This morning had Brittany and I out the door at 6am to do our first morning feeding/souping of the season. For about 6 months out of the year the dogs just have water buckets on the sides of their houses, however when the weather gets cold and the water freezes we have to 'soup' the dogs to keep them hydrated. Normally that starts around the beginning of October, but this year the weather is so weird that the buckets are still on the houses. That has been a treat, but their runs are picking up to the length and frequency that the dogs need a bit more food and water - so time for morning meals to begin!!!
Interestingly enough, this morning the whole yard went nuts when started to feed, but in a few days the 'B' string will sort out that morning meal doesn't involve them and most will sleep right through it.
I always get questioned by folks about how far the dogs are going and how many times a week they are running. I'm always hesitant to put numbers on that because I'm a pretty big believer in folks learning to read their own dogs and doing what 'their' athletes need rather then doing what someone else is doing!! BUT for the record - our runs right now are in the 22 - 24 mile range and the dogs are running that about 4x per week.
This is a time of year when I spend alot of time working with young leaders. I have been absolutely blown away by the potential I'm seeing in some of these youngsters.
The real up and coming superstars are (in no particular order)....
Rocky and TopDog
Meg
Kelly
Beauty
The last of the yearlings were cut yesterday, by 'no fault' of their own. It is just the runs are now getting long enough and fast enough that the risk of stressing out 'babies' is too much.
I am convinced that Todd, Scud, Squib, Molly and Missy are some of the very best yearlings I have ever hooked up!!
So all and all things are moving along really well. Here are a few more pictures from the past few weeks....
 |
| Kelly and Tramp |
 |
| See |
 |
| See |
 |
| Night running |
 |
| The sand hill down to the Tawatinaw River |
 |
| Crossing the 'mighty' Tawatinaw!! |
Happy Trails!!!!
6 comments:
Re: training details: not to mention you don't want to give away your trade secrets!
Wow, this is FASCINATING to me. I can see so clearly the dogs LOVE it. But i have to say, I feel a bit sad for the B team not getting to participate. sigh. i totally understand, and I'm sure they get plenty of good times and exercise, but i just feel sad for they don't play in the big "reindeer games."
I love having a peek into your training world and seeing how these working dogs love their job. I only have one --and that's more than enough for me, these crafty little canines are a handful--but it sure is fun seeing them in their natural environment.
Hi Karen
As you ahve been to SA (Colesberg) you know that hydration is difficult.
Any recipes for soup?
God Bless and happy trails
Regards
Caron
Oh and please keep the training information coming really interesting.
Caron,
Nothing fancy for soup - kibble and water or raw chicken and water.
The trick is in the training. Ours are TRAINED to drink and eat everything that is put in front of them.
Karen
Hi Karen
Thanks! They eat their food alright just they dont always want plain water it seems like :-)
Thanks for the ideas!
Holding thumbs n toes for your season!
Hugs
What a great blog! It is always amazing reading about your routines. I love seeing all the dogs but I am very happy to see Kelly doing so well. It breaks my heart that I could not continue to sponsor her this year. She will have many silent wishes coming from Columbus OH this season. (Of course you & the whole team will be receiving immense support too!) Happy training, Sitka's mom Lisa
Post a Comment