Leaders and Commands

    Written 12/2/2011
    The universal challenge of mushers: finding good leaders.
    When I got here and found out there are twenty-two leaders on the race team, and then saw them in action, I was thrilled. At last, I would be able to give commands and have turns taken with ease...so I thought!
    I have one "solid" leader, Tyler, who has proved himself to be unreliable - despite the face that I know he knows his gee/haw commands...and he's six years old, there's just no excuse for him not to know them! It's obvious that he's testing me, but I'd have thought he would've given it up by now: after years of working with dogs, I've learned not to give them an opportunity to "get away with it".
    I should add a note here: I consider my early dog training lessons with German Shepherd trainer Kat Peterson invaluable. So much of what I learned from Kat and through the Kootenai County 4-H Dog program has become an integral part of the way I work with my sled dogs. I'd not realized it until last spring, when I was teaching it to a younger 4-H'er who had one of my Seppala pups and also talking things over with my younger sister as she trained her collie. Body language is so important with dogs! They cannot be fooled easily.
    With that said, I've witnessed two styles of dog mushing up here in Alaska. First, is Aaron's. He gives commands in a voice that is commanding, yes, but it is an angry yell, as if he's mad at the dogs. Then there's Scott's firm but quiet commands - not asking the dogs to "please, please turn" but without the element of disatisfaction with the dogs. After all, have they done anything wrong before you gave them the command?
    Personally, I'd rather not raise my voice unless the dogs are doing something wrong. Back with my first dog, I learned how much dogs read our body language and tone of voice. Once the dogs respect you, I don't think most dogs should need much more than a raised voice. Of course, the obvious exception is during a dog fight.
    So, with the yearling I like to be able to raise my voice and have them stop doing whatever is unacceptable. My goal is to have the team to a point that they are so focused on me that there is no need for me to scream at them to get obedience. After all, dogs have much better hearing that people!
    Tyler is obviously having trouble adjusting to a new driver and style of driving. One challenge to being a handler is disciplining someone else's dog - especially if they require more than a raised voice, having been trained through much rougher handling. In addition, one moment I'm told to be as hard as I need to be on a dog to get it to behave but after the first incident you are told, "...well, he's such a soft-headed dog, you don't need to be very hard on him."
    I'm no expert, but I do not believe that just because Tyler has a happy, friendly personality, he automatically has a soft head and doesn't need a firm hand - although I think that a softer type of training will benefit him. When you're out in the beautiful wilderness, who wants to have to scream and shout every command? Certainly the dogs don't appreciate it! I've found that often dogs with good personalities (friendly, happy, seemingly innocent!) get away with the most, puzzling their owners, who say, "But Fluffly is always so sorry for it." It makes me wonder how many times I've misjudged my own dogs? Have I babied certain of my dogs to the point that they've gotten away with more than is acceptable?
    On our run yesterday I decided to put Tyler up in lead since it was only our second run on the twenty-two mile trail and I was hoping NOT to have to guide the dogs at every turn (our first time on the trail I'd let the yearlings lead, so they can begin to pick up commands through use). Also, the dogs were a little tired since we'd jumped up miles quickly after the move to sleds - this was their third day running in a row - so it would be good to give them a break from the stress of leading.
    We started out well. I succeeded in not bouncing off any trees and the dogs settled down very quickly. I was impressed and pleased that they were begining to settle down whenever we stopped until I said, "Are you ready?" and pulled the hook. This is something I've been working on all fall: to get the dogs watching me and not banging their harness' until I ask if their ready to go. It gives you (the musher) a greater amount of control and peace of mind because you can never trust your hook(s) to hold.
    The first few turns we took the same as always, so it was no big deal. Tyler took them with little hesitation, although he always waits to the last second to make it clear that he IS going to take them. But that was just the calm before the storm!
    At our first big intersection, Tyler decided to turn Gee (right) - dragging the team and me after him - despite my Haw (left) command. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a hook in the snow on the intersection beause it's softer than the trail and so I ended up going through the turn, then stopping and stomping up there to pull him back, turn around the team and get them going in the right direction.
    It took me two trips up there to get the team turned around and then Tyler decided we'd just go back the way we came. Of course, that was NOT going to happen! I went back and forth several times to set Tyler on the right trail (you know, the fun game where the leader stays in the right direction until you get back to the sled!).
    I feel sure Tyler was trying to lose me in the portage we entered immediately afterward. The dogs had been trotting at a good pace the entire run, but they charged through the twists and trees. (Too bad, Tyler, I was determined to see this run through!)
    On the way back, we had a few more episodes of balking at turns (and I made sure to take all the turns and loops possible to work this issue through while he was stuck on the subject!) and then settled into the last three miles of trail, homeward bound. The team was looking so good and, knowing there were no more turns, I was happy. Kind of thinking, "Well, I guess this will end well..." Oh, how often we underestimate the dogs!
    One of my dogs, run in team right in front of wheel on this run, has been having an issue passing. He's a bit aggressive and tries to jump at and on the other dogs in the team. However, the last few runs - even when he's leading - he'd been doing much better and I'd hoped we were through the worst of his habit. Alas Tyler, who's never balked or had an issue head-on passing, decided that today he was going to see if he could get away with at least something before we finished the run. So, he balked.
    We got through, but I was fuming because my team dog had reverted to his interest in the other team's dogs. Still, I thought, "Oh, well, we're almost finished."
    A mile later, we went around the corner into the kennel and Tyler proceeds to jump on poor Todd, completely unprovoked. I went up there and broke it up before any other dogs joined in or someone got hurt, and quickly tied off the team. And so ended our run...