SPK Dog Log

Allen and Aliy travel to Denali National Park twice a week through out the summer. However, summer is no longer there!

Most sled dogs are relatively quiet when they run down the trail. They might pant or bark at an occasional animal. We have one rather distinct exception: Ranger.

Ranger has spoken his mind ever since he was a tiny puppy. He used to run in the puppy wheel (a slightly larger version of a hamster wheel) barking constantly. We thought it was funny then, so we would urge him on. Then as a yearling, he barked occasionally while in harness. We thought, he was probably still learning to be a real sled dog. As an adult, Ranger now barks constantly. It’s actually amazing to think that he can still breath and yap the entire time he is pulling and running.

The bottom line is some dogs, and people, were meant to speak their mind.

Tell them how you feel buddy!

Scooter is the black dog who chimes in with Ranger on the second pass. And funny enough, guess who is Scooter’s Daddy? Yup!

I was fortunate enough to roll out of bed at 6 AM today and stroll down my driveway to video SP’s first training runs of the 2013/2014 season. The 3 mile ‘early season’ trail goes right by our house. The thermometer read 29 degrees, there were numerous icy puddles on the trails and a slice of raspberry sky in the east. Perfect!

Leaders of the first team out are Dingle and Waylon. Then come Viper and Chemo in swing, Schmoe and Clyde, Chipper* and Tatfish, Driver* and Iron*, and Woody* and Tug in wheel. Bringing up the rear on the ATV are Aliy and Meghan. Look at those canine and human smiles. (* = yearling)

(Yes, Meghan is back after a busy summer working for Alaska Fire Service and Allen is moose hunting today to stock the freezer for winter.)

I recently interviewed Aliy about the characteristics of these early training runs.

Her main September goal is to mesh the differing physical and mental abilities of the dogs in harness. She says they normally spend most of their time on the basics – harnessing, hooking up to the gangline, getting out of the yard, stopping on the trail, obeying commands, getting along with neighbors, learning the location of their doghouses and knowing to return there after the run. The youngsters will also be absorbing how to run in harness correctly and to pace themselves during the run. Aliy terms this entire list of skills ‘Manners’. She is adamant about instilling manners for safety, efficiency and performance. All the dogs, even the older experienced ones, benefit from manners practice after a lazy August.

SP Kennel athletes in training, as of today, are 10 yearlings and 38 racing dogs, ages 2 to 8. Just imagine the differing levels of capability between, for instance, antsy Lydia (just one year old in August) and confident Quito (the serious focused professional). The dogs who participated in the Canine Warriors testing in July are in the best physical condition of all. And Olivia, the new mama, is temporarily on an individualized schedule. The challenge is to make September fun for all levels of fitness and experience.

Aliy says they will begin training using their traditional strong leaders, Quito, Beemer, Dingle, Rambler, Viper. A few weeks into training they will try younger, less experienced leaders. In each team they will pair yearling novices with mature, calm adults who essentially become examples and mentors. For instance, Junior might run beside Pud or Driver might run with Chica. These teaching pairs will be harnessed farther back in the team to be watched more closely. At other times, yearlings will be paired with siblings for comparison. Dogs two years old and older can be paired with anyone. Part of their ongoing training is to run effortlessly with different partners.

So, for this month, the trail will be easy and fun with lots of water to cool off. Each dog will run three to four times a week at 7-8 mph for about 30 minutes. There will be breaks along the way to cool down, to grab a drink, to learn to stand patiently and inevitably to untangle the youngsters who are ecstatic about this new experience.

Controlled chaos? Probably. Lots of fun? Definitely!

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Everything changes once August ends. Or at least that’s the sentiment floating around SP Kennel. The leaves are starting to change. The water dishes were frozen ice yesterday morning. The Sandhill Cranes are leaving the Northland. All of this means summer is GONE!

It is actually getting dark at night now. The dog yard lights are handy if you want to spot an early morning red fox visiting the dog yard.

The dogs are excited to get back into harness. Of course, all of the dogs have had plenty of exercise this summer either running the trails in Two Rivers or playing in the SP Kennel play pens. But, there’s nothing like getting back into harness. Aliy went through the pile of Howling Dog harnesses today and stretched out the gang lines. The ATV four wheelers are ready to roll and we already took a spin out on the route that we will train on Sunday. The first hook up of teams is not for another 4 days. But, why not be ready?!

Quito has put some weight on the summer and is a bit of a “wide load”. She claims that the weight sheds easily once she gets back into a routine! It will probably be easy for her, just like all those celebrity Super Models who lose 15 pounds a week before their Movie Premier!

Tatfish and Biscuit are the oldest dogs in training this season. Their antics in the play pen yesterday make us think they were 2 year olds however. Barbara Swenson, visiting the kennel from Anchorage, even mentioned that the two brothers seemed to get a little “testy”. Of course, Tatfish had dug a hole 4 feet deep and Biscuit managed to fall into it!

Willie and Boondocks are spinning in their spots. They body slam each other and play like sumo wrestlers, then lay down and nap right next to each other.

Boris has a new hobby of chasing a rock around his circle while pushing it with his nose, whereas Mac still just chases his tail!

Viper and Beemer are too cool to get worked up about much. They both hang out in the middle of the yard and enjoy the canine spectacle.

Lester has become somewhat of the “big man” on campus and likes to strut his stuff next to his newly moved neighbors: Fang, Outlaw and Nelson. Outlaw is his favorite, even though he towers above little blue-eyed Lester.

Scooter is happy as ever and seems to spend much of her time worrying about the puppies: 1, 2, 3 ,4 ,5 ,6 oh no… lost count. 1, 2, 3, 4! Darn it! 1, 2…. are their really 11???

Nacho and Chica are watching the kennel antics from their platform area. They have a multitude of bones and wood blocks and all the rest of the dogs wonder why. Of course, the they are spoiled with toys because we can build them a new dog house only every other year!

Mismo and Izzy are long legged and ready to run. Izzy thinks she’s a retriever and carries sticks around in her mouth much of the day. Mismo thinks she’s just kinda dumb.

The year old kids are now residing in their own little yard. The Golf Litter is loud and boisterous. Driver is by far the largest and has a voice like a soprano. Little Chipper is the boss and likes to keep everyone in line. The four youngest yearlings round out the yard. Lydia is in the far back, but you can’t miss her despite the fact that she is still the smallest and lightest boned! With her overwhelming personality she is a diamond in the rough.

We are so excited for this coming season and the neatest thing is:
The dogs are even more excited that the mushers!
It will be a great season.

Some of you were asking for more puppy pictures. We are trying! It’s nearly impossible to capture good pics of every pup. We hope to get puppy, as well as, portraits of all the dogs again this year. But, here is an attempt a litter shot.

Yes! There are only ten.

Pups from left to right: Daisy, Nomex (broadside), Tinder, Chena, Hotshot, Commando, Coal, Spark (in the back), Amber and Violot. Torch is sleeping in the dog house!

A healthy, happy 5 week old “Spark”.

Aliy and Allen enjoyed some true Alaskan fun with Denali Outdoor Center this week.

D.O.C. owners, Al and Joanna Cockman, invited the SP Kennel mushers on a whitewater raft adventure on the Nenana River in Denali Park. Rachel Cockman, a 10 year old budding river guide and future Iditarod class of 2021 musher, helped her dad guide the two-hour paddle raft trip. Mickey and Doug weren’t going to be left behind on such a fantastic adventure, so the Cockmans invited them along as well!

What a great adventure! When you find yourself in Denali Park look up Denali Outdoor Center and have a fantastic time!

These photographs were taken by Old Sourdough Studio. Not only do they capture the true adventure, but they have some spectacular dog mushing and wildlife photographs too.

It has been raining much of the week in Interior Alaska. And it’s raining again today. Lots of rain! These are the first significant rain events we have had since the second week in June! And the temperature was 40 degrees when we awoke yesterday, a far cry from from recent 80 and 90 degree marks.

Rainbow over a damp dog yard. The dogs love it.

We are pretty happy to see this cool, moist trend because:

1) The Alaska wildland fire season may finally be winding down. It’s been way too intense this summer. Even after our return from evacuation on July 9, we frequently felt the effects of our smoldering Stuart Creek 2 fire. Last Sunday we could still see plumes of smoke from our lookout on Aliy’s balcony. When the wind blew from the east a veil of smoke and acrid fire smell enveloped us. Ray, Derrick and the other firefighters in our neighborhood, have simply been gone all summer, fighting the 592 fires that burned more than 1,300,000 acres of Alaska. We depend on their firefighting skills but we miss them at home. We need a fire season ‘ending event’, like cooler temps and the 3 days of rain forecast for this week.

Temps and humidity this morning.

2) Sunday, September first is the TENTATIVE date for the first day of training for the 2013/2014 mushing season. But without this cool, wet weather it is simply too hot for our dogs to run! The ideal scenario for early season runs is cool mornings, in the 30 to 40 degree range, and lots of puddles for the dogs to splash in during breaks. The forecast for the night of August 31 is 38 degrees and light rain. That could do it! The mushers are ready. The dogs are ready. The ATV’s and gang lines and harnesses are ready. We need a mushing season ‘beginning event’, like cooler temps and the three days of rain forecast for this week.

Allen and Tatfish are ready for this season’s training. Are you?

See the editorial in yesterday’s Fairbanks News Miner. Fall might really be coming to Interior Alaska, albeit it a few weeks late.