October 2014 Vol 1 Issue 1 Everyday Life with Man s Best Friend Skijoring Through Winter p.6 The Last Great Race p.8 What is Dog Agility? p.3
Taniel Bedrosian As an Alaskan Native, Taniel has always been familiar with the Iditarod Racing community. He grew up learning to sled with his father and watching the Iditarod every year up until he was ready to compete. Amazingly, in only his second Iditarod Race, he and his team of Alaskan Malamute Huskies became the 2012 Champions. He has since retired from sled dog racing but still enjoys going on short trips with his dogs and continues to be involved in the Iditarod community. Arill Bartrend Arill has been a lifetime dog enthusiast. Since a young age he has trained working dogs in eastern Washington to pull. Many of his dogs have gone on to compete in the Snow Dog SuperMush in Concully, WA and the Rocky Mountain Sled Dog Championships in Soda Springs, ID. More recently, he has taken up the pastime of skijoring and has tried to start a group dedicated to the sport in the community in Leavenworth, WA. He continues to be active with his own dogs throughout the Pacific Northwest. Karissa Benjamin Karissa is one of the leading trainers in today's dog agility. She became the youngest National Champion ever in 2011 at just 20 years of age. She has since retired from the ring and has begun a training business out of her fully equipped backyard with her Champion Agility dog Lyla (see photo). After she earns enough money through her training business, she plans to move on to Harvard University to earn her degree in canine psychology. Katelynn Kato Clinton Growing up with a dog by her side in Bickleton, Washington, a small farming town. Kato has had every type of dog from shelter dogs, to labs, to purebred English mastiffs. Titus (her 175 pound English mastiff) sleeps with her every night and has even shared a twin bunk bed with him. Titus tries to go everywhere with her. She has seen cowdogs working hard for ranchers out in the open field and for pickup men in the rodeo arena. She has always loved dogs and their incredible loyalty and hard work ethic. They say that a dog is man s best friend and nothing is truer for Kato and her dogs. Ian Cox Growing up in the suburbs, Ian always had cats at home to keep him company, along with his twin brother. However, this all changed when his family introduced a black female standard poodle to the family. A few years later his family brought home a second standard poodle, this time a white male. Ian s passion for the outdoors took off from there, finding new dog friendly trails every week in the Cascade and Olympic Mountain Ranges. Now living in Pullman, Ian has a new best friend, a five month old Australian Shepherd named Lucy.
Table of Contents What is Dog Agility page 3 I love Lucy page 4 The Working Dog page 5 Skijoring Through Winter page 6 The Last Great Race page 8
What is Dog Agility? By Karissa Benjamin herself in and out of as fast as possible. Dog agility is a sport in which a dog runs off leash through a series of obstacles while being directed by a handler that runs alongside the dogs during the run using verbal cues and gestures to guide him or her. This sport started back in the 1970s during traditional dog shows. During the breaks in the shows, handlers would have their dogs run through obstacles for audience entertainment. The sport caught on and became an event in itself. An agility course can include any number of obstacles approved by the course judges. One obstacle is called an A-frame, which is when a dog runs up a steep ramp and down the other side at the same angle. Another obstacle is a tunnel, usually a fabric cylinder that can either be straight or curved, that a dog has to run through. Sometimes, tunnels are replaced with collapsed tunnels, which are half tunnel and half flimsy fabric to obstruct the dog s Dog Tunnel vision temporarily. There is an obstacle called the teeter-totter, which is much like the ones you would find on a playground. These test the dog s ability to adjust their weight distribution and maintain balance. Another obstacle is the tire jump, which is an elevated tire or hoop that dogs must jump through without touching the sides, testing precision. Crossovers are like A-frames with more than one exit ramp, but there is only one exit path allowed by the judges, which tests the dog s ability to listen. A pause box is not so much an obstacle as it is a test of proper training. The pause box is where the dog must briefly pause after running some of the agility course until their handlers direct them to continue through Jumping Obstacle the course. Jumping courses would include jumping bars and tire jumps in which the dog must clear the objects they jump over or through. Finally, everyone s favorite, the weave poles. This is the obstacle most people think of when they hear about dog agility courses. It is also the most difficult obstacle to train a dog to properly perform through. The weave poles are a series of poles that slowly become perfectly in line with each other that the dog must weave himself or Dog Weaving Because each course includes a different combination of these obstacles, each handler is allowed a short walk through before the start of the competition. This helps the team to lower their chances of acquiring faults during their run. Faults are mistakes made by the dog and/or the handler during their course run. One type of fault is a time fault. This is given when the team does not complete the course in the allotted time given by the judges. Another fault is a contact fault. This takes place when the dog fails to place their paw in a contact zone. For example, the seesaw, A-frame, and crossovers are called "contact" obstacles, because these have sections on each end (the up-side and the down-side) that are painted yellow. By painting the rest of the obstacle a contrasting color, the dog is able to distinguish where the contact zone is. One of the challenges in agility is the requirement that the dog MUST touch the down-side contact zone with at least one paw. Another fault that can be given to a team is called a weave pole fault. As mentioned before, weave poles are the most difficult obstacle to train your dog to go through which makes this fault one of the most prevalent in Dog touching a contact zone dog agility competitions. The weave pole fault is given when the dog misses a weave, tries to correct a missed weave by moving backward or runs around a number of the poles. Sometimes dogs can get out of control and run out of bounds or outside the ring all together which both result in an off-course fault. It is important to remember that the handlers are NEV- ER allowed to touch the dogs. Only verbal and body language cues are allowed to be used to direct the dogs through the obstacles. If there is any contact between the handler and the dog at any time during the run, this will result in a handler fault. A few more obvious reasons for receiving a fault include biting, aggression and elimination of any kind inside the ring. Some of these faults are more severe than others; it really depends on the degree of the situation and discretion of the judges.
I Love Lucy By Ian Cox As I begin to write my first piece for the newly minted Ruff Life Magazine, I ask myself, why me? Why was I chosen over the hundreds of applicants to fill this role? What special skills do I have? To be candid, the answer is none. But I do have one thing. That one thing you ask? It is EXPERIENCE. I will be bringing to you each month a story, an adventure of sorts, that I hope peaks your interest and encourages you to get into nature with your best friend. This week I want to share with you a story about a young pup named Lucy. Lucy is an Australian Shepherd full of spunk Lucy (right) a few days old. and energy. As dog owners, I am sure many of you can remember the days chasing around an exuberant young canine. While at work thinking, I wonder what she is destroying this time. Enough reminiscing, let us move on to the story. Like a young Emilia Earhart, Lucy loves exploring and learning new things about her environment. At the ripe age of 3 months Lucy got to experience her first real adventure! A trek up Palouse Falls in the Southeast part of Washington State. Many of you might know this water fall due to this video where Tyler Bradt takes a plunge down 186ft in his kayak. However, we were not there to set a world record. But what ended up occurring might have been just as miraculous. We departed our vehicle around 11:00am on a sunny Friday morning and began winding through the beautiful canyon, all was going splendidly. Having stopped at the local pet shop Pets are People Too on our way to the trailhead we had the latest and greatest in gear. Additionally, before heading out for the day I read through the Washington Trails Association guidebooks, making sure to have the following items they recommend on hand. We were set; Lucy was frolicking in the sage brush, as I tried desperately to keep her moving in the right direction. After about an hour we reached the top of the trail and decided to stop for lunch. One rule I have always believed strongly in is carrying one s own weight. Though a puppy, Lucy was outfitted with her own doggy backpack and had carried her Helpful Hint of the Week: allow your dog to play with others, as you just never know who you will get to meet. personal food to the top. As we scarfed down our respective meals I thought to myself, life could not get any better than this. Then the inevitable happened, another dog showed up, closely followed by its owner. This was great I thought to myself. Lucy will get even more tuckered out playing with this dog. As the sun continued to move through the sky I decided it was time to head home. But first we needed to stop for a drink of water. Lucy, having finished all of hers, decided to take a splash in a small body of water. Then I heard it, a small whimper coming from her direction. Confused, I make my way towards her, not noticing any immediate signs of injury. Then my jaw dropped. In the distance I viewed with horror a small rattlesnake slithering out of the water and back into the bushes. Upon further inspection I saw a small traces of blood on her hind quarter, along with a few punctures. I was floored. To be Continued... Next Month in Ruff Life Magazine: I finish the tale of Lucy, how one pup overcame the odds Unlike Emelia Earhart, will Lucy survive to tell the tale?
The Working Dog By Katelynn Clinton Before the Work Cowdogs are not just picked from any random litter. They are specifically bred and selected depending on their personality characteristics. The pup cannot be extremely playful and outgoing but it cannot also be timid and quiet. The puppy must have a good balance between playful and quiet. Once the puppy is picked, they are constantly handled by people and they begin basic puppy training and commands like sit, stay, shake, roll and other common commands. Training never stops for cowboys who train their dogs themselves. They say that a dog has only one master, this is Photo Credit: Sam Brewer even truer for working dogs. It is encouraged that the dogs are tied up or locked in a comfortable kennel, not too big or too small. The dogs must have good manners, they cannot jump on people and must be able to be led. Two of the most important and used commands are down or stop. The dog must be able to react to these commands with a second thought either laying down or standing still. Although they obey other people they typically never leave their master s side most never wear a leash during their life time due to their want to be by their master s side. As mentioned earlier, a well-trained dog who obeys it s owner does not just happen, it takes years of patience from both the cowboy and their dog. from anyone but their cowboy. Cowdogs are there for their cowboy whether it is to protect another cowboy from a raging bull or to fetch a runaway calf, these incredibly smart and well trained dogs work just as hard, if not harder, than any cowboy. The dogs range from any one breed to another whether it is a Border Collie or a Kelpie, the dog must be smart, fast, agile and obedient. Most of the dogs are trained by a professional for several months before they are given back to the cowboy to work. After that it still takes years until the dog is a complete cow dog. The Rodeo Cowdog Rodeo dogs are fearless. They can stare a raging bull in the eye and not blink. Their ability to move a 1,600-1,700 pound kicking animal with horns that can kill is something that is truly amazing to watch. The dogs are trained to sit or laydown by their pickup The Ranching Cowdog Secluded in miles of undeveloped land consisting of hills or plains, where cattle roam, there is someone working extremely hard, asking for no recognition Photo Credit: Doris Hess Photo Credit: Alice GipsonFollowPhiladelphia, PA, US man on his horse before and during the bull ride. Once the cowboy has fallen off and is safe, the dog jumps in to lead the bull back to the gate the bull needs to go. The dog will sometimes be ordered to leave early to help save a bull rider but very rarely since that is the job of the bullfighters. Most of the time the pickup men will sit in the corner on his horse and never move during the bull riding section because the dogs are trained and able to take care of the bull by themselves.
Skijoring Through Winter By Arill Bartrand During this last summer season, you probably had several enjoyable experiences with your dog whether it was hiking or even just walks in the park. As fall wears on though, the falling temperatures and coming weather make these activities less feasible. Thankfully, you need not resign yourself and your best friend to waiting inside for the next season. If you live in a location where cross-country skiing is possible and your dog is able to be physically active in the snow, consider the increasingly popular sport of skijoring. Even if you have never heard of skijoring before, you may have guessed the nature of the sport based on the description above. Skijoring is essentially a hybrid of traditional cross-country skiing and sled dog racing minus the sled. The dog is placed in a standard sledding harness, but instead of attaching the towrope to the sled, it is attached to the skier s harness. In this way, both the skier and dogs generate forward momentum. Any number of dogs can be used to pull the skier with more dogs providing more power, but also increasing the need for training and coordination. If you have a smaller dog that is enthusiastic, you can also just let them run ahead and pretend to pull you through the snow. Keep in mind that you do not need to be an expert skier with a common sled dog breed in order to enjoy the sport. Even a beginning cross-country skier could skijor with a smaller breed could go skijoring in a local park. Northern breeds like Huskies or Samoyeds tend to do better for more extended and intensive excursions, but any dog will do. Just make sure to be aware of the specific needs of your dog and take them into account when planning to skijor. In participating in this great sport, you are also taking part in a rich history. Unlike many sports, instead of being invented by a single culture and being adopted later by others, skijoring has been reinvented in most cultures that already possessed the knowledge of dog domestication and skiing. Some of the first races may have been held in Scandinavia as a variation of Pulka, which is a form of sled dog racing that originated in Norway and Sweden. These early competitions were actually considered military in nature due to the practical use of skijoring at the time to quickly deliver messages in time of conflict. While the sport has never been a competitive part of the Olympics, a demonstration was included as a part of the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Skijoring has continued to draw increased attention and popularity in the United States. New skijorers who want to compete should not despair, however, because while there is not currently a skijoring event in the Olympics, there are competitions held around the world. The main sponsors of the races are the International Sled Dog Racing Association (ISDRA), the European Sled Dog Racing Association (ESDRA), and the International Federation of Sled Dog Sports (IFSS). The most recent competition coordinated by the IFSS was in 2011 and held in Hamar, Norway. The event was unique in that most skijorers use one or two dogs, but this race allowed competitors to use up to eight dogs. In the same year, the United States also hosted the largest international skijoring competition in the world at the City of Lakes Loppet in Minneapolis, Minnesota. If this article has excited you by this point, you may be wondering how to take the next step and get involved in this sport. The first consideration should be the dog. Any dog that is a certain size and likes to run is a good choice for skijoring. Small dogs are not often used because they are not able to provide as much strength or speed, but as mentioned before, they can still enjoy running ahead in the traces while you ski behind. In general, Northern The exhibition actually used horses.
dog breeds tend to dominate the sport due to its nature. They have dense coats which keep them warm for long periods recreating in the snow. Northern breeds also tend to be working breeds which means that they tend to have the strength to contribute to the forward motion of the skier. Examples of Northern breeds include huskies, chows, lapphunds, and malamutes. Other breeds that do well are pulling dogs like mastiffs and terriers and faster running breeds such as greyhounds and Dalmatians. However, this list is by no means comprehensive. Almost any breed can be made into a first class skijoring dog and long as there is a desire to pull. Some short-haired breeds such as the greyhound must have attentive owners so that the dog does not become injured or sick due to the cold. Another good trait in a potential skijoring buddy is the ability to focus when asked to do so. You will not want your dog running after squirrels or other dogs and pulling you along behind on skis. With training, any dog can develop this discipline, but it is recommended to complete this training prior to strapping on your skis and attaching yourself to the dog. The best among skijoring dogs will completely ignore other distractions and focus on the path ahead. In official competitions, points are deducted for dogs that display poor discipline. The next item of consideration is what gear to use. Both you and your dog will require harnesses and you will need either cross-country or downhill skiing gear depending on your preferences. Downhill gear gives you greater control and may be preferable with large dogs, but cross-country skis allow the skier to help the dog out on hills or rough terrain. The harnesses used need to be for the intended use. A generic dog harness is not intended for pulling and as such, a sled dog harness or other pulling harness should be used. The human counterpart does not matter as much, but it should allow the force generated by the dog to pull you in a way that is comfortable. For dogs not of a Northern breed, extra insulation for you dog is recommended. Make sure that jacket or covering does not adversely affect how the harness attaches to the dog. There is a large amount of gear available online, but be sure that any purchase is made specifically for skijoring or a closely related purpose. Some precautions to be aware are to start slowly to allow you and your dog to adjust. Just as marathon runners train, you and your dog need time to get in shape regardless of how serious you plan to take skijoring. In addition to physical condition, both you and your dog will likely be unused to the harnesses. Take time to adjust and be as comfortable as possible. Additionally, skijorers must watch for hazards on the trail. Common obstacles include other skijorers, skiers, and snowmobiles. Always take a first aid kit and enough equipment to keep both you and your dog safe. Now that you have all the information to get started, make sure to remember the most important rule of all: have a great time outside!
The Last Great Race Taniel Bedrosian Many people in the United States, as well as around the world have heard of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. What many fail to recognize though, is how this Great Race of Mercy came to be. In January of 1925 there was an epidemic of diphtheria erupting in a small Alaskan town by the name of Nome. This disease, which is highly contagious as well as lethal, was feared to have the capability to wipe out the entire village s population. Dr. Curtis Welch, Nome s only doctor at the time, knew that it was imperative to act fast and that the only way to prevent such a disaster was to get ahold of an antitoxin that could deter the disease from spreading. There was one problem. The only supply of the antitoxin was over 1,000 miles away in the city of Anchorage. With the harsh winters of Alaska transportation options were limited. The ice-filled seas made transportation by ship impossible. January temperatures are also Alaska s coldest and can drop to negative 70-degrees Fahrenheit, making it impossible for open-cockpit airplanes to deliver the serum by air. This left one option for providing the village with support. They needed to transport the antitoxin by sled dog teams. To make this possible there was an immediate response that included more than 20 mushers and more than 150 dogs. The closest rail system was located in Nenana, another small village located about 700 miles from Nome. The serum was transported to the village and upon arrival there awaited a sled dog team. On January 27, 1925 the first team left Nenana under the command of Wild Bill Shannon. There were many stations set up along the 700- mile trek across the Alaskan tundra. The longest and the most important was that led by musher Leonhard Seppala, who had traveled 170 miles from Statue of Balto in Central Park, New York Gunner Kaasen with Balto, Nome to intercept the relay and now had to turn around and make a 91-mile return to the next checkpoint. Seppala made it safely hours before the ice he had just traveled across broke. He then handed the reins to a musher by the name of Gunnar Kaasen. Gunnar, relying on his lead dog to navigate through a blizzard, made the final two legs of the journey arriving in Nome on February 2. This lead dog would become a national icon, after which the legend of Balto was born. The epic trek was made in five and a half days and after 3 and a half weeks Dr. Curtis Welch was able to treat the village and eradicate the disease. The mushers accompanied by their dogs became heroes and held a nine-month tour around the country. The heroic effort laid foundation to the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race that is known today, but which would have been lost had it been without the revival efforts of Dorothy Page and Joe Redington (The Father of Iditarod). With the introduction of snowmachines and improved airplanes much of the need for sled dogs was diminished. Many had forgotten the historical significance dog sleds had on the settlement of Alaska. In 1964, a woman by the name of Dorothy Page was charged with the task of looking into historical events that had helped shape Alaska over the previous 100 years. The year 1967 would mark the centennial of Alaska s purchase from Russia. She along with her first and most influential supporter, Joe Redington, would fight to start a sled dog race on the old Iditarod trail to resurface a huge part of Alaska s tradition and past. Their efforts succeeded and in 1967 the first sled dog race was held from Knik to Big Lake. It wasn t until 1973, however, when the race was expanded to Nome that the race really took hold and drew national and international attention.
The current route for the Iditarod race spans 975-998 miles from its start point in Anchorage to its end in Nome. The route has been changed many times throughout the years to better ensure the safety of the mushers and their dog teams. These changes have helped avoid the more dangerous areas where wildlife and the natural environment pose the most risk, though there is still most definitely substantial risk involved. There are two routes that the Iditarod race holds. The Northern Route, which includes a 975-mile trek with 23 checkpoints, is the shorter of the two and is held on even years. The Southern Route is the more lengthy which is held on odd years, including a 998-mile trek with 24 checkpoints. The reason the Iditarod Board of Directors chose to make use of both routes was to lessen the burden on the villages, by having it pass through their towns only every other year. The second reason was to allow the opportunity to pass through the ghost-town of Iditarod along the Southern Route. Because of the length and terrain of the race, there are many precautions and a lot of training that goes into preparing for the Iditarod. Training for the Iditarod demands a lot of time and preparation. Many people believe that the mushers just ride along on the sled and enjoy the scenery. That illusion couldn t be farther than the truth. During the race mushers are subject to a great amount of physical as well as mental exhaustion. Mushers spend most of the race peddling and steering on the sled. When they aren t, they are running along side the dogs to keep warm. They also have to hike to camping spots and rest stations. In order to keep up many mushers train year round to ensure they are in tip-top shape. Many participate in marathons and triathlons and mentally prepare by eating right and maintaining healthy sleep cycles. To ensure their dogs are in shape and healthy they participate in other long-distance sled dog races in Alaska, as well as races held in other states around the country. The dogs also are put on nutritious diets. There are also many regulations and measures the Iditarod Board upholds to ensure the health and readiness of the dogs. Every dog has to undergo screening lab work and blood panels to ensure that everything is normal with their hearts and blood. They have to go through physical examinations to evaluate the dog s hydration, appetite, and lung capacities. Furthermore, at every checkpoint officials check the dogs to make sure they aren t subject to avoidable risks that could result in death. Not just any dog can participate in the Iditarod because of these harsh conditions and physical requirements. A dog that is eligible must be a sled dog. This means that a dog that is eligible must be a northern breed that has a natural fur coat to protect them against the harsh environment. Because of this, the most popular dogs (with the best traits) are Alaskan or Siberian Huskies. The Iditarod has attracted mushers from all over the world. There have been over 400 finishers of the race to date with participants from all over the United States, Canada, Czechoslovakia, France, Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Italy, Japan, Austria, Australia, Sweden, and Russia. There are, however, many rules and regulations in place that one must satisfy before they are eligible to enter. The entry qualifications to enter the race are set by the Board of Directors of the Iditarod Trail Committee, Inc. To be eligible each musher must participate in qualifiers to ensure the mushers and their dogs are able to cover the long-distance on their own without the aid of others. In addition, each musher must submit their report cards from their qualifying races within 10 days of the race as well as their application, musher-release, sponsor list, membership forms, all paperwork regarding dog care and eligibility, and an entry fee for each entrant of $3,000. In recent years the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race has become one of Alaska s richest traditions. It is not only a sporting event, but also an annual celebration to commemorate the impact sled dogs and their teams have had on the history and settlement of Alaska. For all the dog lovers, history buffs, and dog sports enthusiasts out there; it is definitely a tradition worthy of your bucket lists.