When I was a kid, I had an odd obsession with sled dog breeds, like huskies and malamutes. I read every book I could find about them, put pictures of them up in my room, and dreamed about having my own sled team someday.
Of course, I did eventually come to realize that keeping a sled team isn’t realistic for most people. Huskies and other sled-pulling breeds are difficult to keep under most circumstances, as they need a lot of space and exercise. Therefore, throughout most of my adult life, I’ve never seriously considered owning one. However, I did manage to go dogsledding when I lived in Fort McMurray and then again a couple of times here in Grande Prairie.
It was a very interesting and fun activity to try. The dogs were very friendly and obviously enjoyed running together through the boreal forest. Alaskan huskies are athletic animals and are capable of running long distances without becoming fatigued.
I recently decided to get a puppy and I wanted something that could come hiking with me in any sort of weather conditions and that would be friendly with people and other pets. My two small dogs (a Maltese and a Cairn Terrier mix, who are now 15) were unfortunately getting too old to do much hiking with me. I was also living in a place with a big yard so I could consider medium breeds. I decided to get a Norwegian Elkhound puppy and I picked her up in April, 2021. Elkhounds make great hiking partners, and they also have that northern dog aesthetic that I like. They are also a nice size – about 40 – 50 pounds.
Elkhounds aren’t terribly common dogs and Rosa is frequently mistaken for a husky. She’s a year old now and is a great dog who loves hiking and swimming. She’s quite energetic and has a lot of stamina. She does not do well with heat, so on warmer days last summer, I had to exercise her in the evening or someplace with a lake or stream present for her to cool off in.
This winter, I’ve also started training her to pull a kicksled. I recently learned that, as long as the person is willing to put in some work moving the sled, a large team of dogs is not actually necessary for dogsledding. Some people go sledding with only one or two dogs, but instead of using a traditional dogsled, they use a kicksled. So, maybe I could live my childhood dream of having a sled team!
Kicksleds are rare in North America, but are more common in Scandinavia. They’re like skis with handlebars and (sometimes) a chair attached. To propel one, a person stands on the footrests that are positioned on top of the blades, and kicks along the ground with one foot.
I figured that Rosa would enjoy kicksledding, as she loves to run (especially with other dogs) and is very comfortable in cold weather. I got her a proper pulling harness, a bungee dog leash, and a small ice sled to start with. She had no problems pulling the ice sled, which I later loaded with a bag of salt. The noise from it did not bother her.
I took Rosa to Fort McMurray for a “learn to pull” clinic, where she got to do a bit of pulling alongside an Alaskan husky. I also signed up for an online course about teaching dogs to pull (whether it’s for sledding, skijoring, or bikejoring) so I could hopefully avoid major mistakes with my new hobby.
Once Rosa was comfortable with pulling a small sled on the ground, I started her with a kicksled. I ordered an Esla T6 sled and a dog bridle attachment from goslide.ca . Kicksleds aren’t easy to find in Canada, so they usually need to be ordered online. Sometimes, used ones can be found through kijiji.ca or any of the various facebook groups devoted to recreational mushing or kicksledding.
Rosa took to running in front of the sled with no problems and she’s learning the “hike” and “whoa” cues quite well. We’ve been practicing in town using a nearby alleyway. Rosa isn’t a large dog, so I help a lot by kicking the sled along while she pulls.
Rosa is quite young so my main goal for this winter is to train her to respond to the “Hike,” “Whoa,” “Gee,” “Haw,” “Ahead” and “Leave It” cues. “Gee” and “Haw” are the musher terms for right and left, and for Rosa, I use the “Leave It” cue to tell her ignore the distraction and keep going. “Ahead” means keep going straight.
Rosa isn’t one of the traditional sled breeds, as elkhounds are hunting dogs. However, people use a variety of breeds for recreational sledding and any medium to large dog that likes to run can be used pull a sled. Competitive sledding is a different matter and people who win long-distance races with their dogs tend to have Alaskan huskies, although competitive sprint racers may have dogs with little or no husky in them. Pointer/greyhound mixes (“greysters”) seem to be popular with sprint racers.
My ultimate goal is to have a two dog team, with the second dog being an elkhound or perhaps a small Siberian husky.
Peace Country Naturalist 