For the last two years the Northern Wisconsin Dog Musher's Association has put on a great fall seminar in the scenic town of Bayfield Wisconsin. This year's event promises to be great as well, and I wanted to pass along the info so everyone has a chance to attend.

Apostle Islands Sled Dog Symposium

October 21^st-22^nd 2006 in Bayfield Wisconsin at the Bayfield Pavilion on the waterfront.

October 21^st symposium 10am – 5pm
October 22^nd training run/race 9am- 1pm

Topic: Dryland training and racing
To help support the two new dryland races in the Midwest this year (Wisconsin and Minnesota) the AISDS will focus on dryland training and racing information. We want to help provide information on dryland racing to help encourage wider participation at the upcoming racing events. The topic of dryland also applies to most Mushers as our season begins on carts and rigs.

Speakers:

Amy Cooper: Accomplished sprint and dryland musher. Member of ISDRA dryland rules committee. Topics Amy will cover include, What is dryland racing? Rules and races, and they excitement of competing in the dryland world championships held in Belgium last season.

Jim Benson: Accomplished skijourner and medal winner. Jim will provide excellent information on the equipment needed to race dryland. He will describe both traditional equipment and the newest technology.

Lloyd Gilbertson: Caribou Creek Sled Dog School, Caribou Creek Pet Foods, one of the top racing kennels in the Midwest. Lloyd will talk about interval training and maximizing the use of a 4 wheeler of rig before snow falls.

Nick Vukich: DVM, ISDVMA, Bayeast Animal Clinic, Greenbay WI. Nick will talk about the issues associated with Dryland training and racing. He will inform us of things to look out for and strategies to solve the problems.

Sunday dryland training run
This dryland event is being organized by Amy and Jim and will be an opportunity to experience what a dryland race is like in preparation for the upcoming dryland races.

September 1st, 2006

It’s that time of year again!! When Fairbanksans think of the end of summer a few things probably come to mind: the Tanana Valley State Fair, a sense of panic over all the projects you thought you’d get done that aren’t done yet, and rain. True to form, August has been a very damp month. The Matanuska Valley has seen all kinds of flooding. I just heard from the Iditarod race marshal that Yentna Station Roadhouse is flooded with several feet of water. The only good thing about rain is that it’s great for keeping working sled dogs cool.

All summer long I have been trying to keep the dogs running a little bit. As I mentioned in earlier articles, I’ve been giving cart rides all summer long. I run a ten-dog team around a 1/5 mile track that I stop twice on to try and stretch the experience out for my guests. I’ve been rotating as many dogs through as possible, including retired dogs and some yearlings. However, this last month I’ve only been bringing my racing dogs

With the rainy weather business has been slowing down. What I usually wind up doing is hooking the dogs up and doing my short loop for the last couple of hours before packing up to head home. We complete the loop in about two minutes. When I finish I give the dogs clear water and wait a few minutes before taking off again.

When I thought up this idea of dogs rides I was a bit apprehensive about the effect it would have on the dogs. With the goal obviously being to make as much money as possible, I was worried about burn-out on the busier days. What I’m finding is that the routine of it all gives the dogs them a sense of security that keeps them motivated. The ride is short enough, especially with me stopping twice, that they don’t ever get physically tired. I always introduce the guests to the dogs and let folks pet them after every run. Then I toss the dogs a treat.

On Military Appreciation Day we had 300 people take a dog ride and pet our puppies. We were joking that the puppies were going to go bald that day with all the kids handling them. We stayed within our routine, launching with a new group about every 10-11 minutes. I brought five extra dogs that I rotated throughout the day. I was very pleased to see that the dogs were barking to go even after the 50th time around the loop. I guess the lesson that I’m learning from this whole summer is the power of consistency as well as stopping the dogs before they get tired.

I’ve seen this before in the training season. One year the weather limited us to one specific trail. I thought the dogs would get bored of it but instead they just seemed to get faster and faster every day. I know Jeff King does all his long training runs on the same trail, the Denali Highway. I think that if the dogs know where they’re going it holds their focus better allowing them to put out a higher RPM for longer, thus getting themselves in better shape. In the past I’ve never consistently done long training runs over sixty miles. This year my goal is to establish a long-run loop of 80-100 miles where I start off taking 2-3 breaks along the way, eventually getting the dogs to where they can run it non-stop.  Good Luck to all in this year’s training season. As they say, the race starts now.

Having grown up in Alaska watching dog sled races and loving bird dogs, one can only assume an expression of Kyle Belleque’s love of working dogs would take place somewhere in his adult life.

Kyle Belleque was born in Bethel and grew up in Dillingham. Dillingham is a rural community of approximately 2,500 people located 360 miles, or a one hour plane ride, west of Anchorage. Kyle attended the University of Arizona after high school then it was back to Alaska to begin his teaching career. He met his wife, Johanna, shortly thereafter and soon began a family to now include three year old Alethia and one year old Jacob.

Little did he know that his new father-in law, Roger Skogen would be the one to nurture his childhood love. Roger had run a team of traditional working sled dogs for years and gave Kyle his first dog sled equipment along with valuable information that would make him successful in his quest for a traditional team of working sled dogs.

Kyle has learned that traditional working sled dogs are hard to find. Just because the dog is big doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a desirable worker. The dog must have a strong desire to pull, be highly trainable and be able to adapt to the stop and go lifestyle on the trail of a true working team or no real work will ever get done.

The Quest for Traditional Working Dogs.

By Kyle Belleque
kbelleque@hotmail.com

Author and daughter Alethia preparing for a ride in the falling
snow.

Roger Skogen, author's father-in-law, and dog team hauling in a load of wood.
Koliganek, Alaska 1985

McKenzie taking it easy in the woods.

McKenzie hiking up Snake Lake Mountain. 

Hagar and Arctic help haul out a subsistence moose.

Bernard pulls pulk filled with blueberries across the tundra.

Author's team takes a break after a family outing.

Hauling firewood - loaded up and ready to go.

“I bet you’d enjoy having a dog team,” my wife said, in our first year of marriage.“Yah, that might be fun,” I replied.

She doesn’t remember saying it, but I’ve never forgotten. The dogs began to arrive later that winter; cast-offs, throw- aways and retirees. I took what I could find. A musher friend told me it looked like the circus had been through town by the looks of my dog yard. As pathetic as that scraggly band was, I was hooked. It may as well have been heroine the way it grabbed me.

It became painfully clear that first winter that all dogs are not created equal. The problem was that I had not clearly defined my objectives before acquiring my new dog team, a shameful admission from a biologist and teacher. It was time to clarify what I was after. Purpose seemed a logical place to start. I penned my thoughts on the back of an old utility bill. My dogs would haul wood, go hunting and camping, carry a pack and drag a pulk, ski-jor a little, and take my family on numerous enjoyable outings. What dogs would be best suited for such tasks? Sixty to eighty pound rangy huskies with good coats would fit the bill. They must enjoy kids, run out front, and be trainable. Above all else they must love to pull! My father-in-law offered more criteria. His 20 years working with sled dogs in rural Alaska had taught him a thing or two. “Make sure they’re easy going,” he offered.

“Easy going? What do you mean?” I enquired.

 “When you hitch up, they should all be standing still or sitting quietly until you’re ready to go. And when you’re getting wood they should wait quietly in the trees while you cut your day’s load. Any time you stop they should stand, sit, or lie down quietly until you’re ready to go again,” my father-in-law replied.

None of the teams in the races I’d seen were standing still and waiting calmly. They were fired up and raring to go. “Easy going” couldn’t be that important. My new dogs were better pullers, but still they lurched and barked uncontrollably. They barked, wined and howled insistently in the woods. They chewed their lines. It was unsafe to bring my family with me for fear they would bolt at some point dragging my wife and daughter along with them. “It’s O.K. They’re just ready to go,” local racing mushers told me. Hyper dogs just won’t work, I finally decided. Before the winter’s snows had melted I grabbed a pen and found my list of criteria drafted a year earlier. “Easy going” was inserted very close to the top.

The lessons have continued to roll in these last five years. I’ve located breeding stock, raised litters and trained traditional working sled dogs that come closer and closer to meeting the criteria on my original list. It’s been difficult locating the type of dogs I’m looking to own. Information regarding traditional working huskies is mainly held in the memories and pictures of days long since past.  Traditional working sled dogs are a bit like the old vinyl records. A few people still keep them on the shelf, but who actually puts a needle to them and enjoys them for their intended purpose?

Rural Alaska is one of the world’s last receptacles of knowledge where traditional working sled dogs are concerned. Looking through old pictures and talking with the men and women in those pictures has taught me about true working dogs. They were much like their owners; calm, strong, and willing to perform any task survival dictated. They carried canvas packs, pulled men on skis, tracked down and brought moose to bay, helped pull boats up rivers and the list goes on. Their principal task was always to draw ten to twelve foot birch basket sleds laden with fire wood, traps, meat, entire families, and whatever else needed to be transported from one place to another.

I’ve not found a need for my dogs to pull boats up rivers and tracking down animals with dogs is illegal in Alaska. My young family and I have employed our dogs in many other traditional activities, however. Any healthy dog can carry a pack and ours love it. The dogs take to the packs quickly. We strap them on and they’re off. They run up and down hillsides and relish the freedom.  Water bottles, bulky sweat shirts, and other items are stuffed in the pack. Dogs can definitely lighten the load.  Our dogs also drag small pulks across the tundra while berry picking. Where my dogs can haul 20-25 pounds in a pack, they can easily drag 50 pounds of snacks, sweatshirts, and berries across the tundra with pulks. Ski-joring can also be a lot of fun. A few old timers ran their trap lines on skis being pulled by dogs. I don’t ski-jor often, feeling badly for all the dogs left behind. Mostly I hitch up six to eight dogs to one of my three sleds and set out across the tundra and taiga on one of our many winter adventures.

The most useful of these winter outings involves hauling wood. Heating fuel cost $4.00 per gallon last winter. Burning wood is a must. The dogs allow us to bring in fire wood at a minimal cost. I’ve built a sturdy toboggan with three inch runners for just this purpose. The sled itself weighs 150 pounds. Add four hundred pounds of wood and it’s time to pull! Hauling wood takes some getting used to for both musher and dogs. You begin to understand what these animals are capable of when you see them lean into harness and move such heavy loads. Often the pulling is not the biggest problem for working dogs, it’s the waiting. Waiting patiently in the woods while I’m walking around in snowshoes cutting and bucking trees is just too much for many dogs. We might only head out three or four miles before we get into a nice patch of deadwood. The dogs still have plenty of energy at that point. My easy-going dogs sit or lie down quietly until I’ve loaded the sled and am ready to go. My little wheel dog Bernard falls asleep after 5 minutes in the trees. It’s peaceful.

Western Alaska is a collection of larger communities (1500-5000 people) surrounded by smaller satellite villages. During winter months, snow machine trails extend in all directions from the larger communities. These trails offer excellent mushing in most conditions. My favorite type of mushing involves a 10 foot birch basket sled loaded with my family traveling down one of these many trails. My wife grew up with dogs and enjoys the peace of the trail. My son had 70 miles in the sled before his first birthday. My daughter accompanied me on 20 mile runs before she turned two. Early on we joked that our children would know gee and haw before left and right.  That’s exactly what happened! We head out a trail for a ways, stop for tea and pet the dogs, then go home. Nothing fancy or complicated, but vital to the survival of traditional working sled dogs. We must share our knowledge and let the next generation see them work. My children may never choose to own a dog team, but they’ll have the knowledge and memories the rest of their lives.

My small team of working dogs has also collected numerous red lanterns in local sprint races, helped me harvest moose and caribou, and accompanied me on winter camping trips. It seems strange that I’ve only been doing this for five years. It feels like forever. God willing, I’ll never stop using these old working dogs to perform their intended tasks. In many ways dog sled races and tours have given sled dogs a purpose in today’s world.
Unfortunately however, they have also begun dictating how these dogs will be bred, trained, and used. Simply locating breeding stock to perform the tasks I’ve described can be daunting.  Traditional sled dogs will never realize their full potential until we see them for what they should be, hard pulling easy-going working animals.

A Yupik elder once saw me on the trail hauling a load of wood home. He pulled off the trail and turned off his snow machine. I stopped the team as they pulled up next to him. Smiling he said, “Qemuq’ta assirtuq” (good dogs).  “Quyana,” (thank you) I replied and mushed on.

Stopping Power

There are some “absolutes” in mushing and one of them is making sure you have the ability to stop your dog team. Today we are going to talk about snow hooks, drag mats, and brake systems. As always, there are many types to choose from but we would like to give you a quick overview.

Snow hooks

A few facts about snow hooks. The proper way to set a snow hook is to use your brake to slow the team and just before they come to a stop, reach down with your snow hook and let the dogs pull it down in the snow until the team stops. When you set your snow hook this way, you have a better chance of it staying put until you get back to the sled. Practicing this technique is very helpful. The wrong way to use a snow hook is to stop your team and then stomp it into the snow. If you find yourself already stopped and needing to set your snow hook, always be sure that the dogs have the opportunity to move forward to pull the snow hook into the trail until you come to a complete stop.  In other words, you don’t set the snow hook so much as the dogs set it.

First, the standby “Alaskan claw” snow hook has worked extremely well for many years. Made of steel, they don’t easily bend, are heavy, and stay in place on a packed trail. They come in leader style, standard style, heavy duty and the latter two styles can also be obtained “with fins.” The leader hook is just what is says, a snow hook to hold the leaders on hookup or while stopped along the trail. These smaller hooks are never used to hold the team back and you have to be very careful that when you use them to hold the front of the line out remember to remove it before the team moves forward or they will be dragging a very dangerous, sharp hook and it will surely mean your dogs will get hurt. The standard style works for smaller teams and the heavy duty is better for 12 or more dogs. Snow hooks with fins work well in softer conditions by offering increased surface area for resistance. They are less effective on hard packed trails because they tend to drive in part way then tend to break out a chunk of the trail ahead of the claws. A hook without fins will just drive down deep and hold in firm conditions.

Some of the new lightweight snow hooks are made of high strength alloy steel. They are very nice and some come with rollover bars and others don’t. The theory behind the rollover bar is that if you loose the team, the hook will not slide along on top of the snow upside down or on its side but will roll over until the point grabs and it sets itself. Snow hooks range from $45 up to $110 depending on what they are made of and how much they weigh. The bottom line is--if you are running more than four dogs, you absolutely must have one or two snow hooks. We prefer to have two hooks on the sled at all times and mix either one with fins, one without, or one with rollover bar and one with fins, etc. You certainly can mix and match them so you have something that will work for the various snow conditions. They are all very sharp and dangerous so caution should be used at all times.   Keeping them in a holster of some type really helps prevent the snow hook from damaging your sled bag or your clothing. While we are on the subject of sharp hooks, remember to use extreme caution when you are headed back to the sled. The dogs figure out quickly that you are getting ready to go when you get there, this is the most dangerous time as they start slamming forward to start close. Walk down the gangline on the side away from the hook in case try to pop it loose and it comes flying through the air or dragging on the ground where it could snag you as you lunge to catch the sled.

Drag mats

The purpose of a drag mat (track brake, beaver board, drag brake, snowmobile track) is to allow the musher to feather his/her weight to slow down the team or create some resistance. They are made from a variety of materials, including a piece of snowmobile track (although it is getting harder and harder to find snowmobile track without deep paddles on them), conveyor or other types of belting material, and even mud flap material. They are usually attached to the aluminum angles or wood stanchions—any place that provides a strong point of attachment. It is often useful to have the leading edge of the mat raised slightly either riding on the back of the toboggan bed or raised up under the sled basket so you don’t hook a root or stump and tear your sled apart or stop your team abruptly putting you over the handlebar.

The advantage of a drag mat over using your double claw brake for the same purpose is it doesn’t chew up the trail, you can control the amount of pressure better, and you are a little more stable when you are standing on the drag mat because your body isn’t balancing on one foot. Another advantage of a drag mat is that they help fill-in punch holes if the trail is soft. They are usually placed so they lay between the brake claws of the double claw brake system. This locates them right where your feet are (on the footpads) so it is easy to get your heel or toe on the drag mat and feather your weight in a stable position. When you don’t have your weight on it, it provides virtually no resistance. Some braking systems allow them to drag behind the brake claw or claws. In either case, they are usually arranged so you can lift them up out of the way, snapping them in place with a spare neckline when you are storing the sled or when you don’t want them down. They easily drop down into place by opening the snap.

Pop-up brakes are spring loaded. They break over center and stay down until you raise them with your toe or hand. At that time, the bungee pulls it over center and it returns to a raised position out of the way. The advantage of the pop-up feature is that you can more easily drop it into position and store it.  Also, as trail conditions change you can lower or raise it quickly. You can eliminate the drag easily by popping it up. It can be flipped up out of the way when you want to pump, too.

The disadvantages include for most arrangements, the mat is located behind the brake claws as opposed to between the brake claws which makes it a little less accessible for your foot or feet.  Sometimes in the stored position, it interferes with access to your other braking system and if it has hardened points, watch your shins or knees because they could hit them and bruise them or rip your wind pants. The mat might not be in the down position when you need it or might be in the down position getting in the way when you don’t need it. You may find yourself taking your eyes off the trail to raise or lower it with your toe or hand.  It takes your concentration off the team.  

The addition of hardened points to your drag mat allows for greater stopping power on hard packed or icy trails. If you only need a mat to provide a little extra resistance as you head down a hill or keep tension on the tuglines, the points may not be necessary. They can be made of grade 8 bolts or carbide snowmobile track studs. They are very durable.

Brake systems

Double claw brake systems consisting of an aluminum bar with claws that clamp to them have virtually replaced the old hinged wooden board with the angle claw at the end. The old brakes had marginal stopping ability at best and were more inclined to throw the sled out of balance and tip a musher over. The improved stopping ability with the double claw brakes has provided a greater measure of control of the team and confidence for the musher.

The double claw bar brakes are often constructed with wear bushings that require periodic replacement. They are typically made of nylon or plastic and if they are not replaced, the steel bolts that hold them to the aluminum will wear out the aluminum and force you into an expensive replacement of the aluminum brackets and aluminum bar. Most systems have replaceable points on the claws and as they wear, the stopping ability will be compromised. Check the wear and replace them before they are worn down and useless.

Being able to control your team will bring you confidence and safety for you and the dogs. So be sure to choose your tools carefully then practice using them every chance you get.

If you have any questions on any of these items, please ask.

You've Gotta Have Heart

There was something about him that stood out from the time he was born. Experienced breeders know what it is, but they can't always explain it to those uninitiated in the ways of Nature. Suffice it to say, there was a quality about him that could, if the gods smiled and all went well, make him a star.

It wouldn't be easy. From a bumbling puppy, struggling to stand on his own, he would make it through all the trials facing a young dog in this world. He would untangle his legs, raise his head high and howl at the moon. He would sing to the gods and laugh at the clouds and race the wind. He would be what he was -- mind, body and soul. He would be a dog - nothing more, nothing less: A dog chasing the mist of destiny.

All of us see, at one time or another, a dog that catches our attention; a dog that stands out in a crowd. Call it a mysterious link - call it a deep, inner "knowing" - or call it love at first sight - we know when we feel it.

I've often wondered if everybody feels the same way in the presence of dogs that electrify us this way. I don't have an answer to that, because we could all be watching the same show and each of us could be falling in love with a different entry. I could be saying "Can you believe that! Look how he moves!" and, right next to me, somebody could be bored to death! (Not really. Let's hope my idea of a good dog isn't that off the mark). I think you get the point.

Much of this, of course, has to do with our own idea of what makes a good dog. It also has a lot to do with the chemistry crackling between a handler and his dog. But, no matter how the pieces of the puzzle fit together, we all feel it.

There are some animals ... graced by something almost other-worldly ... that just take your breath away. Those are the ones that almost everybody agrees on. You might be able to pick them apart and say this is "wrong" and that could be better, but, something makes it all work - even if it shouldn't. Those are the ones that last forever in our hearts.

Stories? I could tell you stories about dogs that would unravel for miles. If we were starting in New York and driving all the way to California, you wouldn't need a radio to keep you company because I'd be talking about famous, talented dogs you know - and a zillion others you'll never meet. By the time we reached Los Angeles, you'd swear you knew their colors, their sires & dams and the mischief in their eyes.

What transports a bumbling puppy into a star? It takes more than you might imagine and more than many of us have. Is it impossible? Beyond our reach? No, it isn't; but, transforming the right dog into a star is as possible as your willingness to do whatever it takes.

Many of us would say pedigree weeds out the losers. Still others would say it's all in the training. And most of us believe enough in our favorite feeds to endorse them from the top of the highest mountain! But, training and nutrition can vary and, much as I respect a good and honorable pedigree, some of us have learned the hard way that pedigrees are only as good as the people who write them. Pedigree, alone, doesn't make a legend. As I often say, if you think of people and their dogs as athletes or actors, then look to the masters of public entertainment for answers. Look to Hollywood directors, high-powered agents and Broadway producers. As they well know, great stars can hail from both sides of the tracks. But, we're talking about dogs, you say. Yes, we are. But, we're also talking about the people who love them.

From the time a puppy is born, it is the creative power and desire of its owner that determine the feeding, training, grooming and outcome of its life. If you believe in your dog, you'll take it to the top or die trying. Along the way, you'll learn all kinds of things. You'll study and figure them out because you have to. Before you know it, you can advertise effectively, you can network with the best of them and you know every trick in the trade. Some you'll use; some you won't. But, at least you'll know about them.

We've mentioned pedigree, training, feeding and basic care, but we skipped over the most important thing of all. We didn't mention Heart. Am I talking about the size of a dog's actual heart? Am I speaking about its weight and circumference, you ask? Not really. Yes, I've heard stories about dogs with bigger-than-average hearts and some people say that's the secret of a champion. But, much as I, too, am fascinated by stories of the great Secretariat's unusually large heart, I do not believe an oversized heart makes a champion. I don't believe it because each of the elements we've mentioned is like an ingredient going into a recipe. A little more of this, or a little less of that, will change the outcome of a dog's whole life.

As we bring our dogs into the world with each generation; as they struggle to nurse and we hold our breath in the presence of the most beautiful things we've ever seen, know this: Only the greatness of your love can bring out the best in a dog, and only you can change a heart.

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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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.