Serious sleddogger

DOTLDaddy wrote:
Now I know I'm stereotyping and I know I gotta be wrong, but those two lead dogs look kinda "lean" to me. I mean, their front legs look as skinny as mine! :E:B

I think you gave out too much info there Mr. Walter! ... :B


The mangy Wabbits

I guess you got a point, Mark. Nevur thought about the overheating part while training during the summer.

The Seavey's got a lot of knowledge / secrets bout racing. Dallas did give out one bit of what he does during a race, on one of the episodes (I think it was in season 3) on National Geographic's Ultimate Survival Alaska show.


Pops

Now I know I'm stereotyping and I know I gotta be wrong, but those two lead dogs look kinda "lean" to me. I mean, their front legs look as skinny as mine! :E:B

Pops, I think the issue with dogs pulling wheeled carts/4-wheelers in the summer is overheating. Getting their endurance work in a refer trailer would allow them to work longer without overheating.

Sled dogs, with their heavy coats, cannot run for long in temperatures much above freezing. That forces mushers to forgo serious summer training and keeps dogs confined to shorter runs in the offseason, if they run at all.

So in an effort to extend his training season, Seavey, 28, is taking climate control into his own hands. He equipped the trailer with a refrigerator that cools the unit down to almost freezing. In those chilly temperatures, Seavey runs almost full teams on the device for about an hour at a time.

Not only does it help with warm days, but the treadmill is useful into the fall, when the ground becomes frozen but snow hasn’t fallen. Hard ground can lead to soreness and injuries that sideline dogs. Seavey also gets a chance to look at the dogs up close, giving him a clear view of their gaits and how injured dogs are recovering.

Deb, treadmill work for these dogs would be no different than for horses or humans (boring and not the same as real terrain).

The Seavey's are Royalty in Alaska.


Bit about Dallas and his father Mitch.


Calvin's thinking about setting up a mangy Wabbit team together. ... :R


Pops


PS I saw an episode on The Amazing Race, were they used sleds on wheels to train dogs during the summer. Then again, what the heck do I know bout training sled dogs. Can't even get Calvin to do anything he don't want to. ... :?

My concerns would be the monotony; and the consistent surface not developing the smaller "balancing" muscles like rough terrain would normally do?

Show horses are put on treadmills, and sometimes develop leg problems.

Great movie about the Iditarod
Iron Will