Flexi Leash Training for Topa

7 month old Topa on the picket line with the big dogs.

At the end of the 26 foot leash gazing across the lake

Running happily back after she understood we would not be moving if she was pulling on the end of her leash

After a day of mushing the big dogs, not so little, 7 month old Topa and I took to the lake to check out the ice house we had been hearing all about at Boyd's. Instead of canicross hiking with her and doing something she was now familiar with, I opted to try something new. I would begin her training on a leash; a 26 foot flexi leash.

The beginning of the lesson was predictable with Topa flying to the end of the leash as though attempting to rip my arm out of the socket. Knowing this would happen, I braced myself. When she hit the end of the leash I made a very low "ah" sound and stopped walking then I waited. At this point, all I want her to do is relieve the tension. After several seconds of no motion she began to whine and look back at me. I remained still and quiet. Then she came running to me. At that very moment my tone of voice changed to a higher pitch, I began walking again and she heard the words "Good girl, Topa!".

The same pattern continued over and over to the point she began hitting the end of the line then running back to me and circling me before she hit the end of the line again. Within about a half a mile, she no longer hit the end of the line with the same intensity and continued to circle me when she felt her boundary limit.

It took us twice as long to walk the one mile to the ice house as it would have otherwise but by the time we arrived, she fully respected the end of her leash. At the same time, she appeared to be learning to only get 26 feet away from me before coming back which was an added bonus not planned.

Of course, the lessons aren't over. We'll have to work on it several more times before it sinks in but it was a very good start!

Women's Retreat at Boyds

Pat mushing her team

Lauren lets her team rest while her passenger jumps out for photos.

At the truck waiting their turn

Boyd's elaborate Women's Retreat ice house

Rustic yet ritzy interior

The dogs and I just returned from a Women's Winter Retreat at Boyds Mason Lake Resort. Unfortunately, winter turned into a hopefully only momentary spring and rained out our second day of mushing instruction. Weekend temps began very close to freezing, making our Saturday mushing experiences rather warm with slightly mushy trails. By Sunday morning, the snow pack was saturated with water creating slushy trails that we and the dogs would sink completely through. There was standing water on the lakes.

Thankfully, the other activities for the weekend could continue as planned. The folks at Boyd's had plenty of other things on the schedule. Included were things like balsam fir wreath making, trap shooting, a cook out on the lake and last but not least; ice fishing. An elaborate ice house had been built just for the women retreats. No detail was missed from its knotty pine paneled interior to the crystal chandelier that was hung from the vaulted ceiling. A woodstove kept everyone warm while they sat at one of six seats in front of their ice holes watching the underwater video camera, sipping wine and chatting about the day's adventures. The walleye and perch were biting last evening. The largest fish caught over the weekend was a 24 inch Walleye.

Never ice fished? Well, no worries. Boyd's experienced ice fishing guides, Teddy and Billy will teach you everything you'll need to know. I think they even baited a few hooks and took off a few fish if you aren't interested in either but want the ice house experience.

Oake Lake Sky

The weather front moves in over Oake Lake.

Photo Shoot

Oken eyes

Journey and White Feather

Klaus stares up at the sky with eyes to match.

Klaus eyes

Klaus and Oken; the best of friends.

Something catches Oken's eye.

Beautiful Journey

The weather turned before Neil could let the Klaus, Oken and Journey group out for their photo shoot a few weeks ago so when we had a nice sunny day, I decided I would see if could catch these three in some poses.

Girl Scouts!

Everyone loved Phoenix!

McKenzie with his new friend.

Icoa and her friend.

The kennel buzzed with activity.

Twenty two Brownie/Girl Scouts spent an afternoon IN the Points Unknown kennel, literally. It was the first event of its kind at the kennel. We typically travel to other locations but decided this would be the perfect year to start a program for the Girl Scouts here at our Watertown, MN kennel location.

The girls joined us for a slide show in our sled dog building recently converted to a theater room. Straw bales acted as benches with three girls to a bale. The slide show gave everyone an introduction to the dogs prior to stepping foot in the kennel. An orientation on how to behave around dogs and safely interact with them was given then we all headed out to the kennel for a dog mushing demonstration. Chris, our handler, was the passenger as we hooked up five dogs to show the girls how excited these dogs are about doing their job and around the small portion of the lake we flew. Upon our return, the harness lessons began as each girl got a chance to harness and unharness a dog while safely confined inside the kennel just in case the first rule of dog mushing was broken - "Don't lose your team!" or in this case, "Don't lose your dog!". We're happy to report that no one lost their dog and they did a great job interacting with the dogs. We were sad to see them go but mentioned that if they'd like to bring their parents along next time they can always go out on an adventure with the team.

Oake Lake Adventures

Welcome to Points Unknown!
Photos by Long Doan

Klaus shows Lan how to harness while whispering in her ear.

Klaus and Tuloon

Waiting to go.

Linda's Team

Rich's Team with Zala and Phoenix in lead.

Icoa

Topa play fighting with White Feather

Sweet Zulu doing what he did best in retirement. This was the last photo of Zulu taken prior to his passing that evening.

We are so excited to be providing Oake Lake Adventures this year at our Watertown location!

There are two to choose from. Our guests spend an hour and a half with the dogs, learning to harness and work with them then we head out on the lake for a dog sled run. Running the team themselves while the musher sits in the sled is always an option, once out on the lake and after a quick safety orientation. Our second adventure is three hours in length and gives our guests more time with the dogs and two runs on the lake.

We hosted our first Oake Lake Adventure this past weekend. Temps were in the high 20s and low 30s which is great for guests and just a tad too warm for the dogs but they did great and everyone had quite a lot of fun as you've seen by the photos. Rich, our occasional dog helper and friend, got a chance to do his first solo four dog team run, following the main team and guests. Very nice dog mushing, Rich! It helps when you have a strong connection with the dogs and Rich truly loves working with the dogs.

Remembering Zulu

Zulu's last trip to the BWCA where he was in lead was three and a half years ago, when he was ten years old. I had planned to have Klaus, who was only a young upstart at this time, be the leader on this trip but when he showed such an over exuberance, darting back and forth, back and forth like a herding dog on the lake, my patience quickly ran out and I placed the faithful Zulu, who had been waiting ever so patiently in point position, up in lead. He was sooooo happy, he rolled on his back and smiled for me.

Zulu was known for his wide mouth smiles.

A journal excerpt, February 2004.

The Rocks

I am heading towards the portion of the run we so affectionately call “THE ROCKS”. I stop to wrap a long piece of rope around one runner to help slow me down before I reach the beginning of the daunting rocky moguls. I’m all set. Rope around runner. Drag pad in place. Heavy duty steel brake ready and waiting. We begin the descent. Down the rocks we go!

But wait…. There’s a problem! Now the sled is on its side and I am hanging on to the brake bar, sliding down the rocks, behind the sled, on my stomach. After much struggle, I finally righted the sled. As soon as I thought all was well, I find myself on my stomach again, skiing down the rocks AND my drag pad is caught up in my heavy duty steel brake. I can’t even lean on the brake with my elbow to try and slow us down. The dogs don’t seem to hear all of the commotion. If they can, they really don’t seem to care that they can’t see me and there is a strange looking object swishing along attached to the sled. All they want to do is run and run pretty darn fast for a bunch of freight dogs that must pretend they like to go slow because they sure aren’t now!

So I know that at the bottom of “THE ROCKS”, which is possibly 400 more feet, there is a “T” in the trail and I had planned to take a left. So I am yelling to Zulu, who, keep in mind, can’t see me, “Haw! Haw! Zulu, Haw!!!” “Well”, I can imagine him thinking, “I guess she is still with us, I don’t know where but I can tell she’s in trouble.”

So we get down to the bottom of the hill and just about to the “T”, and remember, I had originally decided to go left so I again, shout “HAW!” as I am cruising behind the sled on my stomach, hanging on for dear life. (Because the first rule of dog mushing is NEVER LOSE YOUR TEAM.). Zulu takes a quick right at the “T”. “What?!” I say to myself. “Zulu is disobeying me?!” I set aside the fact that I now had arms that are at least several inches longer than they once were, from being dragged and the fact that I had large amounts of snow packed in my hood and around my head, to discuss with myself how upset I was that I had just been dissed by my ever so sweet and usually obedient leader.

I knew I said “Haw” and I believe I said it at least 25 times. (After a while, it become “blah, blah, blah, blah” to my infamous leader) Well, the second I ended the dialogue with myself, the sled got caught up on a tree like is does EVERY time we take a right in this section. Perfect! I now have time to get up, untangle my brake pad and plant myself firmly on the back of the runners, not even remembering the anger I had seconds earlier knowing that Zulu had just disobeyed me. Disobeyed me? He did indeed but that wonderfully intuitive leader of mine KNEW that I was in trouble and he KNEW that every time we take a right the sled gets caught up in a tree. So, that is why he disobeyed me because the second I got myself untangled, he looked back at me as if to say, “You alright now, mom?” and took an immediate left or the original HAW I had asked of him and didn’t even skip a beat.

Talk about the bond between dog and (wo)man…….