During most of the year, getting enough exercise for my four dogs isn’t a concern. During the spring, summer, and fall, time training and afield is more than enough to keep all of my dogs in top health and condition. Winter is an entirely different story. Here in northern Wisconsin, we are faced with 6 months of winter! Well, it’s not really that bad….but close. The snow starts coming a little at a time in October and November. From December to March, the ground is blanketed in white. The lakes freeze and everyone settles into “winter mode.”
Sniff, sniff....what's this?
Over the years, I’ve tried my best to include the dogs in outdoor activities during winter. We go for runs on the frozen lakes and spend as much time as we can outside. While this is helpful, I have kept searching for something fun to do with the dogs that would also be beneficial for them. Dogs, just like us, can become couch potatoes if too much time is spent just laying around.
A couple years ago, I started thinking that hitching my dogs to a sled would be a good idea. Everyone would be outside doing something fun and exciting. The dogs would benefit from the exercise and should stay in top condition all year. From then on, owning an honest to goodness dog sled went on the list of things to do. Occasionally I would look into sleds, harnesses, snow hooks, sled bags, Musher’s Secret , sled dog food…basically anything dog sled, but never committed to it.
Last week opportunity knocked when I found a used dog sled for sale. I figured it was finally time to jump in and see if the idea of my four field dogs hooked to a sled was really as much fun as I thought. I now have a very nice looking dog sled taking up space in my basement. The sled will need a little refinishing on some of the wooden parts, but it was just what I was looking for.
Ready to give it a try!
It will most likely be a month or so until we have enough snow to take the sled out for the first time. That will give me the cushion I need to purchase the proper harnesses and gang-line for the dogs. I’ll make sure and keep everyone updated. My main goal with the dog sled is to get all of my dogs the exercise and conditioning they need during an off time of the year. The dog sled looks like a fun way to do it! Feel free to share your thoughts on dog sledding. This is something new for me and sure to be an adventure!
Related Posts:
- How To Exercise Your Dog Indoors
- Dog Agility (series of posts)
- Water Work
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I never thought about dog sledding, always thought it was a big sport and not just for fun. Officially on the lookout for a dog sled, this could be very fun for both me and my dog this winter. Looking forward to seeing how it works out for you.
Have you ever considered skijoring? This is when one dog pulls one human on cross-country skis. You have to have the right equipment, but it is great fun- AND you don’t have to have a huge dog to do it!
Interesting post!
Thank you both! This is going to be an exciting winter for the dogs. Janet, as Barb mentioned, skijoring might be an option for you too and would probably work out great if you had one dog. The summer conditioning I do with the four dogs is usually one at a time. That time adds up fast! I’m hoping this will be a great winter activity and all dogs can get exercised at once.
I’ve got the same problem as you with keeping my Springer and Blue Picardy Spaniel fit in the winter. We do Scootering in the Spring/Fall and Canicross in the winter but I really wanted to enable them to sprint like they do when scootering and give myself a bit of a break (we’re running 7 miles a day). I think I’ll take the plunge and buy a sled seeing as I can’t cross-country ski. I hope you’ll keep us up to date with how you get on with your non-traditional sled dogs.