How to Train Your Dog (And Musher) for The Iditarod

03/04/2014 Back To Blog Graphic: How to train your dog or master for the Iditarod

Alaska is home of hardcore adventurists. From crab fishermen to bush pilots, people here know that danger and excitement are a natural part of life. So what do they do for fun? Well, many Alaskans hitch up their dogs and take a sled ride for 40 or 50 miles across windswept tundra. These sleds are not the lounging Santa sleighs, either. The mushers stand on the sled the whole time, steering the dogs away from dangers or distractions.

Once a year, these diehard athletes come together and race their dogs along a course that spans over 1,100 miles. The Iditarod is widely known as one of the most difficult races in the world, but that’s not including the years of training the mushers and dogs go through just to qualify. We’ve laid out major aspects of the training experience both for the mushers and the dogs. If you see a musher with their dog team on your next trip to Alaska, be sure to strike up a conversation about the training. You’re sure to be impressed!

Very cool info on how mushers and their dogs train for the Iditarod. It's crazy and inspiring what they go through.

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Posted in: Alaska & the Yukon, Alaska Activities
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