Alaskan Malamute Club of
Gauteng
(KUSA AFFILIATED)
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General The Alaskan Malamute offers much in the way of companionship. They can be trained to work with his owner as a pack dog, sled dog or weight puller. Sharing these activities with your Malamute will give him the opportunity to prove himself as an eager worker as well as providing help and companionship for the active outdoors person. Alaskan Malamutes were bred as freighting dogs and by nature, this is built into the instincts of the animal. It is our experience that a working Malamute thrives on any working activity. Based on this, some TAMC members are involved in recreational sledding.
Sledding What is sledding? Sledding is the Malamute's original job as they helped move camp for their nomadic owners along the Alaskan coast, as they moved between their hunting and fishing grounds. A dog team consists of several dogs it is essential that dogs have good temperaments and are well disciplined. Although people have advocated that you can start sledding with your Malamute when he is about six months old, based upon our experiences, we recommend that you only start serious sledding or pulling with a Malamute between the ages of 12 - 18 months old as this would provide the animal with sufficient time to develop all round without the danger of exposing the Malamute to any possible joint problems that could arise. Remember that the young dogs cannot cover the distance or pull the load that a well conditioned, adult dog can. Start the youngster or inexperienced dog off in a small team beside a well mannered, hard working dog. Use a light sled and stick to trails that are well packed and not too steep so that your pup can get the feel of running with a tight tug line without being worked too hard. Increase distances gradually and teach basic commands such as hike, whoa, and stay. His first experiences in harness should be positive, as this is what he will have to build on as his training progresses. Your youngster will be ready to run with the experienced team his second winter. In addition, we advocate limiting a Malamute younger than 18 months, to a training schedules on soft surfaces such as grass, sand, etc. versus a tar surface. Here in South Africa, we use a sled built with steel and running on wheels. We are not involved in racing of any sort and have stringent rules to ensure both the well-being and safety of our Malamutes and sledding team. Several of the sled dogs are also actively involved in competing in Kennel Union Of South Africa Show competitions. For the novice, care should taken
when one intends sledding for the first time, specifically regarding the correct
equipment for the dogs (harnesses, gang lines, clips, etc.), a proper cart,
safety equipment for the musher (particularly if children ride on the sled) and
ensuring that the dogs are gradually exercised through the sledding season to
ensure that they are fit enough to run the distances. One must always be aware that we have relatively short
and mild winters and therefore based on SA winter’s, we are also required to
start very early in the morning when it is cold (yes, the colder the better) and
dark, thereby enabling the teams to complete their respective runs when it is
still cold. Racing A variety of racing events are available world-wide but based upon weather constraints in South Africa, this limits the training required to entertain any form of racing. Secondly, the activity of sledding in South Africa is mainly for people that believe in fulfilling the true function of our animals while socialising with some friends. Even though the Malamute is not a racing dog, these events are fun and social. They provide the opportunity to run on some good trails and learn from the experts. A well trained and conditioned team of Malamutes can often place in the middle of the pack. Sprint races are short, with the distances run being dependent on the numbers of dogs on your team. Distances are usually three to five miles for the smaller teams, up to ten or twelve miles for the larger teams. Many of these races include a one- or two-dog class for the “peewee” and junior racers. Freight races have become popular in other parts of the world, especially where there are Malamute teams. Here, teams pull the driver and added weight over the course. Weight is usually 21 kilograms per dog in addition to the weight of sled and driver. In recent years there has been an increase in interest in the middle distance and long distance races. These races are suitable for a larger team of Malamutes whose owner has the time to devote a season of fall training followed by many miles of training and conditioning once snow falls. The mid distance races are usually 80 to 96 kilometres and may be run as one heat or dogs may run the full distance each of two or three days. The long distance races such as the famous Iditarod, Yukon Quest or the Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon are seldom undertaken by Malamute owners. Many of the long distance races have now added shorter distance classes for teams of 7 to 10 dogs, in the 160 to 480 kilometres range. These races require trail and survival know-how and often require camping on the trail or at check points. More Malamute owners who have larger teams are now enjoying the challenge of these longer races and proving that the Malamutes can indeed run with the racing dogs. Cross Country and Freighting These are the activities most suited for the Malamute. They are not speed oriented and enable participation by people with small or large teams. There are few activities more enjoyable than packing up your camping gear, loading up the sled and taking off for a few days of solitude in the backcountry. For those just getting started, even a day outing and a winter picnic will make you feel in touch with nature and your dogs. Experience in camping and winter survival is recommended before embarking on a major trip. Annual Fouriesburg Sledding Weekend: July 2002 Once again, several of us who are active in working our dogs and sled them in Midrand, embarked on our annual go-away weekend and for the second successive year, “trekked” off to Fouriesburg in the Free State province in mid winter. Unfortunately this year, the snow was a day or so late and we were therefore not able to sled our dogs in the snow. We desperately waited for the snow and to be possibly snowed in and thereby extend our stay. The weekend allows us to have a “run” on both the Saturday and Sunday morning. The sledding weekend comprised of a total of 5 teams that include one pure Alaskan Malamute, two pure Siberian Husky teams, one team comprising of Siberian Huskies with a couple of German Shepherds and the remaining team comprising of a single Alaskan Malamute team pulling with a full Siberian Husky team. The majority of the teams comprise between 10-12 dogs and the weekend is great for socialising and building on friendships around campfires, while sharing in the excitement and experiences for what our dogs were bred for. Traditionally, the pure Alaskan Malamute team comprises of an average of 11 dogs (dependent upon bitches in season), with seven either being active or retired Show Dogs. With the exception of the younger bitch who requires one point only, all the seven show dogs are registered Show Champions. Special mention must also be made of Danie Boschoff’s a single Malamute that successfully makes up one of the Siberian Husky team. We would invite you to view some of the sledding photos in the gallery section. |
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