Northernmost

Time flies when you’re having fun, and we’re having a good time here in Lapland! During the first week of our holiday we had a couple of sunny days but for the most part it’s been snowy and wet, like today. The trails are holding up pretty well despite the mild weather and we’ve been out on daytrips nearly every day, exploring the trails in and around the village and visiting the Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park on an overnight trip too. The dogs seem very happy to be on holiday and have been in a relaxed mood since we arrived here – eating well, working well and sleeping well 🙂 There have been a couple of less joyful moments too – like when the car broke down and when Fredrik snapped his skate ski – but we tend to forget about the debacles and focus on the good stuff instead. Life is an adventure so you’ve got to expect a few bumps along the way.

Tuisku shaking off the snow after a break. Five degrees (41 F) is balmy weather for Malamutes.

An eager Thunder checking out the trail ahead.

We went on a trip to Sissanki kota, where we cooked lunch on the fire.

Happy Malamutes awaiting their snacks.

Gemma, enjoying the sunshine 🙂

Hilary, looking regal in royal blue.

My Mum joined me and Leia for a day of skijoring in the national park. 10-year-old Leia is equally happy going on a leisurely “dog walk on skis” as she is going sledding with the team.

Love my fuzzy Bear ♥

Fredrik’s Mum nicknamed Leia our “Kim Kardashian” – can you guess why?

Titan inspecting his holiday dog house.

Yup, the straw smells the same as at home – this place will do.

My pretty Mom ♥

Another day, another trail.

Wilder – such a happy fellow!

My little team on an evening run around the village. I’m really pleased with how well they have worked this season. Tuisku is an absolute force in lead!

Plenty of snow in the kennels, we had to shovel our way in on the first day. 

Gemmy is happy to be in Lapland again!

And Hilary…not so regal looking in this pic 🙂

Exchange your laptop for a lapdog ♥

You will get plenty more love in return.

It’s been a busy weekend; we spent eight hours bathing and grooming dogs on Saturday and today we have been running them in harness all day. That’s the kind of fun weekend my non-dog-minded friends would never understand 😉 Normally, we don’t groom our Malamutes much at all during winter but right now five of our dogs are blowing their coats big time – in January!! Can’t remember that ever happening up in Lapland…Since our dogs visit our house on a daily basis we have hair pretty much everywhere and thus we decided it was time to give them a proper bath & blast to get rid of all the loose undercoat. Grooming five dogs in one day is a crazy workout!! Anyway, below are some pics from today’s sledding fun on the trail. I have included some extra pics of Gemma, as she is one of the few that is still in full winter coat. I thought she looked extra pretty with some snow on top 🙂

Mtn Home’s Northernmost Gem, WTD, WPD, at seven years of age.

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Tuisku, Thunder and Gemma zooming down the trail.

Hilary and Wilder – from a distance they look almost in full coat but there’s not much undercoat left after yesterday’s grooming session. We expect Hilary to come in season in the next month or so.

Mtn Home’s NM A Touch of The Wild, WTD, aka Wilder, at 2 years of age.

We really should separate these two more often, before they grow into ONE, but it’s difficult to separate dogs who enjoy each other’s company as much as these two do…

…they are two peas in a pod!

Happy Mals!

On our way home after a nice run in the woods.

Have a good week everyone, says Gemma!

PS. Some Winter Safety Advice

When bathing our Malamutes in winter, we always let them sleep indoors for at least TWO nights after the bath. It’s important to start bathing the dog first thing in the morning, as he/she will need to stay indoors until the coat is completely dry. Blow drying the dog after the bath is a must, ideally with a cool air dog dryer, but even when using a high velocity dryer your dog may not become 100% dry and it is dangerous (and cruel) to let even a slightly damp dog sleep outdoors in winter. A coat that feels completely dry to the touch may still carry moisture which could lead to the dog developing life-threatening hypothermia. Therefore, if you for practical reasons cannot let your Malamute spend time and sleep indoors after a bath – don’t bathe your dog in cold weather!

“Yes, I’m a hardy Malamute – but I appreciate a warm bed too!”

Sorry to be so long between posts. We’ve been keeping ourselves busy this autumn and there aren’t enough hours in the day, nor days in the week to do everything we’d like to do right now. At the moment we are working on three outdoor projects; clearing trees, building a wooden fence and constructing an elevated shed in the dogs’ forest play area. We are also making preparations for the colder season by giving our Malamutes their pre-winter baths and cleaning their dog houses and changing bedding. At the end of a long day I can’t wait to snuggle up on the couch under a warm blanket, but before I do I need to harness up some dogs and take them running, bikejoring or carting. Autumn is a busy time here in Nedre Bäck but I promise to prioritise the blog more during October and update more consistently. I do have news to share, just not the time to write about it 😉

Sorry Mom, this sofa is taken!

We visited our dog club today with Gemma, Titan, Wilder and Hilary to train agility at Åbyn-Byske Brukshundklubb’s new outdoor training area. We’ve had a long break from agility during summer as it’s been too hot to do anything strenuous, but now that autumn is here we plan to continue our weekly training sessions at home and at the dog club. Agility (and rally obedience) is a great complement to exercise in harness as it provides that extra mental stimulation that most Malamutes need. It also improves their coordination, strengthens muscles, increases endurance and helps boost their overall confidence. There are many reasons to train agility with your dog and above all, it’s fun!

Below is a short clip of Fredrik and Wilder from today. Wilder is getting soo good at agility! He is fast, accurate and simply LOVES this game!

 

+31°C (87°F) and we’re melting away here on the northern coast. It’s too hot to do anything much but a bit of Rally training in the garden works fine, as long as we return to the shade quickly afterwards. We haven’t trained Rally-O since November last year so yesterday’s session was a bit rocky. Still, it is fun to see how much the dogs remember, especially Wilder who has only tried his paws at this sport once or twice before. What’s so great about Rally is that you are permitted to talk, praise and encourage your dog, and use unlimited commands and hand signals. Rally is a positive sport in many ways and a great option for those who dislike the stuffiness of formal obedience.

We have printed and laminated all the Novice Rally signs so we can use them for training in any weather. If you want to buy SBK’s signs for Novice class in soft plastic, you find them here.

Titan and I practise the “Halt – Down – Walk Around Dog”

And here we do the “Spiral Right – Dog Outside.”

According to Swedish Rally regulations, you are not allowed to use treats or toys in the ring but we do of course use plenty of rewards during training. I do my best to avoid using the leash to steer the dog in position, as in rally points are deducted every time the leash is tight (in the more advanced classes the dog is working off leash). However, I sometimes forget about the leash and that’s why it’s good to film your training sessions, so that you can spot mistakes and correct them.

Not sure what Titan thinks about Rally?? LOL

Below is a video with some clips of me training with Lyra and Wilder. Btw, you won’t recognise Wilder as he barely has a hair on his body. At least he’s dressed for the weather! After yesterday’s session I know that there are several areas that need improvement; we need to improve our sits, as they are often more than 45 degrees out of heel position, improve call fronts, and our turns are too sloppy. I also need to improve Wilder’s heelwork, as he is often crowding me. Well, there are many areas that need improving but hey, that’s what training is all about!

Finish!

They say that dogs instinctively know how to swim. But not every dog knows how to swim well and many dogs don’t even enjoy being in water. Until yesterday, our 5-year-old boy Titan had never been out deeper than his stomach. We never force a dog to swim, that doesn’t go into deep water on his or her own accord, but since we live on the coast we encourage all our dogs to play in and enjoy water as it’s a great way to cool down and to get some exercise too. Yesterday it was really hot and Titan seemed more tempted than usual to get his whole body wet.

Why can’t I walk on water?

What happens if my nose goes under the surface?

This is as deep as Titan would usually venture…

...but yesterday he followed me a bit further out from the shore…

…and suddenly he was swimming!

And after the initial surprise he seemed quite pleased to be able to move around in water.

This is cool!!

We had a nice picnic on the beach and Titan joined us every time we went swimming.

Gemma preferred to only get her belly wet as usual. She is 7 years old in September, but who knows, maybe she’ll try swimming one day too?

The forecast for the next few days is HOT so we’ll be heading for the beach again very soon!

We’re making the most of our holiday and have been out on trips nearly every day, either sledding or skijoring. There are endless trails to explore in Enontekiö and as always we wish we could stay until the snow melts. The weather has been very mild during the last couple of days and the trails are quickly getting soft and mushy but according to the forecast the temperature will drop again during Easter – fingers crossed for a few more days of good sledding! Below are some mixed pics from last week, there are also some new photos in our Lapland Spring 2014 gallery.

Our “Britkids”, Lyra and Titan, getting ready for a run.

♥ ♥

Hilary and Wilder heading up to the top of the Särkitunturi fell in Muonio County.

We had to climb a steep, long hill to get there…

…but it was worth it, as the view from the top was spectacular.

The Pallas-Ylläs fell on the horizon is our “home fell”, here seen from a different angle.

The Finns are practical people – on the top of Särkitunturi was a tiny outhouse.

Wilder is starting to look quite grown up – at least in this picture.

We didn’t spend a lot of time on the fell as it was too windy to sit down and enjoy a picnic.

Down in the valley the sun was shining again.

Hilary and Wilder don’t really need a neckline – they are joined at the hip anyway 😉

♥ ♥

On a different day we sledded to the Sissanki Lap Hut where we cooked lunch over the open fire.

The dogs rested peacefully on the stakeout while we had lunch but woke up when four dog teams from the local sled dog operator Hetta Huskies passed by the hut. If you ever visit Enontekiö as a tourist I recommend looking up Hetta Huskies. They offer activities year round and take excellent care of their dogs. Many of their sled dogs are rehabilitated rescue dogs.

Titan and Lyra doing a snow roll together.

Lyra has grown into a super sled dog. She loves to work and seems to have endless energy. Lyra is probably the one among our dogs who requires most exercise but as long as she gets her daily run she’s happy and content and a very sweet dog to have around – she loves to give kisses!

Hilary too has grown into a great sled dog, both on and off the trail. While her soft looks may be deceiving she is in fact a high-energy dog like Lyra, who needs lots of daily exercise to be happy. That’s something to remember if you’re new to the breed and interested in buying a Malamute; they are gorgeous looking dogs but unless you are willing to take your dog sledding / skijoring / biking / hiking / running, regardless of the weather, on a daily basis – this breed is probably not for you.

Someone said that Lapland is a place where heaven touches the earth and I think it’s true, especially on a sunny day in spring. When the sky is blue and you’re up above the treeline, it feels as if you could almost reach out and touch the candy floss clouds with your hands. We had a wonderful time out on the trail and I’ve taken lots of photos that I’ve uploaded to a gallery. Below are some of our favourite moments from a trip that can be summed up by “perfect weather and perfect dogs” 🙂

Hello mountains here we come!

The dogs ran like clockwork, despite not having had much training on snow this winter.

Titan and Lyra teamed up well.

Me & our Miss Congeniality aka Hilary.

Fredrik setting up our tent in the snow – clear skies meant a cold night but we managed with reindeer hides and down sleeping bags. I kept my feet warm wearing nuvttagat.

Stakeout with a view – the gang parked on the fell slope while we took a break for lunch.

From left to right – Wilder, Hilary, Titan and Lyra.

♥

This was Wilder’s first multiday excursion and he did everything we asked from him – worked like a pro in front of the pulk and slept quietly on the stakeout at night. His big sis is a good teacher!

You could almost touch the sky here.

This was around 8.00 o’clock in the morning – we got up when it was still dark to feed the dogs and when we hit the trail a couple of hours later we had it all to ourselves.

Love my new small-sized Polaris sled – it glides on the snow like a dream.

Lyra found herself a good lookout spot – she likes to keep an eye on everything that’s going on.

Titan doing his signature snow roll 😉

We baited the water with tuna to encourage the dogs to drink a little at every stop.

♥ Happiness is tired dogs ♥

The yearning for snow became so strong that we decided to travel up to Lapland for a couple of weeks of real winter! There are HEAPS of snow in Lapland and everything is just the way it should be in April: heavy snowfall one day, brilliant sunshine the next and the trails are still frozen and fast. We’ve brought along Hilary, Wilder, Lyra and Titan and look forward to a fun holiday together. Lapland in April is pure bliss 🙂

Finally some snow !!!

The KONG Safestix is a great alternative for dogs who love to play with sticks but need a safer toy that can be carried around, chewed, thrown and fetched without inflicting injuries.Our vet once showed us his thick file with photos of dogs that had been admitted to his clinic due to various injuries caused by sticks…it was scary stuff that worked as a real eye opener! Nowadays when our dogs pick up a stick in the garden we encourage them to play with the Safestix instead. It’s a safe toy that can’t break into pieces and that works equally well in summer and winter. We haven’t tried it in water yet but since it floats it should be a great toy for the beach too! Just one word of warning – the Safestix is a *weird looking toy* and in a non-dog context it may seem odd lying around your house 😉

The flexible Safestix is made of durable plastic and long enough for two dogs to share comfortably.

The rounded ends make it easy to grab and throw and to play tug of war with 🙂

Available in vibrant colours it is easy to find in snow and grass.

We use size Large for our adult Mals.

And no, we are not sponsored by KONG…

….we just like recommending safe toys to other Mal owners 🙂

♥ Happy weekend everyone ♥

We went skijoring this morning but the trail was too soft and punchy for the dogs and we had to travel slowly to avoid injuries. Can’t believe how mild this winter has been…we have hardly had two weeks of continuous cold weather since November! Today we had +4°C which is much too warm for double-coated Malamutes. The forecast for next week is rain and even higher temperatures, I wonder if there will be any snow left by the end of this month?! I’m glad we still have our holiday in Lapland to look forward to as we haven’t been able to complete many miles this winter. But, why stress about snow and mileage when the dogs are happy and healthy? It’s not like we’re training for the Iditarod… 😉

Pretty Gem at nearly 6.5 years of age.

It’s too hot!!!

We continue to add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to Gem’s food and her coat looks great!