Second Chance League

It was a LONG summer sitting out at the sonar camp on the Chandalar River counting the chums swimming up to Venetie. I had Miley with me and she got to play River Dog for 3 1/2 months. I got back and was welcomed by my menagerie of Avril, Tas, Taka, Lucy and Borat, and also our new additions Wanda and her 5 puppies and Bridget. Now my hounds really outnumber my huskies and so I am learning a whole new way of training dogs. We just finished insulating all the hounds houses, what a pain in the behind!! But the airless ones will be warm.

We started training last week with the purchase of a new 4-wheeler. I am able to run a 6 dog team and am running them though the streets nears my house. Learning good gee-haw training and getting the yearlings used to being in harness and in a team. Everyone is excited about running, and we are all having fun.

Tas had a battle with fox tails. Nasty little weeds, she is doing great now and is part of the team as wheel partner to Borat, one of the yearling hounds. The SCL dogs have really been worth it, if not for their great personalities and abilities, but for their wonderful ability to help train the youngsters who are a little unsure and shy. Right now we are doing a 2 mile loop through the streets, weaving through parked cars and dodging loose dogs. All great objects to go on by.

Hopefully the snow will keep coming steadily and we can hit the trails with skis and sleds.

I confess that I have been slack on my blogging. But we have been having so much fun. Recently Tas and Taka teamed up to start some early summer training with the help of a bike and a couple of harnesses. Both dogs did great, even meeting loose dogs, the occasional local car and joggers. I have some nice dirt roads around my cabin and they make for a perfect jaunt on the bike. Tas was great, wondering at first what the thing with wheels was, but realising that her job was to pul me no matter what I am standing on, sitting on or riding, she was great. I will be exploring other road systems soon, ones without too many cars or even beter, some without any cars.

This little girl is a completely different dog from when Carol spotted her at the pound. She stays in my yard when loose, when I point to her house she jumps on it waiting for a cookie or to be hooked up. She is very social and flirts with all the boys, they dont seem to mind one iota. The new puppies (10 month old hounds) find her a pleasant change to grumpy oldman Taka and they humour Tas by playing with her and her playful games.

This summer I will be in the field for 3 months, but on returning we will resume our training schedule which will jumpstart our skijor season as soon as the snow flies again. What a strange thought, looking outside and seeing land and greenery start to pop up that not to far away we again will be in our winter wonderland!! Yay for Alaska!!

I ran the girls yesterday in a 3-dog 3.7mi race at ADMA for the final race of the ASPA calendar. The girls were strong starting out, and finished very strong. Tas was still necklining for part of the race, but this I am still attributing to fitness. With a lot of roadwork this summer, she should be very strong next season. We won our race in a good time. I then ran Avril in the le Monds race, and was very close to finishing ahead of Carol Kleckner, but her dog was just to strong and a lot more focused on Avril who wanted to have a little bit of fun on the hill home. We did pass Chad Carroll and managed to beat him by a slim half second.

Our racing season was successful, and next year the girls will be a lot stronger and hopefully a little more focused.

On the Wednesday night race at Creamers Field (March 23rd) I ran Tas in wheel with Avril and Miley. We did the 3.2mi race and were setting out to beat Sara Elzey who had 2 dogs. Our plan had almost worked with the dogs going really well the whole way, though for a short time Tas necklined, anyway close to the finish My team and Carol Kleckner's 3 dog team had a near miss at crossover point. Avril and Miley decieded to chase Carol on the wrong trail, and I had to stop and get back onto our right trail. Tas kept lined out even when the other two were bunched up. We gee'd over to the trail, everyone listening well. We made it back onto the trail and powered to the finish, to be beaten by only 6 seconds!! Not bad for a first race that went a little crazy.

Tas has been really getting better with being handled, and is very slowly getting over her shyness.

Ever so slowly Tas has been creeping out of her shell. She now allows me to pat her while she sits on ther doghouse, and we have been working a little offleash. I will let Tass off her leash in a safe area and she will usually realise she is free, run around a little and comes very quickly when called. This little dog really wants to be with people, but just not too close. She will tolerate patting and harnessing, but otherwise would much rather be seen and not touched. She is still fearful of men and sudden movements.

Yesterday I ran The Girls at ADMA and tried Tas in wheel. I had to have help starting as Miley likes to get excited and spin around tangling everyone. In wheel, Tas was strong and kept the tug line tight the whole way around 4.5mi. The skis did not scare her nor did the poles. When we stopped for 30 second break, Tas kept lined out even when Avril and Miley tangled.

Tas is doing really well, has definately settled into this place and is still eating really well. Stress in this househld is not an issue, so I have not sensed any stress in her at all.

Yesterday I took Tas out in a 3 dog team, she was in lead with Avril, Miley was behind. I took a chance at seeing if she would hold the team lined out, and she was great. She was a great leader, balking only some skiers coming up the outbound trail. We went 4.5mi at ADMA, I felt at the 3.7 turnoff that we were going too well, all the dogs were having too much fun. She didn't keep her line tight all the time, this could be attributed to the heat and her not being in great shape.

Tas is not yet too comfortable around people, though is warming up to me. Today on a walk down my local trails I had her on a leash while my other dogs ran free. My leash broke and Tas was free, she ran down the trail until I used my call "This way" and I turned to go home and she followed me and let me catch her. Little baby steps, but soon she will be a trusting dog (again?).

Tas is a beautiful dog and working with her is so rewarding!!

I received Tas 1 week ago, and boy what a delightful dog! She is extremely shy and wary of people, but around dogs she is playful, gentle and very social. Tas was spayed again recently (her scar was so feint the vet could not tell if she had infact been spayed previously) and I have not had a chance to run her. I took her to Creamers Field yesterday and when I took off running my girls Avril and Miley, Tas was very excited and really wanted to run with us. Her face lit up when she saw a harness. I am very excited about running her next week.

I have worked a lot with Tas in having her come out of her shell, and now she wags her tail and wiggles excitedly when I come home. I clipped her nails today and boy, what an easy dog. Good eater, doesn't bark, this little girl is going to be a fantastic dog.