Americano Blue's musher/mushing chat thread

[RezChamp]

She's like 4weeks along.
My family believes me now about nala!

Awww. I bet you're excited eh. So did the vet say an X-ray was needed?

 

[Americano Blue]

http://www.2ndchance.info/caninelaborstages.htm

 

[charnic44]

Hey guys, I'm looking into possibly starting to learn how to mush. I live in Montana, it can get into the 90s in the summer and -20s at most in the winter. The most snow we get at once is about 2 to 3 feet. I have a metal sled but I could build a smaller training sled. I weigh about 130 pounds and very fit but still growing as I'm only 13. I may have them pull some things but not more than 100 pounds. What would the best breed(s) be to start with and how many? I would rescue dogs because I'm doing this for recreation not competition so I don't want to buy a $500 pedigreed puppy when I could adopt one with good hips and such for less than $100. I could shave the dogs in the summer if it gets too hot and they will have lots of shade/cold water. Also, what is the best thing to feed them? I've read that normal dog food is bad because the corn in it will rip their intestines as the run and pull. Thanks in advance!

 

[Americano Blue]

Hey guys, I'm looking into possibly starting to learn how to mush. I live in Montana, it can get into the 90s in the summer and -20s at most in the winter. The most snow we get at once is about 2 to 3 feet. I have a metal sled but I could build a smaller training sled. I weigh about 130 pounds and very fit but still growing as I'm only 13. I may have them pull some things but not more than 100 pounds. What would the best breed(s) be to start with and how many? I would rescue dogs because I'm doing this for recreation not competition so I don't want to buy a $500 pedigreed puppy when I could adopt one with good hips and such for less than $100. I could shave the dogs in the summer if it gets too hot and they will have lots of shade/cold water. Also, what is the best thing to feed them? I've read that normal dog food is bad because the corn in it will rip their intestines as the run and pull. Thanks in advance!

Ok so my best advice would be to go to Race to the Sky. It's a big race in Montana. See if one of the mushers would mentor you. (Ask at the end of the race). I run Alaskan Huskies. They are a great breed for the area you live. Most of the dogs i buy or plan to but are $150-300. Iditarod dogs get up into the $1000+ . My mentor gave me dogs for free.

If you are doing Rec, shelter dogs work great. Plus you will be giving a dog a second chance of life!! I started with 2. For Race to the Sky Jr. Race you need 6 but start with two dogs. Once you are comfortable with the dog power add 1-2 more dogs then so on.

DON"T SHAVE HUSKIES OR DOUBLE COATED BREEDS If you end up buying Alaskans you won't need to shave since their fur is usually short.

I feed Diamond Natural, Raw meat (Not pig mainly cow, chicken,goat, fish etc) Purina Athlete and if i have to Iams.

Be warned, this is one of the most expensive and time consuming sport you will ever do!!!!!! (But one of the best for a dog lover)

 

[RezChamp]

...

Hey guys, I'm looking into possibly starting to learn how to mush. I live in Montana, it can get into the 90s in the summer and -20s at most in the winter. The most snow we get at once is about 2 to 3 feet. I have a metal sled but I could build a smaller training sled. I weigh about 130 pounds and very fit but still growing as I'm only 13. I may have them pull some things but not more than 100 pounds. What would the best breed(s) be to start with and how many? I would rescue dogs because I'm doing this for recreation not competition so I don't want to buy a $500 pedigreed puppy when I could adopt one with good hips and such for less than $100. I could shave the dogs in the summer if it gets too hot and they will have lots of shade/cold water. Also, what is the best thing to feed them? I've read that normal dog food is bad because the corn in it will rip their intestines as the run and pull. Thanks in advance![/quote

Gee I wish I knew all this when I first started. That being said if I had listened to the old ones I wouldn't have had to go through what I did.
Yes, commercial dogfood is horrendously unhealthy for a dog.
I fed my dogs commercial dog food for one one winter and one winter only. The cereal grains in it actually made my dogs poop blood while they were running. I wondered what was going on so called a friend that raises Qimmiq. When I went to visit her she gave me a bunch or written material and a cpl bags of Eagle Power Pak 30/20. Way better. Then I started feeding meat. Way better again. And don't listen to rthem bleeding hearts that say "Oh your poor dogs so skinny". There is hinnly built dogs that when they are slim and trim look skinny to people that apparently need to,see dogs obese waddling down the street with hemmorhoids, laying on the couch with cataracts from too much glucides, rotting teeth from plaque build up from complex carbohydrates, stinking breath and coat from the consumption of rancid oil products, mouldy grain products, diseased animal flesh and guts, feet, feathers, hooves and hair of them same waste animals..
This may sound horrific but it's true. My buddy Maurice worked at one of the rendering plants where petfood was produced. It is horrible.

Here is link for you. Please read the whole thing. It gets kinda grosse but please empower yourself.
rawfed.com/myths/

Also know that my old leader Okimaw lived to almost 17. On his 16th winter he came for a 5km walk with me while I snowshoed to pack a dogsledding trail. I ended up having to take him to the vet a cpl days later. He'd suffered a severely debilitating stroke the night after the walk. Keep in mind the (apparently) life expectancy of a Siberian Husky is 10-12years.......according to "specialists" & "professionals".

I fed him deer, moose, caribou, pork, beef, goose, duck, fish, chicken, elk, and treated him to a biscuit or a cpl slices of bread or the odd cookie now and then I also made fish and veggie and fruit soup when it was cold out. Oh yeah he loved wieners, garlic sausage and balogna but I only gave my dogs treats of that once in a great while since its expensive.

General rule of thumb is 1 dog for every 50 lbs. if your sled weighs 50 lbs, you weigh 130 lbs, and you take 100 lbs of gear, you're good for 6 dogs.

I commend . you for wanting to utilize rescue dogs. But please do your best to get about the same size. The shorter haired will do......if you're gona carry coats and straw and have dog houses(not plastic) that have hanging canvas doors and they're filled with straw. Straw is hollow so it's warmer than hay. It's also A LOT more hygienic than hay and cloth( blankets and coats). Don't have your doors at floor level. All the bedding gets dragged out. 4-6 inches from the floor level is good. Remember that your dogs body is the " interior heater" for the doghouse. No need for " mansions" .
Shade is good in summer. I use tarps on a framework of saplings. The south-westside of their space. Just be mindful of their chains. If you're using kennels tarps over top and down on south side to about a foot off the ground for air flow.
Breed, . I hear that practically any breed of dog can be taught to pull a sled. I don't know for sure though since I've always sled dogs. But if you mix Mals and Qimmiq with Sibe you will find one slows the other, a well Qimmiq has longer hair than Mal has longer hair than Sibe.
Montana winters sounds similar to here.. I don't shave my dogs. Although last summer I had a cpl of young dogs get "hotspots" or "sunspots". First time ever for my dogs. Mind you I fed commercial this summer. High quality but still ciommercial.
This a long post and I am sorry if anyone becomes annoyed but I am excited about mushing and assisting new mushers, or in this case a tentative/prospectable musher.
Also I don't know how to start a PM.
Please, everyone, HAGD. We've been blessed with another day of life.

I am grateful.

 

[Americano Blue]

this is my main lead.

 

[RezChamp]

Ok so my best advice would be to go to Race to the Sky. It's a big race in Montana. See if one of the mushers would mentor you. (Ask at the end of the race). I run Alaskan Huskies. They are a great breed for the area you live. Most of the dogs i buy or plan to but are $150-300. Iditarod dogs get  up into the $1000+ . My mentor gave me dogs for free.

If you are doing Rec, shelter dogs work great. Plus you will be giving a dog a second chance of life!!  I started with 2. For Race to the Sky Jr. Race you need 6 but start with two dogs. Once you are comfortable with the dog power add 1-2 more dogs then so on.

[COLOR=FF0000]DON"T SHAVE HUSKIES OR DOUBLE COATED BREEDS[/COLOR]  If you end up buying Alaskans you won't need to shave since their fur is usually short.  

I feed Diamond Natural, Raw meat (Not pig mainly cow, chicken,goat, fish etc) Purina Athlete   and if i have to Iams.

Be warned, this is one of the most expensive and time consuming sport you will ever do!!!!!!  (But one of the best for a dog lover)

True all that little sister, true that.
You smart for someone so young.

 

[Americano Blue]

True all that little sister, true that.
You smart for someone so young.

Thanks.

I've learned from experience lol

 

[RezChamp]

Gee I wish I knew how to put up pix. Y'all would probably fall in love with my dogs.
Nice one Blue. Short haired variety of Alaskan eh. Up here we call them Sprinters . Looks my Spar-r-rtikuss(Spartacus with a fooling r and koos not kus sound)
He looks good.

 

[Americano Blue]

Gee I wish I knew how to put up pix. Y'all would probably fall in love with my dogs.
Nice one Blue. Short haired variety of Alaskan eh. Up here we call them Sprinters . Looks my Spar-r-rtikuss(Spartacus with a fooling r and koos not kus sound)
He looks good.

are the pics already on your computer/phone/ipad?