Sled Sports

 

Sled Racing

Endurance, fidelity, intelligence 
In the winter of 1924-25, an outbreak of Diphtheria threatened many lives in Nome, Alaska and teams of sled dogs were called in to relay antitoxin more than 1000kms to save the town. Though dogs had been used to pull sleds for thousands of years before the serum run, sled racing exploded in popularity worldwide.

Created to mimic the original purpose of sledding breeds, like Siberian Huskies and Alaskan Malamutes, the sport involves a single dog or team of dogs pulling a wheeled scooter or sled to see which team is the fastest.

Time Committment: Fitness & Conditioning
Family Friendly: very
Cost: Inexpensive
Basic Equipment: Bike Helmut

Getting Started
The best way to get started in Sled Racing is to bring your dog along to on of the Siberian Husky Club of NSW’s Introduction to Sledding Days. These sessions are an opportunity to see if your dog enjoys the sport and will pull the sled.
While Sled Racing was originally an arctic sport with dogs pulling sleds through the snow, sled dogs mostly pull wheeled scooters in the Australian version of the sport.
Sled Racing is still a winter sport though so dog sledding events run May-September.

At what age can I start training my dog?
Sled Racing is a high impact sport. There are plenty of great foundation exercises you can do to help your puppy’s later Sled Racing training, however we only recommend adding the high
impact parts of Sled Racing training after the age of 12 months.

This will help protect your puppy’s growing joints and help to ensure they have a long career in the sport. We recommend consulting with your vet before starting training to ensure that your puppy’s growth plates have closed, and that they are well-muscled, fit and healthy.

 

Weight Pull

Strength training for dogs!
Does your dog love to pull? Are they strong and brawny? Then Weight Pull might be the sport for you!
Created as a modern adaption of freighting, where dogs were used to move cargo, Weight Pull involves dogs hauling carts or sleds loaded with weights along a dirt, concrete or snow track. Dogs have 60 seconds to pull the cart 16 feet (4.8 metres) and progress to the next round, where extra weights are added.

Weight Pull is strictly controlled to prevent injury - dogs are not on lead and pull the weight because they love the sport.

Time Committment: Fitness & Conditioning
Family Friendly: Yes
Cost: Inexpensive
Basic Equipment: None required to attend your first training session.

Getting Started
The best way to get started in Weight Pull is to bring your dog along to one of the Alaskan Malamute Club of NSW’s Training Days. These training days are an opportunity to see if your dog enjoys the sport and will pull the cart.

More information about Weight Pull and training days can be found on the Alaskan Malamute Club’s NSW Facebook group.

At what age can I start training my dog?
Weight Pull is a high impact sport. There are plenty of great foundation exercises you can do to help your puppy’s later Weight Pull training, however, we only recommend asking them to
pull weights after the age of 12 months. This will help protect your puppy’s growing joints and help to ensure that they have a long career in the sport.

We recommend consulting with your vet before starting training to ensure that your puppy’s growth plates have closed and that they are well-muscled, fit and healthy.