How to Form a Dogsled Team

Dog sledding isn't just a sport that you see in movies, it's actually a somewhat popular recreation. Mushing, as it is often called, has a number of needs and requirements though--especially a love of the sport and the dogs. Here are a few pointers on how to get started in this sport.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Dogs
• Sled
• Rigging gear

1. Find a mentor. The best way to learn and get into the sport is to find someone who has been dog sledding for years. This can be someone you find through the internet, volunteering at a dog sled race or someone you have seen race before.
2. Join a dog sled club or organization. This can get you in touch with people selling dogs, sleds and other gear needed to dogsled.
3. Decide which kind of dog sledding you want to participate in. There are several kinds and each one has its own number of dogs needed for the sport. You have mushing, carting and freight races, among a few other types of dogsledding.
4. Buy one or two dogs to start with. Buying dogs can get expensive because you don't treat a sled dog like your household pet leaving him outside in any kind of weather with shelter and water. Sled dogs are somewhat pampered to make sure they are top condition to run. Starting with a few dogs will teach you how to read the dogs.
5. Choose and buy your sled. This is based on how many dogs you plan to race and how far you want to race.

Tips & Warnings

• Siberian Huskies, Alaskan Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes and Samoyeds are the most common dogs, but any kind can actually be used in dog sledding. Dogs without the coats that these dogs have get sweaters at checkpoints to keep warm when not running.
• Running dogs can eat up to 10,000 calories a day.