Dark winter

The only discussion topic for a sled dog owner, living this far south of Finland, is the weather. We’ve still got no snow. We had a couple of white weeks in early December, but all the snow disappeared in heavy rain we also had. Xmas was dark, and also very dark are all of our moods because the dogs should get more training kilometers. I’ve had to change my training, because with this weather, I can’t participate in long distance races. I decided to head for the mid distance, but still, no snow means I can’t train the dogs run fast, because their sore feet.

The weather being as it is, I’ve been training the dogs on an ATV. The problem with ATV is that the dogs have to work too hard, and they build up more muscles than I would want. And have less speed. Still, with all the difficulties, they’re doing a great job, and the spirit is high. 

The first race is on the weekend of January 27th to 29th. I’m participating on 8 dogs class on 3 x 35km mid distance race. Will see if I have a chance to train the dogs on sled at all before the race start… I don’t have much expectations for the races, I’m just hoping the dogs will do their best and we’ll have a nice run together.

Difficulties or not, I can’t wait to see what next year brings with it.

-Kati

Happy holidays!

- Kati, Suvi & Amppa

IFSS World Championships Dryland 2011 Borken, Germany, November 12th -13th

I participated the off snow championship race in Germany as a handler for team McAhon. Antti Mäkiaho participated in two different Nordic Breed classes: one dog + kickbike and a 4 dog team. It’s been a very good year for Antti, he won the World Championship in Nordic Breed 4 dogs class in Hamar in March 2011 (probably because I was his handler then too ;) ), and now he won two more gold medals in a big race.

Congratulations!

While the teams were running the tail, I was assigned to take photos from the competitors. Here’s a few photos of Finnish team members, from the weekend:

Not sure if this little one participated on the race...

- Suvi

Photos from training

I finally remembered to take camera with me, as I went to help training the dogs yesterday. Kati's racing team didn't go for a run, but Suvi's did and so did the yearlings too.

I tried to get a good photo of Suvi's team coming to the finish, but there was a slight problem at the end: a horse. Dogs didn't mind sharing the same road with it, but the horse got scared of the dogs and the mushing cart's breaking noise.

I was waiting for the dog team at x-crossing just 100m from Kati's house when the horse trotted to towards me. The rider didn't know where to lead her scared horse, as cars were coming towards it from left and right, a dog team from behind and I was standing there infront of it. Eventually it came forward, passing me by a metre. The cars passed and the dog team ran eagerly back home.. But I didn't get a good photo. I took some back at home:

We had the first snow-day in South yesterday. Most of the snow had melted away by afternoon, though weather was quite chilly, around +/-0 Celcius. The training was a short, 7km, and even-speed run driven on a "light weight" cart.

The cart weights about 80kg (+driver), it's been built of car parts (back wheels) and motocross cycle wheel in front. You can't help the dogs by kicking when driving on this cart - not that kicking is needed in training, but in case Suvi or Kati decides to participate in off snow races.

Altti & Jade

Koff

Uule

Jojo

Sissi

Yearlings went for a run also. Dana's a bit over 8 months old and yesterday she got to join the team of youngsters for the first time. Like all first timers, she didn't really get the idea of pulling right away, (she pulled both, tugline and neck line as hard as she could) but running went well altogether. Suvi and Kati drove the team on ATV with two "oldies", Rina and Dooris, in lead.

Last X-turn to home

Rina & Dooris

Muru

Hottis

Keke

Iiris

Dana

- Amppa

No snow, but finally we’ve got some frost

It seems like the only discussion topic for a musher living Southern Finland is the weather. Will there be snow? Is it going to rain? How warm the day will be? How can I arrange rest of my life, so I can drive the dogs at the best time of a day?

Yesterday I trained dogs in almost perfect weather. We’ve had some chilly mornings earlier, but normally the weather’s been between +5 - +10 Celsius, humidity’s been high and it’s been really dirty. Yesterday we had a wonderful morning. The temperature was -7 Celsius, the sun was shining and scenery was beautiful with frosty grass and tree branches.

The dogs were really eager to go. Kikka couldn’t help herself, the 9 dogs were teamed up too slowly for her taste, and she had to bite her neckline into two. .. Which obviously slowed the start even more. Sometimes I wish the dogs could just stand there and wait, but oh no! All of our teams make a huge fuzz and noise at the start. I’m always listening to soothing music on mp3 player, so I won’t lose my mind.

Of course it’s my choice to let the dogs make a scene. It’s a good warm up and the team gets really excited about running together. They love it, although us people really don’t. There’s only two rules at the start, NO FIGHTING and NO BREAKING UP THINGS. Kikka forgot the last one with her neckline. But sometimes these things happen.

The running was fun. I rediscovered some trails, which I thought were closed, because they’d been building new roads in the forest. Happily there were still all the old grassy hills to find. I drove on ATV without the engine turned on. The fourwheeler is a bit too heavy for my team, as it alone weights about 300kg. Partly the roads were covered in newly laid “beach-sand”, and the ATV got really sucked into it. Actually my intention was indeed, to train the dogs really hard. When the roads were hard, they ran fast and with the “beach-sand” they pulled slow and powerfully.

I did a 20km run. The end was especially hard for the dogs, their muscles were on lactic acid and running up those few last hills, but they gave me everything. Still they galloped the last 0,5km back home about 20km/h.

I am really happy for the training. The dogs did their best and with the weather being so cold, it didn’t get too warm for them. When the weather’s warmer, they gasp to breathe. Still I’m really really hoping for snow, really soon, because all the dogs have really sore feet, their nails are really short and soles of their feet really very worn.

Mimmi was a leading star yesterday. She’s been learning to be a gee-haw leader, always running without a neckline. She’s started taking responsibility really well and she’s becoming confident enough and she trusts herself. All the commands on the new trail went well and she even took us safely past a big truck on a narrow road. She’s learnt well, that no matter what the mate running with her does, she keeps the right side of the road and turns where asked. Because we share the roads with cars and horses etc., it’s important to have an excellent leader.

Have to confess, that whenever I need a really reliable leader, I use Beck. He’s a big and very strong boy and because of that, he normally runs in team. But as a leader he’s like his mother Jade. Very determined and turn the team even from wheel position.

-Kati-

Welcome Nordysak E litter!

Wilma gave birth to 5 boys on last Wednesday. 

Here's some photos of the little ones:

- Kati -

Let there be snow!

So now we’ve finally got our new website up and running, although it still needs some updating. We’ve decided to blog instead of writing news to the website, because this is an easier way to tell news of our pack. And now that there’s three of us writing (me, Suvi and Amppa), maybe the updating is more frequent.

I’m not that good at keeping records – in writing news, or for example planning the dogs’ training. Usually I’ll go with feeling and intuition when it comes to driving the dogs. Previous years I’ve had a training schedule planned on paper (though I’ve never really stuck on it), but this year I’ve just made up some bigger guide lines in my head of which way I want to take the training.

For the past three seasons I’ve been building a team for long distance racing. We’re still very far from what I’m hoping to achieve, but you got to start with something. These first “long-distance-years” have been educating me on training and of dogs. I’ve still a lot to learn, but maybe this season I finally have a chance to learn more in races.

My main goal for this season is to be able to participate on Eastpoint Open LDU-SM, a 250km race, with my team. Living this far South, the weather’s always against long distance training. Snow so late in the season (sometimes in late December) makes it difficult to train all the kilometers I would like to.

If this all turns out to be a disaster (with no snow? Too few dogs? Too little training? etc.). I’ve been thinking weather I should just run the Eastpoint longdistance race, even if we walk back, or should I then participate on mid distance races instead, where my team isn’t fast enough. Will see. There’s still some time left before January 27th 2012.

Autumn training has started well, but our dogs are suffering from paw injuries already. The past month has been nothing but trying to find new tracks where the roads are in far more paw-friendly condition. We've tried everything from normal booties to rubber ones, but all the dogs have sore feet. The best solution to us has been trying to find softer trails and occational using of rubber booties. Unfortunately I’ve had to cut down the training kilometers from intended ones. Warm rainy weather with rough rocky roads are a killer combination. Making the training happening is a really hard work with all the difficulties we’re facing.

The dogs have gained muscles well and their spirit is high though, which I’m very happy about. I was able to increase the distance quite fast, but now with this terrible weather I’m stuck running the dogs the same kilometers over and over again. I’ve tried to make the training runs variable enough, so the dogs won’t get physically numb running the same trails over and over again.

With sore feet, the biggest problem for our team has been finding a kibble that satisfies every need of a racing dog. We’ve been trying to find a food that won’t need any added extra vitamins and minerals. The most interesting kibble was one that’s not imported to Finland at the moment. Unfortunately we were unable to gather a group big enough so we could’ve ordered it. As the training had started already, we had to make a quick solution, so we selected Eukanuba which is already in Finnish market.

My team for the season is six Siberians and three Alaskans: Beck, Benny, Putte, Simo, Pimu and Kikka (all SH) with Mimmi, Bambi and Kajsa (AH). All the other dogs ran in our team the last year except Benny, Bambi and Kajsa. Benny ran his first season in my team, but was sold to a new pack. He returned home in spring 2011 and I’m happy he’s back. Bambi and Kajsa are two Alaskan huskies from the same breeder as Mimmi. Actually Bambi is Mimmi’s daughter. Both new Alaskans have settled in well and I like them a lot. They love running for me.

Suvi’s training her team of some oldies and some younger dogs for middistance races. The old lady Jade (9 years old) is leading the team and she’s the one setting the pace. Other dogs in Suvi’s team are Rina, Altti, Jojo, Uule and Koff.

Suvi’s season started terribly: her leaders got loose and ran around Hämeenlinna for 8 hours before were found. The dogs were hit by a car and were in a shock, but luckily they survived without big injuries. Rina was hurt more, she’s not been able to run properly. Will see how she’ll recover.

Then we’ve got a team of yearlings, Nordysak C litter: Keke, Hottis and Muru. They start their first year of training with a newcomer Fugitive’s Irich, a girl who more or less unplanned joined our team in September.

Wilma’s out from racing this season, because she’s getting puppies. She’ll be on motherly leave at least till January. Wilma visited kennel Fugitive’s in September where she was bred with Run Before Beauty’s Homer. Now she’s a gigantic whale and puppies are expected in mid November.

- Kati -

New blog

As it is so difficult to update the website on time, we've decided to try blogging.


A lot has happened since last news on the website, but looking forward, we're already concentrating on next season. We've learnt a lot since last season and now we're awaiting for a new winter of more skill and luck with our pack in the future races.


- Amppa