Sled dog training is an art, some say, and needs to be started early, rather than late. Since every dog is different, the method used too will have to change as every dog will not react in the same way.
The starting point in sled dog training is at around eight weeks, when you would ideally get the dog to drag a small weight for at least a few minutes every day. This needs to be teamed up with a collar and harness. It is important to make sure that neither the harness nor the collar is too tight as it needs to feel comfortable on the dog. If the potential sled dog finds it painful or uncomfortable, it will subsequently be a constant uphill battle to get the dog trained appropriately.
Different sled dog training experts have different opinions and ways of training, so it really depends on what you are willing to do at different stages. For instance, some sled dog training advice calls for training beginning at 2 months while others recommend 4 months; some methods suggest dragging lightweights only twice a week, while others suggest daily use of this practice.
You could be considering sled dog training in preparation for sled dog racing perhaps and this involves training a whole team of sled dogs. Although this is a tough task, it is important to take the process of training each and every dog slowly as it is difficult to train all the sled dogs together. Once you have trained one sled dog, you could then slowly add the newer sled dogs in training one by one. The first few runs as a sled dog team need to be kept short and simple and limit your team to between three or four dogs while training.
Here are a few websites which could be useful for some extra reading and tips on dog sledding and sled dog training:
www.seppalasleddogs.com
www.gomush.com
www.workingdogweb.com
There are also various terms that you as the musher will need to learn and get your sled dogs used to. Some of them are listed below:
Easy: slow down
Hike: start moving
Haw: turn left
Gee: turn right
On by: ignore distraction or another team and go by
Whoa: stop
Sled dog training is more difficult and complex than basic obedience training and requires a lot of patience and hard work. If you prefer professional advice on sled dog training, then perhaps you could also look at joining a sled dog training program.
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Penny Mena has been a dog owner since childhood, so she has experienced a vast array of dog behaviors. The review of Sled Dog Training has been done with these experiences in mind. For more information, please go to Information About Dog Training .
