One of our favourite activities with our Malamutes is running them in harness and, boy, they sure do love it.

Sled dog racing is a growing sport in which any breed can compete, and during the winter months there are sledding events held nearly every weekend.  Not only is it a great way to exercise your dog, but it provides mental stimulation and allows them to do the activity they were bred for by the Eskimos - pulling in harness.

Our three littermates from our first litter, Dugan, Laska & Tuggy, have enjoyed success in sled dog racing since they were old enough to compete, and our girls from our Loska litter, Ellie and Maddie are following in their footsteps. Even our old girl, Tarni and the big, fluffy Kiska enjoy a trot around the trails.

We got hooked on sled dog racing with our first Malamute, Tarni (right), in the 1-dog class and in the following year progressed to the 2-dog class with the team of Tarni and Thawe, on loan to us from Frostbite Kennels.

Kiska & Tarni

We begin light training with our pups at around 6 months of age and they compete in sledding events when they are over 12 months of age. 

Following their first year of participation in sled dog racing, the Windchill 3-dog team of Dugan, Tuggy and Laska attained the position of top Alaskan Malamute team in Australia in their class, an achievement that they repeated in 1999.  The three achieved their Working Sprint and Team dog titles, and Tuggy his Working Lead Dog title, after their first sledding season.

The Windchill teams have been winners of the South Australian State Cup in the 2- & 3-dog classes and the Victorian State Cups in the 1-dog, 2-dog and 4-dog classes. Their achievements have also resulted in Ralph being awarded 1999 Dog Driver of the Year in the 2-dog and 4-dog Classes, and a close 2^nd in the 1-dog class, and again in 2000 in the 4-dog class.

Maddie and Ellie (left) are also enjoying their sledding work with wins in the 1-dog and 2-dog classes, and Ellie, her dad Oska and sister Panda have all gained Working Team Dog titles. 

Our Malamutes have always loved to run in harness and to them it's just a bit of a game and good, clean fun! We do believe, however, that in order to be successful in this field, running in harness must never be made a chore to the dogs, and they should never be pushed beyond what is comfortable for them. In order to achieve this of course the dogs must be kept fit and in excellent health and physical condition.

These dogs enjoy nothing more than to run in harness and we recommend anyone with a Malamute give it a try, provided their dog is fit and healthy.  Most Malamutes take to it instinctively - the fact that they are a freighting breed doesn't stop them from loving the sport of sled dog racing.  To them it's just great fun - the big grins on those furry faces say it all.

We started making sled dog equipment in 1995 and Windchill Dog Gear has expanded considerably since then.  All our equipment is well and truly tried and tested on our own Malamutes and can be viewed on our website at www.windchill.com.au.

Anyone with a Malamute who would like to try, or have a look at, sled dog racing can contact the Alaskan Malamute Club, Victoria for more information.  Other organisations that support or conduct sledding events are the  Victorian Sled Dog Racing Association and the Australian Sleddog Sports Association.

Site produced by Windchill Kennels.  Please do not reproduce without permission of the author.            Updated January 2010