I might be in the Iditarod.

[gaited horse]

Quote:
I'll cheak it out. Thanks everyone for the advice.

 

[snowydiamonds]

A long haired dog is going to be a slower dog because it will overheat and you will also have to be more careful of how a harness is rubbing wrong - always run your hands over the entire length of each dog, tip of nose to tip of tail, down to the toenails and pads, look it all over, often, just like you should a horse, saves time, money and wards off injuries if found immediately and keep an eye on any problems you find, do something to remedy the situation asap until its gone, if found.

Start looking at gear needed, compile the initial cost of new and keep an eye out for used gear. Keep in mind the used gear will need repair (time/money) and do not throw something away that can be repaired or used to repair necessary equipment. Wash your gear, too, dirt, sweat, grime stinks and doesn't feel all that great, most gear is made to be breathable and cannot function properly if never cleaned.

Start researching dogs, you'll find Sprint Racers differ compared to slower, Working Teams or Distance Runners, dogs meant for hotter climates vs colder climates all usually have some Husky in them but there are also other breeds mixed in, too. Think about the over all health of the dog team you want to put together, such as ears...are they going to be suseptible to freezing? If so, you want a stand up ear like huskies have (Icelandic Horses, too, have perfect ears for winter weather). Coat of the dogs, a normal "short" haired coat of a Siberian is perfect in many ways. Tough pads are essential, yes, you toughen them up in training but some dogs will have "softer" pads and you may run into/usually run into problems. Make sure your dog harnesses fit properly, a harness and a dog are not automatically going to be a perfect fit- watch for signs of ill fit or ill wear, shoulder injuries, etc., once you "think" you have a perfect fit.

Some dogs are built in body and mind to fit in certain places in the team, some will be nearest the sled, some in the middle, one or two will be exceptional up in front as the leader(s). If you have a very good idea of what your dogs are capable of, you'll have a leader up front and a dog just behind that can go up front when needed, this will take some time to figure out for both you and the dogs.

Read some of those books mentioned and others, you'll need to know mushing "slang" such as the words and meanings of; "mush, haw, gee" and others.

Find mushers near you and start hanging out there in their dog lots if they will allow you to help feed and scoop poop, constantly reminding yourself how you might do better with your own dog lot in ways to keep it clean, healthy and happy. You'll see a "heat pen" and a "puppy pen" and dog boxes with a stationary pole or pipe with a chain, straw for bedding, fresh water must be accessible. You'll need to learn about nutrition and think about how and when to feed commercial dog chow and to cook dog feed. You'll learn to watch each time you go into the dog yard to look not only at the outward appearance of each dog and its mental state, physical state but also look at the urine and feces, you can tell a lot about a dog (horse, chicken flock, etc) each time you see what the poop looks like, daily.

Scoop the poop, very important! Have a place to dispose of it, situate your dog houses where the dogs will be comfortable, never in standing water, waste, watch how the wind blows when the dog will be spending most of its time sleeping and face the back of the dog box to the wind. Always shovel out the dog boxes, even in the middle of blizzards to ensure your dog's well being.

Enough for now, I've got quite a bit to do in two days off and there is never enough time to do it all since I've also got to prepare to go on the night shift following my "weekend" but what I've written so far is a lifelong thing to live by. I must also include and shouldn't...but I really dislike the current fad of breeding German Shorthair blood into husky teams. A lot of mushers are currently doing so because they say the German SH is a "strong and pulling fool" but GSH's are much too intelligent and it is a very sad fact you will NOT get what you want from the first or second litters, you will have "toss aways" that no one wants and the sad eyes looking at you/humans just kills me! It takes between a second or third generation to begin obtaining what the mushers are wanting in the dogs and this is where someone mentioned in the beginning of this post that you would need to be prepared to cull heavily...IMO, it isn't worth it to do the breeding and would be much better if you do want this type of dog, to try to obtain one already "made" but it is a costly mutt you will be paying highly for...it also saddens me to see a husky bred down to that type of dog, most are not made to endure any type of cold hardiness and the dogs suffer even though the musher eventually gets what they want out of the dog---they have other problems in maintenance or general and every day upkeep, a high maintenance dog that needs coddling. (Its not in me to apologize to anyone if I offend them in regard to this type of breeding, I always take first consideration of the dog(s) health and well being as that is what a caretaker should do.)

Oh! Vaccinations and worming, keep on a schedule and take some courses on Nutrition and Anatomy if you can, it will help tremendously in the care of your future team

 

[gaited horse]

Quote:
Thank you for your help. I too have no problem telling ppl what I think of there breeding.
I vaccinate my dogs so I know how to do that.