Americano Blue's musher/mushing chat thread

[RezChamp]

Yo Dog
Gator seems to have a real brain on him to be able to manipulate like that. And to keep pushing his boundaries....that there takes almost human smarts.
I had a Dobey when I was 20-25. Stayed in the (bush)camp with me, jogged, hunted, slept in my lodging area with me, hauled my sled, came with me when I rode horse. Did pretty much everything with me except flirt with my intended "girlfriends". Actually he started doing that too. He actually got more attention than me. Probably because he was better looking.LOL. Most people that we interacted with were fascinated with our ability to communicate with each other. But that's what happens when dog and human spend lots of time together. The imitation/man made boundaries are made very small. We start to become each other. It's a survival thing. "When with wolves, howl" kinda thing. No magic, hocus locus or witchcraft.....just Nature...God
Gator is just surviving. Ya, it does sound like you need to"re-teach" him though.
Pipoon ain't playful. Never was really. Even as a pup she was way more serious than her litter mates. All business. But she is a sweetheart now.

 

[RezChamp]

I think they're Sepella Alaskans. I might just lease some again. I'm looking for older leaders right now. Arrow isn't turning out to be a leader, but she certainly loves running wheel and swing. 
What size chains do you use? I mean like the links. The one's I've been using have been breaking on me lately so I need to get a new chaining system. (Probably need some car axles too...) 

Sep/Alaskan? Or Alaskan/Sep. I personally prefer Sep/Alaskan. Sep physical attributes and Alaskan psych. That's my findings anyhow. May not be like that for everybody. But either way it'd be a good mix.
Ultimately though pure Sep..... For me.
Too bad bout Arrow. I know you have a lot of energy expended into her.
She reminds me of Baby. Pulled with her entire being in every position except lead. She always did best in point though, right behind her mom. Robin was a good leader. Smart. Always saved her strength for thinking/feeling/hearing the right way to go and/or when she needed to use her physical strength to pull young point dogs back in line.
Chains: I have mostly 3/16@560lbs breaking strength, 15-20ft long. I have a few 7/32"@630lbs, 20ft long & a few 1/4"@720lbs, 20ft long. I have 200ft of 3/8@910lbs as a picket line. That 1 is actually 2 pieces 100ft long joined by a big quicklink. I use 100ft for longer excursions and join them for when I want a picket my dogs for any number of reasons. Of course short periods of time like an hour or 2 or overnight tops.
I dislike axles.
Here's what I do... I take 6-7 links of 3/8 chain and weld it to a 4ft piece of metal rod(I use almost exclusively re-bar. It holds up real good.) with the top most link about an inch from the top. I sharpen the bottom a bit so it goes into ground better. I use a small sledgehammer. The ground peg is level with the ground. Then I use a quicklink to attach the (20') tether chain to the chain links welded onto the ground peg. Make sure that quicklink is rated for equal or more weight than the chain is because if the link breaks your dog is running around with an effectual 20' hangman's noose. So at the "dog end" of the chain I use another quicklink to attach a bullsnap. I have 2 or chains that are almost 10 years old and Regals chain is his original, 11 years. I check all links everyday to make sure everything is secure. A bull snap will last my dogs about 1yr to 1&1/2yrs but I check all the time too.
This works so well that I am very seriously considering taking down my perimeter fence. There's enough interaction and running time they don't really need "free time". My dogs are all pretty happy dogs.
I know a few pix would've been easier but it's still storming here. Our driveway is blown in as is the road to the highway. Haha! From spring like conditions to ful blown 2 day winter blizzard within about an hour.
So ha it's storming pretty good so I been laying around and get up just to check the fire. That's why I didn't just get pix up re: the ground peg setup.
LMK if that's enuf info.

Or too much

 

[RezChamp]

[COLOR=12192C]“Is tethering any worse than crating  8 – 10 hours per day, a common practice among dog owners? Is having a single dog in your home better than a group living environment? These are the types of questions I ask myself.”[/COLOR]

https://craigmedred.news/2016/12/04/sled-dogs-nets-win/

I got too upset to finish reading the comments.
Most people have no idea. OMGoodness I am so hot under the collar right now.
"I'm right and your wrong"
I have 2 words for some people right now and they most certainly aren't "Merry Christmas"

 

[Americano Blue]

I got too upset to finish reading the comments.
Most people have no idea. OMGoodness I am so hot under the collar right now.
"I'm right and your wrong"
I have 2 words for some people right now and they most certainly aren't "Merry Christmas"

I do have to agree with the quote though. People get upset about dogs on chains when they are fine locking their dogs in tiny rooms all day.

I didn't read the comments because I'd get too upset.

 

[RezChamp]

I do have to agree with the quote though. People get upset about dogs on chains when they are fine locking their dogs in tiny rooms all day. 

I didn't read the comments because I'd get too upset. 

And feeding them essentially garbage till they're all butterball and waddling 1/2 block for their daily exercise then medicated for leg problems from being too fat and medicated for diabetes because they are too fat from eating garbage and not enough exercise and medicating them for "seperation anxiety" & "hyperactive" &, &, &, ( dizzy little circles of disrespectful dog care).
It's almost a joke but I feel a strong desire to pity these people because they believe they are right?
Oh well, some people have only 1 brush. "I'm right. You're wrong." is for a child.
I say again "People will see only that which they choose to see and hear only that which they chose to hear."
Since I am aware of that I wish to choose that I will keep an open mind and make decisions when I have personal experience. Yes there is much to be learned by seeing and hearing. I also think?...feel? that experience is the clincher .
Ya...but I just couldn't help it. Kind of an argumentative ----.

Was my earlier post re:chains and ground pegs of any assistance?

 

[RezChamp]

...

I think they're Sepella Alaskans. I might just lease some again. I'm looking for older leaders right now. Arrow isn't turning out to be a leader, but she certainly loves running wheel and swing. 
What size chains do you use? I mean like the links. The one's I've been using have been breaking on me lately so I need to get a new chaining system. (Probably need some car axles too...) 
[/quote

My ground-peg. Haven't welded it yet. Works well. Way better than when I used car/truck axles.
I have used some of these for almost 24 years. Since I move my dogs 2 or 3 times a year I spray wash them and when they dry I use a wire brush( the kind painters use) and get rust off. Then I paint it with rust paint, usually Tremclad.

 

[RezChamp]

Look at the snow we got here.

And it's cold. -21*C right now. But still water under the snow in a lot of areas. So I snowshoed a short trail to the road by my mom and dad's house(pic4). It'll freeze good tonight.
My daughter and I will be taking a team of 6 out tomorrow morn. RIGHT DOWN THE ROAD!

 

[Americano Blue]

And feeding them essentially garbage till they're all butterball and waddling 1/2 block for their daily exercise then medicated for leg problems from being too fat and medicated for diabetes because they are too fat from eating garbage and not enough exercise and medicating them for "seperation anxiety" & "hyperactive" &, &, &, ( dizzy little circles of disrespectful dog care).
It's almost a joke but I feel a strong desire to pity these people because they believe they are right?
Oh well, some people have only 1 brush. "I'm right. You're wrong." is for a child.
I say again "People will see only that which they choose to see and hear only that which they chose to hear."
Since I am aware of that I wish to choose that I will keep an open mind and make decisions when I have personal experience. Yes there is much to be learned by seeing and hearing. I also think?...feel? that experience is the clincher .

Ya...but I just couldn't help it. Kind of an argumentative

----.

Was my earlier post re:chains and ground pegs of any assistance?

Yes! It was very helpful, thank you.

I will hopefully get chains this weekend

Look at the snow we got here.







And it's cold. -21*C right now. But still water under the snow in a lot of areas. So I snowshoed a short trail to the road by my mom and dad's house(pic4). It'll freeze good tonight.
My daughter and I will be taking a team of 6 out tomorrow morn.

RIGHT DOWN THE ROAD!

Yay snow!!!

 

[RezChamp]

Hi Blue. You get snow yet?
I just got back from Midnight Madness. It is -30*C. That's like -22*F. It is "Trees Exploding Moon" temps. I didn't think we were gona get it this year but it's right on time. I actually heard a tree explode this evening.
Well, they don't explode per say. More rather split. It makes a very loud noise. It sounds like a gun when the sound explodes from them.

Hoping the pic(chain&aground-peg) gave you a better idea of what I was tryna say(type) earlier.
Let me know how things work out.

 

[Americano Blue]

Hi Blue. You get snow yet?
I just got back from Midnight Madness. It is -30*C.

That's like -22*F. It is "Trees Exploding Moon" temps. I didn't think we were gona get it this year but it's right on time. I actually heard a tree explode this evening.
Well, they don't explode per say. More rather split. It makes a very loud noise. It sounds like a gun when the sound explodes from them.

Hoping the pic(chain&aground-peg) gave you a better idea of what I was tryna say(type) earlier.
Let me know how things work out.

We have about eight inches!!!! I took the dogs out for a three mile run this morning and they did quiet well, although they had to 'plow' a trail for themselves. We are getting out of school soon and I want to be able to get them out at least every other day.

Yes, that helped a lot! This week I'm going to fence off an area and set up the system for the dogs.