How to Train a Sled Dog

by Sleddoggin Staff on February 29, 2012

Having a sled dog can be a great help if you are living in a snowy environment. Though, you may have one, what is running to your head is how a simple dog could be train to carry a sled, and it’s passenger. This article will help you understand how.

When traveling in a snowy territory, you would really need a sled dog to help you through.

They are a group of dogs that are being used to pull a sled, or a vehicle that has no wheels. Each sled dog is attached to these vehicles by the use of harnesses and lines. The origins behind the use of a sled dog can be traced down to Siberia almost everyone that live there had said to have a long history of nomadic travel because of the harsh winters.

Sled Dog Breeds

There are certain breeds of dogs that are being used in becoming a sled dog. These dogs can be Huskies and Malamutes, though; you can use just about any medium sized dog that would be suitable to be a sled dog. Dogs that are selected in becoming a sled dog must exhibit three main qualities. They need to be in great physical condition for them to be able to pull a sled, they need to have a lot of endurance to be able to pull a sled over great distances, and that they need to have the speed in order for them to pull the sled quickly.

There are a lot of teams of sled dogs that are able to travel for over one hundred miles in a twenty four hour period of time. Teams can be ranged from three dogs up to a team of two dozen dogs. Sled dog teams wouldn’t only pull several types of sleds for both racing and other transporting purposes, but also been known to pull skiers when there is little or no snow for them to ski.

Training Sled Dogs

Pups that are being trained to become sled dogs are weaned from their mother in order for them to shift all of their attentions to their musher. But, in order to accomplish this, they have to be about six weeks old before they can be shifted from their mother into their own pen. Around five months old, they would already be running around with the lope as a characteristic of a sled dog and this would also be the time when they are first introduced to a harness.

There are a lot of different methods in helping pups turn into sled dogs.

One of the common methods is to harness a dozen pups behind a pair of experienced sled dogs and control their speed that they go with the help of an ATV. The speed of the older dogs would allow the pups’ speed to increase as well as their endurance and strength.

There are people that are amazed of the sled dogs being so excited to be able to pull a sled for over long periods of time and generally all over very rough terrain.

Mushers can attribute to this in the very early interactions that they have with the pups in order to build a strong relationship between themselves and to the sled dog so very early in their lives.

Related posts:

  1. How (not) to train a sled dog…
  2. How to Train Your Dog- Obedience Dog Training Advice
  3. Train Your Dog – Benefits and Tips For Successful Dog Training
  4. How Are Sled Dogs Trained?


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