To Points Unknown.....

Topa/Oken Puppies; 8 Weeks Old

2012-01-18T15:17:00.000-06:00

Misquah (Silver Bay) - 15lbs 6oz

Jitterbug (Temperance) - 14lbs 2oz

Animosh (Grand Marais) - 15lbs 5oz

Salsa (Tofte) - 16lbs 8oz

Chetan (Lutsen) - 16lbs 2oz

Irish (Gooseberry) - 17lbs!

Arrow - 16lbs

This is the final weekly weights and photos update for our Hedlund Husky puppies. The first two head to their new home in Northfield, MN this weekend with the remaining two heading to Alaska on the 27th. The two traveling to Alaska will go into the vet tomorrow for their travel health certificates. All pups were just micro chipped this afternoon and their first shots will be given soon. The Alaska pups will receive their shots on Friday per their new musher's request. Our pups and the Northfield pups will get their first shots at 9-10 weeks. Since we have had reactions to shots in this line in the past, we prefer to wait until we can be more certain the maternal immunity has worn off.

Some exciting happening are about to take place at the Points Unknown kennel! Our dear friend and founder of the original Hedlund Husky Preservation Project is arriving this evening. We'll have a Hedlund Husky gathering on Saturday and folks will bring their dogs along for Kim to see. Kim has not seen many of the dogs she has sent to us since they were puppies and we're eagerly anticipating her feedback on those puppies and grand puppies that have come along the way.

Topa/Oken Puppies; 7 Week Puppy Testing

2012-01-11T06:59:00.000-06:00

Lutsen's front end structure is assessed

Misquah is going through the elevation test

Grand Marais participated happily

Items needed for the test

The below is a reprint and revision of a post I made in 2007 after testing the Tuloon/Bazil puppies. It describes all of the aspects of the testing we choose to give. I am finding, however, that Hedlund Husky puppies test very different than many puppies and the test results, as described, are becoming less applicable. At the same time, I can appreciate the process and look upon it as more valuable information to add to the pot when coming up with a training plan for each individual.

The current litter tested more true to the adult personality trait of the Hedlund Husky of being aloof until a bond is made. Most were not the least bit interested in the tester and therefore didn't actively participate in the testing. The aptitude test produced varied numbered scores from the puppies and the leader test indicated that Grand Marais and Gooseberry (Irish) were the Group 1 puppies of the bunch, with the most natural aptitude to lead while all other puppies tested as Group 3 puppies due to their general lack of interest in the tester. It was interesting to note that when one might expect eye contact from these pups during the test, they gave it, but not to the tester. They stretched their necks from whatever position they were in to make eye contact with me, as I sat quietly at the other end of the room. Their bond was with me and they "perform" for me. If their new owners make the effort to bond with their puppies, and they are being placed in homes that will do everything possible for this to happen, I have confidence that these puppies will do anything asked of them.

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At seven weeks of age is when puppy aptitude testing and leader testing is done. According to a piece written by Gail Tamases Fisher and Wendy Volhard called "Puppy Personality Profile; The specifics of testing procedures, scoring and interpretation of the results of PAT". EEGs have demonstrated that at 49 days, puppies have the brain waves of an adult dog but are as yet minimally affect by experience and learning. It goes on to say that "While they have learned to use the inherited behaviors which make them dogs, they have not yet had a range of experiences to influence the test results, so we are able to test a virtually clean slate. At 49 days, the tests will reveal the raw material of the puppy's individual temperament. Thereafter, environmental experiences may influence a puppy's response, and we cannot be certain we are getting a true reading of his behavioral tendencies."

The test needs to be performed by a stranger to the puppies and in an unfamiliar area. The test has eleven exercises to be performed in the presence of the puppy. They are as follows:

Social Attraction. The puppy is placed four feet from the tester. The tester then calls the puppy. The purpose is to determine the pack drive or degree of social attraction to people, confidence or dependence.
Following. The tester stands up and slowly walks away encouraging the puppy to follow. Th purpose is to determine pack drive and the puppy's willingness to follow a person.
Restraint. The tester crouches down and gently rolls the pup on its back and holds it down with light pressure with one hand for 30 seconds. The purpose is to determine the puppy's fight or flight response and the degree of dominance or submissive tendency and ease of handling in difficult situations.
Social Dominance. The puppy sits or stands on a crouching tester's left side and the tester gently strokes it from the head to back. The purpose is to determine the puppy's pack drive and degree of acceptance of social dominance by a person.
Elevation Dominance. The tester cradles the pup under its chest with both hands, fingers interlaced, palms up and gently lifts the pup two feet off the ground and holds him there for 30 seconds. The purpose is to assess the fight or flight response and the degree of accepting dominance while in a position of no control.
Retrieving. The tester crouches beside the pup and attracts its attention with a crumpled up piece of paper. When the pup shows interest, the tester tosses the paper no more than four feet in front of the pup, encouraging it to retrieve the paper. The purpose is to assess the puppy's prey drive and the degree of willingness to do something for you. Together with social attraction and following, a key indicator for ease of difficulty in training.
Touch Sensitivity. The tester locates the webbing of one of the puppy's front paws and presses it lightly between his index finger and thumb. The tester gradually increases pressure while counting to 10 and stops the pressure when the puppy pulls away or shows discomfort. The degree of sensitivity to touch is a key indicator to the type of training equipment required.
Sound Sensitivity. The puppy is placed in the center of the testing area and an assistant stationed at the perimeter makes a sharp noise, such as banging a metal spoon on the bottom of a metal pan. The purpose is to assess prey drive and the degree of sensitivity to sound. Its also a rudimentary test for deafness.
Sight Sensitivity. The puppy is placed in the center of the testing area. The tester ties a string around a towel and jerks it across the floor two feet away from the puppy. The purpose is to assess prey drive and the degree of response to moving objects such as a bicycles, children or squirrels.
Stability. An umbrella is opened about five feet from the puppy and gently placed on the ground. The purpose is to assess the fight or flight response and the degree of startle response to a strange object.
Structure. The puppy is gently set and held in a natural stance and evaluated for structure.

According to the same piece referenced above, "The PAT is based on a six point scoring system. Each procedure is scored separately and is interpreted separately. The results are not totaled or averaged. " The behavior of the puppy is assigned a number.

They go on to say that they "...view the scoring system in a circle. High numbers are no better or worse than low numbers. Dogs do not pass or fail the PAT, they indicate behavioral tendencies."

"....a dog scoring mostly ones is extremely aggressive and dominant; mostly twos is very dominant and can be easily provoked to bite; mostly threes is active and slightly dominant; mostly fours is submissive and very willing; mostly fives is extremely submissive and shy; mostly sixes is independent and unaffectionate."

The second test is based on a piece written by Mel Fishback called "Puppy Selection for Work and Training". It involves placing a collar and leash on a puppy for the first time and with leash in hand, just walking away from the puppy to see how they react.

Group 1 puppies crane their necks for a second then immediately rush to your side or head out in front of you. These puppies are the most level headed pups and those that will be real learners and make the best leaders.

Group 2 puppies take a bit longer to figure out the idea of a collar and leash and might resist, make noise, throw themselves on the ground but within a few minutes get the hang of it and come right along. With specialized training, Group 2 puppies can make excellent leaders.

Group 3 puppies will fight the leash and object in a passive way. They will eventually come along but not in a very happy or excited way. These puppies make better team dogs than leaders.

Group 4 puppies actively resist the leash and are somewhat defiant in doing so. According to Mel Fishback, puppies in Group 4 are quitters and will not make good working dogs.

Having listed all of the test items, I must say that I take all of this puppy testing with a grain of salt. It is but one moment in the life of a puppy. While I do think it is good information to have so that individual training can be done according to the results, I don't think that this test dooms a puppy to that specific group or that specific behavior for the remainder of their lives. I believe that with patience, time and attention, all puppies can grow up to be working members of a dog team.

I have had puppies test in Group 4 of the leader test, screaming and throwing themselves on the ground and flailing about, and grow up to have very strong work ethics that also work in lead position. These puppies do require extra attention and specialized training but it is done. Amaruq, an Inuit dog, was a case in point. He did exactly what I described during this leader test. Also, when hooked up for the very first time in the team, he threw himself on the ground screaming as he was dragged a ways. All he needed to know was that he was alright and safe. He needed confidence. Obedience and agility classes did this for him and the last season before he died, he was in double lead with Tuloon and has happy as can be.

Another Group 4 puppy is our sweet little Zala. She actively refused to move forward when the leash was tugged. She has grown up, with proper training, to be one of our leaders. She is most definitely a bit goofy with an independent streak but she holds the line tight and is a trustworthy leader.

A Points Unknown Wedding and Catch Up!

2012-01-11T06:22:00.003-06:00

Married December 28th, 2011!

Klaus and White Feather listen as I read my vows

The dogs are fascinated over the whole thing.

The dogs turn their attention to Hailey as she read a poem offered by our friend Lidia who couldn't make the journey.

Neil and I first met online in April of 2008 when seeing a photo of me with Zodiak prompted him to email from his station in Iraq with the British military to inquire about the dogs and my lifestyle! On December 28th, 2011, with friends and family, both two and four legged, by our side, we were married overlooking the dog kennel and the beautiful Oake Lake here in Watertown, MN. We call it "Our Snowless Wedding", but that's another story all together and I've hesitated to complain too much about this puzzling winter season and have just accepted it as meant to be despite the internal dialogue I've been having with myself over the whole thing.

So, we're married and life hasn't slowed down enough for us to bask in the glow of it all but we do feel different; good different.

The lack of snow has meant much more dryland cart training for the dogs to keep them in shape for our month of adventures up in what is still our great white wilderness in northern Minnesota. Yes, there is snow in them hills! We're counting the days until our departure and in the meantime, have a list of things to achieve as long as my arm, before we leave. First and foremost on that list is the welfare of our now 7 1/2 week old puppies. They have grown so quickly and I can't help but think that one of the reasons we haven't had snow and cold is just for them, so they can live outdoors without concern for the harshness winter can bring.

We're anxiously anticipating the arrival next week of a someone who introduced me to what has become one of my passions, our Hedlund Husky preservation founder and dear friend, Kim Fitzgerald will be here next Wednesday! A package of Hedlund Husky history has already preceded her and I have been glued to the photos ever since. This line of sled dogs is outstanding in so many ways, it's hard to describe the feeling of having the history at my fingertips.

To do! In preparation for our departure, as I mentioned, we've got loads to achieve. We've sorted through the dog sled lines and have come up with a list of necessary replacements and will spent the day making new gangline components. We're building in the spring, on our parcel in the great white wilderness of Minnesota so we need to refine our drawings of the buildings and dog yard and meet with our builder next week. Candles! Neil and I continue to puts hours a day into the candle business, building up our inventory for our time away. Thankfully, I've got someone who can take over our paperwork and deliveries while away.

Then there is the planning of each adventure. Our first weekend up north is a beginner women's adventure. We'll meet with one of our handlers who is also going to be the camp cook during this adventure so that we can come up with the specific menu. The curriculum has been in place for years but a little bit of tweaking may be necessary to customize the experience to individual needs of the participants.

Our second adventure is an advanced adventure. Some of the women are repeat participants times five! Each time we try to come up with a new challenge for them and this time, we've really done it good! The details but the location is such that they will get their refresher by driving a team of dogs in from the parking area six miles to the cabin. Two full days of dog sledding on some of the most beautiful trails in the country is the highlight and on the last day, they will allow the dogs to rest and cross country ski those six miles out to their vehicles.

Our third adventure is a series of adventures we are offering in cooperation with Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply in Grand Marais, MN. On President's Day weekend we will be booking half day adventures that include snowshoeing or cross country skiing 7/10ths of a mile into the cabin then a half day with the sled dogs on our breathtaking remote bush trails. Visit this page on our website for details on all of our adventures - Points Unknown Adventures.

In a nutshell, lots to do and counting the days until white is a predominant color on the landscape.

Topa/Oken Puppies; 7 Weeks Old

2012-01-08T16:37:00.000-06:00

Misquah (Silver Bay) - 13lbs 5oz

JitterBug (Temperance) - 12lbs

Grand Marais - 12lbs 8oz

Salsa (Tofte) - 13lbs 8oz

Lutsen - 12lbs 5oz

Irish (Gooseberry) - 13lbs 13oz !

Arrow - 13lbs 5oz

Topa/Oken Puppies; 6 Weeks Old

2012-01-03T07:45:00.000-06:00

Silver Bay (Misquah) - 10lbs 8oz

Temperance (Jitterbug) - 9lbs 6oz

Grand Marais - 9lbs 8oz

Tofte (Salsa) - 10lbs 2oz

Lutsen - 9lbs 12oz

Gooseberry (Irish) - 10lbs 8oz

Arrow - 10lbs 6oz

Holiday Run with Family (Still No Snow)

2011-12-27T13:50:00.001-06:00

We've had a full house during the holidays and everyone wanted to come out and see what the dogs do when there's no snow. We all headed to the trail, big puppies and all then picked up Olive, Neil's mum and nephew Andy on the run back while everyone else walked Rommel and Rayna and met us back at the trail head.

The team in the video consists of Phoenix in single lead, Tuloon and Zala in point, Zodiak and Illy in team and Journey and Ilo in wheel.

Topa/Oken Puppies; 5 Weeks Old

2011-12-25T16:27:00.001-06:00

Silver Bay (Misquah) - 8lbs 3oz - will be staying at Points Unknown

Temperance (JitterBug) - 7lbs 9oz - This beautiful girl will be going to Jim and Judy Dunlop south of the Twin Cities.

Grand Marais - 7lbs 9oz - Will be joining Thom Swan near Fairbanks, Alaska and joining the Stardancer Historical Freight Dogs.

Tofte (Salsa) - 8lbs 2oz - Will be joining Temperance (JitterBug) and going to the Dunlops kennel.

Lutsen - 7lbs 14oz - Has a wonderful home that will be announced soon!

Gooseberry (Irish) - 8lbs 5oz - will be staying at Points Unknown

Arrow - 8lbs 11oz - will be staying at Points Unknown

Happy Holidays to you all!

Topa/Oken Puppies; 4 Weeks Old

2011-12-19T10:43:00.000-06:00

Silver Bay (Misquah) - 6lbs 4oz

Temperance - 6lbs

Grand Marais - 6lbs 1oz

Tofte - 6lbs 7oz

Lutsen - 6lbs 4oz

Gooseberry (Irish) - 6lbs 5oz

Arrow - 6lbs 11oz

The puppies spent their first night outside last night! Our mild temperatures are good for something. It was in the upper 40s yesterday and upper 20s overnight which made the transition very smooth. No one chose to stay in the "hot box" part of the dog house with two heat lamps that keep the temperature in the upper 70s to low 80s depending upon outside temperatures, so they must have been warm enough. The indoor dog house is located in a shed and it has an insulated floor and is insulated on two sides by straw bales. The pups and Topa have access to the outdoor portion of the kennel at any time but few have chose to venture too far just yet.

Topa/Oken Puppies; 3 Weeks Old

2011-12-12T21:33:00.000-06:00

Silver Bay - 4lbs 11oz

Temperance - 4lbs 4oz

Grand Marais - 4lbs 9oz

Tofte - 4lbs 11oz

Lutsen - 4lbs 9oz

Gooseberry - 4lbs 7oz

Arrow - 4lbs 15oz

At 2 1/2 weeks old the puppies began walking on all four legs, ALL around the whelping box. They spend a lot more time playing than they did before. Soft kibble was introduced today at 3 weeks old and toenails were trimmed again.

2 week old puppies; Group Photos

2011-12-04T19:13:00.001-06:00

Points Unknown Handler - Kristen Eckwright

2011-12-04T14:56:00.000-06:00

Kristen and Sweet Pea

Kristen Eckwright was born and raised in rural Minnesota and will graduate in the Spring of 2012. She has lived with animals her entire life ranging from giant Saint Bernards to tiny Yorkies. She currently has four dogs of her own including three lab-mixes and a Yorkie, three rabbits, and over 20 farm cats. Kristen has always known of her love for working with dogs. At the age of 10, she started training her own dogs through 4-H. Within a few years, she began competing in AKC obedience, rally, and agility. Wanting to help more animals, she started volunteering at the Brown County Humane Society. She spends much of her time there exercising dogs or helping to teach them basic manners. For dogs that need special attention or simply need to learn to trust humans, she brings her passion home and fosters them to make them more adoptable.

At the age of four, Kristen was introduced to the world of figure skating. She instantly fell in love and the sport became a huge part of her life for twelve years. She was forced to quit due to an injury, but quickly began to find new activities to fill some of her spare time. She discovered her love for hiking and the outdoors. Not long after, she began taking her dogs on bikejoring outings and started her own two-dog team, turning her Labradors into hard-pulling “sled dogs”.

After both Kristen and her dogs fell in love with “mushing”, she wanted to learn even more about real sled dogs. She met Linda about two years ago after joining the Points Unknown Canicross Club. It wasn’t hard to become addicted to the sled dogs! Now she spends much of her time volunteering for Points Unknown and helping out with any tasks that need to be done. Working with the sled dogs has helped her to realize more what she wants to do with her future – share her passions of nature and wildlife with other people.

Two Worlds Collide

2011-12-04T13:35:00.000-06:00

The sunrise on the morning of "the incident".

I had to share a funny yet kind of icky story with you from last week. It was probably one of the most busy weeks I can remember which is saying a lot because every week here at Points Unknown is just plain busy with dogs, candles, dog business, appraisals, honey, etc, etc, etc.

Now then, let's add 7 beautiful tiny puppies and two older rambunctious puppies to the mix and the need to be gone during the day for most of the week with last minute notice! Let me first say that there is no way I could have gotten through last week without Lisa, Missy and most of all Kristen. These three wonderful young ladies were right there, with last minute notice, helping me take care of the precious puppies and making sure Topa got outside when she needed to. Kristen even came for the day and fed the dogs twice, took care of Topa and puppies, walked the house dogs, raked out the dog kennels, removed straw from the boxes and gave them all new so that I could just "be" after my mind numbingly long and intense week.

So, what caused my week to be in such upset? I was called upon to be an expert witness in an appraisal related jury trial in southern Minnesota. This required hours of meetings and preparation the week prior and actual testimony in court last week. The testimony kept getting put off at the last minute so I didn't know which way was up for a couple days. I procrastinated on searching for the very few court appropriate pieces of clothing in my closet until 15 minutes prior to my departure to find out that the pants I had, well, didn't quite fit and I was concerned I would split a seam when walking up to the stand! That was all I had so I had to make them work. I made certain I had a lint brush along and somehow used it twice before even getting from my bedroom to the front door.

Topa needed to get out one last time before I left so, dressed in my super fancy clothes (of which I have one set), I removed the baby gate from the laundry room and she came prancing past me through my beeswax candles shop. Before she got to the door, she shook as dogs often do and out the door she went. After tucking her back into the laundry room and saying good bye to seven beautiful babies, I began to walk out the door. As I brushed my hand against the right side of my hair, I was stopped in my tracks by a goopy, slimy, red tinged substance. It was in my hair! Topa, only having had her puppies a week and a half prior, was still having some post whelping drainage and, you got it, it ended up in my hair! She must have flung it when she shook just before I let her out.

Now running late, I rushed to the sink to do my best at washing it out of that portion of my hair. I had no time to take another shower. So off I went; dog hair likely all over my black outfit with pants so tight I could barely breathe and I feared I would split a seam at any moment, potential gooby stuff still in my hair and, on top of it, I awoke with a blood vessel that had burst in my left eye, likely due to stress and the onset of a cold so, in general, I looked quite the fright!

I'm happy to report that my testimony went off without a hitch, my pants didn't split, my eye is no longer blood shot, no one noticed gooby stuff in my hair and after a full day of Kristen on dog duty, I feel absolutely wonderful!

Topa/Oken Puppies; 2 weeks old

2011-12-04T11:14:00.000-06:00

Silver Bay - 3lbs 1oz - A serene puppy. Appears to be very much like Topa at this age

Temperance - 2lbs 15oz - Another calm and serene puppy,reminding me of Topa at this age

Grand Marais - 3lbs 1oz - More vocal than the silver girls and very sweet and wiggly.

Tofte - 3lbs 4oz - Has been the one that climbs up on top of mom after feeding and has done this since day one. Very aware of my presence

Lutsen - 2lbs 14oz - Reminds me of a little fox. She is quiet but voices her opinions loudly, reminding me of her Grandma Tuloon.

Gooseberry - 2lbs 15oz - She is still quite a character with lots of outspoken personality. Reminds me of my Zulu line pups.

Arrow - 3lbs 3oz - Has a similar presence to Gooseberry. Vocal and active.

The Topa/Oken puppies turn 2 weeks old today! Topa is a deep Hedlund line Alaskan Husky and Oken is half Hedlund and half Points Unknown's Zulu line. We're excited about the mix!

Eyes were open at 11-12 days and they are aware of each other and also of when I am in the room. They get handled every couple of hours. The room temperature was originally at 85 degrees or hotter depending upon whether the pups were under the heat lamp. Since they will be introduced to the great white outdoors in just a few weeks, we are slowly lowering the temperature of the room. It is now at 75 degrees. Puppies can't regulate their own body temperatures until after 3 weeks and we're noticing that with the temperature decrease, they are tending to cuddle more but still are very independent puppies, wandering off to their own part of the whelping box much of the time.

The puppies and Topa were wormed last evening. Our worming protocol begins at 2 weeks and goes every other week until they are 8 weeks old. First Parvo/Distemper shots are not to be given in this line until after 8 weeks of age with a second booster given 4 weeks later.

From the scratches on my hands, it's time to trim puppy nails again!

Illy and Aise; 1 Year Old Today!

2011-11-27T18:06:00.000-06:00

Aise and Illy turn one year old today! They are Hedlund Huskies out of Points Unknown/Uktousa's Tumac and Kimmik Kennels/Uktousa's Daisy at Uktousa Kennel in New Hampshire

First Puppy Pull Training Session

2011-11-27T17:54:00.000-06:00

Rommel, 12 weeks old and Rayna, 8 weeks old, were harnessed for the first time.

They were praised every time they demonstrated a desirable behavior such as pulling and moving forward.

We had our puppy moments, which we just let happen.

And more puppy moments.....

Rommel strikes a pose despite having his leg caught in Rayna's harness.

And we had moments of perfection as both puppies pulled straight forward in harness. Our entire session lasted about 15 minutes; short and sweet and ended on a good note!

Topa/Oken Puppies; 1 Week Old

2011-11-27T14:36:00.000-06:00

Silver Bay - 1lb 13oz - very soft longer coat, goes limp when picked up

Temperance - 1lb 13oz - very soft coat, goes limp when picked up

Grand Marais - 1lb 14oz - middle of the road

Tofte - 1lb 13oz - middle of the road but leaning towards the softer side

Lutsen - 1lb 10oz - middle of the road but leaning towards the squirmier side

Gooseberry - 1lb 12oz - vocal and wiggly when picked up

Arrow - 2lb 1oz - Most vocal and most wiggly when picked up - Only Boy!

These pups are healthy and thriving. Can't tell you how happy I am about this considering that we lost two puppies from our last litter in 2009. They're all gaining weight at a normal rate and appear to be very active for pups this age as they scoot all over the whelping box. These pups don't "puppy pile". They wander off on their own in different corners of the box. They're just discovering themselves and have an awareness of those around them. First puppy toenail cutting is later today!

I've included some of the first observations I've made of each pup under their photos, keeping in mind that things change so much along the way so no real determination of temperament or coat type can be made at this stage.

Three Way Tug-of-War

2011-11-25T18:48:00.000-06:00

Rommel Meets Rayna

2011-11-25T18:41:00.001-06:00


Teeth clanging fun

Lisa holds Rayna for the introduction

In flight

Rommel doesn't want to share the hedgehog with Blueberry

Rayna arrived with the hedgehog and now it is the most sought after toy in the house

I've not been consistent with blog postings since the arrival of ALL of the puppies. Rayna came the night before Topa's puppies arrived and hasn't gotten the Blog time she deserves. We are so excited that this little ball-of-fire joined us from the Andy Bassich/Kate Rorke Kennel via Nita Fowler at Sirius Sled Dogs in Fairbanks. Never having been drawn to black sled dogs before, I almost passed up the opportunity until Andy's recommendation swayed me towards this beautiful and soulful girl. Andy said that if I wanted the best of his kennel for breeding into mine, Rayna was the one. I fell in love with her the moment I laid eyes on her.

If you recall, her half brother Rommel, arrived a few weeks ago, completely melting my heart. What a perfect fit this line of dogs is for our kennel.

Rommel is a month older and quite a bit larger than Rayna at this point, but that doesn't seem to make much difference. Rayna's fairly open about her boundaries and swiftly tells Rommel when he crosses them. The puppy play is infectious and has all of the dogs revisiting their puppyhoods. Is has become the evening entertainment. The house dogs get into the act and we've got squeaky toys squeaking and puppies bouncing and rolling all of the house. Wait until we add Topa's bunch to the mix in several weeks time!

Fall Training; "On By" Video

2011-11-23T19:38:00.001-06:00

Just got the first video of the season. It's a poor quality clip but shows how well the dogs are doing on their "on by" training. Not one of them chose to check out the camera lady and continued moving straight ahead down the trail. And note the excellent "gee over" from Mr. Phoenix, the magnificent and the superb cart driving of Miss Kristen, the handler extraordinaire!

Rayna - 8 Weeks old Today!

2011-11-23T17:13:00.000-06:00

Rayna was 20lbs at 8 weeks old today. This photos truly depicts her personality!

Rayna has only been with us since Sunday night but has settled in and has the best of both worlds; lots of fun play time outside with her big brother Rommel and adoptive mothers Tuloon and Sweet Pea and inside play with toys and the house dogs. She is a gem! Her nickname in Alaska with Nita and Andy and Kate was "mini me" because she looked so much like her mom. She is most definitely a old soul in a little (BIG) baby's body. Man, those legs and feet are HUGE! They are about the size of Rommel's and he's a month older.

Rayna weighed 20lbs at 8 weeks old today! Comparatively, Tumac, the largest dog out of our kennel, now living with Lidia and Richard at Uktousa Kennel in New Hampshire, weighed 20lbs at 8 weeks old and he is now upwards of 85lbs! How fun it will be to watch this little big puppy grow.

November 20th; 7 Puppies!

2011-11-21T21:39:00.000-06:00

Proud Momma

#1 - Female - 16oz - Silver Bay

#2 - Female - 15oz - Temperance (River)

#3 - Female - 16oz - Grand Marais

#4 - Female - 16oz - Tofte

#5 - Female - 16oz - Lutsen

#6 - Female - 15.5oz - Gooseberry (Falls)

#7 - MALE! - 15oz - Arrow (Arrowhead Trail)

Topa had seven healthy puppies yesterday early morning on day 62.

Her temperature began dropping the Wednesday before; down to 98.8. Not having had too many litters, I relied on the knowledge that once the temperature drops, you've got 12-24 hours until puppies arrive. The normal temperature range for a dog is 100-102. I could hardly believe the drop, considering her due date window was from the 18th to the 25th and here it was only the 16th. I had planned to be at the Do it Green Gifts Fair selling our Scent from Nature; 100% Pure Beeswax Candles on Saturday the 19th but it looked as though our attendance was in jeopardy.

Thursday came and the temp went back up to 100.2 in the morning and then down to 99.1 in the evening and Topa's behavior remained the same, however she had been going to the door more for the past few nights to be let out. Her milk had come in three weeks prior already and she began nesting at that time, as well. Friday came and her temp was up to 99.7 then down to 98.8 in the evening. What was going on? I told myself that if I saw a drastic change in her behavior on Saturday morning before I packed up to head into the Gifts Fair, I would cancel. To be on the safe side, I called my on call vet tech, Missy Lewis from the Westonka Animal Hospital, to see if she could come out and check on Topa a couple times during the day and stay with her until I got home, should she see a need. After losing two of Tuloon's puppies in 2009 (Topa was in this litter), I was going to do whatever I could to make sure none were lost this time around.

Saturday morning came and Topa seemed fine, however as the morning went on, I saw subtle changes. She wasn't panting or overly clingy and the money to be made at the Gifts Fair is greatly needed so I opted to go, knowing that she would be in good hands while I was gone.

Saturday was also the day that sweet little Rayna was flying in from Alaska and Lisa Urness, one of our super dog handlers, was kind enough to agree to pick her up and keep her company until I returned home that evening.

At the Do it Green Gifts Fair, my mind was somewhere else. It's hard to focus on selling when all you can think about is what might be happening at home. I packed up at 5PM on the dot and headed straight home in what was our first snow storm, no less! It took me an extra half an hour to get home so with Lisa bringing Rayna over at 8PM, I needed to get moving considering it was now 7:15. The poor adult sled dogs only got a quick hello and a bowl full of food and water before I had to head in and prepare for the new baby's arrival. Topa's behavior still appeared normal as she rested in her crate while we introduced Rommel to his new little sister. We had a puppy party in the sun room for the next hour before having to call it a night. Or so I thought.

Topa didn't appear as though I needed to have her in the whelping box so I opted to leave her in her crate and try to get some sleep. Rayna had different ideas and made quite a lot of noise in her crate that was left in the sun room with Topa. After moving her crate into the bedroom, thinking it might be more comforting for the puppy I heard what sounded like a warning bark of some kind coming from the sun room. Topa was trying to tell me something. So we all moved downstairs to the whelping area; Linda, Topa and puppy in crate.

Topa began to whine loudly at roughly 11:30PM and then was joined in song by Rayna. Alright, this was just too much. After a super long day at the Gifts Fair, my patience was running thin and I desperately needed some sleep so the puppy went outside to sleep with Sweet Pea. I comforted Topa as much as I could but since I could do no more at this point and she didn't seem distressed, I popped an ear plug in and tried to get some sleep, knowing that I would be far more helpful to her with just a little bit of sleep behind me.

But alas, I was not meant to sleep on Saturday night. Topa's whining and restlessness grew in intensity and the puppy outside howled and cried off and on. Not having the capacity at that moment to do anything but comfort Topa, I left Sweet Pea with the responsibility of the new puppy for the night and she soon settled down, allowing me to focus now on Topa.

I noticed Topa push for the first time at roughly 4:30AM. Eight minutes later, standing up and screaming, Topa delivered her first baby as I tried desperately to make certain it didn't drop to the ground as I pulled Topa down by her collar. She obviously had no clue what was happening to her and seemed very out of sorts and overly focused on me which, considering my state, wasn't the best of ideas. She did reluctantly clean the puppy and sloppily cut the umbilical chord but would not lay down so the puppy could drink. I was horrified as Tuloon's 2009 lost babies came to mind and I frantically forced Topa to lay down and tried to get the puppy to suck but her mouth wouldn't open. I can't tell you how frightened I was at that moment. We were not going to lose a puppy. I was beginning to get so upset with Topa but knew that she was feeding off of my emotions and I was only making her even more frightened than she already must have been. She still wasn't certain what was happening.

As the second baby started to crown and I multi tasked and called Missy to let her know I needed her help and that the baby was not able to suck and Topa was not helping things. After hanging up the phone, I noticed a change in Topa. The instinctual switch flipped and with her second baby, she seemed to "get it". I tried to call Missy back to say she didn't need to come out but it was too late, she was already in the driveway. She came in with a full load of warming supplies, formula, syringes, towels, you name it. She got right to work on Topa, helping to comfort her. She worked with each new baby, making certain they began to suckle. She weighed them and helped to clean them off. She was my guardian angel that morning.

Missy arrived at 5AM and was out the door at 7:30AM. All seven babies delivered in three hours! After five hours of Topa's whining and panting, I sure was happy for the short delivery time. We kept track of coloring, weight and sex as each little baby came into the world. We knew we were expecting seven and when we got up to puppy number six and still didn't have a boy, I was hoping......Number 7 - BOY! And all appeared healthy. Thank goodness.

Lisa, my other guardian angel, arrived at 8AM to help feed the sled dogs. I had hoped to have a meeting with my pillow later that morning but that never did happen. Too much to do; little puppies to watch, Momma to care for, bigger puppies to play with and adult sled dogs to exercise. Boy was I beat at the end of the day yesterday! Neil is back in the UK so missed it all but will be here very soon to see all of the new babies.Until then, I've got a few wonderful helpers who will be coming and going over the next few weeks. Kristen stopped by this morning to help feed and with the holiday, Hailey and Melanie will be back from college to lend a hand with the pups.

I'm happy to report that, after my initial scare when she had no idea what was happening to her, Topa is an excellent mother. She doesn't lay flat on her side to nurse but curls up in a "C" with all of them tucked inside her, even putting her head over the bunch for added warmth. She is diligent about keeping them clean and isn't too happy if I pick them up at this point, as she tried to gently take them away from me with her mouth. I'm having a difficult time getting her to leave them for potty breaks and that is to be expected.

So everyone please welcome the Topa/Oken litter of seven beautiful pups! We've chosen their temporary names under the following theme - "Minnesota's North Shore" Litter!

Topa's Puppy Count!

2011-11-15T19:51:00.000-06:00

Thinking it would be difficult to lift her, I backed up to a hill and she walked right in.

Not too stressed after all of the handling on the x-ray table.

Heads are marked with a green marker. There are Seven!

Topa is only about a week away from delivery and now was the time for a puppy count to make sure we know to wait for all of them before heading to bed.

I wasn't sure I could safely lift her in the back of the truck so I backed up to a hill at the bottom of the driveway and she stepped right in. When we arrived at the vet, I was shocked to discover that she had gained 15lbs in less than a month! The receptionist and I did some quick figures; 5lbs for "stuff" and 1lb per puppy. Yikes! 10 puppies!? I sure hoped not. Dr. Jackie from the Westonka Animal Hospital came to retrieve Topa for her x-ray. I opted to stay out of the room, thinking that my stress may transfer on to Topa. I was concerned about how concerned she might be about the whole thing. Turns out, not at all!

After several different views, the best shots and the alternate view to confirm were ready. Seven puppies! That's a manageable amount, considering I feared ten.

Now we just wait. I've done a baseline temperature; 100.4. Her temp will drop about 12-24 hours before she is ready to give birth so if I stay on top of things, I'll be able to pin point it within a day.

Be prepared for a barrage of puppy pictures over the next several weeks!

Dog Mushing Close to the City!

2011-11-07T10:32:00.000-06:00

Oake Lake Dog Mushing Experience (Photo by D. Loan)

For a portion of the winter season, we're located only 30 miles west of the Minneapolis, MN area! Dog mushing that close, really! Please visit the link below for more details.

Oake Lake Experience

Puppy Socialization for Rommel

2011-11-06T18:39:00.000-06:00

Rommel and Anna

Topa checks out Kelsey

Rommel follows Phoenix around the yard

Phoenix and Tuloon stand in line for attention

Sweet Pea is always nearby, keeping a watchful eye over Rommel

Belly rubs

The big dogs want attention too!

Our dogs LOVE having company and Rommel is no different. He fit right in and ate up all of the attention he was given. This week is a big week for Rommel. He visits the vet tomorrow afternoon for a puppy check up and then its on to puppy socialization class later in the week. It's important that at a young age, he be introduced to all kinds of new things so he can be a well rounded adult. It's obvious that he's had all kinds of socialization before he even arrived at Points Unknown. Now, we'll just continue the work.

Rayna

2011-11-05T16:54:00.000-05:00

Rayna at 5 weeks old

Rayna will come to join us on November 19th. She is another pup from the Andy Bassich/Kate Rorke kennel outside of Eagle, Alaska.

Puppies from Alaska.

2011-11-05T16:52:00.000-05:00

We recently stumbled upon a line of freighting dogs in Alaska that appeared somewhat compatible to our Hedlund and Zulu line Alaskans. This line has the larger size we seem to lack in our females and it will serve to bring the size of our males up a bit, as well. Not to mention, it will add refreshing genetic material to both lines to support vitality and vigor.

Through a past introduction, nearly three years ago, came a reconnection with someone that would turn out to be instrumental in sending us our first pup from this line! (and 2nd...more to come!) Anita Fowler owns Sirius Sled Dogs in Fairbanks, Alaska. In addition to having several dogs from this line, she is acting as the caregivers to some of the older pups from the Andy Bassich and Kate Rorke kennel outside of Eagle, Alaska. Here, Andy and Kate own and operate Extreme Bush Alaska Lifestyle Camp. More on their dogs and this wonderful line of freight Alaskan Husky can be found on their blog - Our Life in Alaska's Wilderness.

Blueberry and Rommel

Rommel at 9 weeks old.

Rommel arrived last weekend and has now settled in to the routine. He's met every dog (most from my lap) in the kennel and gets special puppy walks and lots of inside bonding time with us and the little dogs. He lives with Sweet Pea when outside and she has taken on the dutiful role of adoptive mother and is doing the wonderful job that she has always done to raise "other people's kids".

It just seemed like something was missing. Topa will be having her pups soon but Rommel will be way to big to play with them until they're much older. It just made sense that Rommel had a friend his own age and size to grow up with and secondary would be the added genetics in the kennel. Just so happens that there was another pup available from a litter a month younger! Things happen for a reason. We were meant to also get Rayna, a big and beautiful black, copper and white puppy. She'll be arriving on the 19th when she is 8 weeks old. Did I mention BIG? Her weight at 5 weeks old is 11lbs 5oz. My records show that most of our females at that age have been between 8lbs and 9.5lbs. NONE of our males have been that large with the biggest topping off at 10lbs 8oz. Rommel will indeed have a friend his own size. Rommel, himself, is going to be a big boy. At 7 weeks old he was 17lbs. Our biggest male was 15lbs 6oz at 7 weeks old. That male is now nearly 85lbs.

Rayna's arrival can't come soon enough. Poor Blueberry is getting fed up with a 10 week old puppy, taller and heavier than he is, using him as a dive bomb target.

Klaus Concerns

2011-11-05T16:24:00.000-05:00

Still pulling his heart out!

I had considered that Klaus may retire earlier than some dogs because of his intense work ethic. From 6 months old when he was put up in front on a short run, Klaus has pulled his heart out, line never slacking. We've always used the phrase "you can bounce a quarter off of Klaus' line" because it was true. It still is but I do see some signs of him slowing down.

Twice during our run on Friday and then three times the week previous, he was running along with no signs of distress, not a change in his gait, nothing, and Klaus stopped. He just stopped from full speed. I've learned over the years that if Klaus doesn't eat there is something very wrong with him. There is also something wrong if he isn't pulling and then, well, he's never stopped before so I can only assume we've got a potential problem brewing. Each time, we rested and then continued on but at a slightly slower pace. It could be that we were just going to fast for him. You're only as fast as your slowest dog and I've got quiet a few young dogs that seem to want to keep the speed up. For Klaus, we will slow things down. This will give the young dogs time to focus on pulling rather than speed. We've never been about speed. I think Klaus is giving us a reminder.

Topa Update; 44 Days

2011-11-05T16:16:00.000-05:00

Our sweet Topa.

At 44 Days into her pregnancy, Topa is losing her girlish figure. It's no surprise! She's eating like a horse, thank goodness! She's got a nice layer of fat on her ribs. Of course, I am providing a wonderful catering service for her. Each meal we're mixing a 3-5oz sample bag of various kinds of grain free dog food (for variety) with 3oz of cat food, a couple cups of Redpaw's 32K, 1 cup of either cooked and ground chicken necks or hamburger, 1 Tbs of Redpaw's Balanced Fat and enough warm water to make a thick gravy. In between meals, she's getting a hard boiled egg which she gobbles down whole.

To help keep that fat on her ribs, she's sleeping inside at night in a crate lined with a cushy comforter. A few days before she is to whelp, we'll all move downstairs to the whelping box. She'll be the one sleeping in the whelping box, although Neil did make it large enough for me to lay down in! I'll bring my cot. We've got a vet tech on call for the week she is due. After Tuloon lost two puppies in 2009, we wanted to make certain all bases are covered.

On November 15th, we'll head to the vet to get an x-ray done to count puppy heads so we know how many to expect. The way she's looking now, it could be a big litter! We're hopeful for a routine delivery and a healthy mom and pups.

Sasha in Lead!

2011-11-05T16:04:00.000-05:00

Striking a good pose for the camera. She's keeping the line tight even while checking out what's over in the bushes.

If you recall, Sasha is a Zulu grand daughter and sister to our Wimzi. She lives with one of our handlers, Chris. He sent us this photo of her in lead of his three dog team. Good job, Chris and Sasha! She looks great!

Ari and Ilo to Vet

2011-11-05T16:01:00.000-05:00

That's Ilo looking at the camera while Sweet Pea keeps her eye on the trail.

Ari is in "the zone" before the run while Sasha poses for the camera.

Ari and Ilo visited the vet on Friday. Ari had a growth removed on his back inner thigh and it was sent to the lab for testing. Benign! And it is not likely to grown back. We're thankful for this news.

Ilo had a routine dental. At eight years old, his teeth were in need of a good cleaning to remove the heavy calculus that could create tooth problems down the road. They discovered that his heart conduction isn't normal. He'll be brought back to the vet in two weeks and be hooked up to the ECG machine again to determine if it was the anesthetic that created the issue or if he does indeed have an AV block. There are no outward signs of an issue with Ilo and he continues to be a productive part of the team with good recovery time so we are hopeful

Training Update

2011-10-26T19:25:00.000-05:00

My big boy, Phoenix.

Illy's gaining more confidence! Here she is, leaning into her harness during a rest.

And the dog butts....with Phoenix in single lead.

Kristen drives the rig today! Wow is that bright orange!

The DNR stopped us on the trail today.

DNR worker, Deb, spent time hugging each and every dog but I think Zodiak got double his share because he gives such good wet kisses.

Training! It has been great fun so far this season. I feel lucky to have Kristen and Lisa on the trail with us, helping with the dogs.

Earlier this week, White Feather did a smashing job in lead as this girl muscled Oken over to the right consistently. Our "gee over" training is showing its rewards! Aise was in this team, as well. We were working with her on line biting during our last run. None this time around!

More "gee over" training for Phoenix today and in single lead. He's got it! So much better than the first time out. Illy is gaining more confidence with each hook up and doing so well!

The other dogs are all doing well with no major training issue to note. They really are loving training season, as much as we are! Klaus is not too bothered to be behind the leaders but does pull out to the left and lead from point! Wimzi is the team cheerleader and jumps straight up when she thinks that our break should be ending. Ilo and Sweet Pea are the wheel dogs for one of our teams and they are just strong and steady. Ilo always has a smile on his face but somehow loses his ears when I get out the camera. Sweet Pea turned 9 yrs old this year, along with her brother Klaus. I am not seeing any signs of their age so far this season! Tuloon gets a little down if she doesn't get to spend time in lead so we make sure she's up there for a portion of each run. Zala is our little firecracker and makes a big stink if she is not one picked for that day's run. She pulls her little heart out and has such a fluid movement. Zodiak is an athlete, plain and simple. He just loves to pull and run. Ari and Journey are the wheel dogs for one of the teams. Both are very strong. Ari has an interesting gait that appears a bit awkward but it doesn't seem to lessen his ability. He is a powerhouse! Journey has one of the most fluid gaits I've seen, next to Zala.

Last, but certainly not least, there is Topa! When we're out running, she's enjoying MN Public Radio from the comfort of her cushy crate. She is at approximately 35 days into her pregnancy and is already showing! I don't recall Tuloon showing until almost 3/4 of the way through. AND the good news is, she is eating like a horse! Of course, I have to cook for her, but she is eating it!

Oh, but what about little Copper and Blueberry, you ask? They always look forward to our return from the trail because that means it's time for the little dog walk.

Pull Training Lessons

2011-10-26T18:58:00.000-05:00

T-Bo can be a sled dog too!

Graduation to the BIG tire.

What I enjoy the most is seeing how much fun everyone is having together.

The tiny tire is used initially to get the dogs used to the idea of something being pulled behind them.

Amber and Curt came out with their three fuzzy buddies, T-Bo, Diesel and Miss Taylor, last weekend for a private pull training lesson. They were hoping to be able to make a cohesive "sled dog" team out of their bunch so that they could pull a little kick sled this winter.

They were concerned that T-Bo, who is not quite a true "sled" dog, but rather of the herding variety, might not take to it. Ah! But any breed can learn to pull! And pull, he did! T-Bo turned out to be a very strong puller and I suggested that she begin with him in wheel position, along with Diesel so that Miss Taylor could shine in lead. She's a very eager-to-please little girl with a lot of potential! The recommendation was that they work each of their dogs in different positions but to really focus on Miss Taylor in lead.

Each one of our private pull training classes is custom made to fit you, your dogs and your goals. They range from an hour to an hour and a half in length. The basics can be taught in one lesson but follow-up lessons are recommended to make certain you're on track with your goals.

Training Challenges; Leaders and New Puppies

2011-10-19T14:38:00.000-05:00

Zala and Phoenix before Zala was demoted for goofing off. Little stinker.

Ari and Journey make a good wheel dog pair.

Phoenix in single lead

Lowering the training cart out of the back of the cube van with a winch.

Illy getting some of her special attention at harnessing time.

Zodiak is ready to roll!

Illy with Grandma Tuloon

Ilo and Sweet Pea in wheel

Wimzi and Aise

I was concerned that Klaus would be adversely affected by not being in lead so far this season. He is so easy-going and doesn't seem to mind. he does pull to one side of the leaders, however so in essence, he's leading. He takes any of the commands that the newbies fail to address immediately.

White Feather and Oken after a successful training run

Each time we head out onto the trail, be it on a training run or a winter excursion, we always have a training objective in mind. We've learned over the years not to have too many all at once and to pick our battles.

We always have general behavior expectations that get immediate attention such as line biting and maintaining general good manners at hook up and while in the team. Our specific training this week has been focusing on leaders and new puppies. Aise and Illy are 11 months old and its their first season in the team. Despite Aise's rocky start during our canicross hikes, she is doing wonderfully in with the team! Illy did an excellent job one on one for our canicross hikes and found it difficult to focus and maintain her confidence in her first run with the team, to the point of it being dangerous when her tug line was so slack, it just dragged on the ground behind her. The fear is that she could get her leg caught and tangled. Our next run would focus on Illy.

The first thing Illy needed was to get her confidence back up. While harnessing the team, we took extra time to spend with Illy, allowing her to jump up on our laps for comfort and attention. We slowed the pace down at hook up and made sure to praise her every chance we got. She was hooked up in point position, behind the leaders, next to Tuloon. Tuloon would not be as hard on her if she made a mistake like some of the other dogs would so she was a good, neutral choice. Off we went down the trail and Illy pulled her little heart out! Our training method worked.

Our next training challenge was with Phoenix on the "gee over" command which means to move to the far right side of the trail. Our initial method did not work. It's a method I was taught years ago and have used for years with success and it's fairly simple. The command of "gee over" is given and if the dog doesn't go to the right, you secure the cart, run up, crowd them over to the right while saying the command again, then when they are in the spot you like, praise by saying "Good, Gee Over!". I did this with Phoenix AT LEAST a dozen times with no luck. He didn't appear to even be listening to me as I gave the commands and didn't look back to check when I was speaking. This isn't like Phoenix. He's very eager-to-please. This, to me, means that he isn't understanding what he's supposed to do or he can't hear me. I was speaking loudly enough to be heard so then we're back to his not understanding. This is the frustrating part because I don't understand why he doesn't understand but if I want him to work well for me, then I had better try to understand where he's coming from or there is just more added frustration and nothing gets accomplished. Rule #1 - it's usually always the musher's fault.

I made a couple last attempts at the method that wasn't working until there was a slight glimmer of light. He moved to the right, ever so slightly. When he did that, I immediately praised him then I completely shut my mouth. No more commands and only praise. When he gravitated to the center of the trail AGAIN, I didn't say a word. I just continued putting pressure on the brake with every inch to the left he was traveling until he began to move to the right. With every inch to the right, I slowly removed pressure from the brake until he was where I wanted him then, I not only let up on the brake but also kicked off (pushed) and said, "Good, Gee Over!". I used this method for the next several minutes and it appeared to be sinking in to the point where, although he wasn't exactly where I wanted him on the far right, he was consistently a lot further right than before so I said good enough for today and called it a good training day. Now let's see where this puts us on our next training run.

Today's run brought two different leaders and two different sets of training challenges. Aise has been known to be a line biter. This has got to stop. It is one of the MAJOR offenses in my rule book because she can release the dogs in front of her or, if she bites in the wrong place, she will not only release them but asphyxiate herself. I prefer, at this time, to train out the behavior than to use cables within my line as many mushers do.

The second training challenge would be more "gee over" lessons for leaders, Oken and White Feather.

Aise bit the line twice. The first time, I ran up and placed my hands over her muzzle and pressing tightly, I gave her full and close eye contact and said "NO!" in a very low and growling tone. The second time, all I had to do was growl from the cart and she released. This is ongoing training but hopefully, she'll be better on her next run.

We began the run with Oken on the left and White Feather on the right, up in lead. White Feather was on the far Gee side of the road. Wonderful! I love it when the dog naturally pulls to the right because it means less training in the area. Then there is Oken, who was running more down the middle of the trail than anywhere else. The first thing I've learned to do is set the dogs up for success and reinforce good behavior. White Feather is a natural righty so I put Oken on the right and White Feather on the left. She then naturally hedged him to the right and that's where he mostly stayed. This was after I used an extension of my hand to remind her of the proper position on the trail. This hand extension is a long flat "paddle" of sorts that is just used to tap the dog on the hind end or shoulder as my hand might do if I want them to move one way or another. With this "paddle" there is no need to constantly bend over. It looks and sounds far worse than it really is. Just like a "choke collar" can either be truly a choke collar or, if used properly, can be valuable training tool.

After the reminder, whenever I saw White Feather intentionally push him to the right as he drifted to the left, they each got praised with the words "Good, Gee Over, White Feather!" and "Good "Gee Over, Oken!". Very little else needed to be done for their training on this run and they caught on quickly so that meant that I got less exercise, running back and forth from the leaders to the cart.

I'm very happy with our runs so far this week. I think we all have learned quite a bit. Thank you to Lisa and Kristen for coming along and lending a hand! Lisa had to miss today's run. She learned something very important on our last run; it's a good thing to hang on to your dog if they try to get away from you but it sure does hurt! Lisa successfully held on to Zodiak as he pulled her down the hill on her face. She did hurt her shoulder in the meantime but didn't lose the dog! See you on Friday! Sure hope your shoulder heals quickly.

Beekeeping Course

2011-10-16T18:57:00.000-05:00

I attended the University of Minnesota's Beekeeping Course this weekend. Unfortunately, Neil was not able to come along so he'll have to go next spring. What a wonderful course! Neil and I plan to begin keeping bees when we make our move and are looking forward to making some of our beeswax candles out of our very own wax! The hives will be kept far away from the sled dog kennel to avoid any "sticky" situations. (Did I just type that?)

Topa; Like Mother Like Daughter

2011-10-12T15:31:00.000-05:00

Num!

Yay!

She's not eating her kibble! Topa should be about 20 days along in her pregnancy today. For the first several days after she was bred, she was eating like a horse then became more picky to the point of refusing to eat her kibble. Tuloon did the very same thing. A friend and I were speaking about this earlier today. There is a great possibility that during the chemical change, certain foods, in this case kibble, begin to taste differently and potentially, unappealing. It makes complete sense. I've never liked the idea of trying to coax a dog to eat and have taken the tough love approach of, "if you don't eat it right away, it's gone". You would think that this approach would make for good and quick eaters. Not so with my dogs. They're even more stubborn than I am and I'm sure they chuckle to themselves with every bite they don't take. Generally, I've always been of the belief that a dog won't starve themselves and will eat when they're hungry. When there are babies involved, I get vigilant and tend to over analyze for the sake of those babies.

So, now back to Topa not eating. She had not eaten for two days. Last night, out of desperation, I began giving her slices of ham. She ate TEN as if it was the only meal she had been offered in weeks! Alright then, back to the kitchen to dig up the doggie recipes. Tuloon even refused to eat any of those special recipes so I was hoping that Topa would be different, for the sake of my sanity.

Digging whatever I could out of the freezer and cupboards, I compiled a rather delightful (doggie delightful) meal for Topa. I cooked a pound of organic hamburger (For those folks overseas, despite the name, this is actually not ground ham but beef. Go figure!) and about twice as much organic brown basmati rice. Remember, I said that these items were from MY stash. For the sake of my pocket book, organic may not be the way I'll go for her entire pregnancy. I then slowly heated some raw honey and mixed it in with the hamburger and rice mix. I added a tablespoon of each bee pollen and Redpaw's Balanced Fat formula and there you have it; a delectable doggy dinner! Now the big question was; will she eat it?!

Unlike mother, Topa ate it! Topa ate TODAY. Fingers crossed that she eats tomorrow.

"Green" Vs Green ($)

2011-10-10T19:04:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I spent the day mostly in the truck, driving the six hour, one way trip to our little spot in the north woods of Minnesota, to meet the horse logger we had hoped would do our building site clearing. Having 15 sled dogs at home and a "to do" list the length of my arm, means no luxury of staying over night this time around.

Mark met me on our property at 1PM on the dot. I love punctuality! This was a great start. He looked like he knew the woods well from his appearance, which gained him my instant respect in that category. I had read a bit about him prior to setting up the meeting and was impressed with what I had read. He had been involved with the US Forest Service for many, many years, working contracts for horse logging and specializing in primitive tools. Raising him even further above the rest was that he had formed a sustainable forestry organization in our area. If anything, I knew I was in for an interesting and educational visit.

Taking the time to walk our entire flagged area, Mark was kind enough to offer tidbits of knowledge and recommendation along the way when it came to what trees to keep, which ones were on their last leg, what that particular type of fungi was used for and how it was harvested, along with comments on our two "nurse" trees that had fallen and now lay host to a beautiful and fascinating straight-as-an-arrow line of baby Balsam trees. The first comment, however, that made me think we were now heading down a different path with our clearance was, "You won't want to clear all of this".

We had planned to clear roughly 2.5 acres to make space for our beeswax candle workshop with attached living quarters, pole building, dog kennels with large roof over top, dog food shed and two large hooped garden sites. This size clearance was on our "wish list" and it was designed to comply with Firewise recommendations, our need for solar power and our desire to create a large open space where air could flow, keeping the nasty insects away from our dogs. Mark was aware of our requirements and our tight budget so now we were getting to the reality of what could actually be done with the resources available.

Excited about the prospect of the horses doing our clearing, I daydreamed of them tromping around in our woods as our "green", wilderness savvy logger, wandered in our present day woods, uttering various indistinguishable exclamatory notes to himself and scratching his head.When his figuring was complete, our journey down the "horse logging trail" took an abrupt turn when the horse logger himself bid the job as a mechanized one, excluding the horses all together, after considering the carnage left from our recent driveway job, making the area to be cleared not as easily accessible by the horses and therefore cost prohibitive. Yikes! That day dream sure met a quick death. But you know, I respect straight, honest and unfluffed information. It saves time! So, all being said and done, even with a project that is mechanized, the clearing looks like it could potentially be under an acre. Nothing like a swift slap in the face by reality.

So now we ponder over the new direction life is showing us. Actually, it's all in the same general direction, just a different path leading us to the same end result. It's difficult when you very much would like to follow the path your values send you, knowing that doing so, to the full extent, would mean a nice big clearing as a result of horse and man power alone, but no money left for a roof over your head! "Green" versus Green.($) There's got to be a healthy balance that supports both our values and our pocket book. Still we ponder...........

Ilo Turns 8 Today!

2011-10-02T14:13:00.000-05:00

A photo of Ilo with ears! He usually pins them back whenever I get the camera out. Happy Birthday to Ilo! Ilo is a Hedlund line Alaskan that also has some of Joe Redington Sr's Old School Alaskan lines mixed in.

Happy Birthday to Ilo! This infectiously happy dog turns eight years old today! Since he came to us just under 2 years ago, I don't have a puppy photo to put with his birthday photo but his original owner did tell me she had one and would be sending it. We'll post it just as soon as we receive it.

Ilo ran in lead for his previous owner and has only done a little bit of leading with us and mostly in smaller teams. He certainly has the aptitude for it! Ilo has got to be the happiest dog I've ever met. He has a constant big smile on his face and when he sees us, he not only wags his tail but he wags his head and then his entire body, while smiling from ear to ear. Phoenix and Ari are Ilo's boys. He's got a daughter named Rosie that lives with Lidia and Richard at Uktousa Kennel in New Hampshire and she looks very much like him. Our two boys somehow got the gargantuan genes because they dwarf their dad at 75lbs a piece!

We hope to have one more breeding with Ilo before he is fixed next year. Wimzi's sister Sasha who is 1/4 Hedlund and 3/4 Zulu line, is the lucky girl!

Thanks to Zala, Aise's fixed.

2011-10-01T15:10:00.001-05:00

Aise and Zala necklined together

Rest Stop

No neckline!

Zala leads the group

Through the orchard and she's still lookin' good!

If you recall, we had one heck of a time with Aise on our last Canicross Hike. She bucked and flailed and screamed and bit at anything that came into contact with her mouth and she did this for FOUR miles. I kid you not. These always make for challenging training moments for all. After the hike, we toyed with various training options and settled on our best stand by; allow the dogs to teach the dogs in their own language.

Since our new handler, Lisa said she wouldn't come if she had to handle Aise, (grin) I would take Aise and Lisa would take Zala. The plan would be to neckline the two together and Zala could help us teach Aise to focus in the canicross setting. Well, out of the gate it was a tangled mess as Aise, went over and under and around Zala with the neck line attached and Zala tried so hard to maintain her path while correcting Aise with nips and growls to her face. There were no doubt a few frustrating moments at the beginning. Once we made our way through the orchard, down the field and into the woods to the Luce Line Trail, she was fixed! Zala fixed Aise.

No longer was Aise the mindless bucking bronco. She actually calmed down and focused! It was like night and day without exaggeration. Those on this hike that attended our last hike could not believe the difference our change in training made. Thinking out of the box and going a different direction really made the difference and Zala was the very best of teachers.

After our coffee shop rest stop, we decided to test Aise by removing the neckline, knowing full well that we might need to quickly reattach her. Fixed! Aise pulled happily along next to the other dogs and people without so much as a jump, a flail or a scream. She also didn't leave the trail of destruction that was still fully embedded in my mind from last week's hike; slashed pants, bitten lines, bitten gloves, bitten dogs. We can't be so naive to think that she is truly "fixed". But we do know that the training method we chose worked for now and we've got a long training road ahead of us. Little Aise learned something today and she learned it quick. We all did.

New Indoor/Outdoor Puppy Pen

2011-10-01T09:27:00.000-05:00

Interior pen

The interior portion of the pen is located inside our dog food shed. It has access to an outdoor kennel. The floor is insulated with 3" polystyrene foam and was covered with plywood and vinyl tiles. There is a heat lamp securely hanging over the pen. In the past, we've had classical music from MN Public Radio playing on the radio. With Klaus and Sweet Pea's litter we played Jazz. Won't do that again! Those puppies can't seem to keep their feet on the ground!

Entrance to interior puppy pen

The gate is raised so that it will be easier for us to get in an out without puppies getting out. Or that's the idea anyway. Those little guys can be sneaky!

Outdoor pen

The interior puppy pen opens up to this kennel. We've installed hardware cloth on the lower half of the fencing so that big dogs don't accidentally hurt little puppies who might stick their feet, legs and noses through the fence.

New Whelping Box

2011-10-01T09:19:00.003-05:00

The beginnings of the whelping box

Neil pieced it together outside and built it so that the sides rest on the floor and can be easily removed. The floor has been insulated with 3 inch polystyrene foam that is held in place with a frame of 2x2s.


Installing the flooring

We used stick on vinyl tiles for easy installation and for easy cleaning. Sheet vinyl could have also been used, however installation would have been more time consuming and if a portion of the surface were to get damaged, then the entire piece would have to be replaced, unlike vinyl tiles where one at a time can be replaced.

What a nice job Neil did!

The whelping box has 18" high sides with a rail installed half way up on the interior so that when Topa lies down, she won't potentially squish puppies as they will be safely tucked under the rail. Neil installed a removable door that lifts out so that Topa can easily climb in and out but small puppies can't.

Tuloon/Bazil 2007 Puppies Turn Four!

2011-10-01T09:07:00.000-05:00

Baby Oken

Oken 4 years old

Baby Zodiak

Zodiak 4 years old

Baby Zala

Zala 4 years old

The Tuloon/Bazil 2007 puppies turned four last week. This breeding was between a deep Hedlund female (Tuloon) and our Zulu line Alaskan (Bazil). They received the best of both lines, except that a bigger coat for Zodiak would have been nice. He stays plenty warm during our winter excursions and doesn't need a coat.

There were three other pups in this litter that were placed in working kennels. Cookqiz is with Lidia and Richard at Uktousa Kennel in New Hampshire and she remains intact. Wahya is with an active family nearby where she participates in skijoring competitions. Wahya has been spayed. Q is in a nearby recreational kennel and remains intact. He is our Wimzi's sire. Of those pups we kept, Zodiak was fixed for temperament issues and Zala was fixed due to her very small size for the line. Oken remains intact and, fingers crossed, will be the sire to Topa's pups due around Thanksgiving!

All three of our pups are leaders with Oken being an accomplished open country leader. The other three pups have proven to have leader potential, as well. This was just an awesome breeding that produced six beautiful, hardworking and talented sled dogs.

"True Northwoods" Dog Mushing Experience

2011-09-30T20:17:00.001-05:00

Klaus and Oken would like to announce our new "True Northwoods" Dog Mushing Experience! This adventure will only be available for four days this winter, February 16th-19th, and is a preview of what we will be providing each winter once Points Unknown moves to our northern Minnesota location.

Our True Northwoods Experience is unlike any adventure we've offered and it promises to be a once in a lifetime experience for our guests.

Please click here for details.

Oh Aise, Aise. You Little Stinker

2011-09-26T07:22:00.000-05:00

Aise begins her bucking and flailing

Illy does a road crossing

Illy and Ziggy setting a good example

Hey! A moment of good behavior!

More bucking and flailing

Exuberance and excitement are good things. Lack of focus and just plain naughtiness are what Aise contributed to our last canicross hike. Oh Aise, Aise. You little stinker. Illy and Ziggy were setting such a good example; keeping their lines tight and staying focused on the trail head. But Aise... not so much.

This has happened before during our last canicross hike a few months ago but when we put Aise in harness next to Oken during our first fall training run, this behavior quickly disappeared when Oken instantly let her know what behavior was to be expected. We've got to be doing something wrong because we couldn't get that across to her the other day when she flailed, whipped around, bit her harness, bit her line, bit Illy's line, bit Ziggy's line, slashed my pants, nipped at Kristen's pants, nipped at Lisa's pants. We know why she's doing it. She wants to go faster and is taking this 'displaced aggression' out on anything that comes close to her. The proper training method for how to put an end to it is what is coming slow and we've tried numerous things.

Since Oken did such a good job with her last week, I think our next step will be to enlist his help in correcting the current problem. We'll take them both out hiking side by side. His abrupt growl and nip should take care of it and then we'll get a chance to reinforce her good behavior after Oken's correction. The problem with our training session the other day is that there were far too few chances to reinforce good behavior with her because she was so out of focus.

Back to the drawing board to work on solving the new sled dog training puzzle. There is never a dull moment and there is always something new to learn when working with a group of sled dogs. Keeping a sense of humor is at the top of the list!

Welcome our New Handler; L isa Urness

2011-09-26T07:01:00.000-05:00

Lisa canicross hiking with Illy

We can't be happier to have Lisa joining us this season for sled dog training! Lisa came to the kennel for the first time last winter with a friend who had attended a previous adventure with us. Her group participated in our "Day in the Life" adventure and I think we hooked her!

Lisa is also preparing for a week in the remote wilderness with us this winter where she will be not only handling for us during a beginner adventure, but will also serve as camp cook.

Thanks for joining us, Lisa!

Oake Lake Orchard Project for Minnesota Food Shelves

2011-09-26T06:56:00.000-05:00

The Honey Crisp trees are still filled with fruit

There is an art to picking apples! Never twist or pull; lift or roll the apples upwards.

The orchard is buzzing with activity

It's been a while since I gave an update on the orchard project. The State Fair is over but there are mounds of residual paperwork left to complete so that project may not be wrapped up for another month. Thank goodness we found a good home for the apples this year because, with our schedules, we would either have failed the orchard terrible or be in the loony bin by now, had we taken it on ourselves.

To date, our friends in charge of getting the apples to the out state food shelves have picked approximately 24 - 40# boxes of Zestar apples, 2 - 40# boxes of Sweet Sixteen and 22 - 40# boxes of Honey Crisp. The Honey Crisp trees are still heavy with fruit so an additional 22 boxes is expected. There are also Victory apples to be picked and then three different types of pears. The pear trees didn't set well this year so there are fewer than anticipated. Those will be purchased and picked by a local orchard keeper with the funds going directly to the organization picking the apples to be dispersed amongst the food shelves.

I think this project is going better than expected for all and my hope is that it can continue for next year. Thanks Bill and all for such a great job!

Fingers Crossed for Topa/Oken Puppies Around Thanksgiving!

2011-09-21T15:23:00.000-05:00

Topa is a 2+ year old Hedlund Husky.

Oken is an almost 4 year old half Hedlund/Half Zulu line Alaskan Husky.

It was so kind of Topa to wait to go into heat until the day after the fair! She became receptive a couple days ago and if all goes well, we'll be expecting Thanksgiving puppies! Can't tell you how excited we are to have another Hedlund Husky litter (with just a dash of our Zulu line mixed in for good measure)!

Winter Activities Promotion

2011-09-21T15:19:00.000-05:00

When Sweet Pea (in the back left) came across someone she really liked, she would hook their leg with hers and pull them back in. It got a lot of laughs throughout the day.

The perfect day!

Copper and Blueberry got a lot of attention too.

For a 10 month old puppy, Illy was extremely well behaved for her first event of this kind.

We spend a day on Lake Superior in the Bay of Grand Marias, helping to promote winter activities in the Arrowhead region with Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply.

Camping with the Sled Dogs

2011-09-21T15:14:00.000-05:00

Aise's first run!

Running back to our campsite on our property on the northshore of MN.

Wimzi

Illy

Look who's in the tent! Copper liked it better on his pad in the tent and out of the bugs.

White Feather

Wimzi is still a big puppy!

The skies before the hail storm came in. The odd color of the sky is due to the smoke from the BWCA fires that as of yesterday, had destroyed over 100,000 acres.

The trees appeared fluorescent against the tannish smokey background.


We had only a few minutes to get the dogs in truck before the hail come down.

After the storm a triple rainbow appeared over Lake Superior.

Two loads of firewood. Done!

Camping out at the home of friends just before our event in Grand Marais.

MN Honey Producers State Fair Booth

2011-09-21T14:58:00.001-05:00

All ready for business!

The smiling faces at the Honey Ice Cream/Honey Lemonade Booth

Warren was the "Celebrity Beekeeper" and served samples of all of our different varieties of honey

The Honey Candy Booth

More smiling faces!

The view from my "office" on top of the booth where things were so much less crowded.

Wacipi (Pow Wow)

2011-09-21T14:52:00.000-05:00

What an inspirational event! Everyone should show as much pride in their heritage. The energy was infectious. The evening began overcast but by the time the veterans were lined up, ready for the grand entrance, the clouds parted and a ray of sunshine shown down upon them. To add to this glorious scene was the rainbow that then appeared just behind them. How uplifting!

Playing Catch Up!

2011-09-21T14:47:00.001-05:00

The view from our picture window reminds us to slow down.

Life has kept us far too busy since my last post, well over a month ago! From Klaus and Sweet Pea's Birthday, we quickly moved into MN Honey Producers Booth at the State Fair mode. But first, in the name of "balance", I brought Neil to his very first Wacipi (Pow Wow). It had been ages since I had been to one and had been longing to go back but the timing was never right. We just made it happen.

Despite the down attendance at the State Fair, the MN Honey Producers Booth did well which helps bring the mushers at Points Unknown through the winter. The State Fair is a grueling 12 days of crowds and noise, which are not my favorite things but the fact that we can do the majority of the work for the booth at home before and after the fair, makes it worthwhile. Not to mention, the satisfaction of supporting a non profit that supports honey bee research. My favorite quote by Albert Einstein - "Once the Honey Bees disappear, mankind is not far behind." I've learned an awful lot about Honey Bees over the years and have finally decided to move that knowledge further. I'll start by taking the beginner Bee Keeping Course in October that the University of MN offers then Neil and I will start our own hives next year and keep them up north. Our daydreaming for apiary names brought up a winner - Arrowhead Apiary.

Within a week after the fair, we loaded up all 17 dogs and hit the road. We spent several days camping on our land in Hovland, MN just 7 miles inland from Lake Superior. We kept so busy and were extremely productive despite my terrible upper respiratory sickness that continues to cling to me after 10 days and despite the hail, the rain, the sleet, the snow and then more rain. Did I mention rain? Between the raindrops we managed to cut, load and deliver two trailers full of firewood to our two different adventure trip locations for the winter, ran one team of sled dogs, flagged out the clearing areas on our property for our house and kennel "compound" and various other miscellaneous camping activities.

After being sick out in the rain for a few days became too much for me, we packed up and headed to the home of friends that invited us to stay while they were out of town. What life savers! Sincere thanks to Kay and Jerry for their kind offer. They've got a large enclosed dog play area that our dogs just loved. They spent their time there, being rotating from the tie out line to the play area.

Our last day up north was spent sitting on the shores of Lake Superior on the bay of Grand Marais with the sled dogs. We worked in cooperation with Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply as we promoted winter activities in the Arrowhead Region, including, of course, dog mushing!

Now here we are, back home, trying to settle in from a whirlwind of activity over the last month. Things are beginning to get back to normal and we are making plans for our winter activities with the dogs. Oh, YES! And I can't forget some very exciting news. We had planned to breed Topa with Oken in the Spring but Topa had a silent heat and it never happened. Well, Topa was courteous enough to wait until the day after the fair to go in heat! She just became receptive and has been bred with Oken. All being well, we will be expecting puppies around Thanksgiving! This litter has been eagerly anticipated for quite some time so you can imagine how excited we are right now! Neil will begin building a new whelping box in the next week. He'll be having all of the fun while I go back to my real estate appraisal work. But the real fun comes when the puppies are born!

Klaus and Sweet Pea; 9 Years Old!

2011-08-08T14:29:00.000-05:00

Klaus at 6 weeks

Klaus at 9 Yrs

Sweet Pea at 6 weeks

Sweet Pea at 9 Yrs

The Zulu puppies, Klaus and Sweet Pea turn 9 years old today! It is so hard to watch all of the dogs age so quickly and even harder to imagine these two being 9 years old already. They are each such a special part of our lives, the dog pack and our dog sled teams.

Klaus is just as good an open country leader as his dad, Zulu, was for us. We did see him begin to slow down just a tad last year, letting Oken do more of the trail breaking in difficult conditions. Because of his exceptional work ethic, we anticipated that he might begin to slow down at this age and we are noticing a bit more stiffness in his gait. We'll see how he does this year and work with him where he is, making sure he enjoys what he's doing and that it doesn't cause him any discomfort. Klaus has never been an exceptionally good house dog as he tends to try to swallow up anything that isn't out of reach but his "edge" seems to be dulling with age. He's been known, lately, to chill out with us in the evening, rather than pace around looking for trouble, after we give the place a good Klaus proofing for our own piece of mind, of course..

Sweet Pea has always been one of our main back up leaders. She can do it but would rather someone else take on the stress. She's as sweet as her name implies. Last year she began giving us signs that she'd prefer to be a house dog more often and we've listened to her wishes. Now she divides her time between keeping the puppies in line and sharing toys in the house with the little dogs and sacking out on the couch. I'm sure she will still want to come along on trail adventures with us for quite some time but I'm guessing there better be a good doggy massage in it for her afterwards.

What Once was Thought Lost, is now Found!

2011-08-05T15:59:00.000-05:00

Chester is on the left.

Chester, a half Hedlund line/half Will Forsberg line Alaskan Husky.

Our Hedlund Husky Preservation program has made an extraordinary find! Several years ago three out cross pups were brought into our program. McKenzie, a deep Hedlund line Alaskan, is the sire and the dam is a Will Forsberg line Alaskan. Two of the three were fixed early on due to potential issues that could be passed down to offspring. Wanting to keep the line as viable as possible, these were necessary measures. The third has not been made accessible to the group by his adoptive placement. We thought we had lost this line forever and continued our preservation efforts in a positive light and direction, with the lines currently available to us.

Then, thanks to the efforts of one of our members, we found Chester! Chester was the fourth pup held back by the owner of the dam and then later placed with a wonderful couple that seems to cherish him as much as we cherish our Hedlund Huskies. Debbie describes his personality and demeanor as what we had concluded are the key characteristics of our ideal Hedlund Husky. What an amazing discovery! From photos, he appears to be a structurally sound, thick coated, handsome male that we are very excited to get to know better. The very best thing about finding Chester is that we have also found someone, in his new owner, that is excited to learn more about this amazing line and is glad to participate in any way she can if it means preserving something as special as her most inspiring and beloved furry friend, Chester.

To learn more, please visit our Hedlund Husky Preservation website or the blog.

Our Cute Little Copper Mascot

2011-08-04T18:03:00.000-05:00

Copper

It's hard to eat a chewy with only one front leg. You try it!

Copper has been with us now for 9 1/2 years! He adapted quickly to country living, after having been picked up on the unfriendly streets of the big city. About a year into his new home as our cute little sled dog mascot, Copper knocked one of his front shoulders out of joint on a file cabinet while doing the crazy puppy run. After months of rehab, the leg would not stay in place and we determined that the best option for this little guy was to remove it all together. It was such a difficult decision. You've got the fate of a little life in your hands. Looking back, it was the best decision we could have made.

After getting over the initial emotional reaction(depression) to the loss, which took Copper a good two weeks, and after figuring out a new way to move, he soon became his old self again. He can still run so fast that folks who don't know him have no idea that he only has three legs until he stops and tries to jump up on them for attention. The only other visual difference that occurred after the loss of the leg was that his once straight down-turned ears began to curl up at the very tips from all of the hopping he does when he moves more slowly. That just made him even cuter.

He's our little ambassador here at Points Unknown who helps teach our guests that life is good and just because you're a little bit different, (and we all are) doesn't mean that you can't go in the direction that your passion moves you and have an even more fulfilling life than a "dog" that appears "normal" on the outside but doesn't go out and be the best dog they can be! Go on, romp in the woods! Fetch those sticks! Roll in the grass!(but if it's something smelly, don't come back to me for a cuddle)

We love our little Copper Doodle.

Illy's Foot Injury

2011-08-04T17:34:00.000-05:00

I know I'm allowed on this couch.

I'm not the least bit comfortable on this couch.

What in the world IS this thing back there?

Topa keeps a close eye on Illy as she checks out all of the nooks and crannies of the house.

The onset of a crazy puppy moment.

Poor Puppy! Illy has an unexplained foot injury. We didn't see it happen but know it was likely caused by typical puppy monkey business gone awry. She began limping just a little then it accelerated to more than just a little with the increase in swelling around her back left, outside toe.

The upside of her injury is that she'll be spending a lot more time in the house which always helps create a stronger individual bond. It's difficult, when you've got 17 dogs, to give them an even amount of individual attention, all of the time. She'll also be forced away from Aise during her recovery which will help them each learn how to be a little more independent instead of so codependent. I just didn't have the heart to kennel them apart prior to this turn of events, regardless of what the critics say, because they always seemed so unhappy that way, more so than any other litter mates I've raised. At that point, you just need to decide what's most important and move in that direction. There are certainly also downsides to having two puppies "too" close when working in a sled dog team. Each situation and dynamic is so different, there is not one "right" generalized answer. So, moving forward, they are apart for the next few weeks until Illy can go back to normal play.

Being in the house with Illy also means that we've got to manage the submissive peeing. She and her sister seem to be fountains when it comes to greeting all of the other dogs in the kennel. So, when she's inside with other sled dogs, she's had to have some cute denim pantaloons on with a thick absorbent pad inside. She's managed to stop this behavior for the little house dogs even though she does see them as above her. Thank goodness.

As you might imagine, after a week of being on "bed rest", Illy is literally bouncing off the walls, the sofas and the occasional coffee table even when I've been working so hard to keep her still. She'll be off the anti inflammatory meds in a few days and we'll see how she does but I think a flat out run in the yard is out for a couple of weeks. On a happy note, she should be 100% by the time she begins her first EVER fall training with the adult sled dogs in October!

Vaccine Related Head Tremors in Puppies

2011-07-27T14:14:00.000-05:00


White Feather as a puppy just before her first shot and when head tremors began

White Feather at 18 months old. No signs of head tremors since treatment.

Illy as a puppy prior to her second shot at which time the head tremors began.

Illy at 8 months old with no signs of head tremors after treatment.

There have been a few posts on this issue in our blog. The last time the head tremors occurred, there was a very informative email string with a friend also in the Hedlund Husky Preservation project. Instead of paraphrasing or trying to rewrite the entire email string, I am publishing that particular string in its entirety with permission. As in any email string, you'll have to read from the bottom up. Special thanks and appreciation goes out to Thom Swan from Stardancer Kennels and his partner Janice Rollet, CCB.

---Original Message---
Subject: RE: Vaccine related head tremors
Date: Sun, 20 Feb 2011 11:10:43-0900
From: Thomas Swan
To: Linda Newman

The 1 mg per pound recommendation is the MINIMUM recommendation for 5-HTP supplements. It's better to go higher than to go lower. If you can't find 50 mg capsules, 100 mg once each day will be OK and still preferable to Melatonin.

You'll need to continue the supplements for at least 1 month but you should not hesitate to continue it longer if that feels like the right thing to do, based on your observations of her neurological status, development and behavior.

Also, you should delay her third round of vaccinations until at least 3 months of age. It she were in my kennel I'd probably delay it even longer, but that needs to be weighed against the prevalence of the diseases in your area.

This morning Janece and I discussed the potential genetic link, and the reason I sent so much extra information was because we agree it is a concern that Hedlund owners and especially breeders should be aware of. Hopefully we can avoid some of the issues by vaccinating late in the recommended schedules and vaccinating judiciously throughout or dog's lives. We are fortunate that the Stardancers have vets who adopted the AAHA recommendations very early on and have no problem with us following our own schedule (Mark May and Melissa Rouge). For example, I didn't vaccinate the Torus / Lucky pups against rabies until they were 1 year old, and that was with a 3-year product. They'll get one more and then we'll most likely run titers rather than follow a systematic schedule. Rather than vaccinate my "oldsters" Daisy, Gump and Sheenjek, I ran titers on them, filed the results in their health files with a grin, and never needed to stick a needle in them again.

For some kennels, race rules or local laws may demand more aggressive vaccination.

Obviously we can't recommend disobeying the law. If you do want to consider reasonable acts of civil disobedience I'd suggest you be very cautious in managing your kennel(s) to ensure that strays or wild animals can't contact your dogs, and be very, very cautious when your dogs are interacting with strangers, especially children. Keep copies of the recommendations you base your decisions on in case you need to defend those decisions in the courtroom/ Learn the potential legal consequences or disobedience and be prepared to accept those consequences should they arise. That's the part of Ghandi's philosophy that is often ignored by activists

Swanny

“A good dog is so much a nobler beast than an indifferent man that one sometimes gladly exchanges the society of one for that of the other.” William Francis Butler

On Feb 20, 2011, at 10:14 AM, Linda Newman wrote:

This is all excellent information, Swanny. I had forgotten about the link between neurological issues from vaccines and more primitive lines.

Interestingly enough, Illy and White Feather(head tremors after 1st shot at 8 weeks old) seem to be very similar in temperament which could suggest that they were dealt a similar set of genetics which are indeed more primitive than the other pups in each respective litter. WF is Tumac's sister. And, of course, Tumac is Illy's sire.

Clarification - The dosage of the 5-HTP doesn't seem to compute unless I am missing something. You mentioned 1mg per lb then said that it is alright to give them 100mg per day. Illy is now roughly 25lbs.

Then how long is each supplement given? I seem to recall a time frame of two weeks?

I will keep you all updated on Illy's progress.

Thanks again.

Linda

On 2/20/2011 12:28 PM, Thomas Swan wrote:
I've added to the address list to more widely share the information. If I've missed any of our Hedlund group members, please forward it.

Linda wrote "Could you please give me the doses again for the Melatonin and Ester C for the head tremors we discussed over a year ago? I gave puppy shots a week and a half ago (the 2nd round) and began noticing head tremors over the weekend in Illy. I didn't think we would be dealing with his again. I wonder if it is potentially growing pains in this line that will eventually go away even without the Ester C and Melatonin. I don't want to take the chance, however.

It's good that I was unable to remember the dosages, because it prompted me to ask my partner (certified canine behaviorist Janece Rollet). It turns out there has been a relatively new scientific development that makes it possible to resolve vaccine related neuro issues a little more quickly.

If you can find 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), also known as oxitriptan, it can be administered rather than melatonin. Like melatonin, 5-HTP is a precursor to seratonin, but because it is higher on the chain of conversion, its therapeutic effects occur more quickly. You can learn the most important pharmacological details about 5-HTP at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5-Hydroxytryptophan .

The doseage of 5-HTP for puppies is at least 1 mg per pound of weight. It is better to give more rather than too little. It is now widely available over the counter as a dietary supplement for humans. Most commonly you'll find 100 mg capsules, which is fine. The puppy can have one, 100 mg capsule per day. If you can find it in 50 mg capsules, you can administer 1 capsule, twice each day to maintain a more consistent blood level.

If all you can find is melatonin, administer 9 mg (thee 3mg capsules) three times each day.

The dosage of Ester C starts at 150 mg per day, and is increased as the puppy's gastrointestinal system adapts to absorbing it. EsterC is bowel intolerant, so start at 150 mg and watch her stool. If her stool remains firm, you can increase the dosage in 2 days (or after her stool firms up again), observe again when if you are still seeing firm stool you can increase the dosage again... and so forth to reach the dose of 500 mg per day.

Neither Janece nor I are veterinarians, but Janece has worked closely with Dr. Jean Dodds for many years and stays current on the related sciences regarding canine vaccinations. Dr. Dodds has recently posted an updated recommended schedule for vaccinations, which you can see on-line athttp://www.weim.net/emberweims/Vaccine.html . Dr. Dodds is recommending vaccination against distemper and parvovirus at 9 weeks, 12 weeks and between 16 - 20 weeks. This is a bit later than the schedule recommended by many vets. She recommend vaccination against rabies at 24 weeks or older (as much older as permissible by law), followed at 1 year of age with a killed, 3-year product and she stressed that rabies vax should be administered no earlier than three to four weeks before or after parvo/distemper vaccination.

She specifically does NOT recommend giving distemper & parvo vax prior to 6 weeks of age and does not recommend corona, leptospirosis, lyme, bretella or giardia at all. This is consistent with current AAHA and AVMA vaccine recommendations.

All of us in the project need to be aware of vaccine related neuro issues. Hedlund huskies, like most dogs of near-indigenous origins, are considered to be 'primitive' dogs (as opposed to dogs that are phenotypically removed from ancient genetic stock). Current scientific evidence suggests the hypothesis that primitive breeds tend to have a more active response to vaccines than the more "sophisticated" types, which can result in a higher incidence of vaccine related neurological issues.

If your vet insists on a more aggressive vaccine schedule, please don't hesitate to remind him or her that the AVMA has adopted the vaccine recommendations of the American Animal Hospital Association, which are available for download athttp://www.aahanet.org/PublicDocuments/VaccineGuidelines06Revised.pdf .
Please don't hesitate to print a copy of the recommendation if your vet resists the idea of limiting vaccinations or vaccinating more aggressively than Dr. Dodd's recommendations.

Swanny

Out of the Heat Twilight Zone

2011-07-24T19:07:00.000-05:00

Ari

Illy and Aise

Ilo and Zala

Journey still has her huge winter coat!

Sweet Pea is naked, having lost her coat a couple months ago.

Tuloon decides to nurture her grandpuppy this time instead of torment her.

White Feather, Illy and Aise

White Feather and Journey

Wimzi, Oken and Aise

Tuloon dares Illy to get another closer. Every time she does, Tuloon lifts her lips up and snarls.

Illy with Grandma Tuloon in the back ground

Phoenix, Tuloon and Illy

Topa and Aise

70s and breezy today! The dogs and I think that this is the way a good summer day should feel. They were bouncing off the kennel walls this morning, excited about getting out to run and play in this wonderful weather.

Bizzy Honey Bees

2011-07-22T14:55:00.001-05:00

Gosh, I wish the table wouldn't have tilted on me.....

Honey Bee in the cone flower

Today was so much nicer than a few days ago when the poor dogs were enduring the heat index of 122. Still hot and humid but not nearly as bad.

It was so nice and the purple cone flower were in full bloom, making it the perfect time to get some new photos for the Scent from Nature website. At the same time, I caught some good photos of the honey bees doing their job.

To see all of the new photos on the website you can visit Scent from Nature.

Heat Index of 122!!

2011-07-19T22:25:00.000-05:00

Lounging around in the air conditioning

Klaus is still hot once inside with his winter coat intact

Blueberry doesn't mind the extra company but Copper isn't too happy about it

Klaus watches Topa eat her Nylabone. He's got one too but wants hers!

With the combined temperature and dew point, the heat index was 122 degrees here in central Minnesota today! This has been the absolute worst year for bugs and heat and the sled dogs and I just are down right sick of it all. Who would have thought that Minnesota would ever be having higher dew points than the Amazon!

Those dogs most vulnerable have been staying inside in the air conditioning. That changes from time to time based upon how far along they are in their healing from the bug and heat induced ailments. So far we've had various dog with hot spots sparked by bug bites. Now we've got four dogs on antibiotics and in various stages of healing.

Phoenix is one of the lucky ones to be inside, depending upon how you look at it. Despite aggressive attempts to keep the flies off of his ears, the tip of one has now been eaten to the skin and he needs to remain inside to heal. This dog must have a chemistry that attracts the flies more than others because he is forever having issues when most of the dogs are not even bothered. Sweet Pea had an infection between her shoulder blades at the contact point of the Frontline I put on her several weeks ago. Klaus is one of our older dogs and has yet to begin shedding his winter coat! Topa, although recovered from the hot spot on her head, is now recovering from one on her lower jaw. Then there's Tuloon. She's inside because she's Tuloon.

Tomorrow is predicted to be an even hotter day! Hard to imagine. So three groups of five dogs will take turns being in crates in the air conditioning for several hours at a time with the most vulnerable dogs being inside during the hottest part of the day.

We are supposed to get a cold spell on Thursday when it drops down to 88 degrees. Dew points are also expected to drop drastically.

I sure hope all of this heat and humidity means a long and cold winter.

Illy and Aise (Eye Sha) Update

2011-07-09T21:14:00.001-05:00

Look at the legs on that girl!

Illy's front legs need to catch up with the growth of the back ones!

Aise's growth has been fairly even

Illy and Aise

I thought I would include the phonetic pronunciation of Aise's (Eye Sha's) name this time around because the person who named her (me) thought it would be clever to spell it in a cryptic fashion which tends to leave folks confused. Yes, it does look like "Icey" and, well, this is becoming her nickname. So really, either one works.

Aise and Illy are now 7 1/2 mos old. Illy has sprouted some legs but now the front legs need to catch up with the back ones. They are undeniably in the gangly teenager stage, however Aise seems to be growing more evenly than Illy at the moment. Aise is still taller by an inch. She's at 26" at the shoulder while Illy is at 25". Illy still appears to weigh more. They are both very happy, happy girls that are always busy. Tried to separate them at one stage because you'd like them not to get overly attached to each other. Too late. They're way too codependent and it just isn't worth it to separate them now. They do each have a special individual bond with me which is what I was hoping for so if they need to stay together to be happiest, then they will.

Despite the heat and humidity yet again, I got an awful lot done in the dog yard today! Since the incident where we thought Klaus ate an entire copper scrubby while we were away and we spent a fortune on an x-ray that told us he did only to find out when we returned and he relieved himself, that it was merely a wad of grass, we no longer use copper scrubbies. We bleach all of the water buckets and wading tubs instead. I did this today. It is really amazing how long the buckets stay free of algae after a bleaching compared with the scrubbie method. What happened to the copper scrubbie, you ask? We believe that it got shredded bit by bit and strewn all over the kennel floor because that is where we found what we believe to be all of the original scrubbie later that night. Thank goodness!

So, bleached the buckets. Then each dog got brushed (all 17 of them!) while they were out in play groups together. Imagine being sweaty from the thick humid air and caked in dog hair! Poop was picked up in the play areas which has needed to be done for days! And finally, fly gunk was installed on the tips of all ears. Those nasty little flies just won't stop. Some dogs seem to have a chemistry that attracts them worse than others. I can put fly gunk on Phoenix and his brother Ari's ears every day and they still seem to get eaten alive by the little buggars!

It seems that we may get a respite from the mosquitoes soon. I called our Metropolitan Mosquito Control (yes, there is such a thing) to report our overabundance and they came out the very next day to take a sample back to the lab for testing. They indicated that if we were over threshold then they would come out and treat for them! Can't believe we wouldn't be over threshold. I can barely go outside without a bug shirt these days.

So, despite our state government shut down where thousands of middle class folks who where probably struggling to stay afloat in the current economy in the first place, have been laid off while the law makers are paying themselves to debate less than an hour every couple of days whether or not anyone making over a million dollars a year deserves to be taxed a little bit more, (don't get me started) the Metro Mosquito Control is in full force. THAT is just how serious these darn mosquitoes are!

Heat, Humidity, Hot Spots and Hungry Mosquitoes!

2011-07-06T17:36:00.000-05:00

"Don't get to close to me with that thing on", Oken says.

Ah, Summer; not a favorite time of year for us winter worshipers. To add to our 'misery', this summer has been excessively hot and humid which brought an army of ticks and now a bazillion (Neil likes words like that) little nasty mosquitoes, flies and horseflies that all helped lead to a rash (pardon the pun) of hot spots on our beloved furry companions.

Tuloon had the first, rather large, hot spots that began to appear on her stomach. Once shaved and cleaned, they healed relatively quickly. She didn't seem to mind that she had to spend all of her recovery time in the air conditioning. A small one appeared at the base of baby Aise's tail. This one healed without antibiotics once we shaved the area to allow the air to pass over it, keeping it dry.

Then there's Topa. Although she dislikes the plastic cone around her neck that is there to keep her from scratching her head, she's determined to keep the hot spots that began on her forehead from healing so that she can stay in the house with us. They have managed to heal twice now. All looks well and good and I remove the cone. Within an hour, she has scratched the area bloody yet again. The new strategy will be to keep the cone on her until it not only heals completely but the hair also grows back. This could take a while. She does get a break from the cone for a few hours each night when I can have my eye on her and we're inside. She LOVES this time and spends it locating then hiding all of the little dogs' toys, rolling on the sofa and burying her head in the cushions and playing with little Blueberry by getting as low to the ground as she can then trying to flip him over like a pancake with her head as the spatula. She's a very fun girl.

I've resigned myself to the fact that I now have to put on a bug shirt when I go out to do the dog chores, for the time being. I wish I could suit up each of the dogs so they could also get a respite from the bugs but not sure how long that would last. Do you think it's unrealistic of me to hope for a killing frost in July to put an end to the buzzing little beasts that are wreaking havoc on us all?

A Bit of History; Coming Full Circle

2011-07-02T14:46:00.000-05:00

Judy and Misty

Years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting a delightful and passionate man named Frank Hashek when he come out to adopt a dog we had rescued. He then told me about his "Misty". Frank adopted Misty in her retirement years after she had spent a full life working at Voyageurs Outward Bound in Ely, MN after being transported there as a puppy from somewhere far, far away. The links below will tell you the story. Misty lived out a wonderful retirement with Frank and his wife Judy and passed away with her new family by her side. I've been fortunate to remain in contact with Frank throughout the years and hear about all of the wonderful things he currently does to change the lives of dogs in need.

Misty's Story (scroll down to "Misty's Tribute)

Misty's Story II

Points Unknown Dog Mushing Adventures 2012

2011-07-02T13:21:00.000-05:00


Topa and Wimzi

Topa and Wimzi are happy to announce the 2012 Points Unknown Dog Mushing Adventures! We've got a new exciting remote location to share in the beautiful northwoods of Minnesota as well as adventures only 30 minutes west of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Metro area! We're really that close! Click HERE for details.

Smokin' Oken; Off Leash Agility

2011-06-28T21:56:00.000-05:00

That's Right! Oken. SECOND class. Sequencing. Perfection.OFF LEASH!

He's well on his way to becoming another kick butt open country leader for us! Can't believe how much his confidence has grown since the first class and since he's been separated from Klaus. I am in awe of this dog at the moment.

Topa and White Feather; 2 Years Old!

2011-06-27T18:46:00.000-05:00

Topa and White Feather at between 2 and 3 weeks old. First visit outside!

Topa has blossomed into an attentive leader

White Feather is also becoming a consistent leader

Happy Birthday to Topa and White Feather!

Points Unknown Canicross Hikes 2011 - Willow River

2011-06-26T16:25:00.000-05:00

Oken pulls so hard that it takes two of us for resistance.

Mira, Ziggy and Eli cool off


Annie has a "zen" moment by the waterfall.

Crossing over the bridge

Ziggy shows us some tricks


Mira showing her stuff

My buddy Oken

One of our favorite hikes; Willow River State Park! I can feel the "burn" in my thighs from our steep decline to the waterfall. Despite myself and Eli both being attached to Oken, I still had to give some intense resistance so as not to go careening on my rear end down the hill. "Easy" is a command that takes some time to teach a focused dog with a strong instinct to pull.

The reward is always taking a rest by the falls, soaking in the pools of water that form below them and listening to the meditation inducing sound of the rushing water.

The weather cooperated with temps in the low 70s, however the humidity was uncomfortable for the dogs so our hike ended earlier than planned and after another dip in the river up from the falls, on our return to the trail head.

Kristen and Ziggy

Shannon and Mira, a beautiful and super social Siberian Husky, joined us for the first time. I think that Shannon discovered that Mira does actually have some of that inborn pulling instinct after all. Just a reminder - you don't have to have a northern breed dog to come along on our hikes, as witnessed by the large, black, short haired, and floppy eared Ziggy pictured to the left!

The End of an Era in Sight?

2011-06-22T16:49:00.000-05:00

Mr. Hot Shot himself

Oken has been Klaus' understudy for 3 1/2 years now. He's a very sensitive and somewhat cautious boy, just like his Uncle Klaus was at his age. He seemed to just have reached his sexual maturity last year when his behavior began to change for the first time when the girls were in heat.

I've been holding Oken back. Or maybe it is more like holding my dear lead dog and loyal companion, Klaus, forward. He'll be nine years old in the fall. I've noticed signs of age creeping up on him. He appears a bit more stiff and hesitates to jump up on his dog house these days. Last winter, for the first time ever, I saw my once young and spry friend hold back and let his line slack. He didn't trudge through the deep snow and underlying slush and instead let Oken do the work during one of our mid winter runs. This was the only time it occurred during the winter but it was a noticeable and thought provoking shift.

The two boys, intact Oken and neutered Klaus, have been living together in relative harmony since Oken was a puppy. This is the longest I have been able to keep two males together and I knew there would come a day when I might have to consider separating them. Yesterday was that day. Nothing dramatic happened for the decision to have been made yesterday. It was just an accumulation of thoughts.

I need to continue to boost Oken's confidence as I did Klaus' at the same age and work with him alone. He needs to be able to search for his own answers to our challenging trail questions and not look to Klaus for clues.

Oken began agility class last night. He has been to obedience class but agility will be the ticket for his improved level of confidence before I begin to introduce him to new open country leader challenges this winter. I have always known that once I begin to do this and his confidence grows, combined with his new maturity level, the chances of a major conflict developing between he and Klaus would be great and I have been putting it off. I know this from experience. This happened to Klaus and Zulu when Klaus was Oken's age. I don't want to go into the kennel and find Oken with a death lock on Klaus' neck someday. Zulu came out of the situation unscathed but it could have been much worse. Yes, Oken and Klaus are very different dogs, Klaus having more of a nervous edge to him but I just won't risk it.

So my heart broke last night as I listened to Oken howl for his buddy Klaus who was spending the night in a kennel up near the house and out of Oken's sight. Today, to keep his mind busy, I put the puppies in with he and Journey. Klaus doesn't seem to care in the least that he no longer has a young studly kennel mate. As long as he knows where I am, life is good for Klaus.

Klaus is not retiring so I am not going to concern myself with this until it happens but just the thought that he is slowing down and has passed on all of the leader knowledge he can to Oken and Oken is now the "guy" means the end of an era for me and for Points Unknown kennel.

Hedlund Husky Preservation Frustrations

2011-06-19T16:35:00.000-05:00


McKenzie, a foundation of the present day Hedlund line.

I'm fairly renown for my ability to speak my mind, tell it like it is (or how I perceive it to be, anyway), get to the point and various other versions of the same thing that can be considered both an attribute and a curse.Call it what you like. It is what it is. Why should this topic be any different? Now, having said that, I've been working to accumulate the various tools over the years to be able to present "my" truth in a diplomatic manner and as one of the 6.93 billion humans occupying our world, I do admit that I can occasionally fall short of that goal but not for lack of good intent. Keep this in mind as you read on.

It has not been an easy task; organizing and participating in an effort to preserve this exceptional line of Alaskan Husky called a Hedlund Husky. I have made some of my very best friends during this quest over the past 7 years and have also faced some immensely frustrating challenges to the point of throwing in the towel at the general population and just concentrating on my own kennel. My love and devotion to the line continues to put me out there, seeking like-minded people to help with this long term project. This opens me up to not only feeling the joy of finding the perfect placement for a particular dog but to confronting the extreme disappointment when finding myself in situations where failed placements, despite the intense diligence prior to placement, come back and knock the wind out of me and threaten to crush my spirit and trust for the human side of the equation.

Then there are the inquiries. And there are lots of them. Someone wants to know if puppies are available this very moment to purchase. First of all, who are you? Why think that you can buy your way into such a rare and special line without as much as a paragraph indicating your intentions and who you are? I know why. Sadly, this is the culture. There have got to be billions of dogs out there; maybe even zillions (Neil loves that word). And you can buy many of those dogs as long as you've got the cash. In the dog mushing arena, there is so much swapping, selling and disposing of dogs that people wanting a sled dog expect this to be the case. Sorry folks. Not here. My hat goes off to all of those responsible breeders out there, although there are few, who seek to find the very best placements for each and every puppy and do intense background checks prior to even discussing the potential for receiving said puppy.

From the 2009 Hedlund Litter - Topa, Tumac and Hana.

I would rather the Hedlund Husky line fizzle out and become extinct after my lifetime than to place any of my dogs in a home that doesn't meet our criteria. If you want a puppy, which by default means being a part of the preservation efforts of this line, then:

DO

1)Contact us and tell us about yourself and your intentions and desire for this line. We so welcome like-minded people who truly and honestly want to contribute to our efforts and we will welcome you with open arms if we feel you are sincere. We don't play games. Life is way to short. You get what you see.

2)Provide your current and past dogs with the very best you have available and be able to prove it; proper nutrition and vet care, proper and varied shelter, exercise and love and devotion. Let us know the ways you provide them with the types of on-going stimulation that this type of northern breed dog, or any dog for that matter, needs in order to thrive and tell us what you will do to ensure any puppy from our program will have the same.

3)Stay in contact with us and keep reminding us that you are interested. We may not have puppies available at the moment but if you are truly interested, you won't want a quick fix and will wait. It is your job to convince us that you would be an excellent home for one of our dogs.

4)Follow through and communicate. If you are unable to communicate with us prior to receiving a dog, we know that the likelihood of your communicating once you've received the dog is low. These dogs are so precious to us that communication is a MUST if we are to properly preserve this line for future generations.

5)Come and visit one of the affiliated kennels to find out first hand if this line is for you. Ask questions. Be curious about those dogs related to your potential puppy and find out as much as you can about them and the line. We've got nothing to hide and will share any information with you about the line we can and provide our philosophy from breeding to raising to retiring. Just ask!

6)Expect to sign a contract. How can we expect to do a proper job of preserving the line without setting forth some standards by which each puppy is being placed? Sadly, we have had too many failed verbal agreements in our preservation journey to risk a placement without a written agreement.

There are then a long list of DON'Ts but I'm sure the picture has been painted and enough said for the moment.

In a nutshell, our puppies are chosen to go to folks we can then consider "family". We're here for emotional and informational support throughout the life of the dog. There are expectations that need to be firmly in place on both sides.


Left to right - Ilo, Tulipq, McKenzie.

For those of you truly interested in the line, we would love to hear from you and will do our best to give you as much information as you need to determine if the Hedlund Husky could be a match for you. If you're just looking for a quick dog to add to your menagerie with no true vision or commitment to its future and the future of the line, then the Hedlund Husky is not for you.

In the Beginning

2011-06-18T20:11:00.000-05:00

I couldn't resist digging up these old photos of Hailey's very first dog sled run when she was just 12 years old. Now she's running tours with us!

Intense concentration! That's Cece in the sled and Tuloon and Sweet Pea in wheel position. Tuloon had to have just turned a year old and Sweet Pea was only three years old.

We're so happy that Hailey got to know Zulu so well before he passed away at 13 years old. I believe he was about 8 years old in this photo and there's Tuloon in wheel.

Hailey and Klaus who would have been about three years old at the time.

Hailey takes Zulu to the line while Cece hooks up Ilu.

Dedication

2011-06-18T19:50:00.000-05:00

Thumbs up to this rainy sled dog day

Brushing Sweet Pea

Of course the dogs don't care if it's raining

Hailey came out to visit us today and spent the entire day outside in the pouring rain with the dogs. That is dedication! She brushed the dogs, fed them, let them out in play groups, bleached water buckets and sat with them on the deck while they played.

Having a busy summer ahead of her, Hailey wanted to get some sled dog time in before she heads off in one of the many directions (mainly north) she'll be going this summer before she begins college in the fall. YES! Our Hailey has graduated from High School this year and will be heading off to college! It's no surprise that she'll be heading up north for school and studying things having to do with the outdoors.

We couldn't be more excited for her as she begins college life and wish her all the very best! We love you Hailey!

Tuloon - 7 Years Old

2011-06-16T21:21:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that our princess is 7 years old today! Tuloon is indeed the matriarch of the kennel and has passed along, not only her genetics to many other dogs in our kennel, but her spirit and her drive. She's lead the pack by example and exemplifies the extreme loyalty that the Hedlund Huskies have for their people. She is one of a kind and we love her dearly!

Happy Birthday to Miss Tuloon!

Aise and Illy - 6 Month Weights

2011-06-12T10:54:00.000-05:00

Illy and Aise at 6 months old.

Illy - 48.3lbs

Aise 44.5lbs and taller than Illy!

Apple Tree Bloom - Very Late Report

2011-06-12T10:51:00.001-05:00

Each year, I report the apple tree bloom on our blog so I can keep a record for the following year. This year, it just slipped by so quickly, I didn't get a chance to post it.

The Zestar trees, which have the very first fruit to ripen, began to bloom the week of May 16th with the other trees not far behind. At this point, we've now had petal fall and the apples are anywhere from 1/4" to 1/2" in size.

The orchard is just beautiful this year. We've done a thorough pruning job and have cleared all of the debris out from under the trees. Neil has diligently been using the weed whip after it gets mowed to keep it looking manicured. This also helps keep the fruit tree damaging insects at bay.

We've been working with a professional sprayer who has been doing an excellent job of applying the IPM spray method to the orchard. IPM stands for "Integrated Pest Management" and means that spraying is only done when needed and not on a routine schedule. There is a handy "Scab Hotline" number available to members of the Minnesota Apple Growers Association that lets folks know the level of scab spores that have been reported. When they are above threshold then it is time to spray. Scab is the number one fungus affecting Minnesota apples.

Canicross Hikes 2011; Minnewashta Regional Park

2011-06-12T10:10:00.002-05:00

Lupie and Joe do a perfect "Gee" over.

Photo by Joe Fessler
We've got some tired puppies!

Skyler takes a dip in the lake

Joe and Lupie

A float plane in the distance

Christin and Skyler, a Siberian Husky and Joe and Lupie, a racing line Siberian Husky, were the new hiker teams that joined us on Saturday for our Canicross Hike at Minnewashta Regional Park in Chanhassen, MN.

Temps were in the mid 60s with partly cloudy skies; it was a beautiful day!

Illy and Aise came along on this hike and we're happy to report that Aise apparently learned not to be a crazed bucking bronco in harness on our last hike because she had very few training moments this time around. Illy was driven and focused as usual. It was a bonus that they got to meet and socialize with the two new dogs that joined us. Socialization is so important at this age. With that in mind, we'll be starting obedience class with them both this week! Oken will continue his confidence building training as we enroll him in an agility class this week as well.

Our next Canicross Hike is a favorite. Please join us as we hike through the Willow River State Park near Hudson, Wisconsin on Saturday, June 25th. Pack a lunch to eat by the water fall as the dogs rest and take a dip to cool off.

Waiting Patiently

2011-06-09T15:55:00.002-05:00

Klaus, White Feather, Journey and Oken wait patiently in the new back yard pen for their turn to come out and play. Copper makes them aware that HE is the boss of the back yard and he's not finished yet.

New Kennel Complete!

2011-06-07T09:02:00.004-05:00

Digging out the black dirt so that a Class 5 sand/gravel base could be put in place

Neil set up the new kennel so that, in addition to having two gates to the outside, there is one on the inside so that the two pens can be one large pen

Water buckets, dog houses, shade fencing and shade cloth; its done!

We've had the kennel walls up since the end of March but due to the lack of a proper base it has been sitting uninhabited since due to the lengthy mud season. Last weekend Rich came over with his big green tractor with a bucket and in all of four hours, we had ourselves a completed pen!

Last year at this time, poor Rebecca dug out the black dirt from the adjoining pen, shovel full by shovel full and then we hauled the Class 5 base into the kennel wheel barrel load by wheel barrel load until it was complete several weeks later! What a difference it makes to have a machine (and competent driver) that can do this for you! Rebecca did say, however, that when she went home, she had the best tennis game ever due to the built up strength in her arms created by the pen construction.

Many thanks to Rich for taking the time out of his busy day to help us with our new kennel. Now we won't be cramped when he brings Kenzie and Wahya over for a "vacation" in August.

Neil's Dog Photos

2011-06-02T11:17:00.005-05:00

Blueberry checks out the campers on the other end of Chester Lake in northern Minnesota

Copper takes a dip. He can swim even though he has only three legs!

Aise at 6 months old

No puppies were harmed during the shooting of this photo. Klaus quite abruptly and effectively lets Aise know that under no circumstances will she be jumping on him. His teeth were shown but didn't make contact with her. They didn't have to in order to make the point.

Our Journey girl

Ilo, a 7 year old deep line Hedlund Husky, rests in the shade

Illy, the puppy that she is, eating some leaves.

Sweet Pea makes it obvious that she'd rather be in the house than having to deal with those puppies any longer.

Klaus, an 8 1/2 year old Zulu line Alaskan Husky

Some of the Points Unknown Sled Dogs

2011-06-02T10:58:00.004-05:00

Do ya think we're related? Zodiak is a 3 1/2 year old half Hedlund Husky line/half Zulu line Alaskan. Wimzi is his niece and she is a 1/4 Hedlund Husky line and 3/4 Zulu line Alaskan.

Topa is an almost 2 year old deep line Hedlund Husky.

Four deep line Hedlund Huskies. Left to right; Phoenix 5 1/2 yrs, Illy and Aise 6 mos, Topa almost 2 years old.

Neil brushing Ari. It's that time of year! Ari is a 5 1/2 yr old deep line Hedlund Husky.

Neil gets everyone to sit for treats. Left to right; Zala half Hedlund line/half Zulu line, Illy, Aise and Ari.

Topa passively asserts her dominance over Aise by placing her head on her back.

Aise's beautiful build

Neil with Aise and Oken who is a 3 1/2 year old half Hedlund line/half Zulu line Alaskan. Oken is in need of a good brushing!

Illy lets Oken know that she is quite aware that he is the boss even though he isn't directly asserting himself but just standing confidently, ready to play.

Illy and Aise

Illy and Oken

Points Unknown Remote Adventure Location!

2011-06-02T10:44:00.003-05:00

Points Unknown has a new remote adventure location in northern Minnesota! We're in the process of making plans and working out dates for our 2011-2012 women's adventures. Thanks to our dear friends Kay and Jerry for their generosity, we will no longer need to postpone our remote women's adventures until the 2012-2013 season!

The photos above provide a sneak preview of our new location. Now just add snow and ice and picture yourself behind a team of our sled dogs lead by Oken and Klaus.

Expect to see details on an Advanced Women's Remote Mushing Experience and a Beginner Women's Remote Mushing Experience soon!

Blueberry Turns 8 Years Old

2011-06-02T07:42:00.002-05:00

Blueberry at 8 years old.

Having adopted Blueberry at what the rescue organization told us was a year and a half old in early 2005, we are guessing that he should be turning eight right about now. Blue is obviously not a sled dog. He's a King Charles/Beagle/Dachshund/Sheltie something or other cross and is one of the Points Unknown mascots. He's really good at socializing puppies. Keeping the sled dogs in line, he's been known to herd them around the back yard while barking loudly and nipping at their ears. Otherwise, he's my velcro dog, never leaving my side.

Journey Turns 4 Years Old

2011-06-02T07:33:00.002-05:00

Journey at 4 years old

Journey, a half Hedlund Husky line/half bush trap line Alaskan Husky, turned four years old on May 31st. It's obvious that the Malamute genes in the Hedlund Husky lines expressed themselves generously in Journey by her look. She's got the densest coat in the kennel and a less rangy build that our other Hedlunds. She's got an awesome work ethic and does some leading, however her over concern for things that appear out of place keeps her most comfortable running in the team and wheel positions. Considering her cautious personality, we were surprised to see how much she enjoys working with our young Girl Scouts in our Dog Mushing Badge program.

Canicross Hikes 2011; Points Unknown Kennel

2011-06-01T16:57:00.006-05:00

Crossing the Oake Lake trestle bridge

Annie, Zala, Aise, Ziggy and Illy

A break at the coffee shop

Illy and Alison watch the activity in town

Ziggy never gets table scraps (or so we've been told).

Annie and Ziggy wait patiently for any crumbs that might happen to fall their way

The Points Unknown crew - Zala, Aise and Illy. This rest stop is where Aise finally settled down. She was so hyped up to go that we spent the entire 3 mile journey to the coffee shop working with a pretty annoying behavior. She would lunge forward then when she hit the harness, she would jump into the air, scream and turn to bite it for apparently keeping her from going the speed she thought she should be traveling. We corrected her dozens of times, praised the momentary good behavior and traded off trainers so our frustration wouldn't begin to interfere with a fair correction, after making certain the harness wasn't causing her any pain. We're happy to report that on the return trip, not once did she lunge and bite her harness. Now let's see how good her long term memory is when we have our next canicross hike in a couple weeks. We see her over exuberant behavior as an indication that she is going to be an excellent sled dog. Now we just need to channel that energy so she uses it for good and not evil!

Zala is looking cool in her camo hat

Neil's hands create a make-shift bowl for water along the route

Honey Bee swarm

Newly hatched painted turtle

A last minute change of plans brought us all to begin our Canicross Hike last weekend at the Points Unknown kennel. Excellent training moments were found on the route chosen. We began heading down our long driveway and along the lake and hooked up with County Road 20 where we remained for only a short distance before catching the gravel cut-a-cross road to the Luce Line Trail. Here, we hiked along Oake Lake, through the woods and all the way into Watertown and along the Crow River. Our half way point was the Crow River Coffee Company which is, as you might have guessed, along the Crow River. It was obvious by the turning heads that the passersby in "downtown" Watertown had never seen such a sight as we hiked across the bridge and down main street with our canicross gear on, being pulled by dogs in harnesses.

There's a great spot to sit outside the coffee shop. We all took turns hanging on to the dogs while others went in to place orders for snacks, lunch and water for the dogs. The rest stop was perfect for the dogs. Even though the temps were cool, the sun was beating down on us while out of the shade and the dogs were beginning to get warm. By the end of the break, there were no panting dogs which gave us the indication that we could forge ahead and begin our return journey back to the kennel. Because the temperatures were climbing, we took a shortcut through the woods and on the edge of a neighboring alfalfa field. Here, we were cautious to remain at a safe distance from the neighbor's honey bee hives and while doing so, witnessed a swarm of honey bees that had followed their queen out of the hive, landing in a huge clump on a shrub nearby. To add to our "wildlife" spotting during this hike, Eli found a newly hatched painted turtle and helped her make it safely down to the lake.

Dogs, people and turtle returned safely to their destination, thus reaching the end of another canicross hike.

The next hike is on June 11th at Minnewashta Regional Park in Chanhassen, MN.

PASSION

2011-05-28T08:12:00.002-05:00

PASSION
Give your heart a reason to beat.

A Bubble of Calm

2011-05-22T17:58:00.003-05:00

After the storms

We have had very tumultuous weather the past couple of days. Rain, shine, rain, hail, thunder, lighting, shine, tornado warnings, high winds and over and over again. This photo was taken at what appears to be the end of the last blast of this kind of weather for the day. Puzzling how the rainbow seems to form the barrier between the blue skies and the clouds, almost encasing the far end of Oake Lake and its shore in a bubble of calm. I've been searching for the pots of gold all afternoon. Someone must have beaten me to them.

Most of the sled dogs don't mind the bad weather and run around and play in the heavy rain. Tuloon is one of those that is frightened of thunder and lightning even though we made it a "fun" event when she was young, so she comes inside during most storms these days. Then there is Sweet Pea who suddenly began to limp the moment the downpours began. Hmmm. Once inside I saw her take a dive for a toy across the room and over a dog bed.

Another Wet but Fun Event

2011-05-22T12:34:00.003-05:00

Aise goes completely limp when being held.

Neil's smiling face at our booth INSIDE.

A 12 week old Shepherd/Pit Bull cross burns some puppy energy by pulling a wheelbarrow tire around the building.

As you can see, Neil is not restraining Aise. She is welcome to get down at any moment, but instead, makes herself comfortable by leaning up against him. This illustrates the versatility of the Hedlund Husky; lap dogs one moment and driven and focused working dogs the next.

Paws Inn Resort and Training had their third annual Pet Expo yesterday. Points Unknown attended to market our adventures and canicross events and to provide impromptu pull training classes to passersby. For this event we had a booth inside! The rain poured down off and on, making any activities outdoors subject to the weather.

Aise and Illy continued their socialization training as they came to represent the Points Unknown sled dogs. What a day for these two now 6 month old pups! They met dogs and people of all kinds, received some calming essential oil treatment from a neighboring booth, watched and nearly participated in a disc dog presentation (Aise went bonkers for the disc activity), and met the resident chickens and donkey. Aise spent much of her time in a lap; Neil's lap, and had no desire to get down. Had Illy been interested in being a lap dog she could have taken a turn but declined and spent her time on the ground.

Upon our arrival back home, when the blue skies poked out from behind the dark clouds, you would have thought that those two pups would be ready for a long nap. Instead, they were raring to go when each dog group was let out to play and insisted on participating.

Cold and Wet Day for the Husky Hike

2011-05-14T18:52:00.006-05:00

Aise and Illy at 5 1/2 mos

See how the "cute" factor just draws you into the booth?

It was soggy wet outside but the pools were still a popular attraction.

The wetter the better for this big handsome boy.

The Adopt A Husky Volunteer group

Aise got so tired, I watched her head slowly lower to the ground, being propped up by her nose.

Getting all of this attention in one day is tiring stuff.

Illy

Sasha digs in and pulls those tires up the hill. Maybe now she'll sit still! She's just like Wimzi and they're both in a nutso stage where I find myself repeating over and over, she WILL grow out of this.....patience, patience.

And the hike begins.

It's becoming a tradition that the Husky Hike each year takes place on a cold and wet day. Not next year! Nope. We've got to send our wishes for a nice day out to the clear sky gods for next year. At least this year we didn't have horrific thunderstorms!

Each year the Adopt A Husky organization, a Siberian Husky Rescue group, holds a day of fun where you can come out, hike with your dog of any breed, listen to live music, buy neat stuff and bid in a silent auction. All of the proceeds go to help save the lives of our Siberian Husky friends. This year's turnout was a tad down and likely having to do with the fact that it is Minnesota's fishing opener. It can be hard to compete with the fisher people, thus the low attendance.

Points Unknown attended to support the organization, to sell Redpaw and to hand out information about our winter adventures. Aise and Illy came along to add the "cute" factor and for ongoing socialization. Sasha, Wimzi's sister, attended last year and came again this year with Chris to be the demo dog for our impromptu pull training classes. What an excellent example! She was so antsy sitting in the rain, waiting for something to do, that Chris attached her harness to a large tire and she took a few runs around the park, pulling it like it was a feather. So, we attached another one. She did an excellent job and really put her head to the ground and pulled those tires on the lawn, not slacking up the hills. Illy couldn't stand to be left behind and readily protested at the top of her lungs.

Both Aise and Illy enjoyed the one on one time with me as we took turns walking around the park, meeting people and dogs. They even had their first experience with a live band. Heads cocked side to side at the little box with all of the sound coming out of it.

Illy has come a long way since her first puppy class when she screamed bloody murder when an 8lb terrier jumped up to play. She now approaches with more confidence but makes it very clear that she would prefer they don't try to eat her as she will typically squat for a submissive pee and tentatively lick a chin. Aise displays the behavior I've seen many of my Hedlund Husky pups display. Even as very young puppies, they will not tolerate another puppy or dog they don't know flying into their faces. They are more reserved and like to get to know other dogs slowly and "properly"; approach slowly and extend the doggie handshake (translated as sniffing rear ends). Then when the proper body language has been displayed, they can begin to play but only if all of the initial criteria has been met to a "T". If not, a quick snap to the face will surely remind them. And if they insist on being improper, well, the Hedlund Husky will turn their noses up and walk away as if to say, "You've been given all of the chances you're going to get". They seem to much prefer the company of a human than another dog outside of their pack and tend to stick closest to those with the best treats.

It was sure nice to see all of those familiar faces today from the volunteers that made the day happen to those folks that have been attending the hike for years. Fingers crossed that they were able to take in the donations they were expecting, despite the weather. If you would like to to donate to an excellent cause, you can so do by going to their website by clicking here.

Canicross Hikes 2011 - Lake Minnewashta

2011-05-07T14:14:00.006-05:00

Illy at 5 mos

Kristen with Maddy

Robin with Harley

Aise heads back to the truck

The sisters spend some time on the dock

Harley

Colin and Harley take a break

Katsu plays with the puppies

Aise's got her head to the ground, making sure she stays in the lead.

Katsu and Maddy lead the way

The morning couldn't have been any better for our first Canicross Hike of the season with temps in the mid 60s and bright blue skies. We were so excited to welcome a new hiker team today; Robin, Harley and Colin joined us. Harley and Colin became the first Rough Collie members of the group and they picked it up pretty quickly.

The "chosen ones" from the Points Unknown kennel were the puppies; Aise and Illy. This was their very first Canicross Hike. Talk about impatient! Thankfully, I was reminded that when I first brought Wimzi she was just as impatient, bouncing and flipping and looking back to go. We were just going too slow for them and they wanted to keep up with the group so flipped and flopped around in protest. Once we joined the group and got the "vinegar" out of them in the first portion of the hike, they pulled like pros. Well, they are still puppies, so this goofiness is to be expected. (I remind myself) Little stinkers. Just can't wait for fall training when those pups will be hooked up with the big dogs. By then, they'll be big dogs!

Katsu and Maddy remained in lead much of the time with the puppies and the Collies not far behind. Alison and her son Eli joined us from Minneapolis for the first time and borrowed one of the puppies for the hike.

The Husky Hike is next weekend with all proceeds going to the Adopt A Husky Rescue organization! Join us if you can. Otherwise our next Canicross Hike is on May 28th at Lake Maria State Park.