Leslie's Sled Dog Blog
Leslie Fields will provide tips, training and information based on her experiences in the world of Sled Dogs.
Leslie Fields has been racing and training sled dogs for over 25 years. During her early years in sled dogs Leslie raced Samoyeds. Desiring a little more speed and little less hair, she moved on to Siberian Huskies. She dabbled a few years with breeding and racing German Shorthair crosses, but has decided to dedicate herself to breeding, raising and training the best AKC Siberian Huskies possible.
Because of her dedication to the sport of mushing and love for dogs, Leslie does several public demonstrations each year for library programs, the Discovery Center and various youth clubs. Leslie has also owned and operated NeverSummer Sled Dog Equipment since 1982. In October of 2000 she opened Westside Feed, a full service feed store featuring premium dog foods and racing formulas. It also serves as a retail outlet for her sled dog equipment.
Booties
Using booties correctly is an acquired skill. You will need to learn what booties fabric and size you need for the conditions, when to use them, when to replace them and most importantly how tight to apply to get them to stay on.
Taking care of your dog's feet is an important aspect of your dog's health, comfort and performance. Unfortunately injury can occur before the problem is recognized. Unless you are a serious musher or your dog has very difficult feet issues there are some things you can try before resorting to booties. Booties can be very frustrating and even damaging when used incorrectly. Never use booties if you can avoid it but always use booties when you need to.
The most common problem is snowballs sticking to the hair between the toes. Most northern breeds have fairly short, stiff hair in between their toes that don't collect snow easily, but in certain snow conditions all dogs are at risk for foot problems. Dogs that have soft and or long, silky hair should have their foot hair trimmed even with the pads of their feet. It is a good to leave a little hair between the pads to protect the foot.