Hello! I've been interested in skiijoring/skatejoring with my future dog but I cant seem to find any resources on training and conditioning that aren't super vague. Most articles talk about the basics and about the directional commands I should be using, but I can't find a detailed how-to guide that uses real behavior science and doesn't gloss over important steps. Do you know where I can find better information?
Hello!
Tbh, I would look into possibly finding people in the area to help! Depending on where you live, there are toooons of groups that meet up regularly to train, discuss and race for fun all around! For example, I live in New England and went to the Northern New England Sled Dog Trade Fair and that is where I learned the most!
Also, a mushing mentor is great too, even if you don’t plan to run a lot of dogs, it’s always good to start with someone very experienced!
There’s also a good amount of books out there too. I have one on Dryland Mushing, and my breeder is giving me a couple more to read. :)
But yeah. Over all, talking to more experienced people is your best bet! I just started out myself and am being mentored by my breeder who happens to be a professional musher, hence all the photos! I wish you luck, and if you have any specific questions regarding running dogs in any form, feel free to ask!