A little brag about my dog!

Originally Posted by Samnooshka

We have to keep them outside as her coat is finer than it should be as they are house dogs. So we are building a run on the part of the garden that is always in shade so we can keep them out there and know they are safe

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Just goes to show (bdum tsch!) what a serious (and expensive) job showing dogs is! Really excited for you though Sam, I hope Mina goes far, I've no doubt she will looking as good as she does

Just one question though, I take it you still race Mina? Can you race and show the same dog? Obviously racing contributes to the exercising but I'm just wondering if there are restrictions on that sort of thing.

AWW bloody love sibes, dont have a big enough garden though so the misses wouldnt let me get one. Got a spollie instead (springer spanial/boarder collie) shes small but nuts so she makes do with the garden and we're able to let her off the lead so she can run about.
Do you let your husky off the lead? was it hard to train to come back when in large open spaces?

Just one question though, I take it you still race Mina? Can you race and show the same dog? Obviously racing contributes to the exercising but I'm just wondering if there are restrictions on that sort of thing.

Yep we still race Mina well not over the summer, but it helps give them muscle and tone and makes them look more impressive in the show ring, unlike other breeds such as Retreivers and labs, a good show dog should be able to do its job, If a malamute can't work then it is constructed wrong and shouldn't do well at showing We do the racing, Weight pull, and backpacking (as some people saw at Lydden) with Mina and lucien will do the same once he is a year although he will start training to pull once he is about 8 months.

Mina is a fantastic worker... just a couple of pictures:
Mina doing her first weight pull competition and after no training in this activity, she pulled 900lb, 10x her bodyweight!!


Mina working in harness (Mina is on the right, Solo on the left):


Mina on right (our left) Kimo on left:

AWW bloody love sibes, dont have a big enough garden though so the misses wouldnt let me get one. Got a spollie instead (springer spanial/boarder collie) shes small but nuts so she makes do with the garden and we're able to let her off the lead so she can run about.
Do you let your husky off the lead? was it hard to train to come back when in large open spaces?

Siberian Huskies are less reliable than Alaskan Malamutes (which is what i have) but still i don't let Mina off lead unless i know the area is enclosed, she has such a high prey drive, she would be off if she saw something, plus they are stubborn so if she doesn't want to come back there is no convincing her otherwise. She is also very big, she is 94lb so bigger than most dogs you get in the park, i don't want to take the risk of a small dog mouthing off to her (which is normally the case) and Mina finishing the argument If she is on lead and another dog starts on her, i know my dog is in the right and it saves arguments. Lucien is still very young and in the "mummy might leave me stage" so tends to stick close to me on walks, plus being a typical boy he follows his stomach so never goes too far as he wont get back to me quick enough to get treats!

Just goes to show (bdum tsch!) what a serious (and expensive) job showing dogs is!

Yes it is. we travel over the country to do it... we have a show a week from now up until 15th August! Some weeks have 2 shows, from Leeds to Paignton! Also the cost of the grooming gear is expensive too, i have a table to groom them on, a blaster to dry them (which is very powerful) plus all the shampoos which Mina is going through like no tomorrow! i clean her then she goes and digs a bloody great hole in the garden! Then the travelling and travel lodge costs... £20 per dog to stay in travel lodges now! And then there is also the working side, Rig, Harnesses, Rope, more traveling, more travel lodges, at least in the winter there are hardly any shows so i don't have to groom them, just let them dry off and brush the mud out luckily they are pretty much self shedding when the coat is dry and the mud falls off them. We have had 3 new cars since having the dogs... sold the evo and got a cr-v when we brought Lupo home... then CR-V was too small for 2 dogs so we use that if we are taking one dog out or going into town, and bought an L200 which has big cages in the back for the dogs! The list is endless, but it is a lifestyle i will never give up... especially as my dogs have so much fun doing it too, they are stubborn enough that they would refuse to pull or enter the ring if they weren't happy the minute they don't want to do it is the day we will stop, but they are both very good.

[dizzyblonde]

Originally Posted by Samnooshka

Yep we still race Mina well not over the summer, but it helps give them muscle and tone and makes them look more impressive in the show ring, unlike other breeds such as Retreivers and labs, a good show dog should be able to do its job, If a malamute can't work then it is constructed wrong and shouldn't do well at showing

Mina is a fantastic worker... just a couple of pictures:
Mina doing her first weight pull competition and after no training in this activity, she pulled 900lb, 10x her bodyweight!!


Mina working in harness (Mina is on the right, Solo on the left):


!

yup the pup up the road is only tiny, but already shows hes a puller...lol.
The guy has started to build a nice big fence round the house, and he keeps him on a long line while hes building it, he was really pulling at it while Bob was stood with him. He'll be kept outside too as its not the first husky/malamute that hes had,

[jambo]

Originally Posted by Graciepants

how do you thicken the coat up?

...add a little corn flour....

No?

Glad to hear all is well with the mutts Sam, looking very impressive there!

Jambo

Appolgies, I thought malmutes were much broader and taller than huskies and pics show the dogs head below waist height so I assumed they were the smaller husky.
For malmutes their bloody georgeous, I always considered the husky a smaller better looking malmute but yours is stunning. The mute just seems to have been a bit of a brute to me previously its awsome to see you sled them as well thats cool.
Forgot to say congratulations on the crufts part previously too Well done.

Mina is still very young and needs to do a lot more maturing yet, but she is very pretty. Malamutes are magestic and proud dogs....

Here is an old picture of Lupo at 18 months:


Mina compared to her... now let me work this out.... her Great Great Great Aunty BeBe (who is 13 in this picture) as you can see she has a lot of developing to do:



You can see she has a deeper chest than Mina and broader skull, her bloodline are very slow to mature physically and she will not be fully developed until she is about 4. Lucien will be the same as he has the same Dad, AM CH SnoKlassic Ticket To Ride... stunning boy:

Originally Posted by Samnooshka

If a malamute can't work then it is constructed wrong and shouldn't do well at showing

Makes complete sense but I did wonder! Some show dogs are terribly pampered and restricted in doing the things they were bred for, its wonderful to know others are getting the opportunity to work!

Originally Posted by Samnooshka

The list is endless, but it is a lifestyle i will never give up... especially as my dogs have so much fun doing it too, they are stubborn enough that they would refuse to pull or enter the ring if they weren't happy the minute they don't want to do it is the day we will stop, but they are both very good.

Anyone can tell from reading your posts how much effort and commitment you and James give your dogs, keep up the good work and I look forward to hearing about the next Crufts champ soon

Originally Posted by Samnooshka

Mina is still very young and needs to do a lot more maturing yet, but she is very pretty. Malamutes are magestic and proud dogs....

Here is an old picture of Lupo at 18 months:

absolutely gorgeous picture! guessing they should be at home in the snow

Lucien will be the same as he has the same Dad, AM CH SnoKlassic Ticket To Ride... stunning boy:

hes gorgeous! bet your sofas are continually covered in fur though!!

So its pretty fair to say that a malmute adolesant is similar build to an adult husky?

They look like 2 different breeds set side by side, you can really see the difference. How old is Mina sorry?