Did an (at least- very rough guesstimate) 8 mile out-and-back a little south/east of Easton WA. that included crossing a creek today. I really wanted to get to a place I've decided to call "Aspen Alley" while the color was good. As you can see, it didn't dissapoint. The hounds rolled it in 65 minutes including stopping for rests, pictures, etc. which for a team this size pulling a #140 cart plus a big ol'  gal like me is a very decent pace.

I watered them with some doggie 'sports drink' type stuff someone had given me, loaded up, stopped by a friend's place, then came home... dogs were screeching in the box to get out as soon as I was within 100 feet of the driveway, so it looks like they weren't particularly worse for wear. It's always amazing to see how these dogs perform, especially since these dogs are all so seasoned they pick up condition very fast.

Rogan in wheel- Dulcie in right lead- Anya in left lead

The answer is 'it depends'. All three dogs will run single or double lead, but the girls together I call "the voice of reason".

Anya is fast and extrordinarily athletic, but something of an airhead. Dulcie is the quintessential born leader and is big on keeping us out of trouble, but she tends to list to the left and is slowing down now at 9 years old. Together they balance each other out nicely. Sometimes when we're coming in I'll put Dulcie back in wheel and let Anya lead alone, as I'd like her to get more used to thinking for herself. I suspect Anya will eventually be pretty good up there... maybe not as good as her older sister, but increased experience and maturity seems to be making progress.

Rogan does OK  in lead as long as the speed is high, otherwise he's distracted... and even then he's prone to taking sudden creative license. He works VERY hard and I have to keep a close eye on him to make sure he doesn't overheat, destroy his feet, etc. Back there in wheel takes advantage of his work ethic without letting him get us all into trouble. He does tend to listen better about staying to the right on the trail though- something that Dulcie is willing to argue about and Anya is only starting to understand- so if I'm running in an area with heavy snomobile traffic and a lot of blind curves, I've been known to put Rogan up front.

To Rogan's credit, he's gotten very clever about  recognizing by sound snomobiles bearing down on us recklessly/ at high speed. Normally he just hugs the right side of the trail and goes by them, but once when we had some real throttle jockies coming up behind he actually drug the whole team off the trail and onto the berm (he was in lead), stopped everyone, and glared at the machines as they flew around the corner. And yes, the next batches that were driving normally he trotted by without a fuss. I'm still trying to figure how he could have sussed THAT one out....

Very nice fall pictures!!!

Wow--if these shots can't sell a person on carting with their dogs, I don't know what would.  This looks like a blast--and what a great way to enjoy the beautiful fall weather!  I can't wait until Otto's mature enough to give this a try!

Thanks for sharing! 

And I didn't even mention doing 4 loads of laundry, an hour long exploratory mountain bike ride of some dirt paths I found on Google maps satellite coverage, chopping up another 12 lb block of meat for the dogs, and whatever else the husband & 2yo requested. These days I go to bed late and get up early... pretty standard for fall mushing season.

GSPs are very popular for mushing (especially skijoring) in Scandinavia and are becoming more popular on this side of the pond. PointerPower brings a lot to the table: athletic ability, heat tolerance, desire to please, steady temperament, and often an insatiable drive to RUN HARD FAST. I really wish the US breed club would do more to recognize this talent because it's an incredible testament to just how versatile this breed is.

My uncle makes carts, which can be seen at http://sandlynx.com (I made the web page but don't get anything for it other than an excuse to talk dogs with an amazing guy).

I put boots on whenever they're needed, mostly due to foot wear, injury, or overly abrasive conditions. They sometimes need them on dirt, sometimes on snow. Since heat dissipation is a major concern in the canine athlete, their feet being 'cold' is actually a benefit when running on snow.