Okay I know the general rule of thumb is 5 minutes per month old. My guy is 6 months so with that logic he would be good for a half hour.

I know it also depends on what you are doing. For example casual walking or not very difficult hiking at a slow pace is fine for a while as long as you stop for breaks give them water and keep an eye on there physical condition and stop or take a long break if they get tired or over heat.

My question is more sledding related I have been talking to some mushers and they said its fine to start some light harness work and training as long as you start slow and don't go for very long.

Some suggestions I have been given with him in the harness have him pull a light weight (10-15 lbs) and reward him and encourage him to pull it to adjust to pulling. Using the waist belt set up like you would skijoring (guess I should order mine) have him pull you while you run or have him chase some one else while pulling you to encourage him to pull forward. I was also told I could start introducing him to the springer as long as we stuck to soft trails (dirt/grass) and started with going for like 5 minutes and slowly built him up to like 20 minutes.

I would really like to start training him but I wanted to get your guys thoughts on if that would be safe to start.

I would say if you are working with fellow mushers that raise pups and work them that i would go with their advice but at the same time watch for signs from your pup for where enough is enough. i like that they have said to only do it for short times, that is key!

Keep in mind that many mushers when discussing when to start puppies are specifically talking about THEIR lines- Many working specific lines develop quickly, to get them on the trails sooner vs. having to wait. Lines that are not bred from strong working backgrounds, or that develop slowly, carry higher risks with starting too young! At 6 months with a non-working line I would only be introducing harness and using on walks. No weight baring until closer to or over a year. Growth plates NEED to be closed before you push weight or distance.

HuskyMom09 wrote:

Keep in mind that many mushers when discussing when to start puppies are specifically talking about THEIR lines-  Many working specific lines develop quickly, to get them on the trails sooner vs. having to wait.  Lines that are not bred from strong working backgrounds, or that develop slowly, carry higher risks with starting too young!  At 6 months with a non-working line I would only be introducing harness and using on walks.  No weight baring until closer to or over a year.  Growth plates NEED to be closed before you push weight or distance.

Thank you for your response. Would you mind elaborating on what you mean by weight and distance? Do you mean just do short distances and little weight. Or none of both? Also as far as using it on walks do you mean encouraging him to pull or just getting used to the feel?

At 6 months I would not be doing additional weight and I'd keep the distances within the expectations of an average 6 month old (30-40 minutes). Encourage him to put his body into the harness and keep the tug loop tight, work on his directional commands. But let his body develop before you start building up to anything more.

Okay but you think 30 minutes of biking or running wouldn't be over doing it? Just making sure I understand correctly.Because I think 30 minutes of work would be fantastic for him.   

Walking/jogging not biking yet. If he's not to 30 minutes yet, start with 15 and build up.

I am finally looking at getting my Adanac skijor belt so excited!