If You "Mush" Know

If You Mush Know: Eyes All Aglow

This month’s question comes from….. From Mrs. Gotschall’s 3rd grade class: How do the dogs see and run at night?   Eyes All Aglow By: Lynne Witte Illustrated by: Jon Van Zyle   “In the full moon when it is blue and white on the snow at the same time, so bright and clean and …

If You Mush Know: Snuggled In…

This month’s question comes from….. Mrs. Randoph’s Second Grade Class How do sled dogs keep warm in their outside houses?  Are all dog houses the same?   Snuggled In: By: Lynne Witte Illustrations by: Jon Van Zyle It’s cold and snowing outside, but inside a sled dog’s house, they are warm and cozy. Sled dogs …

If You Mush Know: Ready? Start Your Engines!

This month’s question comes from….. Ava Why do mushers sometimes use four-wheelers with the dogs? Are the dogs really pulling those? Or are the mushers driving them?   Ready? Start your Engines! When temperatures drop the musher and dogs are ready to begin their training season. An ATV is a good choice for the best …

If You Mush Know: Happy Feet!

This month’s question comes from….. Aarav What does it mean when a musher says a dog has “good feet?” Do only dogs with bad feet wear booties? Happy Feet A musher is a coach choosing his or her team and beginning to prepare the dogs to perform at their best. The dogs will be running …

If You Mush Know: Time to Harness Up and Train

This month’s question comes from…. Teddy What does it mean when the mushers say they are in “fall training?” Time to Harness Up and Train A chill is in the morning air, fog swirls as the morning sun rises, and an extra bounce is in the dogs as they sense the change in seasons. It …

If You “Mush” Know: Summer Diets

This month’s question comes from….. Abby What do the dogs eat in the summer? Is it different than during the racing season?   What is on the menu for sled dogs? What a sled dog eats is very important to their performance year round.The dogs’ diet affects their overall health, muscle development, and ability to …

If You Mush Know: Run, Snack, Love

This month’s question comes from: Jack What do the dogs do when a big race like Iditarod is over? What do they do when they get home? What’s next? The Iditarod teams have completed 823 miles of running on the Gold Trail Loop as a team and have navigated tough trail sections and overcome many …

If You “Mush” Know: How Big are Sled Dogs?

This month’s question comes from….. Grant: How big do sled dogs get? Do they have to be a certain size to race?   Willingness and Heart   Sled dogs come in many sizes with mushers’ preferences ranging from larger dogs with muscular strength to smaller quicker runners. Martin Buser, 4 time Iditarod champion, once wrote, …

If You “Mush” Know: Poop Scooping

This month’s question comes from….. Every kid in America:  What happens if the dogs have to go to the bathroom? Do you have to stop and scoop it up?    Chocolate Kisses and Goggles   Excitement echoes in the kennel as the dogs, supreme canine athletes, are getting ready to do what they love – …

If You “Mush” Know: Stopping a Team

This question comes from Mrs. Dagenais’ Class in Baltimore: How does a musher stop their team of sled dogs? Gary Paulsen describes in Dogteam the beauty of a winter night run with a team of dogs pulling the sled taking you on a wonderful ride along a trail. Paulsen shares the beauty of the energy …