Dogs With Jobs: Sled Dogs Know The Way
Time for another installment of our popular Dogs With Jobs feature, where we take a look at cute puppies as they grow up to be happy and productive members of the working world! In the difficult wilds of Alaska where cars and trucks can’t always go, traditional sled pulling dog teams are still the travel method of choice for many enterprising Alaskan workers, and the huskies in question are some of the happiest dog-workers the world over! Too bad sledding requires snow or else we might have sled dogs all around the world.
Like most working dogs, these adorable huskies aren’t just beasts of burden, their handlers don’t treat them or see them as tools to be used, but as valuable members of a team, as friends and companions. Handlers and sled teams have a close relationship, and generally these dogs are raised from puppies by the same people and have a life long relationship with their handlers. The training process can be different depending on which team is in question, but from the time these huskies are tiny cute pups, they are fitted for harnesses and begin learning to pull little things, like water jugs so they can build strength and learn how to pull. Like most training processes, for the dogs it’s all a game where they get lots of treats and fun exercise
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