I'm thinking of hooking my dog up to a sled this winter. I was talking to a dog trainer recently who reckons my guy would be fine to tow a sled and me, which would probably be about 3x his body weight. He's 3 years old, good hips, no medical issues.

Any one ever use anything other than an actual kicksled for sledding? Id be interested to try it out first before investing 200-300$ into a proper sled. I was wondering if i could get away with using a cheap kids sledding toy or something.

My dog knows right & left commands. "Go" is his default mode, he doesn't know a specific stop command, but his recall is decent so I think I can get his attention back on me if I need and slow him down, and will work on a "stop".

Also, do I need to be on packed, groomed trails, or can i let him loose in an open field?
lots of wide expanses here and we get light, powdery snow with little moisture content and have long winters.

interested to here peoples thoughts on this. thanks.

I'd try skijoring first to see how it goes.
Equipment for that would set you back far less than a sled.
Start someplace flat, like on a road where the snow been packed down by snowmobiles.
Avoid narrow trails bordered by trees.
Until your dog learns the "on" command, sideways temptation can cause a crash.
Good-luck.

I agree. Start small with skijoring or bikejoring. Work up to the weight and get all the commands down and monitor how his body holds up to it. You may check your area for mushers to test out harnesses for him. Making friends with them now could help you procure a cart later when the time is right.

Thanks for the tips.

I definitely want to bike with him next year but it's too close to winter for me to start biking now, looking for a winter exercise option.

I've considered skijoring but I've been crosscountry skiing a few times and dont really like it. Also slightly afraid he'll pull me over and my leg will go one way and the ski will go another and I'll mess up a knee or ankle. But really, I just dont like cross skiing.....

I thought maybe walking him on a lead and having him tow an empty toboggan at first and trying to teach him some commands that way instead of trying to teach him from behind him on the sled. I dunno, just an idea....

Trying to find some local mushers is definitely a good idea, some training tips wouldn't go amiss.