I had to train this nice "sit" in self-defense. At 11 months, he is already one of the largest dogs in my kennel.
Thowra (Nigh Wind)
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Swanny1790
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Thowra (Nigh Wind)
Thowra is less than 1 year old (about 11 months), yet already one of the largest dogs in my kennel. His sire is a very famous lead dog, and his dam a young up and coming leader. Both belong to Brent Sass of Eureka, AK.
I had to train this nice "sit" in self-defense. At 11 months, he is already one of the largest dogs in my kennel.
I had to train this nice "sit" in self-defense. At 11 months, he is already one of the largest dogs in my kennel.
"Once infected with the mushing virus, there is no cure. There is only trail." - Sven Engholm
Re: Thowra (Nigh Wind)
Another handsome lad! 
It makes me wonder though, do you run all these different sized dogs on the same team? If so, who compensates? Do the longer legged dogs simply run a bit slower to allow for the shorter legged dogs, or vice versa - do the shorter legged dogs have to run faster to keep up with the longer stride of their larger teammates? (Somehow, I'm thinking it's the latter!)
And of course that brings up another question in my mind -- who determines the speed of your team? Do you have control over that at all or do your dogs decide how fast to run? (I know you have a brake that can slow them down, but in general, do you as the musher determine speed, or the dogs?)
It makes me wonder though, do you run all these different sized dogs on the same team? If so, who compensates? Do the longer legged dogs simply run a bit slower to allow for the shorter legged dogs, or vice versa - do the shorter legged dogs have to run faster to keep up with the longer stride of their larger teammates? (Somehow, I'm thinking it's the latter!)
And of course that brings up another question in my mind -- who determines the speed of your team? Do you have control over that at all or do your dogs decide how fast to run? (I know you have a brake that can slow them down, but in general, do you as the musher determine speed, or the dogs?)My avatar is Piper, my sweet Pembroke Corgi. b. 5/11/11
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Swanny1790
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- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2013 7:27 pm
- Location: Two Rivers, Alaska
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Re: Thowra (Nigh Wind)
Interesting questions.
First, yes I do run the various sized dogs together in teams, though I do try to avoid running the super big ones (such as Thowra and Aumaruq) with the tiniest (Selene and Maggie). Generally I run the largest in the wheel position, just in front of the sled, as larger dogs tend to also be stronger, and the wheel dogs need a lot of strength to steer the nose of the sled around obstructions (trees especially).
Since I'm not racing, a near perfect match isn't quite so important to me as it is to mushers who do race. I really haven't noticed much difference in the speed between dogs, but I certainly notice a big difference in gait changes. Big dogs are often trotting along while the smaller ones are loping, for example. On a well matched racing team, all of the dogs in the team learn to change their gaits at the same time. It's awesome to see, especially since it's not something that can be easily trained. It's something the dogs learn to do on their own.
Two days ago I was chatting with my friend Allen Moore (this year's Yukon Quest champion). Allen and his wife Aliy (2nd place in this year's Iditarod) race dogs that are considered very small, even among modern long distance racers who as a rule tend to run smaller dogs. The SP Kennel dogs are nearly between 40 and 45 lb. (18 - 20 kg). I was fascinated when Allen told me that when climbing hills, the SP dogs frequently outrun teams made up of larger (presumably stronger) dogs, but tend to fall behind in the flats. His theory is that on the hills the larger dogs have to take shorter steps to make most efficient use of their strength. "Our guys are already there " (taking shorter steps) he said.
Control is a result of training, and one of the reasons we start the training season having the dogs pulling an all terrain vehicle (four-wheeler) is to provide the ability to reinforce cues to slow down. I use the cue "easy" to ask the dogs to ease up a bit. Others use different cues, but the goal is the same - to convince the dogs that slower is sometimes better.
We become accustomed to seeing big strings of dogs in long distance races (the Yukon Quest starts with 14 dogs per team, and the Iditarod with 16). The part we don't get to see is the early season training, when people famous for running lots of dogs are training with teams of only six or 8. Teams that are small enough to use the brake and drag mat to teach the dogs the meaning of the cue.
First, yes I do run the various sized dogs together in teams, though I do try to avoid running the super big ones (such as Thowra and Aumaruq) with the tiniest (Selene and Maggie). Generally I run the largest in the wheel position, just in front of the sled, as larger dogs tend to also be stronger, and the wheel dogs need a lot of strength to steer the nose of the sled around obstructions (trees especially).
Since I'm not racing, a near perfect match isn't quite so important to me as it is to mushers who do race. I really haven't noticed much difference in the speed between dogs, but I certainly notice a big difference in gait changes. Big dogs are often trotting along while the smaller ones are loping, for example. On a well matched racing team, all of the dogs in the team learn to change their gaits at the same time. It's awesome to see, especially since it's not something that can be easily trained. It's something the dogs learn to do on their own.
Two days ago I was chatting with my friend Allen Moore (this year's Yukon Quest champion). Allen and his wife Aliy (2nd place in this year's Iditarod) race dogs that are considered very small, even among modern long distance racers who as a rule tend to run smaller dogs. The SP Kennel dogs are nearly between 40 and 45 lb. (18 - 20 kg). I was fascinated when Allen told me that when climbing hills, the SP dogs frequently outrun teams made up of larger (presumably stronger) dogs, but tend to fall behind in the flats. His theory is that on the hills the larger dogs have to take shorter steps to make most efficient use of their strength. "Our guys are already there " (taking shorter steps) he said.
Control is a result of training, and one of the reasons we start the training season having the dogs pulling an all terrain vehicle (four-wheeler) is to provide the ability to reinforce cues to slow down. I use the cue "easy" to ask the dogs to ease up a bit. Others use different cues, but the goal is the same - to convince the dogs that slower is sometimes better.
We become accustomed to seeing big strings of dogs in long distance races (the Yukon Quest starts with 14 dogs per team, and the Iditarod with 16). The part we don't get to see is the early season training, when people famous for running lots of dogs are training with teams of only six or 8. Teams that are small enough to use the brake and drag mat to teach the dogs the meaning of the cue.
"Once infected with the mushing virus, there is no cure. There is only trail." - Sven Engholm
Re: Thowra (Nigh Wind)
Thanks Swanny! I really enjoy learning about this stuff.
My avatar is Piper, my sweet Pembroke Corgi. b. 5/11/11
