It doesn't always have to be high-speed mushing 😊 It almost sounds like your dog might be chasing after your shadow. I typically don't do any night mushing. Is there anything that you do differently at night vs daytime?

Thank you 😊 Agreed, safety for both dog and musher should always be priority. I recently watched some guy's bikejoring video where he and his two dogs were speeding downhill right into a neighborhood in bad weather conditions. And I was just thinking how stupid and dangerous that was when, sure enough, he crashed HARD because he had completely lost control and not thought ahead. It is very important to me that people who are curious about bikejoring see that it's not dangerous if you do it right and set yourself up for success. Cheers!

Thank you for your comment. I mean I get people who train for bikejoring races or who want to keep it more competitive. Obviously, if that's the route you're going, then you need to train in full gallop. But those races are held over shorter distances (up to a few miles). In general, trotting is healthier for the dog. It is easier on the joints and cardio-vascular system. It is overall way more energy efficient too and the dog can keep that pace up over a longer distance and time. And because it is less strenuous on the dog's body, you're likely to do this with your dog more into old age than when you're always racing the dog (obviously other factors need to be considered too as the dog gets older). Another thing to consider is that bikejoring races are on smooth and groomed trails. When you do bikejoring on normal trails out and about, you will also have more mixed conditions like rocks and roots and such and I'd definitely not recommend racing over a trail like that, that's just asking for accidents. Next time you hear someone say that, tell them to look at the Iditarod Race. Other than at the starting chute and when they pull out of a checkpoint where they are rested and amped up, the race is trotted. The average speed is 8-10 mph (a team is considered fast when they're doing 10 mph). So when you hear someone saying that, they're either into bikejoring races or they don't know what they're talking about or they don't care about potential long-term effects on their dog. At least IMO 😉 Happy trails to you!

Thank you for your comment. Yes! Many people underestimate how useful it is to scope a place out before starting bikejoring. I hope your first time bikejoring went well and you and your pup had fun. Skatejoring seems so much fun too. I haven't tried it as I have no skateboard and no real talent for it I believe. But it's such a great alternative and adds to the variety of mushing activities 😊🛹

Aaw, thank you for your sweet words, that totally made my day 🥰 Yes, I have a couple of topics lined up for more videos already. I'm unfortunately crazy busy right now with my day-job and dissertation. But I'm hoping to post regular videos again very soon.

@@huskytrails3654 I've watched a couple. Theyre beautiful!

Thank you for your comment. That's a great activity to compare it to! I think most sports have the potential for you to get hurt and you should always go in as prepared as you can and be on the lookout to minimize risks for yourself and your dog. My main motivation to put together this video series was actually because I had heard too many stories where people just hopped on their bike or rollerblades, put their dog in a harness, held the leash in their hand and went "Go!" I wanted to make people aware that there is more to it than that and that there are things they should consider to set themselves up for success. Hopefully these will make people less scared to try it out and be safer when they do it 😀Happy trails to you and your pup!

Fantastic, glad it helped. I'll be adding another one to the bikejoring series here in a month or so that will cover what I do when I encounter other people or dogs on the trail. Let me know if you have any specific questions. Happy trails to you and your pup!

You're welcome. I hope it helped. With bikejoring season just starting up again, I'll add another video shortly.

Thank you. I'm a bit behind on uploading content but will hopefully have another video soon.

Thank you and you're welcome 😊 I recently uploaded another one in the bikejoring series addressing how to pass different obstacles on the trail. Feel free to comment if you have any specific questions or things you would be interested in seeing a video on. Happy New Year 🎆

Thank you for your kind comment. Feel free to post suggestions for future topics 😊

Thank you for your kind words, that made my day 😊 What activities do you do with your dog?

Thank you for your sweet comment. That makes me happy that this helps you gain enough information to make you feel like you're ready for a husky. I honestly think any little information gathering you can do is already really good enough to just have a general idea of what you're getting into. You can figure out the rest together with your new best friend 😊 I hope you find your dream husky and please feel free to post any specific questions here on the channel if you feel I might be able to help you.

Thank you for your comment. I have a separate video where I talk about the equipment and how it's set up (kzfaq.info/get/bejne/a7aZlKyQ09m2n40.html). This also goes over why harnesses specifically designed for pulling should be used. I agree with you that the harness is a very important piece of equipment. The harness in this video actually is a proper mushing/pulling harness. There are full-body and half-body style mushing harnesses. This one is a half-body harness. It's called Distance Harness and is from a professional mushing outfitter called Howling Dog Alaska (howlingdogalaska.com/). This style of harness was originally developed in Norway and designed for skijoring. The main advantage of this harness is that its tugline placement is better for mushing activities that have a steeper line angle like bikejoring, skijoring, and canicross. It also takes away the downward pressure on the dog's hip and back legs (this is often an issue for dogs who run with a full-body harness like an x-back). The other advantage is that the tugline part can freely move around at the top. This means that the dog can move the body a bit more in directions that are more comfortable and is not forced into one static position like they are with a traditional full-body harness with a fixed loop at the end. It also is more appropriate for crabbing dogs because of that. I hope this helped. Let me know if you have more questions. This explanation made me realize that it might be good to make another short video just on harnesses as there are so many aspects to it. Thanks and happy trails.

@@huskytrails3654 Thanks for your answer! I knew several short designs for this kind of use, but this "slim" design was new to me. I tried kind of a similar harness with my dog (made by Uwe radant, popular in Germany) but we will stick to the longer ones, as she refused to work in that. Wish you lots of fun with bikejöring :) I will check out your other videos, youtube algorithm just dropped me here :D

@@Fuchsschwinge Yes, people ultimately should use what works best for their dogs and their mushing activities. I've heard of Uwe Radant. I believe he is a short distance race musher. If you're doing racing style mushing, I'm not surprised your dog prefers a full-body harness. They are more meant for activities where dogs fully lean into the harness and pull stronger more continuously (like short distance races). Most half-harnesses are more for distance mushing where your dog is trotting more and might not be strongly leaning into the harness 100% of the time. But like I said, there are many different styles to fit all kinds of dogs and needs and everybody should make the decision based on their individual situation. Most mushing outfitters will also give individual advice as to what might be best to use. The important thing is that it is made for mushing and the dog is comfortable in it :) Thanks for watching and greetings over to Germany!

Hi and thank you for your comment. There isn't really a right or wrong IMO. In general, yes, having a tight line is desired simply because it makes tangles and tripping less likely. When you have slack in the line, you run the risk of getting it tangled up in your tire, it getting caught on rocks or roots, and it wearing out faster. So you generally wanna keep an eye on that. But it also depends a bit on what your mushing goals are and on the dog's personality too. In my experience and opinion, some people just take this a bit too seriously. Are the people who told you this competing in dog races or do sprint mushing by chance? If you do sprint mushing or are training for races, then constant tension on the line is important because your goal is to hold a certain speed. When the dog is at a slower trot, it's actually quite difficult to keep constant tension on the line. It's ok with something like canicross, but it is more challenging to slow-pedal with a bike for example, so a loose line happens here and there. In my case, we only do this recreationally and I trained Laika at a trotting pace from the beginning (one reason is because it's healthier for the dog long-term). I mainly let her decide the pace actually. When it's a good stretch of trail, or she's having a very high-energy day, she'll break into sprints and then drop to a trot again when she feels like it. As I'm not working towards a specific sprint goal, I take my speed cues from her. It is also a personality type. Laika simply isn't a consistent puller. She's a very strong puller and fast sprinter, but not constant. This is not unusual and another reason why I find it funny that people seem to say that it must be this way. I guarantee you most mushers with larger teams will tell you that they have dogs that do not consistently pull. They call them "cheaters" sometimes or the consistent pullers are often called "hard-working." In my experience, what mushers mean by "It's a hard working dog" is that those dogs are consistent pullers, not that the other ones don't pull at all. I'm not sure I fully understand the "working" and "safety" argument they gave you. When I put a pulling harness on my dog, gather our equipment, and we go out and set up on the trail, she knows what we're about to do and that it's not going to be a regular walk and she just switches into a working-mode. Especially if I walk her first to get all her sniffs and pees out, they understand the difference. And with a sense of safety and security, I'd say that's a general relationship thing between you and your dog. By just living and training together, my dog has learned that I'm taking care of her needs and safety, she knows to come to me or take cues from me in a situation where she's unsure. For example, a few weeks ago, we had an off-leash German Shepherd run right into us in the middle of a nice sprint. The dog was friendly but wanted to play and didn't listen to his owner calling him back. He just kept jumping up on Laika and circling her. Laika growled and snapped at him to stop but he didn't. It ended up with Laika being completely tangled up in our mushing line, she looked like a Christmas present 😂 She couldn't even really move anymore. But instead of starting a dog fight, she came back and sat between my legs and the bike because she knew I was going to take care of the situation. So I'm not quite sure I know what you mean with that aspect. Could you give some more context or an example what exactly they meant with the dog feeling more safe and secure when the line is tight? TLDR: Not all mushing dogs are strong pullers and/or consistent pullers. Every mushing team's situation is different based on their individual goals and training. Mushers should always take their speed and energy cues from their dogs. However, it is advantageous to not have a slack line to avoid tangles and line damage. But a big part of it is also to enjoy being outside and active together as a team, it doesn't always have to be taken super seriously 😉

Hi and thanks for the kind words 😊 I actually have a video on how to train mushing commands in the works right now. Should be ready and uploaded later this week. In the meantime, I have another bikejoring video where I go over the different pieces of equipment and how everything is hooked up (kzfaq.info/get/bejne/a7aZlKyQ09m2n40.html). This might be helpful for you too in your preparations. Yes, that's not uncommon for huskies to have been trained (or attempted) to not pull. I have found that once you give them that release where they are allowed to run ahead and pull, that they start doing a lot better on normal leash walks. I hope it all works for you guys. Feel free to comment if you have any other questions. Happy trails to you and your pup 🚲

Thank you, I'm glad you found it helpful 😊 Believe it or not, 10 minutes uninterrupted at full sprint is actually more than it sounds like (you would actually already be at a couple of miles distance). I would start out with a 10 minute walk so that your dog can stretch and warm up her muscles, get all her sniffs and peeing out etc. and then start the actual bikejoring. Warming up the muscles is really important, especially if you're planning on sprinting a lot. Depending on your dog, you can directly start at a sprint if you want and then I would just play it by ear. I would go by distance rather than time. Maybe start with 1 - 1.5 miles max. I wouldn't start with more and then slowly build up from there. Your key factor will be more to keep a close eye on your dog. If you feel your girl is slowing down, losing focus or interest, or generally looks like she's struggling or pushing, it was already too much. Like any other dog training, you need to find the perfect sweet spot where your dog still has energy and fun with this when you call it so that she will have a very positive association with the exercise. Once you've build up to where she is able to sustain that easily and push for more (and this will be anything between a few weeks or months, depending on how regularly you do this and how she's taking to it mentally and physically), you can do a sprint, take a short break (don't feed anything other than a very small snack and some water during your break!), and then do another sprint, yes. That's actually how I do my mushing runs. We start with maybe about 1.5 - 2 miles at the beginning of the season and work our way up to 5-6 miles. And we do exactly what you said. We mush a few miles, take a break, and then mush a few miles back, pack up, and go home. I wait to feed her for at least 30 minutes after our run. Make sure to massage her a little bit after the workout and don't worry if she walks a little stiff the day after. You should also give her 2-3 days rest before you go for another run. It's just like us when we try a new workout or after not having done anything for a long time. Rest and recovery is just as much an important part of it. I hope this helped work out a routine and training plan for you guys. Watch your dog, go with your gut, and really take your time to start small and easy at the beginning and slowly build up. It will give you the better foundation to build on for more ambitious goals because you are on the safe side with happiness and health levels. It is a lot more difficult to dial back, or even have to take a longer break and start over again, because of injuries or bad experiences because you pushed too hard at the beginning. And if there is anything physically, when in doubt, check it with your vet. Happy trails to you and your Golden 🚲🦮

I don't think you're insane for trying that. Theoretically, you can mush your dog with pretty much anything on wheels or skis - just set yourself up for success. I'd recommend a few things: 1) Still take the time and train your dog the mushing commands (I'll do another video soon explaining how to train the commands). This will give you distance control over your dog's direction and help him understand this new activity and that you're still the one calling the shots 2) Have a decent braking and stability-control system on your wheelchair. I have no experience with this but I know there are outdoor and sports rigs for wheelchairs. So maybe you can adopt something from there. 3) Safety first. Wear a helmet and go somewhere with very few distractions. Don't go past what you feel in your gut is comfortable for you or your dog. 4) Be focused and have a plan on how to react when something doesn't go as hoped. Start small and short and work your way up. Finish on a good note and before things get frustrating for you and your dog. This is something that will take time and patience and a lot of practice together. I will be uploading a video this week that talks about how to deal with encounters on the trail (other people, other dogs, wildlife). I will also make and upload a video soonish on how to train the commands. For now, I have found this article that talks about different aspects of wheelchair-mushing. Maybe it'll help you get started: newmobility.com/wheelchair-mushing-is-more-than-a-free-ride/#:~:text=The%20concept%20behind%20wheelchair%20mushing,for%20both%20human%20and%20dog. Good luck!

I think it's completely possible with wheelchair or even better a cart or e-cart if too heavy for a single dog. I would go for the collar and use a full traction harness and not run on concrete. Wishing you plenty fun!

@@annenaunymes5880 Yes, good point! Prolonged mushing on concrete should be avoided.

Did you give it a try with your wheelchair? I'm in a couple of Facebook dog pulling groups that have a few people who mush with their wheelchairs (not me). I hope this works for you because dog powered activities can be so much fun, and gives the dog a good physical and mental workout.

@@patricialloyd3657 yes, it was so much fun! Hes really good at it, loves it, and takes me up hills, too!

I'm using what's called a bikejoring "arm" or "bayonet." They look a bit different than but function the same way antennas do. They actually have a couple of advantages in that the hard plastic material is more resistant to cold temperatures and they are less likely to break than the metal antennas. However, they are a bit more difficult to find in the US, they are more widely used in Europe I believe. I got mine many years ago from Nooksack Racing Supply (nooksackracingsupply.com/) but you can probably find them at other mushing outfitters as well. Hope this helped 😊

Hola Elias. He comprado la línea y el accesorio de tiro. La línea (azul) es poly y creo que el accesorio (blanco) es una forma de pvc. Puedes comprarlos en línea con diferentes compañías de mushing. Pero también puedes hacerlos tú mismo. Tienes que comprar la línea de poly y después tienes que cortar el largo correcto y hacer todas las vueltas etc (pero tiene que tener bungee!!). Por el accesorio de pvc, puedes comprar un tubo de pvc a Home Depot o algo como eso.

Hi Sofiya. Congratulations on your husky! Well, huskies are notorious for not being the best off-leash dogs due to their strong instincts, prey drive, and stubbornness. You have the best shot at a well-trained off-leash husky if you can start training them on recall as puppies. I got my dog as an adult and many habits were already very engrained. That said, you can of course still train recall and have good results. Everybody has their own opinion about dog training I guess and there are a couple different (and often conflicting) philosophies. I have also worked with horses a lot in my past and have always found that any type of force or physical "punishment" (or even just creating discomfort) in training is counter-productive. You might force the animal to do what you want but you will have the most unstable basis there is: your dog (or horse or whatever) will not trust you and worst case, will be scared of you. A scared and non trusting animal can become very unpredictable and even dangerous. That is why I don't use an e- or prong collar or a choker. Your most solid foundation for a relationship with your dog (in my opinion and personal experience) is trust. A dog that has learned that he can trust you to make the right decision and to look at you for guidance and protection will follow you and do what you ask. You need to show your dog that you are the best leader for the pack - and a leader doesn't establish that position through physical dominance (that is an outdated training philosophy that is not backed up by any science or natural observation) but through demonstrating social competence. Make sure you clearly show your dog what you want them to do - try to look at everything you're asking from your dog's perspective not from yours. If your dog doesn't understand, you might have to break it down more and start with a step further back. Patience and consistency is key, especially with huskies. Make yourself and your training interesting to your dog. Your dog will want to follow you and be with you if interesting things happen with you. Try not to get frustrated, no pack animal will follow a headless and frustrated leader. You will need to invest time and energy and there will be good days and not so good days, that's normal. My personal philosophy for dog training and a good long-term relationship is this. Make sure to cover these 3 basic things: 1) physical and mental exercise and stimulation, ideally something that caters to the specific breed (like mushing activities with sled dog breeds), 2) clear rules and boundaries that you establish through training, 3) love and affection, showing the dog that they're part of a social group. For all exercises and training: patience and consistency is key. Everybody interacting with your dog needs to be on the same page. The dog will learn to play you or not follow any commands if he can do different things with different people and there is no clear red thread. Hope this helped a bit. Typing this up made me realize I should probably do a video on the training I do. Thanks for giving me an idea for a future topic. I wish you and your dog good times and many happy adventures ahead. I'm sure everything will work out. It will take time to get used to each other and establish a routine. Keep at it, it'll get better with time. Cheers!

@@huskytrails3654 Your amazing! Thank you so much for the detailed reply! I take her bike mushing and went sledding with her for the first time and she loves it, she's a natural puller/sled dog! I'm hoping to get her the proper harness and gear so we can go on trails! I got her as an adult so yes its going to be very hard to break her habits. She has run away a couple times slipping through when the doors open, funny how she goes the same route we go on while bike mushing as if she just wants to go ride and not run away, she is so curious but I cannot let this keep happening since there's a highway not far from me, she could easily get hit. My mom won't listen to me so I have to take control, I am the one who wanted her and recued her after all. My mom and I take her to the dog park because she is the most social dog I've ever met (my moms dachshunds are scared of her, but she just wants to play) I've been trying to find another dog I can rescue, who could also hopefully be her playmate and teach her how to stay with the pack! I'm very happy I got her, I've taught her a lot of important tricks/commands ,she's very food driven and loves to work. The previous family had no interest in working with her, but she is very obedient and can learn anything in under 10 minutes. I feel bad how much they neglected her (she was hit a lot, and no one gave her the attention she needed) but here she is, in our good hands. Everyone has recommended a shock collar/ e-collar, I'm also against it, I only wanted to try the vibration setting just so I could stop her from running. I'll figure something out eventually! Thanks for the tips! You should definitely make a vid, I'm sure it'll help a ton of other people!!!

@@sofiyak6595 Aaaw, reading your dog's story made me tear up. It hit very close to home, I also rescued my girl from a neglected situation. It sounds like your dog is a smart cookie with a good temperament and social skills. That'll help you out a lot and will go a long way for a stable relationship. Don't worry and don't give up if it takes time to become a well oiled team and if you feel you're taking some steps back on some days. When I first got my husky, it was such a steep learning curve! I did soooo much research on the breed, reading, video watching, talking to people, observing others etc. and a lot of the information was conflicting. A lot of stuff I learned was also through trial and error and just trying things out and see what worked and what made sense for us. That was actually a main reason for me to start my channel, to give people a "one stop shop" with good and concise information on all aspects. But I'd say it took me and my girl maybe about three years to really find our groove and get where we are now. So don't fret it. It's a great hobby and it'll be a fun and rewarding journey and it'll be special because you'll do it together 😊 Thank you again for your sweet words. I haven't had much free time lately due to work. But I will try to get some videos together soon on training and maybe general philosophy. It sounds like you guys are off to a great start with mushing and are having a good time. Most of it from there is just practice practice practice and fine-tuning here and there. Feel free to post here or pm me if you have any questions you think I can help with. Give your pup some scritches from us 💜

@@huskytrails3654 Thank you for having such a kind heart and replying, this was very inspirational! We’re also learning from trial and error, we’ll get there someday! Giving her some scritches from you as I’m writing this💛

Hi Nelson. I don't feed her anything right before we go mushing. Like us, they should not exercise on a full stomach. But when we take a break on the trail, I'll feed her a small snack. I also don't feed her immediately after the run. Same thing, their bodies should have the chance to settle down before giving them a meal. So depending on when we're out, she'll have her regular meal later that day. Her food is a mix of high quality kibble and raw meat and organs and fresh fish. She will eat more (maybe up to 50%) on a day she's been active than on a lazy day where we only went for walks and such. Hope this helped ☺

Hi Anne. What do you mean with "full traction" harness? You mean a full-body harness, like an x-back harness? We have and use those as well. But I switch between full- and half-harness for different reasons - note that this half-harness here is also a mushing harness and not some walking harness from the pet store. Most people switch from full-body to half-harnesses when the line angle gets steeper. So for example, when you do skijoring or hiking or bikejoring, the pulling point on your end is attached significantly higher than it would be on a sled. A higher attachment point makes for a steeper line angle and often results in the dog's butt getting slightly pulled up when the line attaches to the tug at the base of the tail. An upwards angle and pull at the base of the tail changes the pull and pressure on the dog's body and can possibly result in back or hip issues over time. A half-harness that has the pulling point higher up, like the one in the video, helps avoid this issue. Hope this helped 😊

Yessss please tell us mine does the same

Hi and apologies for the late reply. That sounds a lot like marking and not peeing per se. My dog does this too. I would go about it two-fold. First, take the dog for a walk in the area where you are mushing right before you start. That way they can get all their pees and sniffs out and can also do their whole "Look, I've been here." marking routine. The other big thing is training the "on-by" command. Here is a video where I go over how to train mushing commands, including "on-by" (kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ic1gZJhkr9OUk5s.html). This command will teach them to ignore whatever they find interesting when you say so. But this way you're also fair by giving them the time and space to get their marking and sniffs out. Then when you start mushing, your dog will probably still try to stop and sniff and mark the first few minutes or so. When you see they are about to veer off and do that, steer slightly against the pull, give the "on-by" command, and keep going. You know it's just marking at this point because they have already relieved themselves. If you're consistent with it, it will probably only take a few tries and your dog gets the idea and will fall into a rhythm with you. Hope this helped, good luck and happy trails!