Dog Sled Racing: Winter Sports, Mushing Sleddogs And Mushers

Unlike winter sports such as snowboarding or skiing, dog sled racing is a fast-paced winter sport involving a team of animals. In dog sled racing, the commanding human competitor (referred to as a musher) stands on the runners of a sled as a team of dogs pulls him or her to the finish line. Dog sled racing can take place in the fall as well, where the musher sleds on mud and dirt instead of snow, but dog sled racing is most commonly associated with winter, and the sport can be see in films such as 1994's “Iron Will.”

The races in dog sled racing are as short as 4 mile or stretch over 1000 miles in the long-distance race category. There is also a mid-distance category of dog sled racing, with races going from 35 to 200 miles. The number of dogs in a race is also a factor in dividing up dog sled racing competitions; two sleddogs is the minimum, but races can be three-dog, six-dog, ten-dog or even unlimited in some areas. The minimum of two sleddogs is recommended for lightweight mushers (weighing around 90 to 100 pounds), and the sleddogs would have to be heavier to compensate (each dog should weigh about half what the musher does).

Just like the number of sleddogs, the breed of the animal is also flexible in dog sled racing. The mushers aren't limited to one or two breeds of sleddogs for dog sled racing. Dog sled racing often makes use of Siberian Husky or Alaskan Malamute, but any middle-size dogs weighing over 35 pounds can be trained to participate in dog sled racing, according to the International Sled Dog Racing Association. Hybrids like Alaskan Huskies mixed with English pointers have also competed in dog sled racing. Owners are advised to wait until the dog has matured to push it into dog sled racing, although they can begin preliminarily training the 3- or 4-month old animal by harnessing small amounts of weight behind them and training them to pull it along.

Obviously, the sleddogs must be well taken care of and in good health to perform in dog sled racing. Mushers must properly feed the dogs and be knowledgeable in the fields of nutrition and physical health. A good musher will recognize the problem when one of his dogs starts falling behind in performance. The problem could be psychological as well as physical – dogs have feelings, too. A musher doesn't have to be an animal psychologist; he or she will get to know the dogs well as they will spend a lot of time together. Like any close human-pet relationship, the human will immediately recognize when one of the dogs isn't behaving like itself. When the sleddogs aren't participating in dog sled racing, they will be kept in a kennel or some sort of containment apparatus. As a result, mushers additionally need to have knowledge regarding proper housing conditions.

One thing an owner must never do is abuse the sleddogs. Any kind of animal abuse is strictly prohibited by the International Sled Dog Racing Association. Any musher seen neglecting or abusing the sleddogs is immediately disqualified from the race.

The ISDRA recommends those wanting to get into dog sled racing take up an apprenticeship with an experienced sleddog driver. The mushers can always use help around the kennel, and working directly under a musher gives the novice a chance to see how it's all done. In time, the apprentice will know his or her haw (mushing command for left ) from his gee ( right ).


Sources:
What Do You Need To Get Into Sled Dog Sports? ISDRA. 6 Jan. 2005. 18 June 2007.
http://www.isdra.org/
Safety On The Trail. ISDRA. 25 April 2005. 18 June 2007. http://www.isdra.org/
Lee, Stephen R. "About Sled Dogs & Sled Dog Racing." Krabloonik. 18 June 2007.
http://www.krabloonik.com/faq.html#S2