Training leaders

[Washkeeton]

You will need a head strong dog. This is the leader of the pack of puppies. In our litter we had in march last year there was a definate in charge little monster. She felt she was the one in charge no matter. She is the one that I want to run with the leaders I have. I also want to teach her the commands and to hold the lines tight. My leader from Jim Lanier knows his gee, haw, on by, trail gee, trail haw, come gee, come haw. He is excellent at the commands. He would rather visit than hold the team out. I need a dog that holds the line tight and will be head strong to keep the lines tight. Chatty is my dog. She is the 11 yr old that is very head strong and the alpha of the lot. She cant do the long distances but she would be the one I would put Jr with to start because she will teach her to hold the line tight no matter when the driver is ready then she will learn the commands as you talk to the leader. She would then have the knowledge to hold the line tight then be able to hook her with the male he can teach her to run the commands. It is a process. She then will need to be put with a team and her in front. I would start running her as swing and not as lead. I would put the male and chatty as leaders. As smart as she is I would think she would learn from them. I would then run her with the team but as co leader with chatty. After she is confident in her ability I would then put her with the male and run them and have him teach her the commands. It is about a one year process to teach this way.

Punishment is never by hitting or by abuse of any sort. That is the quickest way to have a dog afraid of you. That is the way you will find your self out in the middle of no where and the dogs take off for home and leave you stranded. Punishment can come in the form of a deep loud voice. At that point you redirect to where you want them. If you find your self loosing your temper with them cause they just dont understand or because they are to much into play, it is time to quit. Learning comes from patient love not abuse.

[wolfwoman]

I've watched my pups (you guys will have to understand they will always be 'pups' to me, even tho they're full grown and BIG) for over a year now and seen who has what rank in their little pack out there, and the one I've picked for leader actually is the alpha male out there, tho he is very mellow and listens quite well to me with the teeny bit of training we've done. Nanook is also the tallest one of the bunch, tho I doubt he's the heaviest, not that this matters I suppose. I'm thinking attitude it everything.....

[Washkeeton]

attitude not size. The one of our litter that has the most potiential is the runt. She is the smartest. Quietest and trials everything. My dd was teaching her lab to sit prior to getting her food. Jr started copying it when we walk over to feed. My son who now feeds her has to get her dish. (She will be my next dog that will be running a trail around her house, to china.)
He is at the right height if the dog runs around her post the chain will catch him on the neck. So prior to him going to the house we tell her calm. She sits and lets him get the dish, he brings it to me and I put the food in it, she stays seated and waits until he puts it down for her.
She has nailed him 2 times with her chain in the face slicing his lip open now.
THis has taken all of about one week to teach her this. Very smart dog.

[wolfwoman]

I have a smart one like that too, but he's one of the 'inside' dogs. Dakota is the father of all the pups we have and it rarely takes me more than a day to teach him anything. When we had him and our two purebred labs I taught Dakota to 'sleep'. Took all of about 5 tries one day and he's done it ever since. He never had to be potty trained, he just refused to go in the house, that was a definate bonus

However, he also has very much a mind of his own and if he gets it in his mind that he's not doing something, you had best forget it for at least an hour or two....lol

[Washkeeton]

If you plan to have a dog on the trail to work a trap line nothing better be in their head but following your commands. I was running a dog and every time i said gee he went haw. every time I said haw he went come gee. He would have killed me if I needed to be able to trust him.
You dont want a dog that is so head strong in lead that if he gets something in his mind he will do it and you forget it for at least an hour or two. What happens when he gets it in his head to chase the moose through the back woods. Or doesnt listen and your being drug at a tree. There is enough dangers when you go out on the trail to run your dogs you dont need a leader that wont listen and obey. Just my opinion.

Oh and is he the alpha of the pack you have? If so then I was doing some reading on sled dogs and the alpha needs to be part of the team because other wise they are stressed by being alpha and leader. Not only will they be challenged as alpha then they will also be challenged as a lead dog. I wasnt aware of that. Interesting but makes a lot of since.

[wolfwoman]

ROFL! No, no...Dakota is the father of all the pups, but he lives indoors with Lokie (mom) and Yukon, last pup we had that will be a year on Valentines day. I can just imagine what would happen if I ever put a harness on Dakota....LOL!!! I get the giggles just thinking about it. Nope, he thinks he's human and we let him He eats, sleeps and occasionally comes to work with us. But he's too d**n smart for OUR own good. If I'd thought of him as a sled dog when we first got him things might be different, but he's been spoiled rotten since day one!

That last part does make a lot of sense to me, seems as tho it would be more stressful doing/being both. Hmmmmmmm

Wolfie

[Washkeeton]

I spent about 4 hours playing on the web sites you posted then googling quite a few others. I even learned quite a few things yesterday that I didnt know. By the way did I ever say thanks for the sites? lol
I emailed about 4 folks and hoping to hear back from someone about the dogs. Really am anxious to see if I can get a couple females. I emailed folks in yellowknife, and in MN, and in white horse and one in quebec seeing if i can get a couple of female puppies. Hoping. My daughter told me this morning if i can get a couple she would love to come over and help train. I have 2 good leaders and would love to train Jr and any puppies I might be able to get. Need to before my leaders are to old to run.

When you get to the point of wanting to run you might let me know i have a dead ATV that dd and i were going to run her team on. You might want to hook a few of ours up with a few of yours and run them??? Just a thought.

[wolfwoman]

Yes you said thank you I wrote a few people hoping to find some more info on Macs, but it seems that I won't be getting a reply anytime soon. I had written to one kennel about 3 years ago about Dakota, and she did write back at that time saying he looked like one of hers, but nothing since. I want more info on them, but there's absolutely nothing out there. I would like to get a female and breed Dakota again, then I'm sure I'd have enough trainable pups.

We might could get together and see what happens I don't know how much training I'll get done this year, with no snow it seems a moot point to even try, but at least they are learning who's boss if nothing else!

[Washkeeton]

I was thinking more when the ice clears. You can do more damage on ice than any thing. Then again if you try to stop the atv well we all know how tires stop on ice. lol

Early spring as it is still cool but warm enough where there is no snow.

[wolfwoman]

Sounds good to me Looks like we're going to have to recruit some other people into the sledding forums here, I KNOW there are people out there that are interested and that have knowledge. Hmmmmmmm....might have to put a link on my website!

[Washkeeton]

Or maybe open something up for other dogs and breeds like hunting dogs, and guard dogs etc. What do you think?

[wolfwoman]

Works for me, I have had labs for many years....lol Cuz I'm thinking we're just here moderating ourselves right now!!

[Washkeeton]

I think so too. So we better watch what we say. lol

[wolfwoman]

Ok, here's a question. I am currently working mine and Lokies fat butts Lokie was fixed a few months ago, she's the mom of all my pups, and of course she got FAT, me I was already fat, so I decided that I was gonna hitch HER to the sled and we were gonna go walkin. She's 1/2 lab and 1/2 Mac but looks purebred lab, she looks terrible funny pulling the sled, but OH WELL! First time I hooked it up behind her she didn't even flinch, just pulled it along like it belonged there behind her.

So here's my question, she won't pull AHEAD of me, she will only play 'pack dog' and walk beside me pulling the sled, what can I do to get her to go ahead?? I mean, this method would be fine in some cases occasionally, but not always. As I said, she's a lab and eager to please and I can pretty much convince her to do anything for a treat, but not quite sure HOW to make her go ahead....

Wolfie

[Washkeeton]

First question, has she had any obedience training? If so you may never get her to pull ahead. With a dog you might sometime teach to run on a sled you never teach them the command heal. Will kill any thing you might ever try to do on a dog sled. What about the pupps? Do they pull ahead? if so hook one of them up next to her and let them pull her ahead. A skijour belt is good for teaching them to walk ahead of you. my daughter use to hook them up to her skijour belt and rollerblade behind them. The other option is hook her to a tire, or small log. If you are in as good of shape that i am you will die in the first fifteen feet of jogging with her. when she pulls ahead a little praise her but keep going. keep praising her as she pulls out infront of you. sometimes you can teach them to do that. Short of hooking them up with experienced dogs that is what i would do.