Sunday, February 27, 2005
Saturday was another gorgeous day, so I thought it was time to take some more pictures and get them posted. Furlon has an adoption pending, but the other SCL dogs (in no particular order):
| Crackerjack | ||
 |  |  |
| Comet | ||
 |  |  |
| Baniff | ||
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| Katie | ||
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Sunday, February 20, 2005
New Faces
I've added a couple of new SCL dogs to the mix this last week - Baniff and Comet. They both came home from the shelter with me Thursday night and quickly settled themselves in with the rest of the dogs. Both are getting along fine, and they each have great (but different) personalities. Comet is an outgoing and playful young male with one of those trademark 'woo-woo's when he's excited and wants to play. Baniff is more mature, but loves attention, belly rubs and likes to snuggle up close with you. Both dogs are healthy, attentive and well behaved.
Friday night I ran a 6 dog team to see how the new dogs looked:
Scotty and Spanky (brothers) are a couple of leaders I picked up a few years ago when they were retired from a Quest musher's team. Hookup was a breeze - everyone was happy to go and there were no harness-bangers, screamers, growlers or chewers in the bunch. A nice calm start on a beautiful moonlit trail. Everyone was hard on their tugs going out of yard. Comet and Baniff both got a little curious about where they were after the first mile or so. Probably to be expected given that just 24 hours earlier they had been living out in back of the shelter with another bunch of strangers.
Now I know this may sound funny to some, but Katie was the first pleasant surprise - she took a dump on the fly without missing a beat. We crossed the road without a hitch and kept on going at a nice pace. By this point, Baniff was starting to dip some. It was a very warm night and I have no idea what kind of training she has had so far this year. Baniff is a nice, compact dog with a really nice, thick coat. I was hot just standing on the runners - I'm sure she was at least as hot.
Both Crackerjack and Comet were steady, no-nonsense workers. We took a soft, seldom used trail for a little diversion and I managed to dump the sled on a side hill. Usually when this happens, you're fighting both the soft snow and the team that wants to keep rolling. It's a matter of floundering around trying to get the sled back and upright on the trail, grabbing the snowhook with one hand while holding onto the sled for dear life with the other. Not this time. The dogs simply stopped and waited while I rectified the mess I made, then continued on down the trail when I called them up. How nice.
We ran a 6 mile loop, with maybe half a mile of slow, punchy trail. Crackerjack and Comet did great. Katie was still a little unpredictable, sometimes working hard and other just slacking, but she is getting much better. Baniff had a great time, but tended to do a lot of rubbernecking while checking out the scenery. All in all, it was a pleasant run with a nicely behaved bunch of dogs. We travelled at a decent clip and I could see a difference in both Comet and Baniff when they got back. This place was now their new dogyard, rather than just a waypoint where they were sitting in limbo, confused about an unknown future.
Friday night I ran a 6 dog team to see how the new dogs looked:
| Scotty | Spanky | |
| Crackerjack (SCL) | Baniff (SCL) | |
| Katie (SCL) | Comet (SCL) |
Scotty and Spanky (brothers) are a couple of leaders I picked up a few years ago when they were retired from a Quest musher's team. Hookup was a breeze - everyone was happy to go and there were no harness-bangers, screamers, growlers or chewers in the bunch. A nice calm start on a beautiful moonlit trail. Everyone was hard on their tugs going out of yard. Comet and Baniff both got a little curious about where they were after the first mile or so. Probably to be expected given that just 24 hours earlier they had been living out in back of the shelter with another bunch of strangers.
Now I know this may sound funny to some, but Katie was the first pleasant surprise - she took a dump on the fly without missing a beat. We crossed the road without a hitch and kept on going at a nice pace. By this point, Baniff was starting to dip some. It was a very warm night and I have no idea what kind of training she has had so far this year. Baniff is a nice, compact dog with a really nice, thick coat. I was hot just standing on the runners - I'm sure she was at least as hot.
Both Crackerjack and Comet were steady, no-nonsense workers. We took a soft, seldom used trail for a little diversion and I managed to dump the sled on a side hill. Usually when this happens, you're fighting both the soft snow and the team that wants to keep rolling. It's a matter of floundering around trying to get the sled back and upright on the trail, grabbing the snowhook with one hand while holding onto the sled for dear life with the other. Not this time. The dogs simply stopped and waited while I rectified the mess I made, then continued on down the trail when I called them up. How nice.
We ran a 6 mile loop, with maybe half a mile of slow, punchy trail. Crackerjack and Comet did great. Katie was still a little unpredictable, sometimes working hard and other just slacking, but she is getting much better. Baniff had a great time, but tended to do a lot of rubbernecking while checking out the scenery. All in all, it was a pleasant run with a nicely behaved bunch of dogs. We travelled at a decent clip and I could see a difference in both Comet and Baniff when they got back. This place was now their new dogyard, rather than just a waypoint where they were sitting in limbo, confused about an unknown future.
Friday, February 04, 2005
Time flies when it's 45 below
I've been a bad blogger. The last couple of weeks I've managed to get out with the dogs in between dips in the thermometer, but we haven't run since last Sunday night. We did have some beautiful runs under the full moon, though.
Since my last entry, Iris and I swapped Katie for Cheyenne. Katie's getting settled in, running with the 'elders' and learning the ropes. She's a sweet dog who has this neat ability to almost levitate - too bad the Olympics dropped the standing high jump long ago. She can get herself a good 3 feet off the ground without taking a step. She loves to run in harness, but needs work on focusing. I've only run her a half dozen times so far, but each time she's gotten a bit better. She's also gone from shy and stand-offish to offering licks and looking for belly rubs.
Crackerjack is doing pretty good. He's keeping up with the other dogs, but prefers trotting to loping. He's Mr. Popularity with the other dogs, somehow making friends with even the stodgiest old farts in the dog yard. I'm just constantly amazed how well he gets along with other dogs, and how he can get dogs to play with him. He's still hesitant about being handled, but tends to just take it in stride.
Furlon is really a nice addition to the team. He's been running as a team and wheel dog, and he just loves to go. He's steady, focused and honest. I've been letting him loose more and more in the yard, and he doesn't wander at all. His house and circle are his comfort zone and, while he'll visit the other dogs (occasionally trying out their houses for size), he's to the point where I don't worry about keeping an eye on him while dealing with other things.
So what do you on a 45 below night? Curl up on the couch and watch a movie - that's Katie on the couch and Crackerjack standing:
What? No Popcorn?
Teva and Angie's adopter sent this picture of her son out sledding with them last month. This same picture is up on the recently adopted page, but it's such a nice shot I wanted to share it again. Looking good -
Since my last entry, Iris and I swapped Katie for Cheyenne. Katie's getting settled in, running with the 'elders' and learning the ropes. She's a sweet dog who has this neat ability to almost levitate - too bad the Olympics dropped the standing high jump long ago. She can get herself a good 3 feet off the ground without taking a step. She loves to run in harness, but needs work on focusing. I've only run her a half dozen times so far, but each time she's gotten a bit better. She's also gone from shy and stand-offish to offering licks and looking for belly rubs.
Crackerjack is doing pretty good. He's keeping up with the other dogs, but prefers trotting to loping. He's Mr. Popularity with the other dogs, somehow making friends with even the stodgiest old farts in the dog yard. I'm just constantly amazed how well he gets along with other dogs, and how he can get dogs to play with him. He's still hesitant about being handled, but tends to just take it in stride.
Furlon is really a nice addition to the team. He's been running as a team and wheel dog, and he just loves to go. He's steady, focused and honest. I've been letting him loose more and more in the yard, and he doesn't wander at all. His house and circle are his comfort zone and, while he'll visit the other dogs (occasionally trying out their houses for size), he's to the point where I don't worry about keeping an eye on him while dealing with other things.
So what do you on a 45 below night? Curl up on the couch and watch a movie - that's Katie on the couch and Crackerjack standing:
What? No Popcorn?
Teva and Angie's adopter sent this picture of her son out sledding with them last month. This same picture is up on the recently adopted page, but it's such a nice shot I wanted to share it again. Looking good -
Monday, December 13, 2004
Night Run
Heath came over today and we ran all the dogs. Heath took 7, including Crackerjack and Cheyenne, and I took 8 including Furlon. We had a mess at the road crossing, running into a team coming the other way, but managed to get across once everybody straightened out. Further on down the trail we ran head on into a skijorer and PJ (young leader in training) slammed on the brakes fast enough to cause a nice little pile up as everyone ran over the top of her. All the SCL dogs behaved themselves throughout.
I managed to take the camera out, but the results won't be making any magazine covers. This is Furlon on the left, Silky on the right and Miller in wheel screaming to go. Ashley's busy getting a snowbank facial:
Here we have Cheyenne in front, Lilly (white wheel dog) and Crackerjack next to her (no crackerjack isn't radioactive, it's just the reflective strips on his harness):
Lilly and Crackerjack (behind her) back in the dogyard:
That's Heath giving Lilly and Crackerjack some attention. Cheyenne is in front next to the tree:
I managed to take the camera out, but the results won't be making any magazine covers. This is Furlon on the left, Silky on the right and Miller in wheel screaming to go. Ashley's busy getting a snowbank facial:
Here we have Cheyenne in front, Lilly (white wheel dog) and Crackerjack next to her (no crackerjack isn't radioactive, it's just the reflective strips on his harness):
Lilly and Crackerjack (behind her) back in the dogyard:
That's Heath giving Lilly and Crackerjack some attention. Cheyenne is in front next to the tree:
Sunday, December 05, 2004
Off the bike and onto the sleds. Heath Sandall came over today (at -28°) and we took out two teams. Heath ran 5 dogs, including Cheyenne, and I took out 8 dogs with both Furlon and Crackerjack. Carol dropped off Crackerjack with me earlier this week, and this was his second run with my dogs.
Crackerjack came into the yard and, as promised, seemed to instantly get along with all the other dogs. Carol warned me about Crackerjack's penchant for digging and he was true to form. He quickly excavated through the hardpack, but came up short when he ran into frozen gravel. Tough luck, Bud! His first run was less than stellar, though. He behaved well in harness, but was off his tug for the better part of the run. No necklining, just that tugline going loop-de-loop-de-loop as he loped along with the team. On today's run he really improved, keeping his line tight at least 90% of the time.
Furlon ran in swing today, and each time he goes out he seems to become more confident in himself. He's on his tug 100% of the time, and completely focused on making forward progress. I'm still running Cheyenne by herself in the team, but she has also been well behaved and focused on the job, with no 'issues'. We made one pass on the way home, and all 3 SCL dogs did fine. Cheyenne does like to trot - that's pretty much all she's shown so far even when running the 4 wheeler at 15+ mph. That's about as fast as I like to push with the geriatric dogs in the team. Once I put some of the faster dogs together and let them go, it will be interesting to see when/if she breaks out.
Crackerjack came into the yard and, as promised, seemed to instantly get along with all the other dogs. Carol warned me about Crackerjack's penchant for digging and he was true to form. He quickly excavated through the hardpack, but came up short when he ran into frozen gravel. Tough luck, Bud! His first run was less than stellar, though. He behaved well in harness, but was off his tug for the better part of the run. No necklining, just that tugline going loop-de-loop-de-loop as he loped along with the team. On today's run he really improved, keeping his line tight at least 90% of the time.
Furlon ran in swing today, and each time he goes out he seems to become more confident in himself. He's on his tug 100% of the time, and completely focused on making forward progress. I'm still running Cheyenne by herself in the team, but she has also been well behaved and focused on the job, with no 'issues'. We made one pass on the way home, and all 3 SCL dogs did fine. Cheyenne does like to trot - that's pretty much all she's shown so far even when running the 4 wheeler at 15+ mph. That's about as fast as I like to push with the geriatric dogs in the team. Once I put some of the faster dogs together and let them go, it will be interesting to see when/if she breaks out.
Monday, November 22, 2004
A few observations:
Furlon is a study in contradictions. He's a happy, high energy dog that's always happy to see me, but his personal space is large and he gets uncomfortable when you penetrate it. He will jump on his house to greet you, then run off when approached. Then he jumps back up for a few seconds until he can't stand it anymore and off he goes again. He has no problem jumping up on me, but only from my back, never from my front.
Harnessing was a struggle the first time, because he simply went limp when being handled and then tried to escape. I've always harnessed by straddling a dog and working from behind, but I've since found that he prefers being harnessed on his house from the front. He knew very well what the harnesses were for the first time I brought them out, and clearly wanted to be included in the team. He'd probably be happiest if there was some magical way to get harnessed, off the chain and onto the gangline without any human intervention. As it is now, when you come up to him with his harness he jumps onto his house and does his best to stand still long enough to get suited up. Funny thing - once he's hooked up in the team he pretty much turns into a normal, well behaved dog with none of his previous shyness.
Cheyenne eats up any and all the attention you can give her, but she also has a jealous streak with other dogs. When she first arrived she was very aggressive towards the dogs around her, almost immediately escalating to bared teeth. In years past I've had a couple of alpha females that did this - but this seemed different because it happened so often. So I watched her interact with the other dogs and they invariably were all caught off-guard by her aggressions, even though I saw it coming. The amateur dog psychologist in me thinks this has to do with her being debarked. She can't make any sounds at all, not even the compensatory ones you sometimes hear in a dog that has been debarked. That means no warning growls or barks to signal her intentions to the other dogs. She can't up the ante, because she can't vocalize. If the other dog isn't paying very close attention to her body language, she won't get their attention. I suspect she's simply dropped the normal behaviors of signaling because they were ineffectual, and instead is using the only thing she has left. While I have no doubt she was a dominant female beforehand, the debarking has probably forced her into relying on these higher stakes displays.
One of the things I do now is acknowledge her by name when she tries to bark at me, even if I'm a distance away. The first few times I responded to her trying to bark, she seemed surprised that I even noticed. Now she tries to bark, I call her name, and it gets to be a game. [soundless bark at me] Hi Cheyenne [excited soundless bark] Whatcha doing Cheyenne? [more excited soundless barks] and so on. She seems genuinely thrilled that she can get me to focus on her that way.
Furlon is a study in contradictions. He's a happy, high energy dog that's always happy to see me, but his personal space is large and he gets uncomfortable when you penetrate it. He will jump on his house to greet you, then run off when approached. Then he jumps back up for a few seconds until he can't stand it anymore and off he goes again. He has no problem jumping up on me, but only from my back, never from my front.
Harnessing was a struggle the first time, because he simply went limp when being handled and then tried to escape. I've always harnessed by straddling a dog and working from behind, but I've since found that he prefers being harnessed on his house from the front. He knew very well what the harnesses were for the first time I brought them out, and clearly wanted to be included in the team. He'd probably be happiest if there was some magical way to get harnessed, off the chain and onto the gangline without any human intervention. As it is now, when you come up to him with his harness he jumps onto his house and does his best to stand still long enough to get suited up. Funny thing - once he's hooked up in the team he pretty much turns into a normal, well behaved dog with none of his previous shyness.
Cheyenne eats up any and all the attention you can give her, but she also has a jealous streak with other dogs. When she first arrived she was very aggressive towards the dogs around her, almost immediately escalating to bared teeth. In years past I've had a couple of alpha females that did this - but this seemed different because it happened so often. So I watched her interact with the other dogs and they invariably were all caught off-guard by her aggressions, even though I saw it coming. The amateur dog psychologist in me thinks this has to do with her being debarked. She can't make any sounds at all, not even the compensatory ones you sometimes hear in a dog that has been debarked. That means no warning growls or barks to signal her intentions to the other dogs. She can't up the ante, because she can't vocalize. If the other dog isn't paying very close attention to her body language, she won't get their attention. I suspect she's simply dropped the normal behaviors of signaling because they were ineffectual, and instead is using the only thing she has left. While I have no doubt she was a dominant female beforehand, the debarking has probably forced her into relying on these higher stakes displays.
One of the things I do now is acknowledge her by name when she tries to bark at me, even if I'm a distance away. The first few times I responded to her trying to bark, she seemed surprised that I even noticed. Now she tries to bark, I call her name, and it gets to be a game. [soundless bark at me] Hi Cheyenne [excited soundless bark] Whatcha doing Cheyenne? [more excited soundless barks] and so on. She seems genuinely thrilled that she can get me to focus on her that way.
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
This year's snow has been a mixed blessing around here. Enough to fill in the holes and make a trail through the tussocks, but it also insulated everything and slowed down our freezeup. A few hundred feet out of the dogyard the trail goes out onto a lake and, up until about 2 weeks ago, I still had a foot of overflow and open water cutting off access to the trails. Things have been pretty solid for the last 10 days, so we're training on the 4 wheeler now. While the trails are certainly doable on a sled, I still prefer to run the dogs with the bike in the early part of the season. The control you have on a bike is incredible, allowing you to exactly determine the pace and to keep the team moving steadily if you miscalculated on the distance/dog power equation.
My team is getting older, with half my dogs now 10+yo. We've been keeping the speed pretty consistent at 13-14 mph, as this seems to be what most of the dogs (especially the older leaders) are comfortable with - a fast trot or an easy lope. Running around the lake early in the season is nice because each lap is about 7/10ths of a mile, so it's easy to increment up just by adding another lap. Another plus - if there are any surprises you're never far from home. Of course, both the dogs and I get bored pretty quickly going in circles.
Tonight, on the far side of the lake, the dogs got a gee instead of a haw and off we went out onto the main trail. While everyone but Furlon and Cheyenne knew where we were going, they were both just as excited as the rest of the team by the change in the routine. Within about 1/3rd mile we hit the Ballaine Road crossing and had to wait for a couple of minutes until the traffic cleared. Always good for a little adrenaline rush. These are the times you really appreciate having the dogs solidly attached to a 500lb 4 wheeler! Two teams = crossing the road 4X, and the dogs hit it flawlessly each time. Cheyenne and Furlon never missed a beat, and ran in the finest "hook 'em up and forget 'em" tradition (IOW - they were great team dogs). They've both been running in separate teams of 7, Cheyenne in single and Furlon in double. So far they've both been very well behaved (no chewing, dipping, etc.), with tight tugs and great attitudes.
My team is getting older, with half my dogs now 10+yo. We've been keeping the speed pretty consistent at 13-14 mph, as this seems to be what most of the dogs (especially the older leaders) are comfortable with - a fast trot or an easy lope. Running around the lake early in the season is nice because each lap is about 7/10ths of a mile, so it's easy to increment up just by adding another lap. Another plus - if there are any surprises you're never far from home. Of course, both the dogs and I get bored pretty quickly going in circles.
Tonight, on the far side of the lake, the dogs got a gee instead of a haw and off we went out onto the main trail. While everyone but Furlon and Cheyenne knew where we were going, they were both just as excited as the rest of the team by the change in the routine. Within about 1/3rd mile we hit the Ballaine Road crossing and had to wait for a couple of minutes until the traffic cleared. Always good for a little adrenaline rush. These are the times you really appreciate having the dogs solidly attached to a 500lb 4 wheeler! Two teams = crossing the road 4X, and the dogs hit it flawlessly each time. Cheyenne and Furlon never missed a beat, and ran in the finest "hook 'em up and forget 'em" tradition (IOW - they were great team dogs). They've both been running in separate teams of 7, Cheyenne in single and Furlon in double. So far they've both been very well behaved (no chewing, dipping, etc.), with tight tugs and great attitudes.
