Dec 6st:
Dug out the dogs this morning. For some reason, this weather has then
all estatic. While I was strawing houses, it was a battle for me to keep dogs out while I put straw in! While cleaning the
cobwebs out in the corners, I found Baka's bone collection and he was deeply offended that his privacy was removed, so he
sulked in his house all afternoon. HAHA. Anyhow, drifts are well above my knees, so I have no trails for the moment.
Dec 1st:
We finally got a decent snowfall yesterday to cover the icy roads.
Traffic is horrible but it makes perfect trails. Hero loves the snow. He is an entirely new dog. I suspect the large team
and the rattling quad stressed him out, because he is way more relaxed now. Hopefully it will stay! I have posted new pictures
of some of the dogs, as well as a new album. Everyone is smelling Dream, so I suspect she is coming into heat again...can't
she wait like two months?!?! I badly need to change my runners, they have lasted four seasons, and I'm pretty sure I can see
the wood through them. I smacked my sled hard yesterday on a cement barrier by the rail road tracks, but nothing broken thank
god. Sometimes enthusiastic dogs aren't such a great idea..Also had the four dog teams out and clocked them at 30mins for
5 miles. We are about 6 mins off our racing times, but improving. I also attribute it to poor trail conditions.
Nov 20th:
Hello everyone!! Still no snow and its ALMOST THE END OF NOVEMBER.
We're still working with heavy weight training until snow comes. We've been running a full eight-dog team so we can begin
to up our distances. Our ancient quad has two flat tires on the back, but if we fill them with air, it takes about 1/2hr to
drain and then becomes really tough to pull. So we breeze for about five miles, and then sluggishly make our way home (metaphorically
speaking of course). Actually I've been really impressed because even though we've pretty much doubled the distance we were
going before, the team still runs the last mile home, which means they are not coming back completely wasted. I am seriously
awaiting snow, because I'm sure amazing things will happen.
Its getting dark so fast now and the chill come in around 5pm, which
is when I get home, so we are doing things in the dark now, which takes twice as long. With the hard training and the added
cold weather, the dogs have been losing a bit of weight, so I have been adding raw meat and fresh tallow into their diets.
Water is also becoming an issue, because it freezes overnight, and there is no snow to eat to keep them happy. I have offered
water in the morning, but they turn up their noses, so suppertime is greatly awaited now. The cats have also taken a liking
to suppertime and have started to sneak into the dog yard, much to the dogs' dislike. I hope they never get loose, because
that will be one unlucky cat.
We are still collecting dogs. The neighborhood dogs regularly come to visit, AND WE ONLY GET HUSKIES. So my theory is that
dogs actually can distinguish between breeds. They come and sit along the fence and howl with our pack; they sit there and
wag their tails happily when everyone starts to sing. I am contemplating throwing them into a team one day just to see what
happens.
Nov 6th:
We are definitely making progress. I was comparing training logs from
a couple years ago and realized how much I've reduced runs. We have them sprinting 3 miles with a heavy ATV chassis at the
moment, and they come back panting, but get faster each run. We tried Vogue in lead for the first time, and she acted like
she'd been doing it forever already. We are very excited, but have decided to keep her in the back for this season to give
her valuable team experience before moving her up to a main leader next year. Her and Beau make a perfectly matched set of
wheel dogs.
We have now had Hero, the newest team member in with the big team
twice now. This has helped a whole bunch as he learned to mind the centerline and not to lean on his partner for the entire
run. His stamina is building along with his muscle mass. He is getting difficult to lift!
Dream is a very fat and inactive dog. She works in harness as well
as can be expected, but then lazes around the rest of the day (when she isn't bullying the others). She reminds me of Garfield
the cat. We recently decided we were over feeding her, because with her inactivity, she is chubby. But a reduced intake of
food has led to irritable moods and crankiness. She is also becoming very possessive of what she gets. Sigh...She is a force
to be reckoned with. As a side note, she is a very happy dog most of the time. Her overweightness is not a medical issue (thyroid
scans have been run), so we just concluded she is a very lazy dog, lol. Yet she is one of our fastest in harness. What's up
with that?
Oct 25th:
Congratulations to Majik, who did very at the Camrose show this weekend.
It was her first and she already nearly has enough points for her champion title!
Dream is dieting (I know right?) because she is getting very very
picky. She turns her nose up at raw meat now...but will bully the others out of their kibble. Poor Beau, who is such a pushover,
loses is dinner regularly to Vogue and Dream. On the bright side, Hero is coming out of his insecurity shell finally, and
bounces gladly up to us. We determined however that he is frightened by pails, and will not approach us when we are carrying
anything. What other quirks is this dog hiding??
Oct 20th:
I had the team out a lot this week! We are definitely making progress.
With hunting season, we are reaping the benefits of plenty of unwanted game meat. The dogs are packing on the pounds, but
its not fat. They are solid. Heidi commented the other day that Dream is like a cement block with legs.
Vogue had her first chance at being a leaddog, and she was a pro.
We are definitely thrilled with her enthusiasm.
Oct 10th:
Hard day at training. Lol, I took this picture while Baka was rolling
around in the grass. I have resolved a couple formatting issues with the home page not loading. In addition, we had an early
snowfall and the dogs are all huddled in their houses. Pff...my huskies do not love cold...lol. Fresh straw was greatly appreciated!
We are awaiting nicer weather so training can resume. We do not have enough snow to go sledding, but there is enough to make
it difficult to get the training rig going.
Hero has arrived and is slowly learning teamwork. He tends to chew
lines, so we will be keeping a sharp eye on him in the future. He does, however boast great speed and enthusiasm.
Unfortunately we ran into some hosting issues with our previous blogging
site and it is no longer accessible, so all our previous history has been lost. Sorry for the new people to our site, and
please stay tuned for further updates! As a quick sum up of the last month, we have started training and had some issues with
feet earlier. and we are planning a spring litter, due to us needing to update the team instead of leasing
dogs every year.
