How to Train a Dog Team

Huskies were born to run and pull, just as Australian Blue Heelers herd and Brittanys retrieve. It is their natural inclination. But they need your guidance.

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dog Food
• Dog Training Aids

1. Allow the puppies to run free in the pens during their first six months.

2. Harness them in month seven.

3. Place them behind a veteran dog leader. "They will figure out what to do," Iditarod veteran Shawn Sidelinger says.

4. Advance their training to runs of 30 to 40 miles by the age of 1 year.

5. Look for the eager eaters of the pack. "We want them to be trained to eat whenever food is presented in front of them. Sometimes they would rather sleep than eat."

6. Train when the weather permits.

7. Don't run the dogs at temperatures higher than 50 degrees F. "It would be a detriment to their health," Sidelinger notes. In Alaska, mushers can find good training temperatures near the beginning of August.

8. Increase the distance slowly as the weeks go by.

9. Start the team running ahead of a four-wheeler, and limit their speed to about 10 mph.

10. Get on the snow around October or November. "They have the physiology and psychology to deal with the elements up here," Sidelinger says.

11. Train them with runs of 40 to 50 miles by December, and continue throughout the winter.

Tips & Warnings

• "People try to equate these dogs with pets. That's like equating Wayne Gretzky with a high school hockey player ' they probably like the sport just as much as the other, but their physical level is completely different. These Huskies are elite athletes."

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