little victories

Today was a perfect day. The sun was out, the sky was a clear baby blue and the temperature was sitting at about 15F. We are still in that part of early winter where the sun is high enough to make real, bright, squint-inducing daylight. The snow is sparkling and even though we aren't really in winter-wonderland territory, we are getting there.

After yesterday's trouble getting out of the yard, I was apprehensive to put Xtra up front right out of the gate. I don't want to put more pressure on her than she can handle, especially since I've made that mistake quite a bit with Norrin early this season. My options were limited. Pepper was out, as was Norrin. I really like how Devilfish and Parka are doing as a wheel pair and don't want to mess with that quite yet. I know Pico will run up front, but I don't trust his ADHD brain once we are off the trail and on the road. He is likely to pull an otherwise straight-ahead and focused team into an oncoming car or after a stray dog. When he is in team, his attempts to pull this kind of behavior off are thwarted by their momentum and Norrin's steady bulk.

I waited until the last second to make my decision, and it was this: I would hook Xtra up with Reese just before we left. If she tried to turn and follow me back to the ATV more than once, I'd switch her for Pico and then switch them back as soon as we were on the road. To my surprise, Xtra lined out next to Reese, leaning into his lanky side and watching me as I walked back down the line. Encouraged, Peter and I jumped on the ATV and we were off ... through the yard and down the trail without a hitch. I was elated.

I kept a close eye on Pico as we headed out. We've been having intermittent trouble with his right front foot. There is no injury or irritation I can find, but he chews on it constantly, to the point we've had in an e-collar on several occasions over the last month. The fur is discolored from all his attention, and there seems to be black crud collecting between his pads but for the life of me I can't fine the source. His pulling has been off, too. Although he is a distracted pup, he is usually happy to work hard for all of the miles I've put on him over the last two winters. This season, however, he seems to be maxing out between two and three miles, and then dropping back and refusing to pull. He isn't limping or being dragged along, he just won't keep his tug line tight. I would chalk this up to laziness, except it is new, and there is that foot. I've been treating the foot alternately with Desitin and an oil-based ointment but to no solid result. Today, I put booties on his front feet, to see if this would have any affect on his work ethic.

We ran out a little further than we've gone so far to put in a solid five-and-some-change miles. With Peter on board, I was a little more confidant in making a tight u-turn on the road with extra hands for tangles. When we reached the turn-around point, a place Reese hadn't seen yet, I slowed the ATV and pulled to the right, calling for him to turn left. He hesitated for an instant, then pulled the team around in a picture perfect around-haw! We hardly even came to a complete stop! I cheered out loud!

A few minutes later, I decided to push my luck and slowed the team when we came to a little side-trail that parallels the road for about a quarter mile. We've been on this jag once, but from the other direction. Reese and Xtra looked back at us when we stopped, but quickly took the right. No tangles, no confusion. Norrin hardly even noticed. I was so happy.

Reese & Xtra in Lead

Pepper in Swing

Pico & Norrin in Team

Devilfish & Parka in Wheel

The only low note was Pico. His boots stayed on his feet, and didn't seem to irritate him after the first few strides, but they didn't seem to help with his pulling issue much. He still backed off his tug at about the four-mile point (although maybe getting that far was an improvement?) There is still no limp, and I still can't figure out what is causing the trouble.

Overall, however, it was a spectacular run. A pile of little victories makes a mountain.

shuffling

Against my better judgement (and it was) I put Norrin in single lead while Reese was on the bench. Things seemed to go ok for about half the run, although there were a few concerning moments when Norrin simply stopped running until the swing dogs slammed into him and pushed him forward for a few strides. I left him up there by himself until about a half mile from the house, when he decided to take a sharp left into a random driveway for no reason I could see, and stopped. I got off the ATV and pulled him back onto the road, but he was a wreck. He wouldn't line out or even look forward, and he was shaking with stress. I quickly unclipped Pico from swing and moved him up - the two had run together up front all summer on the bike, after all. Pico, however, was already a bit off and ran sideways, not pulling, all the way home (more on this later.) I'm kind of surprised we made it back without further disaster.

It was a bad idea to put Norrin up front alone, and I think I'm putting too much stock in what I hope for him and not enough in the reality of what he can and can't offer. He is a strong dog with a good work ethic who completely melts down if anything - even a tiny little micro thing like a fluctuation on the speed of the ATV behind him - goes wrong. This is what I have to work with, and I need to start putting him in positions where he can succeed, and build confidence. Forcing him into my pipe-dreams isn't doing either of us, or the team, any good.

Due to scheduling and hesitation on my part, we didn't run again until Reese was back to 100%. I put Norrin and Reese up front together, still hoping that my big foster boy would shine. Norrin did great initially, but when we had to U-turn on our out-and-back route, the few seconds of chaos was too much for him. He twisted in his harness and lay down in the road, unwilling to straighten out or move forward at all. I dropped him back into the team, switching Pepper, our new girl from Skunk's Place Kennel, up front. She ran great and pulled hard, taking my "gee" command before Reese responded to it on the way home. Yes! I figured this would be our new line-up - the two white dogs up front and Norrin secure in the team, free to pull hard without the stress of leadership.

Ever-happy Pepper, on the ride home from SPKennel.

On the next run, I hooked Reese and Pepper up and they held the line out like champs. Reese has taken to laying down with tension on his line, yelp-howling and rolling lazily in the snow until hook-up is done. I am thinking that Pete's initial moniker for him - the Dude - is more apt than we realized. Peter had decided to come with me on this run, so he was waiting on the ATV while I made some last adjustments and ran back to join him. I released the brakes and the team surged forward. They ran straight for about five yards - just to the beginning of the trail - and Pepper darted off into the woods, dragging the team and tangling the lines around several bushes in an instant. I was confused and disappointed. After some quick untangling and reassuring of the team, it was clear that Pepper was headed anywhere but down the trail with Reese. I unclipped her and switched her out with Xtra, who I had in swing.

Our little dynamo was pretty nervous up there with no dogs ahead of her. I stood her next to Reese three times, only to have her turn and follow me back to the ATV, dragging him along with her.  Finally, I had Pete start moving forward, and I ran alongside the leaders. As soon as the team outpaced me, she picked up on what was happening and surged ahead. I hopped on the ATV as it passed and we were (finally!) off.

Xtra did great up front and I have put her up with Reese on the couple of runs we've done since then. She's still hesitant at the start, but once we get going she pulls hard alongside Reese. Neither of them seem sure about the turns but they both try hard.  When we stop at an intersection, they both surge towards every possible trail, track or opening in the trees to figure out which way I want them to go. They are thinking, and at this point that counts for a lot. It should be more straightforward once we have real trails with simple two-option intersections to work with. Road-running with the quad is not a good setup for attempts at command-leader training.  Norrin, in the mean time, continues to have little melt-downs back in the team and I'm really not sure what else I can do for him except try to make the runs as smooth as possible.

Reese & Norrin in Lead

Xtra in Swing

Pepper & Pico in Team

Parka & Devilfish in Wheel

We've gotten a little bit more snow, but not quite enough for sleds. I got a second loaner sled from a friend, and am casting around for another dog or two (without success, so far) to give us enough for two small teams if Pete wants to tag along some this winter. In the mean time, the ATV is going back to its owner this week so he can start his trap line. We'll have a couple more ATV runs, and then it'll be a waiting game for some good snowfall and a few more inches of ice on the creek.

points of contact

Even though I've been taking Pico and Norrin out on the bike this fall, it has been with no little trepidation each time. Given Pico's proclivity to bolt after any distraction and the general instability of a bike on a rough dirt road with two powerful animals attached to its front fork, I feel my hesitation is justified. An injury at this point could put a damper on the snow season.

After the arrival and settling-in of the DewClaw dogs, part of me wanted, badly, to take Norrin and Reese out to see how they would do together and mostly how Reese would do in lead. However the thought of hooking up and even bigger and unknown dog to the bike was unsettling. It took me a week to ramp up my courage, but I finally gritted my teeth and (with assistance from Peter, since I don't have a snub line on my bike) hooked my two big boys up.

Reese knows his job. He and Norrin ran out of the driveway and down the road like they were born striding along together. At the bottom of the hill, where Norrin still insists on breaking right despite the fact that we have NEVER gone that way, I was pretty sure Reese started to take my "haw" command before Norrin's bulk stopped him. I got off and redirected the two of them to the left, and we were on our way again in seconds. The two boys ran without further problems, Reese ignoring several driveways with just an "onby," taking two more "haw" commands - which Norrin was more amenable to follow. We passed a few yards with barking dogs without hesitation. We were flying, and I was elated.

Then we passed the horses. Pico has had some trouble with the horses, but has always managed to pass them with only some rubbernecking. Reese, however, must have a major weakness for the huge, fuzzy four-legged beasts because the second he caught wind of them his whole demeanor changed. He charged down the driveway to their pens, nearly flipping my bike and completely ignoring my pleas to pass on. I dropped the bike and hauled him back to the road, but where horses were concerned he suddenly had a single-minded, border-collie like focus. There was nothing else in his world. Norrin, a little freaked out by all the chaos, managed to back halfway out of his harness (a trick I'd heard of but never seen) and create a remarkable tangle for just two dogs in the midst of it all.

The horse's owner, at this point, was standing on his porch laughing at the spectacle on the road as I struggle to untangle one dog and break the zen trance of the other so we could move on. The minutes dragged on and Reese was still in another world. Norrin, now untangled and relatively straight on the road, finally decided he'd had enough and bodily dragged Reese by his neckline back in the right direction. Norrin succeeded where I had failed, and Reese turned and began trotting again as if the horses had never existed. The rest of the run went without incident, and I was heartened by the general success as much as I was concerned about the sudden and utter loss of focus.

I have been trying to find an ATV to borrow for the rest of the fall and first part of the winter, so that I can run all the dogs with less risk to my own limbs, until the trails have enough now pack to safely use the sled. After much asking around, my boss' husband was generous enough to lend me his, and I brought it home last week. Our first ride was a rousing success. With a team behind him, Reese took his turns and ignored our equine neighbors like a champ. Although he didn't respond to "Gee/Haw" commands, if I tapped the brakes and said "NO" when he started to take a wrong turn, he immediately corrected and lead everyone in the right direction. Even if it isn't the power steering I got used to last year with Leo, it is certainly leadership I can work with!

(Don't be fooled by Norrin's perfect "haw" - he just recognizes the driveway!)

Once everyone was settled back into the yard, I noticed that Reese was favoring one of his wrists. I brought him inside for the rest of the afternoon to keep him off it, rubbed it down with an emu oil that Jodi had given me when I picked up her crew and tried without success to find a cause. Although I know that injuries are a part of running, seeing him limping (and after only one run!) got me a little worked up. I felt awful! After some consultation with Jodi, we decided on a treatment course of rest and more rest. With my one probably-leader off the table for at least a week, the success of future ATV runs was certainly, at least in my mind, in doubt.

plus four makes six

I was ecstatic to wake up to ice on my windshield on the last Sunday in September. The temperature was still well below freezing after I fed Norrin, Pico & August and double-checked the houses, fresh hay & tie-outs I'd been getting together in the yard. I headed out around eight, bound for the old mining district of Chatinika in the southern foothills of the White Mountains and DewClaw Kennel, home of Jodi Bailey and Dan Kaduce. The drive was beautiful, although more stark than our previous visit last month. On that initial trip, when we met the dogs and sealed the arrangements for them to join us for the winter, the hills were covered in deep fall gold. This trip, the birch and aspen were bare, reaching black branches into the icy blue sky, waiting for winter and snow.

After spending some time with Jodi over coffee, talking about everything from our experiences teaching for the local community college and observations on generational differences on Facebook to the ideal size of trail snacks for the dog team and comparative merits of various ointments & oils for sore paws, we went down to the yard to get the dogs. X-tra was already chilling in the cabin when I arrived, recovering from a spat with a team-mate. We let Reese, Parka & Devilfish loose and all three made a beeline up the hill. Reese was the first at the door, waiting to take his place on the dog bed inside. He spent most of his summer in the cabin, and was eager to return. Jodi graciously let us all back in the house and showed me how to go through range of motion and back-loosening exercises with Reese and X-tra and talked a bit about about dog-bootie use now that we're going to be putting in longer miles.

While my head spun with information overload, Jodi and Dan helped me load four still-unfamiliar dogs into my truck and we headed back towards Cripple Creek and home. Reese and X-tra were in the cab with me, and brother-sister pair Parka and Devilfish rode in the back. X-tra sat nervously at the other end of the bench seat for about a minute and a half before walking over and all but crawling into my lap. She slept with her nose in my hand for the remainder of the ride. Reese, sitting in the passenger seat well, inched his way over until his paws were resting next to my feet and his head lolled onto my knee. Parka & X-tra settled down quickly in the back and we made good time on the dry roads home.

Peter helped me settle the dogs into the yard, and we spent the remainder of the morning getting to know these four new crew members, introducing them to Pico and Norrin, then letting them settle in with snacks and fresh hay.

Reese - as in Reese's Pieces - is our big mellow addition.

All four are eight-year--old Iditarod & Quest veterans. Reese is a big boy, an experienced swing dog who we hope will step up and lead with Norrin, is a sweetheart who loves to be cuddled and is happy to stand, tail beating the wind, while you scratch his ears and rub his back. He ran the Quest on Jodi's team last year and Dan's Iditarod team the year before that with many other races under his paws. He's seen more of Alaska than most Alaskans ever will, and I'm eager to see how he and Norrin do together up front.

X-tra (in a rare moment of stillness) and her big brown love-me eyes.

X-tra, named for the classic Alaskan boot X-tra Tuffs, is a little girl who would wear a pair out in no time if given half a chance. She is a crazy bundle of energy (when not attempting to curl up in my lap) who has already worn a deep trench in her spot trotting solid mile after mile. It is hard to catch her standing still unless you are scratching behind her ears and under her belly.

Parka says drop the camera and pet me.

Parka is much more aggressive about getting attention, and will wrap her paws around your waist if you get close enough, daring you to walk away. She loves to bury her head into your chest or armpit and just sit there, soaking up the attention we've been lavishing on her, tail swinging wildly. She and her brother are solid team dogs that will make a valuable addition in power and experience to our growing winter team.

Devilfish, looking good.

Devilfish, the most wolfish looking of the four, loves attention, too, and hovers at your hip when you are working in his zone. But his most remarkable trait is his ability to make food disappear in an instant. At feeding time, when the other dogs are just beginning to dig into their meal, he is already pacing at the end of his line, bowl licked clean and hoping for seconds or thirds.

Devilfish's scar is from unauthorized canned-food reclaimation efforts.

All four dogs, not only veterans of racing but of travel and the change that comes with it, have settled nicely into our yard and into our pack. All six are getting along well,  eating like champs and howling together after meals. They make good company as we work around the yard finishing up fall projects before the snow and cold hit. I have been a picture of bliss, spending tons of time in the yard and house bonding with them. I'm chomping at the bit for snow, and I don't think I'm the only one eager for some good trail to run.

Parka gives one last high-five! To a spectacular season!
 

::: Editorial Note: Dog Profiles will probably change as we get to know our new members better. :::