Malamutes thrive when they work and during our six month long training season on snow we hit the trail nearly every day, sledding and skijoring
with our Mals. Besides having fun together and exploring the wilderness we also
utilize our dogs for practical purposes, hauling firewood from the woods and supplies from the village store.
Malamutes are great workers and are most content when provided with a meaningful task to perform. We believe that an interest in pursuing outdoor activites, such as hiking, skijoring or sledding is a prerequisite for owning an Alaskan Malamute.
Our sledding season starts in November and during this dark and often cold part of the winter we limit our training to shorter rounds following the forest trails surrounding our cabin.
When the sun returns from below the horizon in February we gradually increase our weekly mileage, and during the sunny months of March-May our favorite trails
are in the nearby mountains. Late spring is a great time for winter camping excursions in the northernmost mountain regions - there is plenty
of fresh snow and the days are long and mild.
We know nothing better than to set out on a winter camping excursion, packing just the bare necessities in the sled bag and picking a suitable spot on the map as our destination.
We find that it is on this type of expedition that one learns most about a dog's working ability and personality and also what needs to be improved through regular
training and conditioning.
We do not train our dogs for sprint races as the typical Malamute is not built for racing but structured for heavy freighting over long distances (Please read the AMCA breed standard to appreciate the difference between the Alaskan Malamute and the smaller and faster Siberian Husky). Instead of racing we train our dogs for fredighting work in the wilderness, either sledding or skijoring.
Our training philosophy is based on the principle of positive reinforcement which means that we focus more on rewarding right
behavior than on correcting mistakes. From our experience, Malamutes are most willing to perform when they are trained in a consistently positive environment where the focus is not on the end result, but rather, on having a good time along the way.
Tight tug lines and waving tails are clear signs our Malamutes are happy in harness and that is what's most important to us!
To view our summer activities, click here
| 
|
