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Mushing


Yonjuro
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I thought I would post this in general as there might be people interested who wouldn't normally look in the training section. Happy for mod to delete if required?

This is Ronin and I racing at Collie on the weekend. Minus 3 degrees, average speed on this heat 23kmph. Still a ways to go with his training as we are new to the sport.

It was so cold that my scooter had frozen to the roof rack, and I needed to unfreeze the brakes etc. Coldest I have been in WA :D But great for the dawgs.

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Awesome!

What distance do the dogs run?

Thanks Denali :)

Ronin is only a novice so 1.5km

1 dog open is around 2.5 - 3.5km

2 dog is 4.5

3 and 4 dog is 5.5

Distances vary sightly with venue

Racing is only in Winter and temps + humidity must be low

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that was great, I felt like applauding when you crossed the line. :laugh: He must be pretty fit, you both must be! How do you steer him and make him stop?

Thanks Kirislin :)

Oh I wish I was fit, but sadly not fit enough, :D Ronin is getting there, we are only new so he will get a lot faster. Steering is done by verbal commands Haw = Left, Gee = Right, On-by = Pass, Whoa = slow/stop. Hike it up = Go faster.

It was surprisingly easy to teach him the commands, "on-by" is the most challenging as some dogs don't like to be passed and others lunge towards others. Thankfully Ronin is pretty good at the etiquette. I just taught him the commands when walking him as a puppy :)

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Aww thanks Westiemum :)

He slept the whole 2.5 hours drive home :thumbsup: which is a bonus as he still gets stressed with car rides. Not nearly as bad as before but I think car rides are generally more exhausting for him than Mushing :D

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I wonder why the commands are Haw and Gee. Pretty sure that's the same with carriage driving horses. Why dont they just say left and right I wonder. hmmmmm

:D You are correct, they come from horse commands. Some people do use "left" and "right" - I like the traditional commands as I think they are easier to use without the T at the end. I can say "HAWWWWwwww" or "GEEEEEeeeee" or HAW HAW HAW or GEE GEE GEE depending on the severity of the turn etc - but it is completely up to the driver :)

It also appeals to my warped sense of humour that when I am walking Ronin around the block I say "Haw" many times and people think I am calling my dog a whore or that I have tourettes :laugh:

Edited by Yonjuro
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Wow that was fantastic! I was amazed that he just kept going and going, you could see he was having a ball :thumbsup: :laugh: @ the tourettes.

Thanks Hazy :) Doing what the breed was intended to do :) he can do double that distance with very little slowing - just needs to get his pace up a bit at the beginning -erm and mine too :thumbsup:

Loved it! And he seemed to avoid the puddles. You had a good kick leg action going on too! Really enjoyed your video, thank you for posting.

Thanks JayGee I am glad you liked it :) Yeah, I was very pleased that he avoids the puddles :D smart dawg. some people came back covered in mud LOL I find the high kicks a bit easier as you can get a swinging motion rather than lots of smaller ones, that are quite exhausting :)

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