Serious sleddogger

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).