Dog Sledding

[Gspsplease]

Sorry to hear about the GSP burnout; often if you are not closely involved in a sport you don't hear about the problems. I can see how the lighter, leaner GSP body is not as well suited to weight bearing exercise -- I guess "moderation in all things" is the answer. In many dog sports people seem to become too fanatical about competing and forget the idea of just having fun with their dog partner.

cheers

Gspsplease

[idigadog]

In the right hands, a team of GSP's would be phenomenal. What it boils down to, and this is something my husband always says to newbies, "Anyone can run a dog team but not many people know how to drive one!"

This is totally relevant to what has happened here with those who pushed their GSP's too hard, too fast. They wanted to win at all costs and didn't think about the consequences of hammering these dogs at an early age.

One of the best GSP's competing here right now is a boy called Ollie. He wasn't trained or raced until he was over 2 years old. His owner did all the right things and it has paid off because now at an age when most dogs have burnt out already, he is kicking butt and absolutely loving it. His owner has a son of Ollie and again, he won't put him in harness until he is done with his growing and has his head into gear.