Winter walks ....

After needing to put my two senior ladies to rest, I was guided to rescue this frisky 2 year old Sib. He has been with us for 4 months now and as long as the weather permits, I have been able to get out and walk him 3 or 4 times a day. The sometimes bitter Ohio weather is too cold for me, but he loves it.... but then, he has the fur coat on!

I have been watching the [i]"Dog whisperer",[/i] and on a recent episode he used a backpack on a Beagle with some weights (like dried beans or rice) to help use up some of the dog's energy. It would make this dog's half hour walk seem like an hour walk. I would like to maybe try this on my dog Shadow, but not sure how much weight to use. Any thoughts? Thanks

Congratulations on your new Husky! I am also a huge fan of Cesar Milan - "The Dog Whisperer." I put a backpack on my 4-year-old Husky with a one-liter water bottle on each side. I'm not sure how much they weigh, but my dog seems to have no problem with the extra weight. You might want to start out with a pound or two and increase the weight gradually. Huskies are really strong so you shouldn't have a problem with a few extra pounds. I think the amount of weight you put in the backpack is not as important as giving him a "job" to do. Focusing his mind while he's walking will help give him the mental stimulation he needs while his body gets a workout. Good Luck!

Thanks Sandy for your help, I'll try that. Shadow is our very first Husky, and is he ever frisky and strong. We live out in the country and with the snow, I thought about getting a snow board and letting him pull me around the back yard. My husband said with my luck, I would fall off the board and be pulled through the trees and where ever the fella would go. Watching how Cesar uses his skates and board on the streets seems easy, it also does not look like he uses any type of harness. But he does enjoy what he does.

Skijoring is a great sport with Siberians. You wear skis and the dog pulls you. Might work better with 2 dogs though. This lovely lady needs a home!

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As the winter weather eases you may want to consider dogscootering or bikejoring with your husky. It is a great way for a dog to get the exercise it craves. A couple of resources are www.dogscooter.com and www.urbanmushing.com I guarantee that once you have hooked up your dog and they are running down a dirt path you will be hooked on this dog powered sport. It also harnesses a Siberian's natural instinct to pull and gives them the "work" that they were breed to do.

For the really adventurous check out canicross. This is where you hook a dog to your waist and run with your dog. It is a very popular sport in Europe and is slowly becoming known here in the US.