avoid wet, dusty, or moldy bedding at all costs. Boxes made with metal tend to form more condensation in the cold weather but are chew-resistant and durable. If your boxes will be painted, you may have the best luck using the more expensive signboard which has a very smooth surface and the paint bonds to it very nicely. Exterior surfaces top and bottom will be 3/4", sides could be 3/4" or 1/2", and interior walls usually are 1/2". Boxes made with the OSB or chip/wafer board do not generally hold up very well. Standard plywood in better grades seems to last the best. We have seen a few boxes made with expanded mesh for interior partitions. These offer improved circulation and ventilation and for very social dogs, it must be fun to see all their buddies. We do wonder where a dog would hide when he or she is tired of its running mate.

We do think stainless hardware is probably worth the extra expense, especially for things like hinges, clasps, and latches. Beware of brass though. Most brass is just plated and rusts through in a year or so.

If you are thinking about building or buying a dog truck or dog hauler for next season, we recommend that you look at what your competitors are doing. Ask questions about what works for them and what doesn't work. What will work for your needs? Combine recommendations to get what really works for you.

We have seen mushers spend a small fortune on vehicles to haul dogs and still it isn't exactly what they would really like. Look around. The sky is the limit as far as options to put on a dog truck or ways to carry your dogs. Put them all together and start building one this spring when the pressure is off.

Adanac Sleds and Equipment
www.adanacsleds.com

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.

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Midwest Skijorers

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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.

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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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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.