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Dog Sledding: Getting Started

Getting started in the world of dog sledding is much more difficult than most people think. You can’t just buy a team of dogs and a dog sled and hit the trail, though you will need both of those things. Breaking into the world of dog sledding requires training for both you and your sled team. Even the best trained sled teams will be lost if they are being led by an inexperienced musher. One of the first things you will need to get started in the world of dog sledding is experience. Taking a few trips with a friend or acquaintance that owns a sled team or even paying someone for a ride along on a dog sled can be extremely helpful. Someone new to the world of dog sledding should also take the time to familiarize themselves with all of the different types of equipment used while dog sledding.
In time you will learn the ins and outs of the dog sledding world but in the beginning when you are just getting started with dog sledding the basics are the most important. Although you may be eager to go out and get your sled dogs for your dog team you should keep in mind that even after you acquire your dogs it will take many months of you working with them before you and your sled team can effectively work together. Instead of jumping the gun it would be a good idea to make sure that you already have everything that you will need for your new sled team, including equipment and housing. Dog sledding isn’t really a do it yourself type of activity so from time to time you may need to find someone more experienced to bounce questions off of. Many people that own dog sled teams have been doing it their entire lives but that doesn’t mean that a “newbie” isn’t capable of learning the ropes over a period of time.
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