Our season typically begins at the beginning of August. A couple of weeks before, all shots and deworming is done, so that when we go to start training, everyone should be feeling great. For the first run, we hook up all of our most experienced leaders to an ATV and only go three miles maximum, staying in second gear the entire time. We do not really need to turn the engine, but it helps us to control the speed, so the dogs don’t blow all their energy within the first mile. This first run is to get them out on the trail and focused so that on our next run, when we go to add everyone else, including the new pups into the team, it is not complete havoc.

 

Because August can still be considered as summer, we must be very careful only to run the dogs when it is cool enough, or else they risk overheating. An overheated dog gets dehydrated and collapses. It becomes feverish and could die. If the dog does survive, it will never run again. Even an easy walk will cause it to stagger around, and so overheating should be avoided at all costs. If you think a dog may have become too hot, don't waste any time, soak him down with cool water immediately. Watch their tongues; a hyper extended tongue that is brick-red in color is a symptom of overheating. We only run the dogs in 15 degrees Celsius or cooler, and anytime above zero, we take water if we’re going further than three miles. Of course, dogs which are accustomed to living in much hotter climates may be run in hotter temperatures, but great caution should still be exerted.

 

During the first two weeks of fall training, we do not go farther than three miles with plenty of breaks, and we will take them out only two or three times a week. This lets them burn off all of their summer enthusiasm and any young dogs will gain valuable experience from being with a team. They should not be pushed for the first month. The third and fourth week, we will go 4 miles, still minimizing the number of runs a week. For the month of September, we are running for sure 4 miles three times a week, but going slow. Speed is of no importance and we do not encourage it until the snow falls.

 

The point of fall training is to condition the dogs’ muscles and to wear off some of the summer fat. It is appropriate for the dogs still seem a bit fat throughout the fall because they will need the extra protection once the cold sets in. We train the dogs on gravel roads an along highways. We do not suggest this for everyone. Ditch running, as we call it, holds many distractions for a dog: litter, road kill, passing vehicles (who sometimes honk). Unless your dogs are adept with the on-by command and are unfazed by large trucks passing at high speeds, it is probably preferable to find a suitable groomed walking/biking/skiing trail.

 

We don’t run our dogs on the highway itself, but in the ditch. Pavement is among one of the worst surfaces a dog could run on. It wears down pads and nails quickly and can cause bruised/torn muscles. Snow is the ideal surface, and soft dirt trails in the summer are excellent. Be careful on gravel, which can wear pads down. We are forced to run down a gravel road to get to our trail, but we check feet frequently for signs of wear. Sand should also treated with caution; it is excellent because it provided lots of give, but abrasions can occur if it gets caught in the fur on the dogs’ feet and rubs while they run.

 

 

Once October rolls around, we bump the dogs up to five miles, and we are running four times a week. Remember, breaks are a good time to teach the dogs how to be quiet at a stop. You won’t want them to be jumping around while hooked to a 20 lbs sled and you’re all alone—this is a good way to lose a team. Most sled dog injuries occur during the fall before the snow even sets in. The bare frozen ground can batter a dog’s shoulder muscles until they are sore. For this reason, we do not ask for lots of speed or miles until there is sufficient snow.

 

By the end of October, there is usually snow on the ground. Switching from a 600lbs quad to a 20lbs sled can be tricky. The dogs are used to hauling a much bigger load, and therefore, fewer dogs are needed. Don’t get excited and take out the entire team for the first snow-run of the season, or you will have no control. Once we are sure there is enough snow, we will hook up maximum four dogs and go out. We cannot handle anymore that that. Over the summer, mushers, especially beginners, can lose the feel of driving a sled.  In addition, snow hooks generally don’t work until the trail has been packed by a few runs.

 

Once we are comfortable with the sleds, we start to increase the miles. Every week, we will add two, or every month, we will go double the month before. How far you go depends on the size of the team, amount of conditioning and your personal goals. If you’re just a recreational musher, ten to fifteen miles is plenty. Don’t ask your dogs for too much too soon, or they will get what we call “the slump”. They will lay down on the trail and refuse to budge, or just become generally depressed and go off their food. This is most likely to happen around December.

 

Because we aim for mid-distance races, we will put on about 1000 miles on our dogs during the course of the winter. Throughout the snowy months, we run the dogs 4 – 5 times a week, anywhere from fifteen to twenty miles. We do not ask for more because we are usually running maximum 6 dogs.

 

January to March is what we consider racing season. If we are racing on weekends, we only run the dogs once during the week. The snow is usually gone by the middle of March and so our season ends there. Afterwards, we will usually run the dogs three miles a week with the ATV, while we tone down their muscles. By the end of April, we are done all training runs with the teams until August. The dogs spend their days wrestling in large playpens instead. We do, however, continue to light puppy training with bikes throughout the summer.