Using sleddogs for bikejoring

Excedion

Hi there, i was thinking of adopting an alaskan malamute or siberian husky from a shelter instead of going out and getting a puppy. The main reason I have chosen this breed is both the energy and sturdyness of the breeds and the possibility of bikejoring with them.

I was wondering if any of you have had experience with bikejoring and could give advice about it? Especially when choosing a dog and the methods of training you used.

ISDW

Greetings:D

I run Irish Sled Dog Welfare, a rescue for sibes and mals and crosses, so if you were interested in rescuing a dog, I have 3 sibes and 2 mals looking for homes at the moment. There is also a lovely 1 year old sibe male in Dogs Aid in Dublin. Bikejoring is a great sport, and is really growing in popularity here, I work my dogs on a scooter and a 3 wheeled rig, but am going to buy a bike and get out there with the dogs very soon, great way to keep fit.

I also belong to a club www.tailsandtrails.ie and we do dryland mushing, including bikejoring. We are having a meet in Cavan on 14th May if you'd like to come along and meet others that do this. We will be hiking at this meet though, as it is too warm now for running the dogs, although I'm planning on going out for a mush around 6am if its cool enough that day, then the hike is planned for 10am, followed by a BBQ and an evening walk to stretch the legs. A lot of our members meet up amongst themselves to go out and work the dogs, rather than wait for formal meets, whereabouts do you live, I'm sure there would be someone near you who could go out with you. I've found that having another dog or dogs running with you helps to show your dog what to do really quickly.

You need a proper harness for the dog, an x back or shoulder harness, and a line with some kind of bungee in it, to protect the dog when it starts to pull. It is recommended that you have an antennae or similar on the bike, to keep the line away from the front wheel.

Excedion

Hi there, your site was one of the places i was looking at earlier. I live in northwest donegal. Although that meeting sounds great i would not be able to attend. Perhaps you could answer some of my questions though.

I've found it quite hard to find anywhere in ireland that sells the x back harnesses as im aware of the issues that can be cause to the dogs by wearing the wrong sized harnesses. Could you recommend anywhere?

Also although when i do adopt a dog he/she will spend a lot of time inside with the family and excerised on the leash there will be times when the dog will be left alone (possibly with another sibe or huskie as im aware of their tendincy to try and escape when they get bored and hopefully they can keep each from getting lonely.) Our garden is an acre and a half but it has very small fencing so i was thinking of buying an enclosure but they do seem terribly small (http://www.dog-runs.ie/). What is your opinion?

One last thing would be about vets and food. I have read that many vets make mistakes when caring for sled dogs and is there any way to prevent this. And do the dogs require special food or supplementation?

ISDW

Excedion wrote: »

Hi there, your site was one of the places i was looking at earlier. I live in northwest donegal. Although that meeting sounds great i would not be able to attend. Perhaps you could answer some of my questions though.

I've found it quite hard to find anywhere in ireland that sells the x back harnesses as im aware of the issues that can be cause to the dogs by wearing the wrong sized harnesses. Could you recommend anywhere?

Also although when i do adopt a dog he/she will spend a lot of time inside with the family and excerised on the leash there will be times when the dog will be left alone (possibly with another sibe or huskie as im aware of their tendincy to try and escape when they get bored and hopefully they can keep each from getting lonely.) Our garden is an acre and a half but it has very small fencing so i was thinking of buying an enclosure but they do seem terribly small (http://www.dog-runs.ie/). What is your opinion?

One last thing would be about vets and food. I have read that many vets make mistakes when caring for sled dogs and is there any way to prevent this. And do the dogs require special food or supplementation?

Inishowen Rehoming have a litter of husky/mal pups looking for homes at the moment, and the people who run it are very knowledgeable about sled dogs, they have 5 of their own I think. I'm not sure if they have a website, but they are definitely on facebook.

You're actually in the best possible place in Ireland for harnesses, www.countryhounds.ie is based in Donegal, north of Letterkenny, Rita who runs it is great at letting people bring their dogs along and try harnesses on etc, to make sure they get the right size.

The club are actually having our June meet in Donegal, so maybe we'll see you at that one:D

A lot of places around the country make dog runs, and can make whatever size you want really, the panels fit together, so you can make it as big or as small as you need.

They can be a bit funny when it comes to food, but when you find a food that suits your dog, then stick with it. My first sibe had the runs until she was 7 months old, no matter what food we tried her on, however, now she can change foods no problem. A very easy mistake that a lot of people make with sibes especialy, is that they overfeed them, they are very efficient eaters, and don't need as much food as most other breeds. If you overfeed them, then they will get the runs. When it comes to vets, you just need to ensure, if your dog has to have any operations, that the vet weighs them properly for the anaesthetic, as it has been known for the dogs to be over-anaesthetised, as the vets thought they weighed more than they do, because of the fur. I've never had any issues with my vets and sibes or mals, as long as the vet is willing to look things up, and doesn't think they automatically know everything, then you'll be fine. There are a few people up your way that I personally know with sibes and mals, so chances are, you will find a vet that has dealt with the breeds previously.

Excedion

Hi there, I will look into the Inishowen rehoming. I may not have the money for the enclosure quite that soon though. I had not considered puppies, is it hard to train them in pulling weight? At what age should you start training them?

How do you find running dogs on dirt roads and asphalt? I've read they need foot protection for running on tarmac so would they need it on back country roads?

Also how do the dogs fare in the rain? Can they still run in damp conditions? Aside from lots of water is there anything like treats needed for running.

Thats about it thanks for answering all my questions

ISDW

Excedion wrote: »

Hi there, I will look into the Inishowen rehoming. I may not have the money for the enclosure quite that soon though. I had not considered puppies, is it hard to train them in pulling weight? At what age should you start training them?

How do you find running dogs on dirt roads and asphalt? I've read they need foot protection for running on tarmac so would they need it on back country roads?

Also how do the dogs fare in the rain? Can they still run in damp conditions? Aside from lots of water is there anything like treats needed for running.

Thats about it thanks for answering all my questions

You would have to wait until the pups are about a year old before you started them pulling, but no harder to train than an adult. I have a 7 month old pup at the moment, he has got used to wearing his harness, and has pulled a milk bottle around behind him, just to get used to it, empty at first, then with some water in it, then with stones in it, so that he hears a noise behind him and doesn't panic. He'll be going out in the next few days for a short run with a couple of adult dogs, he won't be doing any pulling, just running alongside them.

They love the rain, they can cope with fairly high summer temperatures, but you can't run them when its warm. However, give them cold or wet conditions, and they love it. Just buy yourself a good set of waterproofs. We have a dog flap, and funnily enough, most of my dogs will sleep in the house at night when its nice, but if its raining and cold, they will curl up outside with their noses tucked under their tails:rolleyes: You can't really give them treats while they're running, but it is very important to hydrate them before and after working, I usually put some sardines or similar into their water when I want them to drink, they take the water in while they're trying to get to the sardines. Most sibes/mals just love to run, so they don't need the treats. My guys go mad when they know we're going off in the van to work somewhere, and the noise out of them when they're being harnessed up, ready to run is something else:D

You need to be careful running them on tarmac, not just because it can damage their pads, but it can also damage their joints. There is a very interesting discussion at the moment on a UK husky site about training on hard ground during the spring/early summer, due to lack of rain. Even forest trails have become hard, so it is something that needs to be watched. Really, late autumn/winter/early spring are the times to be running them, summer is the time for them to relax and just have walks. You can put a backpack on them while walking to give them a feeling of working, and to wear them out a bit more. I usually find though that, if we do get good weather, my lot are happy with a play in the field in the morning and evening, and sleep all day in the heat - its a tough life they have.

Best of luck - but be warned, they are addictive, you very seldom stick with just one:eek:

ETA: Inishowen also have the mum of the pups to be rehomed fairly soon, and an adult sibe male.

Excedion

Haha the image of that is adorable. One last quick question, what about running them on sand at a beach? We have an abundance of those around

ISDW

Excedion wrote: »

Haha the image of that is adorable. One last quick question, what about running them on sand at a beach? We have an abundance of those around

Beaches are fantastic places to run them, just make sure you clean all the sand off the bike afterwards. Depending on how heavy you are, but I'd recommend you stick to the hard packed sand, I've nearly gone over the handlebars of the scooter a few times, when we hit soft sand and the front wheel sinks in:rolleyes::D

tatabubbly

Sorry to hijack this thread but i've never heard of inishowen rehoming before! I work in a pet shop so if anyone can send me a wee PM on them i'd be glad to spread the word!