... and my dogs
Their names are Kodi and Buck. Kodi is the ‘lead dog’ and is three years old. Buck is a one year old and is learning his commands very fast. Both dogs are very strong and robust, but Kodi is more solid than Buck. Maybe Buck will grow into his skin and fill out as he gets older, but already he is very strong and very fast (for a Malamute). Mals are generally used for their strength and endurance, rather than speed. If you want speed get a Siberian husky ...
COMMANDS: when giving a command to a dog it is essential to be consistent and relatively firm. The dog wants to be told what to do, not asked. The following are the traditional instructions for sled dogs and they seem to work fine:
Left turn is ‘go haw’; right turn is ‘go gee’; straight on is ‘go along’; and most importantly to get them to run I say ‘let’s go’ and to stop them I say ‘whoa’.
The only people who say "mush!" are the folks who roar it at me as I pass them on the streets. They get a great laugh at this ... and I pretend it's the first time I've heard it...! Although dog-sledders are referred to as 'mushers', we never use the word as a command. The word itself is an anglicization of the French word 'marche', which the French trappers once used.
Dollymount Strand, on the BUll Island, just north of Dublin City, is 3.5 miles long. It is famed for its use by sports enthusiasts and is a great place to watch surfers, kiters and those of us who wish it was snow we were running on rather than sand. Anyway, depending on tide and sand conditions, the dogs love to run on it and they take between 45 minutes and an hour to complete the 7 miles. They love it! (And so do I!). I built the rig myself, and must thank Mark and Christof (Kiting Ireland) for accommodating me with the wheels and axel, which are off a sand buggy.
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Dollymount Strand, on the BUll Island, just north of Dublin City, is 3.5 miles long. It is famed for its use by sports enthusiasts and is a great place to watch surfers, kiters and those of us who wish it was snow we were running on rather than sand. Anyway, depending on tide and sand conditions, the dogs love to run on it and they take between 45 minutes and an hour to complete the 7 miles. They love it! (And so do I!). I built the rig myself, and must thank Mark and Christof (Kiting Ireland) for accommodating me with the wheels and axel, which are off a sand buggy.
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