When you see an Alaskan malamute during a hard pull you will see the happiest dog alive. He or she doesn’t know the limit to their strength. They pull with every muscle fiber in their bodies backed up with an iron will and stubborn determination. In fact, they don’t know that they have a limit to their strength, and they haven’t any idea the incredible amounts of weight they are pulling. All they know is that they are doing what they were born to do, and pleasing the person they love, and having a blast doing it.

One of my favorite quotes – “Ordinary people have accomplished extraordinary things because they didn’t know they couldn’t.”

If you know no boundaries, then you know no limits. Now, if we modified that- “Alaskan malamutes have accomplished extraordinary things because they didn’t know they couldn’t.”we tap into a malamute’s psyche. Malamutes are not aware of any limits. They believe their strength and stamina is invincible. Of course we humans know better, and it’s up to us dog trainers, owners, and mushers to nurture their way of thinking and not abuse it or take advantage of it in a way that pushes them past their natural limits and abilities, to accomplish a personal goal. This is the foundation and training platform that I use, and is the key to a happy and healthy freight dog.

Here’s a photo of the 2012 team taking a break in February.  All of our 23 dogs did a great job this year. We traveled nearly consecutively every day for three months and the team was just as enthusiastic on the last day as our first.  It’s a true testament to the resilience and stamina of the Alaskan malamute.