With the recent snow accumulation we are now operating dog sledding 15 minutes from Main Street, bringing dog sledding closer to Park City than ever before! As you’ll see from the minute you arrive, each dog has his or her own distinct personality, specific behavior patterns, and below we’ve listed some tips and tricks our mushers have to keep their dogs in good health and great spirits. 1. Don’t let the dogs get too hot! The huskies overheat easily. We only run our dogs when it is cool enough to keep them healthy and provide a nice break after every run to let cool down. If a dog looks hot it also helps to rub snow behind her ears and on her belly.
2. Some dogs are yelpers, some are not. It’s important to know which dogs are vocal to assess levels of discomfort as the dogs run. 3. After running the dogs are given some type of treat- and often a chunk of frozen meat to gnaw on. It’s usually devoured quickly! 4. Think of the dogs as a sports team, each player responsible for a different task. Because each dog has it’s own running style and personality, some dogs fit in positions better than others. Here is a link to descriptions of sled dog positioning. 5. Dogs are just like us, and have a hard time drinking enough water in cold winter weather. In order to keep hydrated, the mushers give the dogs a warm meat infused water mixture to encourage hydration. 6. Different types of snow impact paws differently. Freshly fallen powdery snow is more abrasive than “old” snow that has consolidated and settled- the mushers make determination on whether or not to put booties on their dogs based on snow composition. Please call 435.649.9619 to book this unforgetable family adventures!
