Fall Sled Dog Training in the Northland

Positive Energy Outdoors

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The brisk fall evenings may have you thinking pumpkins, bonfires and Halloween, but for some athletes the season offers perfect conditions to train for a winter sport.

A group of Alaskan huskies is training to host sled dog tours at Positive Energy Outdoors, a local non-profit aimed at getting people in touch with nature.

The fall training routine for sled dog teams across the Midwest is in full force.

“They are excited because it is getting out on the trail and it is working together and getting back into the swing of being out having fun,” said owners of Positive Energy Outdoors, Blake Cazier and Stephanie Love.

Running is a job the pooches were built for.

“They see the equipment come out and sometimes we have to hide it from them,” said Love.

They dogs get harnessed in, their barks sheer joy and anticipation.

“They definitely love their job,” said Love.

The team of 14 is rigged up to an ATV.

“They are pulling a machine down the trail – working together and have a lot of fun, getting ready for winter,” said Cazier.

The dogs pull a 400 pound four wheeler, with a driver riding on it.

“They don’t even know we are back there, they are so strong they are working so hard and doing such a good job together the weight is not an issue at all,” said Cazier.

Cazier and Love run two sets of teams daily for conditioning.

Right now, the dogs are running up to four miles.

As their endurance increases, they will bump the mileage up to 20.

“Traveling by dog team is just this culmination of all of this hard work of caring for the dogs and training them and enjoying seeing what they can do and really being able to go for miles and miles and miles,” explained Love.

The huskies are rewarded for their hard work with words of praise and a hearty meal, complete with raw meat from the butcher.

“They eat a great diet, they get good exercise, sleep well, not stressed out and that’s the key to a happy life for anybody. It’s nice to think about the dogs modeling for us how we should all be,” said Love.

In total, 55 huskies call Positive Energy Outdoors home.

As soon as the snow flies, school groups, youth agencies like the Boys and Girls Club, and even tourists will be able to take a spin on a dog sled.

For more details: http://www.outdooredventures.org/