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From: Mike Callahan
Date: 8/23/00
Time: 5:35:43 PM
Remote Name: 208.25.50.21
People ask me often at the first few races how many miles my dogs have this season and my usual reply is, "We never stopped." I have been a career athlete ( hockey, cycling ,skijoring) for many years and know the advantage of maintaining condition in the off season. I extend the same philosophy towards my dogs. My dogs are almost always injury free. I vary the summer runs by sometimes letting them romp free while I ride the mountain bike. I will usually run at daybreak or at night. I know how overheating effects the dog. They slow way down for one. Poor Flash. He is a great dog still but I made some dumb mistakes early on in my skijor career, blistering his pads on hot surfaces and overheating him. I can avoid overheating year round by timing the runs at daybreak or night and keeping the distance conservative. If I lived in a hotter area, I would teach my huskies to swim and maintain some form of conditioning no matter what. I am resisting the conventional wisdom that it is OK to lay off your dogs for the off season. From the dogs point of veiw do you think the dog likes being staked out for six months. That is the worst case, but is too common among mushers. To be fair to the dogs (Maybe a little animal rights sneaking in here.) Do something. Take up agility. The dog life is a year round commitment.