Haha, that's awesome! So do you walk your cat outside sometimes and then you've trained her to listen to the directional commands?

Hell yeah, life goals 👍While not sleds in snow, Rottweilers were also originally bred to pull loads. They called them the "butcher's dog" because way back in the day, they would pull little wagons with the butcher's meats to the town market. Super interesting breed!

@@huskytrails3654 why thank you for the fun fact on rottweilers

@@huskytrails3654 next summer I'm gonna take a trip to the rottweiler ancestral home Rottweil Germany

There is just something so purely joyful about dog zoomies 😊

Awesome, I'm glad it helped. Feel free to post here if you have any questions. I'll be uploading new content again soon as well.

Nice! That's a lot of dog power 💪 Do you do any sort of mushing with them?

That's awesome. Does it mean anything or was it just a random word you used? Ah, the spitting back out part on command, master class 👏 Wished that worked reliably with mine 😂

It's not always the same, it differs with factors like season/temperature and whether we're in the beginning or already a little into our training season. Generally, I do this less in the summer and only on days/during times where we're no higher than about 63 F. Since we can't do this regularly in the summer due to temperatures, when we go, we go about 2-3 miles. In the fall/winter, we essentially start as soon as it got colder and build up over time. We'll start with 2-3 miles and then build up to about 6. So I'd say on an average winter day, when we've already had some training in, it's 5-6 miles. But it's really important to slowly build up to longer distances. Dogs need to train their muscles and cardio very much the same way we do. Hope this helped. Happy mushing to you and your pup 😊🚲

That's awesome. Having a husky that is already experienced to show a newcomer is such a great way to do it. It's like you're sharing the training load 😊 Yes, that's a good point. Dogs have vastly different personalities and some are more confident than others, which of course influences the training. Your strategy sounds great, doing the bulk of training where you know he's comfortable and with fewer distractions and then having him focus on the run when outside. Forward movement/work mode is always a great trick to boost focus. Thank you for sharing that!

@@huskytrails3654 yup yup its so helpful

I'm glad you found it helpful. That's awesome that you and your pup are getting into the sport and that your pup is taking to it so well. It's such a fun hobby to do together. If you find that your established commands work well for you two for bikejoring, then there is no need to retrain them really. Only thing to keep in mind is if you think there could otherwise be confusion for your dog or too much overlap with other activities or associations or anything along those lines. But feel free to post here if you come across any questions while training. Happy trails to you and your pup!

Hi and thank you for your comment. There isn't really a right or wrong IMO. In general, yes, having a tight line is desired simply because it makes tangles and tripping less likely. When you have slack in the line, you run the risk of getting it tangled up in your tire, it getting caught on rocks or roots, and it wearing out faster. So you generally wanna keep an eye on that. But it also depends a bit on what your mushing goals are and on the dog's personality too. In my experience and opinion, some people just take this a bit too seriously. Are the people who told you this competing in dog races or do sprint mushing by chance? If you do sprint mushing or are training for races, then constant tension on the line is important because your goal is to hold a certain speed. When the dog is at a slower trot, it's actually quite difficult to keep constant tension on the line. It's ok with something like canicross, but it is more challenging to slow-pedal with a bike for example, so a loose line happens here and there. In my case, we only do this recreationally and I trained Laika at a trotting pace from the beginning (one reason is because it's healthier for the dog long-term). I mainly let her decide the pace actually. When it's a good stretch of trail, or she's having a very high-energy day, she'll break into sprints and then drop to a trot again when she feels like it. As I'm not working towards a specific sprint goal, I take my speed cues from her. It is also a personality type. Laika simply isn't a consistent puller. She's a very strong puller and fast sprinter, but not constant. This is not unusual and another reason why I find it funny that people seem to say that it must be this way. I guarantee you most mushers with larger teams will tell you that they have dogs that do not consistently pull. They call them "cheaters" sometimes or the consistent pullers are often called "hard-working." In my experience, what mushers mean by "It's a hard working dog" is that those dogs are consistent pullers, not that the other ones don't pull at all. I'm not sure I fully understand the "working" and "safety" argument they gave you. When I put a pulling harness on my dog, gather our equipment, and we go out and set up on the trail, she knows what we're about to do and that it's not going to be a regular walk and she just switches into a working-mode. Especially if I walk her first to get all her sniffs and pees out, they understand the difference. And with a sense of safety and security, I'd say that's a general relationship thing between you and your dog. By just living and training together, my dog has learned that I'm taking care of her needs and safety, she knows to come to me or take cues from me in a situation where she's unsure. For example, a few weeks ago, we had an off-leash German Shepherd run right into us in the middle of a nice sprint. The dog was friendly but wanted to play and didn't listen to his owner calling him back. He just kept jumping up on Laika and circling her. Laika growled and snapped at him to stop but he didn't. It ended up with Laika being completely tangled up in our mushing line, she looked like a Christmas present 😂 She couldn't even really move anymore. But instead of starting a dog fight, she came back and sat between my legs and the bike because she knew I was going to take care of the situation. So I'm not quite sure I know what you mean with that aspect. Could you give some more context or an example what exactly they meant with the dog feeling more safe and secure when the line is tight? TLDR: Not all mushing dogs are strong pullers and/or consistent pullers. Every mushing team's situation is different based on their individual goals and training. Mushers should always take their speed and energy cues from their dogs. However, it is advantageous to not have a slack line to avoid tangles and line damage. But a big part of it is also to enjoy being outside and active together as a team, it doesn't always have to be taken super seriously 😉

Exactly! That was one of my main goals for making this channel, to give people who are interested in mushing sports a sort of "one stop shop" with information - and to show people that this isn't rocket science and that anybody can do this really. Like you say, a lot of it is common sense. It is more that people need to keep a few things in mind and follow some steps to set themselves up for success. So I'd say it's maybe complex to an extent, but not complicated. But information about this on the Internet can be spotty or confusing or even contradicting and I think many people are overwhelmed or confused and don't know where to start. And like you say, sometimes it just comes together better when you can watch it being demonstrated. I'm glad this helped you get back into it 💪 What an exciting journey to embark on together with your new pup. GSP sounds like the perfect energy bundle to do this with too 😊

Thank you for your sweet comment. I'm glad you find the videos helpful 😊 I've been crazy busy lately but will start to post regularly again this summer.

@huskytrails3654 oh Awsome ! my first thought when I noticed the post was 9 mos ago lol I was like omg I hope she makes . More content & tutorials , are you like a professor , because you like have an absolute natural inspiration type of energy in your instructions.🤩

@@feather_indian_not_red_dot1269 Lol, you guessed it! Yes, I teach classes and administer a program at a college. But I'm also trying to finish my doctoral thesis - which is why I haven't been able to post for some time. I'm hopefully done this summer 🤞 and I already have a few new videos in the pipeline. So stay tuned 😊

Good question - and yes! You cannot use a standard x-back harness or other full-body harness if your dog is running next to you and pulling. The reason is that the line would be attached at the base of the tail and that would pull your dog's hips sideways. Not only would that interfere with your dog's gait but it would likely also cause hip or spine issues over time. There are some half-body harnesses (like the one in the video) that have a movable strap. This means that the tug-loop part of the harness (where the line is attached) can move to the left and right along the dog's body. This allows for some sideways pulling without the dog having to adjust their angle or gait. There are also fully-body harnesses that are used for sports like carting that have line attachment points at the side. However, I want to add that any pulling on the side should be extremely minimal as it is anatomically not ideal for the dog. If your dog is essentially just running next to your bike and you just want to have them on a lead and there is just a small tug here and there with otherwise loose-lead running, then you can do that. But if you are thinking of having your dog actually pull, especially with more force and speed, then the dog needs to run and pull in the front. Hope this helped 😊

@@huskytrails3654 Thank you so much! Very helpful.

If the dog doesn't like it he will not pull I have seen it and they ain't beating them to make em run no spurs or whips like horses... this is dogs exercising with their owners and having fun... make your opinions based on facts next time 😉

@lowerydj They get conditioned under the harness, how about making them exercise with less weight. Yes, they like to run but not conditioned under someone's dictating how long they run. I invite you to watch online the barbaric treatment Ryan Redington gave to innocent dogs on the stupid Iditarod event. He should be in jail.

@@yolandawilliamson5988 Working dogs *have* to work. If they aren't given mental stimulation, they get very stressed and depressed, or destructive and likely rehomed. There's a very big difference between a dog having a job and a dog having exercise. Huskies are bred to have this job in their genes, just like how Border Collies and Aussies are bred to herd and work livestock. They legitimately LIVE to do this and if you can't get them this outlet they will suffer for it. I don't condone mistreatment of a dog to do a job of course, but to generally say mushing should not exist is ignorant. Put a husky in a standard house with no outlet, and that husky will go absolutely insane from mental and physical neglect.

Stop painting everyone who uses these commands with the same brush and learn a little bit more about working breeds and their fulfillment please. ​@@yolandawilliamson5988

I thought the same as you until I started being with dogs that enjoy mushing. They seem eager and delighted to mush and seem disappointed when we stop.

In general, if your dog already knows it and reacts well to "leave it," you can use that as well. There really is only a nuanced difference between the two in that "leave it" is often trained while the dog is stopped and the dog is often supposed to look away from the object or at you instead, for example when they're staring at food on the table. "On-by" emphasizes a bit more that the dog keeps moving and doesn't stop or veer to investigate something. So I'd say as long as your dog doesn't stop when you say "leave it," go ahead and use that one.

Sorry for the late reply! They indeed seem to be hard to find right now. The mushing outfitter I bought mine from many years ago (Nooksack Racing Supply) seems to have switched to a metal antenna since. It seems they are overall more popular in Europe but harder to find all around. I found these two European manufacturers that still sell them, but you'd have to check if they ship to Canada. snowpawstore.com/collections/bikejor-arms/products/rowerland-bikejor-arm speedog.com/bikejoring/bike-bayonet Hope one of them works out for you 🤞

@@huskytrails3654 haha no worries! Thanks for your answer 💜🐺

@@marie-jeannehuberdeau7368 If you send me an email on my channel email ([email protected]), I might be able to help you out with the bayonet 😊

I know the intro is a bit long in this one. But those are all relevant pieces of the puzzle IMO. These are questions I get asked a lot and it emphasizes some basics people should keep in mind to set themselves and their dogs up for success down the road. And yes, often things in dog training are "common sense," but keep in mind that many people are unsure, overthink things, are confused by conflicting information they find etc. So it can be very reassuring to see that activities that seem complex and scary are doable by taking small steps that can be easily achieved with their dogs.

Thank you for your kind words 😊 I'm planning to post a new one soon that will show how important training commands is.

Not sure if you've already found this, but I have a video that specifically goes over training commands, including "on-by" and might be helpful for the stage you and your pup are at (kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZiTYmhpf9Jjmck). On-by often takes the longest for the dog to learn or consistently execute, so just sticking with it might get you there in a bit. However, if your dog reacts well to "leave it," you should be able to use that as well. There really is only a nuanced difference between the two in that "leave it" is often trained while the dog is stopped and the dog is often supposed to look at you instead, while "on-by" emphasizes that the dog keeps moving and doesn't stop or veer. So I'd say as long as your dog doesn't stop when you say "leave it," go ahead and use that one 👍

What kind of dog do you have? It won't matter for the bungee line and belt for you. But most harnesses you get at mushing outfitters are sized towards more traditional mushing breeds (huskies, hound mixes). Since the bungee line is attached at a steeper angle for canicross, I'd recommend you get a half-harness (this also works great for hiking and bikejoring). One of the half-harnesses I use is Howling Dog Alaska's "Distance Harness" (howlingdogalaska.com/collections/harnesses/products/distance-harness ). Depending on how small your dog is though, this may not be a great fit for you and they don't do custom sizes unfortunately. I can also recommend Mountain Ridge (www.mtnridge.com/Padded-Tracking-Harness_p_38.html) and Alpine Outfitters (www.alpineoutfitters.net/collections/harnesses/products/copy-of-urban-trail-adjustable-harness-half-back-shorty-custom-crafted ). They both do custom sizes and might work better for your pup. For the other equipment, you'll need a bungee line and a belt. The bungee line should be between 6-9 ft (also sometimes called skijoring or bikejoring line). Some may come with an attached tugline, but you don't need that for canicross. The belts come with and without leg loops and are sometimes called trekking belt or skijoring belt. Whether or not you want leg loops is totally up to you (without is typically a bit cheaper). All of the above mushing outfitters also offer belts. They sometimes also offer bundles or starter packs where you can already buy a line and belt (sometimes harness) set. Hope this helped. Feel free to post here if you have more questions. Happy shopping and happy trails to you and your pup 🏃‍♀🐕‍🦺

Thank you! I have a Miniature Pinscher x Podenco. She's wolesome❤

@@teddydiamondhoof7983 Oh cool, Podenco is something you don't hear every day. That sounds like a really cute mix. My girl is a Siberian Husky at 45 lbs and her harnesses are usually size small, sometimes medium-small. For some of the above recommendations, an xtra-small might work for you guys. But I'm still guessing custom might be the route to go. Hope you find a harness that works well for you 🤞

Thanks!❤️

Thank you, I'm glad you found it helpful 😊 Believe it or not, 10 minutes uninterrupted at full sprint is actually more than it sounds like (you would actually already be at a couple of miles distance). I would start out with a 10 minute walk so that your dog can stretch and warm up her muscles, get all her sniffs and peeing out etc. and then start the actual bikejoring. Warming up the muscles is really important, especially if you're planning on sprinting a lot. Depending on your dog, you can directly start at a sprint if you want and then I would just play it by ear. I would go by distance rather than time. Maybe start with 1 - 1.5 miles max. I wouldn't start with more and then slowly build up from there. Your key factor will be more to keep a close eye on your dog. If you feel your girl is slowing down, losing focus or interest, or generally looks like she's struggling or pushing, it was already too much. Like any other dog training, you need to find the perfect sweet spot where your dog still has energy and fun with this when you call it so that she will have a very positive association with the exercise. Once you've build up to where she is able to sustain that easily and push for more (and this will be anything between a few weeks or months, depending on how regularly you do this and how she's taking to it mentally and physically), you can do a sprint, take a short break (don't feed anything other than a very small snack and some water during your break!), and then do another sprint, yes. That's actually how I do my mushing runs. We start with maybe about 1.5 - 2 miles at the beginning of the season and work our way up to 5-6 miles. And we do exactly what you said. We mush a few miles, take a break, and then mush a few miles back, pack up, and go home. I wait to feed her for at least 30 minutes after our run. Make sure to massage her a little bit after the workout and don't worry if she walks a little stiff the day after. You should also give her 2-3 days rest before you go for another run. It's just like us when we try a new workout or after not having done anything for a long time. Rest and recovery is just as much an important part of it. I hope this helped work out a routine and training plan for you guys. Watch your dog, go with your gut, and really take your time to start small and easy at the beginning and slowly build up. It will give you the better foundation to build on for more ambitious goals because you are on the safe side with happiness and health levels. It is a lot more difficult to dial back, or even have to take a longer break and start over again, because of injuries or bad experiences because you pushed too hard at the beginning. And if there is anything physically, when in doubt, check it with your vet. Happy trails to you and your Golden 🚲🦮

I'm glad it was helpful 😊 Yes! Many people don't even realize that a verbal praise or attention from their humans in general is also a form of praise for dogs. I hope you and your pup have fun getting into these sports. Feel free to post here if you come across any specific questions.

It doesn't always have to be high-speed mushing 😊 It almost sounds like your dog might be chasing after your shadow. I typically don't do any night mushing. Is there anything that you do differently at night vs daytime?

"On by" is the command for the dog to keep walking and ignore a distraction. I have another video about training the mushing commands where I talk about that one and the other commands in more detail. I'm not sure why exactly it's called that. My guess is that it simply comes from the expression "to walk on by."

@@huskytrails3654 thanks :)

Aaw, thank you for your sweet words, that totally made my day 🥰 Yes, I have a couple of topics lined up for more videos already. I'm unfortunately crazy busy right now with my day-job and dissertation. But I'm hoping to post regular videos again very soon.

@@huskytrails3654 I've watched a couple. Theyre beautiful!

Exactly! And I didn't even notice the stoat when I was out there. Didn't see the little guy until I watched the footage later.

I'm glad it helped further fine-tune your routine 😊 What kind of service dogs are they if you don't mind me asking? And yes, so many people don't realize that they talk all the time at their dogs and that they will just tune out after a while, just like people 😂 Oh, Belgian Malinois are such pretty and athletic dogs. Happy trails to you guys!

@@huskytrails3654 Malinois are trained for mobility and I use them to pull me up inclines and assist on going up stairs on low energy day, open/close doors, turn on and off lights, carry things, notify me to take meds, notify me of some danger, as I don’t hear well, one has been taking my socks off for me for four years, they act as a holding point to stand up, two have been trained to recover me to my jet ski if I go in the water, at times they have acted as therapy dogs for other veterans. Probably a good bit more tasks that I haven’t listed. I got diagnosed with asbestosis 7 years ago and they have been keeping me active. During my morning walks they pull me along until I loosen up and start walking better. I always hear people say don’t let your dog(s) out in front of you and don’t hook them to you. I have walked my dogs in front of me for years and have used line pull with leash, hand signals and verbal commands. My dogs also know if I hand signal and give wrong verbal command to go off the hand signal. I’m not wheelchair bound, but got a wheelchair for training the pups to be around and I expose them to all things I can (large events with horses, dogs, people, little kids). My neighbors and friends say I have the Melbourne Dog Sled Team, as I walk three to four at one time. I plan to add in the verbal commands and then work on them pulling the wheelchair around the neighborhood. Who knows maybe we will think about doing some type of sport with them pulling me. Thanks again enjoying the videos and learning some new things from them.

@@irylljones2787 Thank you for your detailed reply. That is so fascinating and tremendously impressive. I am always amazed by how much dogs can learn, help us out in our daily life, and the incredibly close bond that can develop between dogs (especially dogs with a job) and their owners. I am so sorry that you were diagnosed with asbestosis but it sounds like your dogs are a great help to you both as companions and also by helping you navigate safely through your day 💜You must have put so much time, effort, and patience into training your dogs to have them be at that top level of support. Truly truly impressive 👏 Also, wheelchair mushing is actually a thing! There is a small but solid community out there. Small things about the setup are different, but it's overall extremely similar. If you're curious, you should definitely check it out. I bet your dogs would take to it super quickly. I wish you and your pack all the best on your future adventures and let me know if I can answer anything else (although it sounds like I can probably learn a lot more from you training wise ;))

@@huskytrails3654 Thanks, yes I have spent lots of time training and everyday I try to learn more. I started working a two year old Malinois with the commands and she’s responding well already. Thanks again, will see how they do later on and May try a sport out with one of them.

Some dogs respond better to really enthusiastic praise. Try ramping it up, like your dog just win the lottery. Most people use praise that’s too low key. Another thought if your dog is more food motivated is to get them to associate praise with food. Such as say “good dog!” Quickly followed by a treat. Same idea is used with clicker training, it’s called “loading the clicker” but you’d be “loading” praise. Re pulling, not sure but maybe try getting the dog to pull only light weights at first and went they do pour on the praise. Might also help to have a person or dog run in front to get them motivated to run. Hope that was helpful.

@@naterouillard3965 thanks its worth trying 🫡

Hi, sorry for my late reply. The other reply here was great, so I'm not going to repeat that and just add another thought. I'm sure your dog understands when you say "Good job!" or whatever you use at home. As already mentioned by the other commenter, you can say it a bit more enthusiastically/emphasized. Positive attention from people is always understood as praise by dogs (many people actually overly reward with treats; often, a verbal praise is totally enough for the dog). Another way you can reassure your dog he did the right thing is by picking up the pace a bit upon correct command execution. Introducing a bit more dynamic works especially well with husky breeds typically. As for the pulling, if your dog doesn't naturally go ahead and pull, you could hook him up with a dog that does if you have that available to you. Many dogs find it very motivating to walk together with other dogs. But if this isn't an option for you, see if you can find another human do go on walks with you and have them walk in front of your dog and motivate him (not necessarily with treats if possible) to go forward. Often with husky breeds, doing this at a faster pace makes it easier for the dog. So you could do this at a light jog possibly. Has your dog been discouraged in the past to not pull on the leash? If so, that could be what's holding your dog back. But it is reversible, it would just take a bit longer because your dog has to essentially work up the courage again to do that and then get used to it again. If this is the case, you and everybody who walks your dog will have to let the dog pull a bit on the leash on walks and not discourage that. I know it's counter to how we usually want dogs to behave on a normal leash walk, but if your dog is hesitant with pulling, it has to be the same all around (at least until he fully understands the difference between mushing activity and walks). The last thing I can think of is the harness. When you try to practice this on walks with your dog, what kind of harness do you use? If you use a type of "no-pull" harness or walk your dog on the collar (where pulling is uncomfortable), then I would start by buying a proper pulling harness. Otherwise, it could also just be that your dog is physically uncomfortable with pulling. Many little things to try. I hope one of them will work for you. Good luck to you and your pup!

Yeah, they get confused a lot. There are also a lot of husky-malamute mixes out there. It's difficult to tell sometimes. A pure bred Siberian Husky is surprisingly small. Alaskan Malamutes are also among the OG sled dogs though. I'm sure you'll have a blast with them 😊

@@huskytrails3654 I've had my fur baby girls 3.5 years; I've got stories and it's never a dull moment.. rescued as previous owners couldn't handle malamute/ timber wolf mix. I'm very patient with them; they're spoiled rotten

Some get confused easily with those but you got 2 bigger dogs so you should sled easy 😆

Hi, that's a great question! When I started out, I was told that as well and have honestly found that it's not really necessary. But it depends a little on your overall situation. If you only have one or two dogs and they're good at not wildly running around while you get ready in the back, you don't really need them to hold the line out straight. Line-Out is more important for larger teams that while the musher or handlers are hooking up the other dogs, they can rely on the line staying in place. It's more of a problem when you have many dogs and they're banging in their harness or starting to squirrel all over the place, then you'd risk them getting tangled up and lines crossing etc. and then you need dogs up front who are reliable with keeping the line in order. But I also know mushers with large teams who don't use the line-out command. They have simply taught their dogs to sit or stay in place until the whole show is ready to go. That's how I do it with my dog as well. She knows to stay up front and be calm until we're ready to go. Sometimes she sits down and waits and sometimes she steps a little to the left or right to sniff and look a little bit. But she stays up front and waits until we're ready. So I personally think it is more important to teach your dog(s) to stay up front and wait in place and then you really don't need the line-out command. The important thing is really that they don't turn around and come back towards you or create some sort of chaos. Hope this helped, happy trails to you and your pup 😊

Nice! I'm sure your Champ will love working on something new with you. Any standard x-back harness should work. There are also half-harnesses (like the one we're using in this video), but if you specifically want him to pull a sled, I'd go with an x-back harness. You can google for mushing outfitters around you, you might have some local ones. I personally have had great experiences with Howling Dog Alaska (howlingdogalaska.com/collections/harnesses), Nooksack Racing Supply (nooksackracingsupply.com/product/standard-harness/), Mountain Ridge (www.mtnridge.com/HARNESSES_c_35.html), and Non-Stop Dogwear (www.nonstopdogwear.com/en/harnesses/). Nooksack and Mountain Ridge in my opinion have the fairest prices, Non-Stop is over in Europe and a little more on the pricey side. Another one many people use is Alpine Outfitters (www.alpineoutfitters.net/collections/harnesses). They're all solid mushing outfitters, have great customer service, and will be able to advice you if you have questions with measurements etc. For the line, you can get a line with a built-in bungee section with or without an attached tugline. I'd go with a combined one and then you can be flexible doing activities with and without it. All of the mushing outfitters above will sell those as well. You can find them as "skijoring line" or "bikejoring line." Some outfitters also offer starter packs that come with a harness and line as a bundle. I have a video on a one-dog small sled setup that gives you an idea of what that all will look like (kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5bbk2d3jpWio7c). Hope this helped. Let me know if you have any more questions. Happy trails to you and Champ!

Do you mean for when there's no snow? That category is called "dryland mushing" and it can be done with a lot of different setups. For 1-2 dogs, many people use a bike (=bikejoring). Here is a video link to the equipment and setup you would need for that (kzbin.info/www/bejne/a4HMknyVo9iFpbs). For 3+ dogs, people use what's called a rig, it's essentially a mushing tricycle (www.articrigs.com/index.php/dryland-racing-rigs ). And for really large teams, people use an ATV. There is also a related sport called "carting" and they use literal wagons (k9carting.com/product/dog-wagon/). The key difference is though that you wouldn't be standing on it anymore, you would be walking next to it. Traditionally, it is used to haul things. That's for example what Rottweilers were originally bred for, to pull the butcher's wagon to the market. Dogs that are usually used for carting are from the molosser/mastiff family, for example Bernese Mountain Dogs. They are slightly more suitable because of their wide and bulkier/stronger build. This is also not done at a trotting or sprinting speed for which those types of dogs wouldn't be ideal. You could probably do carting with a husky, but they might get a bit bored with not being able to go faster. I'm not sure if this is what you meant by using a wagon. But either way, for anything mushing, I would not use a homemade wagon. I would narrow down exactly what type of mushing or mushing-related activity you want to do and then look specifically for a vehicle that fits that. There are a lot of factors that go into this like the right tires, brakes, dimensions to make it safe. I hope this helped!

@@huskytrails3654 That is what I was talking about. I do have a husky a male. He is almost a year old. He will be in January and I'm really new to his breed and 53 years old. And he is a handful to say the least. But I have grown to love him ended up with him. In some weird circumstances that I won't go into. Because it would take me a while to explain. I would've never chose ahusky as a pet enormous circumstances. But I'm so glad that he came along when he did. But he's so active that I need something to drill some of the energy out of him without it. Being attacking me, he doesn't attack me. He is so playful, but he is a brute. Big dog and he is a bit much to handle. So I just wanna work some energy off of him. And is this the best I get? I guess the idea of a way to do that. I do have some properties that I could fence and let him run. I'm planning to do that. However, finances do not allow it at this moment. I just want what's best for him. And I'm afraid you know like I say that if I don't work some of that energy off I'm just not going to be able to take care of him like he needs. I can eat any advice is very much appreciated and what advice you've already given and the video certainly appreciate that explained everything I need to do with the bike to the tea. The only thing I have issue with is there are no trails where I'm at and I would have to run him on pavement and it says not to do that. So therefore I'm kind of stuck in limbo on all of it. But thank you so much

@@ronniegriffith983 It sounds like you and your husky really found each other. Many owners come to their dogs in unplanned and adventurous ways, I'm sure you'll grow into a really good team. The fact that you're thinking about what you could do with your husky and are reaching out to inform yourself shows how responsible you are and how much you care. I think that's awesome. Not every dog owner does, even people who planned for their dogs. Good for you and for your pup 💙 Yes, you're right. You shouldn't do any mushing on pavement. At least not regularly. You don't have to go to like gigantic National Parks or whatever. If you have any park with a little trail system or even dirt roads through wooded areas or meadows etc. will work just the same. Sometimes even city parks can be an option. Another option, at least for the winter, could be golf courses and country clubs near you. Sometimes they will open their property to the public in the off season. I would not immediately start with a bike, sled, skis etc anyway. Your husky should be about a year old before you guys do any pulling. Until then, or for the next weeks or so as you guys get started, you should start with training mushing commands. That is something you don't even need a trail system or anything for. You can do that on your regular walks. Here's the link to my video going over how to teach that (kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZiTYmhpf9Jjmck). The cool thing with this is that any form of mental exercise (e.g. training mushing commands, training general obedience like sit/down/stay, or any type of mental game) will tucker your dog out similarly to physical exercise. So I would start with that. It will tire your dog out and it will also strengthen the bond between you guys. You will grow together and learn to trust each other and become a team. This part is just as much fun and it will be the foundation for everything you do later, mushing or just in general 😊 Here is also a link to a cool game you can do with your dog inside kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZ2Tp3qip7GNntU Another mushing-related activity you can do that doesn't require a wheeled rig or anything but gives the dog a similar exercise is canicross (= jogging with your dog mushing style) or going on hikes (also with a mushing setup). I would say start with all of these things. This will keep you guys busy for a while and take it all at a speed where you can get used to each other and then learn and grow more together into the sport. Huskies are also general adventure dogs and if you're active in any way outdoors, for example go camping, they are great to just take along. They are happy as long as they can do some sort of job with you and be on an adventure with you. You don't have to start with sledding from the getgo. I didn't either. No need to rush anything. Again, I think it's awesome what you did and are doing for the husky. I'm sure he is super grateful and will become a great adventure buddy for you. I wish you guys all the best. Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions 🍀

@@huskytrails3654 Thank you so much first of all for the compliment. Appreciate it. However, I feel that I fall far short of anything that the dog probably needs. But I try my best. I walk with him every night. Which most of the time turns into some running jogging. He is really really active I'll live in the mountain. And there are plenty of woods. There are no trails through but kind of adventurous myself and th there have been trails through them in the past. That's just grown up. No reason they can't be put back in. And he has already explored the woods on several occasions when he escaped. Anyway, LOLI wouldn't really say escaped. But I'm gonna tell you a little bit about hell. I met balto us his name. There was a girl that chose the name. I didn't have it in me to give him a name at the time. Last January my house burned to the ground. I lost everything I had most importantly. My only friend I had in the world. My little long hair Chihuahua. Well, he didn't make it out. And and it's weird how everything where and has gone since and continues. But the the mother of Baltimore. Showed up at my house, one lady had stopped me a few nights before and show me a picture of a husky that was medicine and I told her that I was out a lot. If i'd seen it I would let her know. She said the number was on the call. The dog that came here she. She didn't have a call lately. Beautiful dog out. I fell in love with her pretty much instantly. Also, however, I could not see her. She was at the stage that percent is at now. Probably minute just Bein at rambunk rambunk's. I guess I don't know what the words would be what you would say, though. I can't deposit so gave her to these people they lived in Kentucky and I am in virginiand what about an hour and a have for me worked with my cousin? The people that I gave her to turned up. She was pregnant though and when they found out that. But my Chihuahua didn't. Make it out of the fire. They offered me one of her pups. And I was so very hesitant about eighty sthing much less ever own And he has already explored the woods on several occasions when he escaped. Anyway, LOLI wouldn't really say escaped. But I'm gonna tell you a little bit about hell. I met balto us his name. There was a girl that chose the name. I didn't have it in me to give him a name at the time. Last January my house burned to the ground. I lost everything I had most importantly. My only friend I had in the world. My little long hair Chihuahua. Well, he didn't make it out. And and it's weird how everything where and has gone since and continues. But the the mother of Baltimore. Showed up at my house, one lady had stopped me a few nights before and show me a picture of a husky that was medicine and I told her that I was out a lot. If i'd seen it I would let her know. She said the number was on the call. The dog that came here she. She didn't have a call lately. Beautiful dog out. I fell in love with her pretty much instantly. Also, however, I could not see her. She was at the stage that percent is at now. Probably minute just Bein at rambunk rambunk's. I guess I don't know what the words would be what you would say, though. I can't deposit so gave her to these people they lived in Kentucky and I am in virginiand what about an hour and a have for me worked with my cousin? The people that I gave her to turned up. She was pregnant though and when they found out that. But my Chihuahua didn't. Make it out of the fire. They offered me one of her pups. And I was so very hesitant about 80 saying. Thanks much less ever own another. Even a goldfish. But that got me still to this day still do you? It is I don't know how to explain what that has done to me. There's a lot of other things that go along with what I'm just kind of giving you the. Overall, just of what matters I guess when it all comes down. But there's a lot of things that get all around this town where my house burn. And to be quite honesthis has really taken A mental toll on me that I would not wish own. Another reason I don't feel like I'm appropriate to have balto right now but honestly. You need sanity if I have any left. Yes, because of him that I still have it. He has been a great help in a lot of is hard in others I'm sorry I don't talk to anyone about this thank you for your attention advice vidios and most of all your kindness God bless you all the best to you and yours

@@ronniegriffith983 I am so truly sorry for what you had to go through and are still going through. I can't even imagine 😢 But maybe this husky puppy was on some level meant to come into your life and now you have someone at your side to walk the road ahead together with. It sounds like your husky is still fairly young, so I really wouldn't worry about actual pulling at this point. I'd focus on getting the basic commands down and just adjusting to each other and growing together as a team and figuring things out together. You can also already get your dog used to some mushing equipment like a pulling harness and walking on a bungee leash and the idea of being up front and (ever so slightly) pulling. All of this will take time anyway. So by the time your dog is fully grown and you might consider a mushing rig, you guys will already be ready to go because you don't need to worry about all those basics anymore 😊 Many people underestimate how much time actually goes into all of this before you do any actual sledding or biking etc, so when that time comes, you'll be a step ahead. It also sounds like you live in a really good area for a husky (in the mountains?). Huskies are the ultimate adventure buddies. Not every husky needs to pull a sled. Whatever you can do outside in the woods together with your dog, be it hiking, camping, fishing, canoeing, your dog will love it! You could get him a little doggie backpack and he can carry his own water bottle and snack (start with easy weight for a puppy though). I can guarantee you that all of this also mentally stimulates dogs and tuckers them out just as much. Every tired husky is a happy husky 😀Feel free to post here if you have any questions regarding the setup for a specific activity, training or anything like that. I truly wish you and your husker all the happiness in the world and that you can embark on a brighter new chapter together 💚🌄

Yes, I definitely think these kind of activities help foster a calm and even temperament. Laika has always had a desire to pull. She was about three years old when I got her and she was such a strong leash puller that sometimes even my husband and I together couldn't hold her. That's actually how I got into mushing in the first place. As far as speed goes, I did focus more on trotting from the get-go. We didn't train for racing competitions, so there was really no need for us to do mushing with a focus on sprinting. In general, if you don't want to compete, there is actually no good reason to train mushing for a full-on sprint. Trotting is over time better for their joints and preferred for distance mushing. That said, Laika has also slowed down over the years of course. She is 10 years old now and we are taking it at a more relaxed pace. I take my cues from her, if she feels like breaking into a sprint, she can and still does from time to time (also depends on the temperature and trail conditions). But mostly, we mush at a more relaxed trot these days. But if you look at my rollerblade mushing video for example, you can see that we sprinted more when she was younger. So I would say, unless you're training for racing competitions, trotting is actually better and just take it at whatever pace your dog seems to enjoy and have fun with this activity 😊 Happy trails to you and your pup!

@@huskytrails3654 thanks for the reply! Our girl isnt the stereotypical husky that is always on the "LETS GOO" mentality where she goes from 0-100 in 0.1s. Shes very chilled and relaxed and wont go at max speed just cus you told her. Would she pull in a team? Yeah sure but she doesnt have that drive that i see other huskies have. Her sister does and is very steteotypical husky that i described before. Not sure where im going with this. I guess what i wanted to ask was whether a husky with this sort of temperament can still be trained to pull solo?

@@kkvasas I think I know what you mean. Yeah, every husky is different and there are huskies who simply don't like to pull at all. This is difficult to say because I don't know your husky of course. But if you feel she has the drive to pull, even if not always "full steam ahead," you are probably still able to do this. Hooking her up with your second dog might be an option. Sometimes for dogs who are so-so on the pull, hooking them up with a stronger puller gives them motivation to work harder as part of the team. This is something you would just have to test. Just watch out that it's not a situation where she just gets dragged along. If that's the case, then you might have to run her solo at her own pace. There are still enough mushing activities that you can do even though your dog is not a consistent strong puller, for example bikejoring and skijoring because it's very easy for you to support. The only activity that I'd say might not go so well with a dog that doesn't pull much is sledding or scootering. I wouldn't be too concerned with an inconsistent puller, you can simply adapt to that. I think the more important test with your girl would be if she's good being up front (possibly by herself) and take on the leader position. For example, I don't do much sprinting full speed with my girl and she's an inconsistent puller because we take it easy these days. But she nevertheless has a very strong drive to be up front, take responsibility, and work with me as a team. Pulling is trainable (to a degree) but taking lead position is more of a temperament thing. You might just have to test a few things out and see what works best in what combination with your girl.

That's awesome. I guarantee you'll need less and less and eventually no prompting if you play this semi-regularly with your pup. They learn quick. Once you guys have a good foundation with this, you can also build in fun variations, for example by hiding two different kinds of treats but Amka (beautiful name btw) has to search only one. All the best and happy gaming to you and your pup.

Sounds like your dog is marking on the trail. Mine marks a lot too and this can be tricky. One thing I do is take her for a walk and some playtime before we start bikejoring. That gives her a designated space where I allow her to sniff and mark everywhere to her heart's desire. The best thing to avoid constant marking on the trail is to have your dog well trained on the "on-by" command I think. When you train that on a walk or hike, you can say "on-by" and essentially keep walking and not allowing your dog to mark. Once your dog is good with obeying "on-by" on walks and/or hikes, it should translate to when you're out bikejoring. Hope this will help.

Thanks! we'll keep practicing this.@@huskytrails3654

Yessss please tell us mine does the same

Hi and apologies for the late reply. That sounds a lot like marking and not peeing per se. My dog does this too. I would go about it two-fold. First, take the dog for a walk in the area where you are mushing right before you start. That way they can get all their pees and sniffs out and can also do their whole "Look, I've been here." marking routine. The other big thing is training the "on-by" command. Here is a video where I go over how to train mushing commands, including "on-by" (kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZiTYmhpf9Jjmck). This command will teach them to ignore whatever they find interesting when you say so. But this way you're also fair by giving them the time and space to get their marking and sniffs out. Then when you start mushing, your dog will probably still try to stop and sniff and mark the first few minutes or so. When you see they are about to veer off and do that, steer slightly against the pull, give the "on-by" command, and keep going. You know it's just marking at this point because they have already relieved themselves. If you're consistent with it, it will probably only take a few tries and your dog gets the idea and will fall into a rhythm with you. Hope this helped, good luck and happy trails!

Absolutely! Laika was already 3 years old when I got her and started training with her as well. This is a case where the proverbial "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" is totally untrue and just a stereotype. In fact, I think your dog is actually at a great age to get into mushing. Fully grown, out of the trickier "teenage" phase where you can expect your dog to focus on things now for longer time periods and can task them with a job and some responsibility 👍 The only slight drawback can sometimes be that whereas you can teach a puppy intended behavior from the get-go, adult dogs can already have formed some habits that might take you longer to undue. For example, if a dog has been taught their whole life not to pull on the leash, then starting mushing training with that dog will probably take a bit longer and a bit more patience for the dog to be confident to pull again. Or a dog that has been encouraged for many years to chase after squirrels and rabbits might take longer to learn "on-by." Just keep that in mind when starting your training. Happy trails to you and your pup 😊

@@huskytrails3654 thank you! And luckily this dog still hasn’t grasped the “no pull” habit so that’s gonna help lol. He does get distracted easily so I will work on On-by. To make the walk fun does it work to let him sniff and once he moves on say On-By so he associates ignoring a distraction with moving on?

Hi @@thatequestriangirl13 , sorry for my late reply. I would actually not train the "on-by" that way. The problem with that is that you would let the dog decide when to ignore something. From the dog's perspective, it would be like this: "Oh, this is interesting. I'm gonna sniff it and check it out. Ok, that was interesting, but I'm done now. Let's move on. Oh, and my human said something." The problem with that is that, worst case, it doesn't actually teach the dog the "on-by" command because the dog has already processed and is already done with the distraction, the command would be more of an afterthought. The command has to be given as soon as the dog has decided that something else is interesting now and veers off course. They can still look and sniff as long as they keep walking, but as soon as they make the decision to check it out, that's where you give the command. I hope this makes sense.

Thank you for your comment. Yes! Many people underestimate how useful it is to scope a place out before starting bikejoring. I hope your first time bikejoring went well and you and your pup had fun. Skatejoring seems so much fun too. I haven't tried it as I have no skateboard and no real talent for it I believe. But it's such a great alternative and adds to the variety of mushing activities 😊🛹

I'm using what's called a bikejoring "arm" or "bayonet." They look a bit different than but function the same way antennas do. They actually have a couple of advantages in that the hard plastic material is more resistant to cold temperatures and they are less likely to break than the metal antennas. However, they are a bit more difficult to find in the US, they are more widely used in Europe I believe. I got mine many years ago from Nooksack Racing Supply (nooksackracingsupply.com/) but you can probably find them at other mushing outfitters as well. Hope this helped 😊

Thank you for your comment. I mean I get people who train for bikejoring races or who want to keep it more competitive. Obviously, if that's the route you're going, then you need to train in full gallop. But those races are held over shorter distances (up to a few miles). In general, trotting is healthier for the dog. It is easier on the joints and cardio-vascular system. It is overall way more energy efficient too and the dog can keep that pace up over a longer distance and time. And because it is less strenuous on the dog's body, you're likely to do this with your dog more into old age than when you're always racing the dog (obviously other factors need to be considered too as the dog gets older). Another thing to consider is that bikejoring races are on smooth and groomed trails. When you do bikejoring on normal trails out and about, you will also have more mixed conditions like rocks and roots and such and I'd definitely not recommend racing over a trail like that, that's just asking for accidents. Next time you hear someone say that, tell them to look at the Iditarod Race. Other than at the starting chute and when they pull out of a checkpoint where they are rested and amped up, the race is trotted. The average speed is 8-10 mph (a team is considered fast when they're doing 10 mph). So when you hear someone saying that, they're either into bikejoring races or they don't know what they're talking about or they don't care about potential long-term effects on their dog. At least IMO 😉 Happy trails to you!

I think that what you're describing is really mainly because of your pup's age. That's the age when they're in their super curious and in their "teenager" phase (just as a heads-up, that phase can last for another year). They're quite literally rewiring their brain and figuring things out. They can be very scatter brained, have only short attention spans, and be easily distractible. It's absolutely normal. You just gotta stick with it. 1) So time and patience would be my first recommendation. Try to be patient with having to repeat things and keep the shorter attention span in mind. You could try to practice regularly overall but in shorter time segments. 10 minutes for example at a time could quite possibly simply be too much at a time for your dog at the moment. Ten minutes can feel longer than it sounds! So maybe break the training down into smaller segments. 2) What might also help your pup is having a structure or routine that you stick to. So you could for example have a specific area on your walks where you take a play break and then the rest of the walk is "work time" where you're asking your dog to focus on the task. I wouldn't introduce playing with a stick or anything else when you're in the middle of your training segment. Being consistent and consequent is important in this phase. You want your pup to clearly understand the distinction between play time and training/focus time. Again, just keep in mind that at this age, the training segments have to be fairly short and you need to give him ample play time. The older he gets, the more you can balance them out and eventually switch them to being longer on the training/work segment. I know this isn't really a nice and short quick fix answer but mushing training (and dog training in general really), especially with a young pup like this, just is a long-term game. Trust me that whatever extra time and patience and repetitions you invest now will be paid back later big time! I hope this helped and I wish you good luck and enjoy this time with your pup!

Thank you so much!!!!!@@huskytrails3654

Of course 😊 I hope it helps.

You're welcome and thank you for the kind feedback. Yes, I figured if people already started training their dogs with directional commands using a different language, there really isn't any reason for them to start all over, the dog doesn't care what words you use. But I figured I'd mention the advantages of using the actual mushing commands for people to consider who are just starting out 😊