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 JESSICA MAURER and PENTHEA BURNS have been working with Chinook dogs like Allagash (at right) for about five years. They do recreational dog sledding, skijoring, bikejoring and enter their teams in the occasional race. They also do workshops for team building and leadership. They talk about how to get started in dog sledding and skijoring in Maine, from going out with a guide service to training your dog for skijoring or sledding. They also discuss the gear you and your dog will need, and provide some key dos and don'ts.
Click here for a slide show of Jessica, Penthea and their sled dogs. |
Q: How did you get started?
Jessica: Purely by mistake, and what a great mistake. We used to walk our dogs in the same neighborhood as Connie and Bob Jones, of WoodsRunner Chinooks in Portland, and we got to be friends with them. They breed Chinooks and ended up having a puppy available, which they offered to us. It was the right time for me to have a puppy, as much as there can be a right time.
When she was old enough, they invited us to come dog sledding with them. I went for a sled ride, and went again, and then our dog Katahdin ran with the team, and then I drove the team. I just thought it was so much fun. That was five years ago. The Jones' just kept taking us out, letting us do stuff with their team, and then offered us a second puppy. And that was it for us.
Penthea: For the first two years I didn't really want to do it. I thought I'd get hurt,
and I was afraid of tipping over on the sled. So I finally went out one time with a bunch of people and though "Oh my god, this is so much fun." It was just different from what I expected.
Q: Different in what way?
Penthea: I think I expected it to be more like downhill skiing, but the sled is more stable, you have a lot more control, you really can take it at a pace that's different than downhill skiing. For me it was more fun and less scary than I though it would be.
Q: So where can you go if you want to go out dog sledding for a day?
Jessica: There are lots of places in Maine and plenty of guide services where you can go. Some use Samoyeds and some use Inuit dogs. Most use huskies; our Chinooks are more for recreational dog sledding.
Q: If you were going to choose a guide service, what should you look for?
Penthea: First off, look for a registered Maine guide, so you know they have some basic training. I'd also recommend asking around, using word of mouth. And ask for references, talk to someone who's been on a trip with that guide service.
Jessica: I would want to interview them about their philosophy with the dogs, too.
Sometimes people aren't ready for the dogs they are going to meet. With any working sled dog service, the dogs will be 100 percent outdoor dogs. They are going to live on a chain and are going to be very thin. They aren't always clean, their fur is thick. I mean, they live outside, they're not pets. So you need to expect that you might not like how the dogs are kept.
Penthea: And remember that they are working dogs. Find out from the guide what dogs you can pet and what dogs you should stay away from. There will be some of both.
Q: How many people can go on a dog sled?
Jessica: Typically, most sleds pull one person but some teams can pull two people. You could have one passenger and a driver. We take passengers all the time. I'd take kids, or, for instance, kids can go one on each runner. Or I could hook up five dogs and a basket and take a passenger in the basket. There are various combinations between drivers, sleds and baskets, so you should be able to choose whether you want to drive or not. If you don't want to drive, make sure you let the guide know!
Q: And so you can just do it, just like that?
Penthea: It's pretty easy to learn the basics. It was so remarkable to me that I could just step on the runners and go, with a trained team that someone has put together. My 71-year-old mother came to visit and she did great with our team.
Q: What are some basic things you need to know if you are driving the team?
Jessica: There are two things we always tell people when we are getting ready to start out. Rule One is never hit the dogs with the sled. You need to know where the brakes are, how to use the brake, how to slow the team down without using the brake (dragging your foot between runners). Also you need to get over your fears and concerns for yourself and watch what the team is doing. You can't just be looking around saying "Isn't it pretty" and not notice that a dog has stopped to take a poop and you're about to run over the dog team. You can seriously injure them, break a dog's leg.
Penthea: There's a line that goes from your sled to the dogs, and you have to watch the line. That rope should be taut, and if it starts to flap or sag, the closer you are to hitting them. That's your early warning signal.
Jessica: The second rule is never let go of the team, never let go of the sled. If you fall over and you're holding on and the team is dragging you on your belly, you can't let go. It's a safety issue for the dogs. An aggressive team will take off and you may never find your team.
Also, if one of the dogs falls down and gets tangled, the team might keep going and drag that dog to its death. So even if you are getting slammed into trees, while the team is going downhill and your sled is sideways, you have to hold on.
Q: What about getting started with your own dogs? Do you need to start from the beginning with a puppy or can you train an older dog?
Jessica: Just about any dog can pull as long as it's healthy and not too small. A 40- to 45-pound dog would be the smallest size to work with one person.
Q: Is it ever too late to try to train a dog that's never been trained or had obedience training?
Jessica: It's never too late, though it does depend a bit on how old the dog is.
Q: What other dog-related considerations are there?
Penthea: Foot care is the number one consideration for non-northern breed dogs. They can get snow built up in their paws so you may want to teach them to use booties. There's a saying among mushers, "No feet, no dog." If a dog's feet are not well taken care of or not suited to running, then you won't get far.
We sometimes use booties on our dogs. They don't like it, so it's just a training thing to get them accustomed to it. Yyou just have to outlast them and be prepared to go through a lot of booties. They get lost or ripped so you need to persevere. So the dog needs to have good feet and hips — those are the most important things.
Q: What about for the person? Any qualifications necessary?
Jessica: Obviously for skijoring you need to be a cross-country skier. I'd also say that you need a lot of patience. If you know that you have a quick temper, don't even try it. It can be really frustrating when your lead dog's not going well and you have to stop every five minutes but if you lose it, it's all over.
Penthea: That brings up our basic philosophy: Every time we go out, the dogs have to have a good experience. When I was starting, I realized that the more frustrated I got, the worse the team would work. It taught me a lot about the importance of having the right mindset. When I focus on the fact that I'm the leader, I'm teaching the dogs something, then I can always find something good in a bad day.
Jessica: Also, you're not going to have great runs every time you go out, like in any sport you do. With dogs, it's the same. They have bad days, and days when they just don't feel like working. If you're looking for a sport where you can have a great experience every time you go out, then this isn't for you.
On the flip side, there's nothing better than a great run. Even a mediocre run! The thrill — the sky is blue, the trees are full of snow, the dogs are totally silent and running and having a great time — it's like a drug. It's totally addictive. When it all works, it's really really cool.
Q: So describe skijoring for me.
Jessica: Well, you can skijor with one or two dogs. You wear a hip belt that has a buckle in front that attaches to a bungee line and a tow line. This line attaches to the dog's harness.
Q: How do you keep the tension constant? How do you not kick your dog with your skis?
Jessica: The bungee gives you the leeway. The goal is to make sure it is stretched out and stays taut. If it's slack, you're getting too close.
Q: How fit do you need to be?
Jessica: You should be fit. You need to be able to run uphill in winter. You don't have to be in top shape, but you need to be in moderate shape. The better shape you're in, the more you can avoid injuries. And the same goes for the dogs. You can't just hook your dogs up and go for a five-mile run. The dogs need to be conditioned just like humans need to be.
Q: What's involved in training your dog for skijoring?
Penthea: To train the dogs for skijoring, you first want to get the dogs used to the
harness. We put the puppies in the harness to introduce them to pulling. That's the first step. Then you can take them in the harness while you wear the skijoring belt.
They know that when they wear the harness, this is what they're doing, as opposed to walking on a leash. They really do know the difference.
Jessica: Then to give the dog a better sense of pulling, one of us might walk ahead or we'd have a more experienced dog walk ahead of us. So basically you break every element down and build it up. You don't want to add the element of skiing until you've taught your dog to pull strongly and consistently.
Q: What about for dog sledding?
Jessica: You need to be very patient and slow until the dog's stamina and ability to pull are built up. First we work on their cardiovascular system while they're not pulling weight to build up their stamina. Then we start rigging (having them pull a wheeled sled). When we switch from running free to pulling, we do really short runs. If you've been running 10 miles, you might run two with the rig.
Q: What else does your dog need to know?
Penthea: You have to go through obedience training with your dog, and they need to know that you're in control. They'll also need to learn trail commands.
Q: What are some sample commands?
Jessica: "Leave it" is really key for skijoring. I always have my eyes ahead on the trail and if there's something like a carcass or a McDonalds bag or other dogs, I give them the "Leave it" command. I want them to know that I expect them to ignore what's ahead. We also use the command "On By" which means to go past; "Gee" for right; "Haw" for left.
Q: Where can you go to do skijor or dog sled? Do you need to be on groomed trails?
Jessica: Any place you go to cross country ski. There are certain places where you aren't allowed to take dogs, but there are areas that do allow skijoring and sledding. It's hard for the dogs to break trail, so a groomed trail or one broken by snowmobilers is better.
Penthea: You could talk to a local snowmobile club about sharing trails. Wherever you go, on trails or a golf course, always pick up after your dogs. Be a good citizen and always carry plastic bags in your pockets.
Q: What kind of time commitment does it take to train a dog for skijoring or sledding?
Penthea: It's comparable to taking up jogging. You do need to do it year round to keep yourself and your dog in shape. But the distance you do is up to you. I'd say build in two or three times a week. If you already walk your dog, then it's just a matter of reinforcing trail commands on your walk and making the walk more intentional.
Jessica: Also, we use diversity in training to keep the dogs interested. I might go three times a week with the sled and once without it. If you have one dog that you work with three times a week, you can work on obedience one time, pulling one time and conditioning one time.
Q: What's involved in bike-joring?
Jessica: That's when you hook your team up to a bicycle. I just hook the line around my handlebars though you can rig up a special clamp. Some people use a PVC pipe so that the rope doesn't get caught in the spokes.
Penthea: There's also a "springer" which is a U-shaped pipe that hooks to your bike frame. It has a spring with a line on it that hooks to the collar. So if the dog lunges it doesn't pull the bike out from under you. The down side is that the dog is next to you, not out in front.
Jessica: It's good if you live in a city and you have to have the dog on leash. Just
don't run the dog on concrete or asphalt; that promotes stress fractures and shin splints.
— Interview by Melissa Kim, MaineToday.com
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