Monday, November 20, 2006
Necklines or no necklines
Quite a few years ago in the 80's, when I started running dogs in Alaska, it was quite common for people to run their leader without a neckline.
A the time though as far as I know, everyone was using necklines on the team dogs.
The necklines where about a foot long (30cm) with a small snap at the end to tie it to the dog's collar.
In Alaska's interior, it was known that a lot of people did not use a snap on the neckline because it increased the occurrence of frostbites on the dog's tongues that would stick to the snaps at temperatures of -20°F -40°F.
Short necklines in sprint races
They used necklines with a loop at the end and they would just pass it around the dog's neck.
There are other problems that happen with necklines; among those we can name: Dogs chewing the necklines, dogs getting their legs tangled in the neckline, dogs not being able to get away from an obstacle (hole, tee..) and getting injured, dog being drug by the neckline and getting a neck injury...
More recently, we have seen people try several other techniques: Cable necklines, iron rope (spectra) necklines that the dogs have a hard time chewing through, elastic necklines to absorb the shock on the dog's neck, longer necklines so that the dog has more freedom to avoid obstacles and finally no neckline at all.
We have tried all these alternatives and they all have advantages and disadvantages.
The iron rope is nice, but it is expensive, hard to work with and mostly soaks water a lot and ices up very easily when it is cold (We tried soaking it in a non toxic water repellent but it was not very good). We still use those in the fall when it is not too cold.
We really like the longer necklines vs the shorter ones (about 2 feet or 60 cm). One thing you need to do with those though is angle them back a little more so that the dogs don't get their legs tangled in them. The dogs have a lot more freedom to avoid holes or ruts in the trail and when you stop, it is harder for longer necklines to get twisted to the point where the dogs have no more line to move.
No neckline, a lot freedom for the dogs
The last two years, after seeing some successful Iditarod mushers like Jeff King or Jessy Royer run without necklines, I started training my dogs this way.
For a while, I have to admit that it makes things more difficult because the dogs have a lot more freedom and they have not been trained to behave before, they tend to do a lot of stupid things like turning around, pissing on trees...
The one thing I like is that it forces you to train your dogs better. They are responsible of their own behavior and dogs don't like that at first. For example, if they have to poop and they have a neckline, they don't have to think about it, they can just let themselves being drug by the neck, but if they have no neckline, they quickly understand that they get run over by the other dogs or the sled if they don't pay attention.
The consequence of that is that it is a much smaller gap for a dog to go from back in the team to lead.
Once they behave good in the team, it won't be so hard for them to behave in lead. They may goof around after a while in lead, but at least, they should not misbehave right away.
One of the problems with this is if you have regular harnesses, the dog can get out of it in case of a tangle and get loose. We can catch our dogs normally easily, but in a stress situation, sometimes it can be hard. Jeff uses a special kind of harness that the dogs cannot get out of, but they have other disadvantages for a lot of people.
2 feet necklines
I have not been brave enough to try it in races, so I still run 2 feet neck lines. On trick I found last year is that I also use 2 feet tuglines so that they are interchangeable with the necklines, but I add a piece on the tail of the harnesses to make the tugline longer, but this way, the snap is far away back from the dog and it is almost impossible for the dog to poop on the snap. This is a big advantage when you get to a checkpoint when it is cold and your snaps are not frozen in dog poop.
Posted by Jacques in Mushing 101
Monday, November 20, 2006 8:09:09 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00) 
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New Category
Mushing 101 is a new category whee we will include some random topics about mushing.
It is not only aimed to beginners as the 101 may imply.
Posted by Jacques in Mushing 101
Monday, November 20, 2006 8:06:22 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)
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Sunday, November 19, 2006
4 more mushers to Wyoming list
4 new names added to the sign up list for Wyoming... New names but FRIENDS for 3 of them !
Look foward to see all of them in beautiful Wyoming
14. Joe Loveless
15. Sam Perrino
16. Jarle Halsnes
17. Wesley Rau
Posted by Magali in Wyoming news
Sunday, November 19, 2006 6:59:01 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)
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Saturday, November 18, 2006
Friday, November 17, 2006
Field of musher getting bigger for Wyoming
Mushers Signed up for the 2007 IPSSSDR:
1. Dan Carter
2. Stacey S. Teasley
3. Magali Phillip
4. Bruce Magnusson
5. Kirk Barnum
6. Douglas Wurzelbacher
7. Warren Palfrey
8. JR Anderson
9. Kate St. Onge
10. Jacques Philip
11. Mary Gilbertson
12. Wendy Davis
13. Grant Beck
Posted by Magali in Wyoming news
Friday, November 17, 2006 8:05:21 AM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)
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Wednesday, November 15, 2006
ARRIVED IN ALASKA
Our friends Aurélie and Sylvain arrived this morning at 1am !
here's a photo of them on our deck this morning
They are enjoying the TEMPERATURES changes !! it is 15 below here and they arrived from France where it was 50 above
Posted by Magali in Other news
Wednesday, November 15, 2006 10:19:41 AM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)
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Tuesday, November 14, 2006
COLD TEMPERATURES
Cold Temperatures are now in place.
For now 2 days it is about 20 below in the morning (-30°c) and it warms up to Zero during the day (-20°c). so to train we have to put booties on all the dogs to prevent snow/ice balls on their feet (we use Kipmik booties) and we have to have the female wearing specially design coat to protect their belly.
 
Those Belly Blanket are made by Kathadin Mushing Supplies and we had been using them for many year (also helped with the design) and are very happy with them.
Oracle doesn’t have a very nice coat so when it is cold I use a dog blanket on him made by Manmat this is the same company that make most of the harness we use.
The main adult race dogs have about 600 miles of training on them and my yearlings about 500 miles. They are all running 35 miles now. Yesterday it was too cold to go stop camping so I did the 35 miles run “non stop” with the yearlings and 16 dogs pulling our big 4 wheeler I the swamps and hills around here made it around in 4hrs. I was very pleased as none of the young one showed any signs of tiredness at the end.
Tonight our friend Sylvain and Aurelie are arriving from France and are spending 3 weeks with us. I think their will have a little temperature change when they get off the plane at Midnight and it will be about 25 below in town….
Posted by Magali in Training News
Tuesday, November 14, 2006 2:36:41 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)
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Saturday, November 11, 2006
VERY HAPPY WITH MY YEARLINGS
Today I took my yearlings for the first time on 35 miles.
We have a camp set up at the half way point and usually rest for about one hour before heading abck home, this make it easier to increase distances and also train our dogs to camp.
I took my 16 dog team including my 7 yearlings, 1hr45mn to go to the camp we stopped about 1hr 20mn and then 2h10mn to come back.
I went slow on the way back but all the yearling did good and never ever stop pulling.
Edfu as planned was AMAZING loaping as soon as we were going downhill. I hope he keeps up like this all season. The yearling I has were EDFU, PHILAE, CAIRO, ASWAN, MULDER, SCULLY and REYES they all did good and will have a day off tomorow beofre going again 35 miles. I had Pyramid and Janet in lead.
It was about 10 above there so I had Janet all dressed up (she doesn't like cold weather) and i was like 10 below when we got back home.
 
Here's couple shot of the dogs before my camera dedided it was too cold to take photos !!!
Posted by Magali in Training News
Saturday, November 11, 2006 9:18:44 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)
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Shamir & Rinjdael UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
SHAMIR AND RINJDAEL
The two sisters have to be presented as a pair.
They run together and have very close personality.
They are very happy dog and talks a lot and they are "boxing dogs" they love to jump on you and hit you (to play) with their front legs! The other thing they like to do and may get "on your nerves a little " is ARGUE while they run, they bark at each other a lot, I mean a lot... Shamir first pups that are now 2 years old are like here. This pups some "noise" in the team while we train!
We already have 2 litters of pups from Shamir and Rinjdael had pups for the first time this summer.
Their mom was one of our main leader now retired Hyder and their dad was Tyrol a very well know Open Class Sprint dog that produce many many outstanding dog for our friend Joe Redington Jr. Tyrol was an offspring of Sailor, he was owned by our friend Linda Johnson.
They are both rather large female with 47 pounds for Shamir and 50 for Rinjdael.
They are both part of the main race team, SHAMIR isn't has good as Rinjdael for Long Distance. Both are very good for Stage Racing and Mid Distance.
Their race records includes:
Atta Boy 300, Wyoming race, Fur Rendez-Vous, Kobuk 440, Iditarod, Manley Sprint Race and Russia....
Posted by Magali in DOG PORTRAIT
Saturday, November 11, 2006 7:46:53 AM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)
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Friday, November 10, 2006
Wyoming 2007 Mushers
The current list of the Mushers signed up for the 2007 Wyoming race is now online
go check it out, by December the field will grow and get pretty competitive like every year !
Look foward to be in Beautiful Wyoming and see all our friends Mushers and our Host Families.
Posted by Magali in Other news | Wyoming news
Friday, November 10, 2006 8:19:50 AM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)
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Thursday, November 09, 2006
BYRON UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
Byron won 3 Alpirods in lead
In a couple of words, Byron was the best dog I ever owned.
He was born in the summer of 1987 out of an accidental breeding.
His father Rhino who was the first sled dog I owned, coming from Whitehorse in the Yukon, was a Siberian Husky. He was a good leader but was missing some physical ability to be a top notch sled dog. He did finish the Iditarod placing at the end of the pack. He was my pet dog as well as being a sled dog.
Byron's mother Devil was a top leader for me, finishing several Iditarods and Alpirods, she came from Joe Redington out of one of Joe's leaders called Manley, we never knew who her mother was.
Rhino died of pneumonia one month before Byron was born, so I adopted Byron as my new pet dog as soon as he was a few weeks old, not knowing if he was going to be a good sled dog or not.
When he was about 3 month old, I harnessed him, running behind him and from then on, he ran and never looked back, he was born to be a leader.
Byron, 1/2 Siberian, 1/2 Alaskan
When he was one and a half year old, he ran the Alpirod in swing in the second team, so I decided to take him in the Iditarod and he finished the race in 11th place.
Having him as a pet besides his phenomenal physical ability really helped him mentally in his first Iditarod because it is a lot of pressure for a young dog to run an 1100 miles race. After a few days, the unexperienced dogs don't know if there will be an end to this trail; The trust in their musher is the one thing that makes them overcome their doubts and keep going.
Later he made me win 3 Alpirods and one Kobuk 400 and finished several other Iditarods.
In the Alpirod where there were a lot of intersections and trails in towns, he was awesome at steering the team without even slowing down. If I missed a turn, he would jump over a snow burm or anything to get back on the right trail.
He retired from racing after the last Alpirod in 1995 and went to live at home until he was 17 years old.
Sometimes he would lift his leg on the video cabinet in the leaving room and Magali would get mad at him, I would respond: "This dog paid for the house by making me win races, so he can pie on it once in a while if he wants"
Posted by Jacques in DOG PORTRAIT
Thursday, November 09, 2006 9:43:01 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)
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Wednesday, November 08, 2006
New Blog Features
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I recently updated this blog to version 1.9 of DasBlog with some custom macros.
It allows paging in category views and multiple contributors with their own profile and user view.
We also put a new banner on the pages.
Posted by Jacques in Other news
Wednesday, November 08, 2006 10:31:26 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)
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