Yes, Winter is still here at Miortuk with -30's through the night and another 15-20 cm of new snow.
We had three days of training so far this week and expecting Zoe to run on Sunday with four dogs for the first time this season.
All the runs this week were great and the dogs are more than crazy to run.
They are having a wonderful time this season and are excited before and after each run.
They never stop amazing me!
These dogs personalities are fantastic: Crazy to run and Loving Pets in the kennel.
Very fortunate to enjoy the great life living here in the forest with my best friends!
​Until next week.......

Leader development is a yearly process here at Miortuk.
Last week was the time to try new dogs at lead and see who will be next season's applicants for more lead training.
This season the development has been working with Louis at lead and he is turning into a super leader running with Kira.
We have also been working with Zoe's dog Saphir at lead and she is proving to be a great young leader and will be the basis of Zoe's kennel and eventual Racing Team.
This week, we ran Hok'ee, Pippin, Lloyd,Lance and Levi up at lead.
All the dogs did great wanting to stay up front and lead the teams back home.
We usually start new leaders on the return trip to the kennel as they know they are going home and will get their treat at the end of the run.
It is important to make their first run up front a positive one!
I was especially impressed with Levi who drove hard setting a fast pace and with no distractions.( levi is running at the right with Kira on the left in the above video)
Lloyd did great as well getting a little distracted when we passed plowed entrances to other chalets. Other than that he drove hard and will with more runs turn into a good leader.
Lance also did well driving hard at times and will be better with more confidence with more runs. He ran with his sister Lilly who is quite dominant and can be a little intimidating. He will probably run better paired with Kira on future runs.
All of the "L" litter run lead with at least three of the dogs being Super Leaders!
Pippin was the big surprise as he tends to be inconsistent in the team at wheel.
He is a very calm, laid back dog and doesn't really show the attitude to be a leader.
However, when he was placed at lead, he was very focussed and pulled very hard the whole way home. When stopped, he held out the line and showed he was very comfortable at lead running with Bergen.
Maybe, I was running him in the wrong position all this time.
You never really know who will like running lead unless you try them.
Hok'ee has run lead before and is very focused and comfortable in the lead position.
Next season will be interesting as I will be able to alternate at least three pairs of leaders in the "A" Team and two pairs of leaders in the "B" Team.
of the 18 dogs here only 4 don't run lead and I have yet to try Merry who is always a hard driving dog in the "A" Team.
Overall, it was a very interesting and exciting week here at Miortuk!
​Until next week.......

Yes, again this year my finger tips have taken a beating with the freezing temperatures.
However, the trill and pleasure of working with the dogs here is way better than living in the city and hibernating  inside.
I love my life here!
As usual, the dogs ran great again this week on some nice scenic, hard packed trails through the forest.
We had a major snow storm here the later part of the week with some very high winds.
This caused a delay in the training just digging out.
The dogs all got a nice thick, fresh bed of straw to make them comfortable tonight with the forecast of some very cold temperatures.
Thank you Zoe for all your hard work in the kennel.
Both the dogs and I appreciate it!
​Until next week......

It was a great week here with getting in four days of running.
We had some very cold nights in the -20's and some beautiful days with little new snow.
The dogs enjoyed their runs this week and with some very fast trails.
We got Olive out for her first run in the team after her ankle injury in the Fall.
She was very enthusiastic and ran well with no real signs of a problem. We only ran her 2 miles to start with. It looks like she could use some vet wrap on her ankles on the next run to give her a little more support until her the muscles and tendons get a little stronger. 
We will slowly work her back into running with only short distance and maybe just once or twice a week.
The rest of the dogs are running great and continue to show great enthusiasm for the runs.
​Until next week........