Alright so I didn''t get it posted THAT NIGH but I will NOW hehe sorry been a bit busy and got some drama going on around my house its been a joy to say the least
Ok so first things first, commands. The six most important commands IMO would be
Hike/Lets Go! - to start the team or to get them going faster
Easy - Slow the team down
Whoa - Stop
Haw - Turn Left
Gee - Turn right
On-by - keep going past something distracting like another dog, person, deer w/e
I find the easiest way to teach these is to use them while on daily walks where your dog is under your complete control in a very distracting environment and you have plenty of trails (sidewalks) to use. You can also make the dog follow the command by reinforcing it with the leash (EX when you say "Gee" guide the dog to the right with the leash).
As soon as you get the harness have your dog start wearing it and praise them for not trying to chew it off. This is very important, anytime your dog is wearing the harness and you decide to go out for a walk or something ENCOURAGE THE DOG TO BE IN FRONT OF YOU preferably with some tension on the leash even if the leash is attached to the dog''s collar rather than the harness. I NEVER use the heel command or ask for any slack on the leash when a harness is on my boys because I don''t want them to get confused. simply put harness=pulling collar only=slack leash (ideally at least LOL).
Once the dogs are comfortable with their harnesses hook them up to a small tire or piece of wood. Remember that at this point you are still working on one at a time so one doesn''t teach the other any bad habits and so you can focus on each one to really define and shape their commands. The small tire helps the dog get used to having something dragging behind them and the whole act of pulling in general. At this time it is very important that you stay behind the dog!! The dog should not get used to you walking along beside them or else they wont understand when it is time for you to be on the sled. If you need to though keep a long line attached to the dog's collar so you can still control it and reinforce any commands you may give. If the dog is really uncomfortable about you being behind it try tossing a toy ahead of the dog or having someone else stand in front of the dog and call him to them. Anything to get the dog moving with you staying behind him. When the dog starts moving forward use the command that you want to get them going (I use Hike or Lets Go) and keep saying "Good Hike!" or "Good Lets Go!"
Over time increase the weight and distance that the dog needs to pull before you stop and praise. Maybe move up to getting them to pull a small wagon with weights inside. At the end of each training session i always give a food reward to keep things positive. I provide baited water (hot dog weiners chopped up in tiny little pieces and put into the water before the training session begins so by the end the water itself tastes like hot dog too which will encourage the dog to drink so they stay hydrated) as well as chunks of hot dog or meat or anything that the dogs really really like.
Once you have one dog that it pulling well consistantly (this inculdes pulling smoothly and pulling quickly) and follows the commands consistantly its time to hook them up together. Do a couple sessions with the tire just so they realize that the rules are the same even though they are together and then move on to the sled. If you still need a person to call them that''s alright, just keep increasing the distance and slowly put the other person out of view so they get weaned off having a person call them and react only to you saying "hike!"
Now that you have two reliable sledd dogs adding any more to your team will be a breeze! All you have to do is put your two reliable dogs in lead and the new dog in wheel and he will figure it all out from experience. Honestly nothing teaches a green dog better than simply hooking him up with an experienced team. BUT sometimes it''s hard to find an experienced team to run with, we all have to start somewhere
Oh ya I think this is common sense but one should make sure any green dog being added is at least used to his harness and pulling the tire. You can skip teaching commands and lengthening the distance of pulling the tire though. If you do want him to eventually be a lead dog and reliable with commands simply pair him with the better of your two lead dogs and again he will learn with experience. To strengthen commands you can hook him up to a scooter or a bike during non-snowy seasons (providing it is not too hot) and work with him one-on-one.
BTW both Roxy and Hades should be able to pull you on their own so together wouldn''t be a problem at all. It''s simply a matter of whether or not they WANT to pull. Hades especially, being a pit bull, packs a lot of power and Roxy has size on her side too. Ronan at roughly 50-55Lbs (haven''t weighed him in a long time) can pull upwards of 500Lbs without a problem. Granted I would never ask him to pull that much weight very far. I weigh around 150-160Lbs and each boy can pull me no problem. We may not go very fast but add the two together and we fly!
Good luck! If you have any more questions feel free to ask!
