Leader Training
/Unfortunately this year, I was not able to go down to Anchorage for the Iditarod start. I felt like one of the dogs left in the yard, howling and crying, when everyone else heads out on an adventure. After watching all the Iditarod Insider videos, reading all the articles, and cheering on our favorite teams - SP Kennel - I hit the trails to work out some of the anxious energy. I decided today would be a leader training day. Each yearling had their turn at leading the team, and one yearling in particular really surprised me: Sally.
This entire winter, I have yet to see little Sally tired. At 33 lbs, she is always happy and full of energy. However, she also was a bit immature. On long training runs, she would get bored and try to play with her neighbor or pick up booties left on the trial. Yet the past couple weeks, there's been a change. Sally has been incredibly focused and driven, but even so, I've kept her to the back of the team. Today, in lead, she wasn't just leading, she was driving. Passing other teams and the occasional moose, she was all focus and kept trying to go faster. Needless to say, I'm excited about the future of this little dog.
