Northernmost

Sunday is Funday for our Mals as if the weather allows we practise agility together in the garden. All our Mals LOVE agility and can hardly wait for their turn. Some are natural jumpers while others do better at the more “brainy” obstacles. We have lots of fun training at home and also take classes whenever they are available. At the moment we are nowhere near ready to compete with our dogs but it’s a great way of bonding and having fun together, while keeping bodies and brains in good shape!

Lyra tries out the tyre jump.

Thunder practises the weave poles.

Tuisku completes the chute.

AGILITY IS FUN!!!

Hi everyone, it’s been a busy month here at Northernmost as we’ve managed to cram in a major building project, a visit from Marit’s sister with family, evening working activities, organizing a two-day garage sale plus intense bathing and grooming of the dogs during their peak shedding season. Where did the holiday go?? Here are some new summer shots of part of the gang 🙂

Tuisku at 7 years of age – not much winter coat left now.

Pretty Lyra at 11 months.

Some mixed pics of part of the gang, hanging out at home.

Today we introduced our youngsters, Hilary and Lyra, to packing. Since they are still young it’s too early for them to carry any weight on their backs. Instead we filled their packs with lightweight stuff, such as clothes and blankets, to create the feel of a full load but with a minimum of weight. Both girls got used to having a bulky pack on their back in no time and showed great promise for the future. “Uncle Thunder” came along for moral support and we had a lovely day on the trail, enjoying the fresh breeze from the ocean and lunch on the sunny rocks.

Lyra and Hilary did great on their first packing excursion.

“Uncle Thunder” came along to show the girls the ropes.

MAY is a month of bathing and grooming here at Northernmost and we started off with our 9-month-old girls Hilary and Lyra today, who looked this nice once they were ready…

Mtn Home’s Northernmost Hiking Hilary – “Hilary”.

Sledog Dream Leaper – “Lyra”.

It’s hard work being groomed! 😉

Kongs, rope toys, rings and balls…turns out a mouthful of grass is all you need to have fun! 🙂

Hilary has grass in her mouth and Lyra is eager to share.

This time around, Lyra is the one being chased.

We have typical April weather here in Lapland – blue skies and sunshine one day, and heavy snowfall the next. On clear days we make trips to the mountains and when it’s snowing we work the dogs on the forest trails starting from home. Yesterday Fredrik took the 5-dog team out for a run while I enjoyed a lazy day in the cabin. After more than two weeks of daily working activities my legs are starting to feel a little heavy and it was nice to take a break from the trail, reading a book in front of the fire instead. We’re at the end of our winter and we have had a really good sledding season this year so I won’t miss Lapland too much when we head home this week. I’m ready to stow away sleds and skis and begin preparing for spring and summer! 🙂

Titan and Gem in wheel, Lyra and Hilary in the middle, and Tuisku in front. Tuisku has been working in single lead several times this season and has done really well!

Titan and Gem resting during a break on the trail.

Another stunning day in Lapland and perfect weather for a picnic! We packed our rucksacks and skijored to nearby Lake Ullajärvi with the pups and Tuisku and enjoyed a lazy day in the sun. It was a good opportunity for socialization as many people passed our lean-to shelter on the skiing trail and the pups had to practise being passive and quiet, also when other dogs were passing by, which isn’t always that easy. We also had company of four curious Siberian Jay birds who came to feed off our picnic. After the trip we headed straight for the wood heated sauna. In other words, a very typical day in Lapland 🙂

We travelled to a village near the Norwegian border today and went for a short run with the sled along the Arctic Trail which connects Finland with Norway and Sweden. Lyra and Hilary are SO good in harness, feels like they are professional sled dogs already! I had to look in their Puppy Training Gallery to see how many times they’ve actually worked on a 3-dog team (I save photos from all their working activities in this album, just to keep track) and found that this was actually only their second time in front of the sled. Wow, makes me even more impressed! Tuisku did great in single lead and we had a lovely day in the sun. On our way home we discovered some new trails that we haven’t tried before so I’m keen to go back to explore those. This weekend I’m skiing with my mom and we’re also taking Tuisku, Titan and Gem for a longer ride. Wish the holiday could go on forever!

On Sunday we brought the pups and the sunny weather with us and travelled to Sweden to meet with our friends Sara and James Barstow of Ayakulik Alaskan Malamutes. Sara and James are currently on a Grand Tour of Lapland together with their three Alaskan Malamutes so we decided to meet up near Jukkasjärvi in the heart of Swedish Lapland for a wilderness weekend. Sara and James own Lyra’s litter brother “Xion “(Sledog Dream Factory) so this was a great chance for the siblings to get together for a playdate. We had amazing weather during both days and besides chatting about Malamutes and having saunas we managed to squeeze in some sledding and skijoring too. Hilary and Lyra gained some more valuable trail experience and had plenty of fun playing with the very sweet and handsome Xion. Thanks Sara, James, Oakley, Kiska and Xion for a great weekend!

Our Easter Holiday couldn’t have started better – perfect dogs, trails and weather and happiness all around. It’s days like these we dream of during the dark winter and that make all the hard work worthwhile. Tuisku, Gem and Titan have been on a sledding picnic today and our youngsters, Hilary and Lyra, have been trying out working independently in harness on a skijoring trip on the lake. We stay out from dawn to dusk to make the most of our time in Lapland. To us this is true bliss!

Minus ten degrees celsius, sunshine and LOADS of snow. We’re in Malamute paradise! While the fur kids are busy exploring their new surroundings, we are shoveling snow, filling up the dog houses with fresh straw, fetching water, and keeping the fire going to warm up the cabin. Always plenty of work to do before we’re settled in but come Easter and we’ll be ready to hit the trail! 🙂

Just some recent pics of the pups 🙂