Polar And Sled Dogs, Some general questions...

[Mistah]

I've always loved polar Spitz dogs, and my first baby boy will (hopefully) come home this summer ^-^ I have plans to have a small sled team later on, and therefore I have some questions to those of you who live with (or have had) polar dogs. Breeds of interest are samoyeds, greenlanders and malamutes. I know that these breeds can be pretty tough if you don't know what you've got, and I'd rather ask the questions first...


1. Do you have one dog, or many? What/which breed(s)?
2. Do you work with them as a sled team, or something else?
3. If you have dogs of different breeds (one polar and another of different type, or two polars of different breeds): How do these dogs go together? Are there many fights, or much competition among them?
4. If you have a pack: Do you make love to only one of them, or all? If all, how does that work with the dogs, are there much competition among them?
5. If you only have one male and is sexually active with him: Does he often try to take command (not during sex, but in general)? Have you seen changes in personality (more dominant, more aggressive, listens better to commands etc) after you began making love compared to before? What breed?

Cheers,
//Mistah

[aaron12]

I've never owned sled dogs, but I come from a town where lots of people do. So I can't give you any first-hand accounts, but I can tell you that dogs are trained to be part of a dog team don't adapt well to lives as housepets. They have to be completely retrained for it. I don't know if it'd be the same way to have one as a lover -- it might be that as long as you've comfortable with them being rough, they'll work. But it's something to be aware of.

Please let us know how it goes, if you decide to try it!

[Mistah]

Well, my plan is not to get a fully trained team immediately. I plan to get them all as puppies, one at a time, and train them myself from the beginning. That way it'll be easier both for them and me to establish a good relationship within the pack. And I don't want a big team, only four dogs or so :)

I can understand that people who has got big teams (fifteen dogs or more) keep them outside, but I figured that it should not be impossible to keep a smaller group inside, if you've got your own house and a garden.