Safety On The Trail: International Sled Dog Racing Association Race Rules

 When you watch a team go out of the starting chute at a race it usually looks pretty simple and goes off without a hitch. How does the transformation from the chaotic scene in the staging area become a safe race and how does it stay that way? It all begins with the International Sled Dog Racing Association (ISDRA) Race Rules.

Race rules promoting animal welfare are nothing new to sled dog racing. Since the first major organized race in 1909 (the All Alaska Sweepstakes in Nome Alaska), rules have been implemented to safeguard dogs and mushers alike. For the past 30 years, ISDRA has been at the forefront of developing and maintaining sled dog race rules which promote safety and fairness. ISDRA sanctioned races must comply with ISDRA's rules and regulations which dictate everything from trail length and layout to mandatory safety equipment and canine fitness.

In order to become an ISDRA sanctioned race, the race course must comply with detailed trail requirements. The basic premises governing trail design all concern safety. The trail must not endanger dog teams or drivers, though some athletic ability on the part of the driver is expected.

• All hazards must be avoided.
• Distances must be accurately described.
• Trail design rules insure that a musher who has traveled across the country or around the globe to race, will know what to expect. The rules also enable the musher and the dogs to train for the conditions they will encounter.

ISDRA race rules are designed to safeguard sled dogs on and off the trail. For example:

• Physical abuse of dogs is strictly prohibited. Anyone who is convicted of animal abuse or neglect is barred from the race.
• The Race Marshall must disqualify any team which is unfit or incapable of safely running the race. A veterinarian is on call for all races. To prevent the spread of disease, the race Veterinarian shall disqualify any team that includes a dog with a contagious disease.
• Use of any substance(from steroids to aspirin) that may affect the performance of a dog is strictly prohibited. ISDRA Rules provide for drug testing and disqualification.
• Mushers’ equipment must comply with race rules. For example- sleds must be equipped with a basket and dog bag capable of safely carrying a dog that is too tired to complete the race.
• Choke collars, muzzles and other equipment that might be dangerous to the dogs are prohibited.
• Drivers may not replace a dog on subsequent days of the race with a new dog. This rule ensures that each dog team is well treated throughout the race.
• On the race course, teams must stay on the marked trails. Shortcuts are not only cheating, they pose unknown hazards to the teams. The rules also provide rules of the road including "Right of way" requirements and passing rules.

What To Feed Your Sled Dog!

 Just like a human athlete, a sled dog's diet affects the dog’s ability to compete. A sled dog at rest in the summer needs about 800 calories per day. In the middle of a cold winter long distance race that same dog may need up to 10,000 calories per day (10,000 is not a typo!). The quest to provide sled dogs with enough calories and the right type of calories has resulted in tremendous growth in our knowledge about the canine diet, and better food for both the racing dog and house pets.

A canine athlete does not digest and use food in the same way as humans. The high carbohydrate diet that helps a human runner perform at his or her peak will not have the same effect on a sled dog. Studies by veterinarians and dog food manufacturers have found that a high carbohydrate diet actually lowers canine performance.

Fats and protein are the most important sources of energy for a sled dog. The ratio of fat and protein varies depending on the distance to be run and the time spent running, however, certain minimum requirements have been determined. A typical diet consists of 32% protein, 15% carbohydrates and 53% fat.

Fats provide the dog with quick energy. They are highly digestible and very dense in calories. Protein helps a dog handle the physical demands of racing and is required in greater amounts as physical activity increases.

Dog mushers rarely rely on dry dog kibble alone to supply their dogs nutritional needs. A top quality dry dog food is critical to the diet but it is usually supplemented by ground chicken, fish, liver or other meat products.

Finally, it is not enough to provide quality food unless the dogs are supplied with clean water. Water is the most important part of a dog's diet. Contrary to popular myths, sled dogs do not get their water supply by eating snow. Snow requires tremendous energy to melt as it is consumed and it offers little water for much effort. By contrast, warm water after a night in the cold can be to the sled dog a lot like a hot chocolate drink is to a human. On the other hand, it is not unusual to see a sled dog grab a bite of snow, just like you enjoy an ice cream cone now and then!

A frequently heard remark at races is that the dogs seem thin. Indeed, compared to a house dog who may get out for a walk or short run a couple times a week, sled dogs are thin. Although sled dogs consume more calories than an average human, they also burn those calories working out in training. Like human runners, the intake of calories and exercise result in a slim, athletic physique. Mushers monitor the weight of their dogs, feeding them accordingly. If the dogs gain too much weight, they risk overheating, disease and injury. If they are too thin they lose stamina. Mushers balance these considerations and maintain their dogs at a healthy weight for each particular dog.

For more information on the basic diet to feed your sled dogs, visit: http://www.isdra.org!

Basics on How to Train Your Sled Dogs

 Training begins when sled dogs are puppies. Puppy training must be fun. The puppy must be given tasks he/she can accomplish with ease. The first training occurs at birth when the puppies are handled and socialized so they become comfortable with their human companions. When the puppies are old enough to mix with other dogs, they learn to be comfortable with other dogs and to come when they are called.

Puppies do not perform like adults, but they learn to associate the harness and the team with fun. Mushers will often put a puppy in a harness to pull a small object. At six or more months, the puppy joins a small team of older dogs. It is critical that this first effort at running be a positive experience. The musher's goal is to let the dog enjoy its instinctive behavior in a safe environment.

Most mushers start training in the fall as soon as it is cool enough for the dogs to run comfortably. Fall training is usually cart or 4 wheeler training. The dogs run on dirt or sand trails to avoid injuries. The goals of fall training are several. Dogs must build up their aerobic condition and muscle strength and learn to run as a team. Young dogs learn how to ignore distractions, respond to commands, and handle different trail conditions. Fall training begins with short, brief runs. As the dogs build strength and stamina they can run farther. The dogs rest between and within workouts to ensure fitness.

As the training progresses and the months turn cooler, the dog become stronger, better conditioned and able to run further and faster. The experienced driver shuffles dogs around in different positions on the team seeking to find the position that best matches the dog's unique abilities. Sometimes dogs are paired with partners whom they will run beside for their entire careers, bonding to that dog as much as to the driver.

The driver studies his team, learning each dogs individual traits and habits. Most importantly, the driver builds each dog’s confidence in their athletic ability until the whole team of canine competitors is convinced there is not another dog team in the world that can run as fast or as far as they can!

That confidence and excitement explodes when the dogs finally get to run in the snow. A light sprint sled (about 25 pounds) almost flies over the snow. The dogs will run faster and further. The snow cushions their feet allowing for longer runs and the colder temperatures are more comfortable for athletes who exercise in fur coats. In the end, the training pays off when a strong and healthy team of dogs blast out of the starting chute, and win, lose or draw, runs the course with ultimate canine grace, strength and beauty!

Introduction to Sled Dog Racing

Fast, exciting, well trained sled dog teams are the result of careful behind the scenes planning and hard work. Successful mushers are knowledgeable in such diverse areas as kennel management, canine behavior, nutrition, veterinary care, psychology, physical conditioning, housing and transportation. Wise mushers soon learn that success or failure in any of these areas affects performance dramatically. Considering this fact it is obvious that the welfare of the dogs is of paramount importance.

Team and driver develop a close, trusting relationship because of the amount of time they spend together. To betray that trust by not meeting all of the dog’s needs runs counter to the goal of having a happy, healthy, highly motivated team. What you see at a race is the result of long hours of work and planning to ensure that the team is prepared to test its abilities against the trail and the competition.

So what makes sled dogs run? Sled dogs run because they love to run, they are born and raised to it. How they run is a product of how they are trained. If they are well trained they will run in perfect harmony. If they don’t it is the failure of the musher, not the dogs. One of the great mushers of all time summed it all up when he said "the dogs never make a mistake".

Sled dogs, like all athletes, spend more time training than competing. By the time you see a dog running a race, the dog will have logged hundreds or more miles of training.

For more information on dog sledding history and what makes sled dogs run, visit:
http://www.mtpioneer.com/archive-born-run.htm

Famous Sled Dogs (Real and Fictional)

Baldy of Nome - Musher Scotty Allan's dog who helped him win multiple All-Alaska Sweepstakes in the early 1900s and was featured in Esther Birdsall Darling's book "Baldy of Nome."

Balto - The lead dog in the final segment of the 1925 Alaskan serum run from Nenana to Nome (the Iditarod race commemorates the run), who is immortalized with a statue in New York City's Central Park.

Balto

Buck - Fictional star of Jack London's "Call of the Wild."

Taro and Jiro - Survivors of a 1958 Japanese expedition to Antarctica, the dogs' story was told in the movies "Nankyoku Monogatari" and "Eight Below."

Togo­ - The lead dog for the longest leg of the 1925 Alaskan serum run from Nenana to Nome, an accomplishment some feel was overshadowed by Balto's fame.

Navarre of the North - grandson of Baldy of Nome and featured in Esther Birdsall Darling's book "Navarre of the North."

Terminology

The most common commands for a dog team are:

• Hike!: Get moving. To start a team or increase speed of a moving team.  
• Gee!: Turn to the right.
• Haw!: Turn to the left.
• Easy!: Slow down.
• Straight Ahead!: move forward, for instance at an intersection of trails.
• Whoa!: Stop.
• On By!: Pass another team or other distraction.
• Line Out! Command to the Lead Dog to tighten the Gangline and pull the team out straight from the sled. Used while stopped to avoid tangles.

Sled Dog Positions

• Lead Dog: dog(s) running in the lead. Must be intelligent and fast.
• Swing Dog: dogs behind leaders that help "swing" the team
• Wheel Dog: dogs closest to sled. Must be very strong to pull sled around corners.
• Team Dog: any dog in the team that is not mentioned above.

For additional dog sledding terms, such as the different parts of a sled, visit: http://jukebox.uaf.edu/site/akmushing/content/terminology

Alaska State Sport and State Dog

Dog mushing was designated the official state sport of Alaska in 1972. In April 2010, Alaska also recognized the Alaskan malamute as the official state dog.

Northern people have used dogs to pull sleds for centuries; once a primary form of transportation in many parts of Alaska. From this tradition came sled dog racing. Today it is a worldwide sport for both professional competition and family recreation. People come from around the world to participate in Alaska's yearly Iditarod - "The last great race."

Nine other states recognize official canine symbols:

1. Louisiana- Catahoula Leopard Dog
2. Maryland- Chesapeake Bay Retriever
3. Massachusetts- Boston Terrier
4. Pennsylvania- Great Dane
5. Texas- Blue Lacy
6. South Carolina- Boykin Spaniel
7. North Carolina- Plott Hound
8. Virginia- American Fox Hound
9. Wisconsin- American Water Spaniel