Can I use my dogs as sled dogs?

Yes! A lot of sled dogs in Alaska are actually former shelter dogs. Many of them are mutts.

It's not as simple as hooking them up to a sled. There is a lot in place before this can be done. The worst that can happen are...

1. The dogs pick up speed, doing great, until they see something on the ground and slam on the brakes.

2. The dogs see a squirrel and decide to pick up speed and chase it.

3. One dog sees a squirrel and tries to dart the opposite direction from the other dog.

This can be prevented and controlled. Both of your dogs need to have reliable obedience especially with distractions. They also need to learn to ignore other scents and distractions because their only job is to be pulling you at the moment, not going after their own "job" (chasing, stopping and sniffing, etc).

Can you bike with either of your dogs? If you can reliably do so, you are off to a good start. When I first biked with my GSD puppy (around 6 months old) she did try to stop only a couple times. She eventually learned to fight that urge after the first or 2nd bike ride.

You should work with a trainer on this one, I'm not even sure if I can sled with my dog and my "half dog" (neighbor's dog).

Sure! My TM mix pulls me on a sled all the time. It just takes the proper harness and a lot of training so that you can control them with your voice from the sled.

you can do it but you will need to start gradually,

first get them used to walk tied together, once they can make them pull an empty sled around for week, once they have no problem with that add weight to it (i add 5 pounds at a time) and i increase the weight once a week.

make sure to teach them commands like stop, slow down, or faster if they dont know that i would go on the sled

you will need the proper harness though

good luck

they are physically capable of it, yes

the issue is.. do you really want to train them to pull when they are on a harness? If you teach them to pull with a harness for a sled, then they are likely going to pull when you walk them with the harness as well.

Like Julie said you can do it but make sure you get regular pulling harnesses they are different then a walking harness.

That could easily work provided they did wear the right type of harness, and you knew how to control them.

A book worth buying and reading if this is something you are really going to do. Lots of good info on the right gear for pulling, and the basics of how to properly train your dogs.

They are on facebook

https://www.facebook.com/skijorwithyourdog

and you can buy it on amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Skijor-Your-Dog-Second-Editi...

get the second edition as it has some more current info

I'm sure they would love it. Mine did.