Notes from the North: Experiments Free-Dropping the Team

Something which sticks in my mind about Iditarod musher Jessie Royer is the stories about how she free-drops her dogs and lets the dogs "be dogs." I've always been scared to let the dogs loose and, at most, would let Legolas and a few trusted old dogs loose (although at home, loading/unloading I always let the dogs loose). This year I decided to make some changes...
Starting on our early fall runs, I began to let about half the dogs loose after unharnessing. I'd load them, then get the rest of the dogs. Later, I'd let them all loose. I think I wrote about the interesting things they've found at the trail head!
Unfortunately, one day Saxon took me on an hour chase on the highway frontage road when he decided not to come and took off (in the direction of home, believe it or not). Discouraged about Saxon, I let everyone else loose and kept him on the line. I figured it must be the stubborn side of the Seppala in him!
I found it interesting how the dogs responded to being loose. They relax and trot around - with a couple not interested in leaving the truck at all. However, when I begin to load up they all come over. I try to spend a couple minutes just playing with them - at first some of the dogs weren't so sure about it, but now more of them will follow me around and mob me in a group (with silly Achilles and his growling trying to scare everyone off). I've had a few small arguments, but I think it's better to get them settled off the line - then they know their place in the pecking order and can focus on running.
It's made things fun; relaxing with the dogs after the runs. When I stopped for a couple runs because I had Emily to help me and some of the dogs were hard for her to catch, I noticed the dogs weren't as happy. I resumed and they are back to themselves. It's interesting how most of my core dogs are my shadows - if we didn't have livestock at our house and lived farther out I'd love to take them all out on a hike. I think they'd stick with me.
The biggest change, however, is from Saxon. As I've probably mentioned, my favorite part of dog mushing is watching the dogs transform. Here is a dog who started the spring with amazing abilities but no training. He's also a bit shy, but he fit in by figuring out he can trot and pull with the best of them. But he wasn't really a part of the team still - something was missing and I couldn't seem to break through to him. I never imagined I'd put him in lead.
There is a moment when you know a dog is "yours." With some it's instant - like Razz and Frost. For others, even though they were born here, it takes months - like Odysseus. And then there's Urchin who was "my boy" in Alaska but has come to a whole new level this year (he's a very reserved dog whom I don't think has ever misbehaved, yet he is so stoic I could never tell if he liked me...until this spring, when he finally let himself get excited). It's interesting that part of Saxon's transformation might be linked to Urchin.
It happened like this: I was unloading the last couple dogs at a new trail head and had Rowdy and Saxon in my hands. Saxon slipped away and I thought, "Oh, great, I'll be chasing him all night." I got Rowdy hooked up and then went for Saxon. He trotted over to the team (he knew where he was supposed to be!) and paused at the line. I made a grab for him and caught his fur. Like any dog might, he tried to pull away and, since I held on, instinctively turned around and nipped at my hand. Urchin was hooked at that section and he immediately jumped on Saxon and gave him a scolding...Urchin, the boy who never fights!
Now, I've seen dogs do some amazing things (my Collie, Handsome, has bowled over dogs to break up dog fights and barked/nipped at them until they are all cowering) but never had one protect me from another - and it wasn't even like Saxon was really trying to be a bad dog. About this time I also tried Saxon in lead as a last resort. He stands a bit taller and grows in confidence every time he's entrusted with leadership of the team. My theory is that some dogs just need to be given the responsibility and they'll grow into it. It's part of the reason I parted with some of my old, Iditarod veteran's this year - it's time for the young dogs to take up the challenge (and I have an unfortunate tendency not to let them, if I have an "old reliable").
Getting back to Saxon...on Thanksgiving week I decided to let him loose after the run. There is so much trust involved in dog mushing - I wanted to doubt that he would come but I didn't let myself think on it and treated him like the other dogs. After all, he'd started getting excited when I went through the team during runs to give them some encouragement. And in the yard, he'd not had any trouble coming to his spot to be chained up.
So I let him go...
I let the dogs play for a couple extra minutes as I snapped the pictures below and played with them. Saxon came up to me at this time and I pet him, but didn't lock him up (I was sorely tempted, thought). Later, I started on Saxon's side and although he wasn't the first dog to come over, he eventually came and let me put him up. Since then, he's actually come and put his front feet up on the truck, asking to be put into the box.
Are the challenges over with Saxon? I think not - with those Seppala bloodlines I'm thinking he'll be a dog with lots of stories! But sometimes those are the very best sled dogs...