A better run

This will be a rather text-heavy post since I didn't have the camera with me today.

Also, the "Name the Puppy" contest is still on. We are not going to name the puppy officially until she is six weeks old, so you have another five weeks to come up with a name and email it to nameoursleddog@canada.com This 'contest' is open to anyone who reads this site, so if know us, hardly know us or just stumbled across our blog, please feel free to enter. The prizes have been chosen and we will have pictures for them once we have them here in the cabin.

Today was the start of the NMI Dash for Cash. It is a fairly well attended sprint race and one that offers quite a large purse for the 'serious' race. We had plans on going in the less competitive race a few weeks ago, but since Ruby is not able to be part of the team, we were unable to enter. So, instead, we have set our sights on the SilverSled race in Haines Junction. Along with the 100 mile race, there is a sportsmans race and we are planning on entering it.

As for our little run today, things were better than last time. We went around the same loop, which is 6 miles or so. Originally, I had Crystal and Bluegrass in lead, but we didn't make it much more than fifty yards down the trail and Bluegrass started to turn around and drag Crystal with her so I had to stop and put Amber in front with Crystal. I don't think that Bluegrass was comfortable with the dogs behind her, because when I took her out of lead and put her in wheel, she was much better.

I also found out that Bluegrass is a right-hand dog. She does not do well on the left and will try to run on the right side all the time. I hooked her on the right today and we had no problems with her tripping over the gangline. After I came back, Jenn took Bluegrass out for some one-on-one leader training. This she does with a harness and a leash; they walk around together and Jenn works on the basic 'line-out' command.

We were just on our way back from our neighbours place when a friend of ours and his two kids came up the laneway. His son was upset because he had placed last in the 4-dog sportsman race at the Dash for Cash and they were looking to borrow a sprint sled from our neighbours so that he may place better tomorrow. Our neighbours were not home so we loaned him ours. I hope that he does better tomorrow.

When we went to drop off the sled, we got talking about his dogs, and then we were invited in for a coffee and we talked more and by the time we noticed, it was well into the afternoon and we had not managed to get anything else done today. But, I suppose that is how it goes around here. They don't say you're on 'Yukon Time' for nothing.