– I have two strong boys who are a bit of bulldozers. I put them a little further back. That’s what dog handler Harald Tunheim says about two of the dogs in his team. He is one of the most experienced dog handlers competing in this year’s Finnmark race. He has won 6 times previously, and has participated a total of 26 times. So the dog handler knows how to put together a good team. But why does the dog handler put the strongest dogs behind? news’s expert explains that the dogs at the back of the team act as four-wheel drive: – It’s good to have a little push at the back of the team when going up hills, as they are bigger and stronger. This is the second toughest position in the pack because the dogs feel the sled most there when it bumps and jerks in the rope. You have to be strong both physically and mentally to cope with it, says Dalby. Photo: Hanne Wilhelms / news The range for FL 600 consists of eight dogs. They are placed based on their characteristics and where they are best suited. – The way you compose the bucket is very decisive, says Dalby. A leader encourages the others Lederhund Flex leads the pack to Tunheim. He is placed there for a good reason: – He has a strong head. He encourages the other dogs if they start to get tired, says Tunheim. Although Flex is placed at the front, he is still not the only lead dog in the pack. The dog handler has other candidates that he can place at the front. According to Dalby, it is a good idea to have several leaders in the pack: – Having leader dogs that can cope with the various conditions is important. You rarely find the complete guide dog that has all the qualities. Having a team with several good leaders is therefore alpha and omega, because everyone has different qualities. – How do the lead dogs cope with being placed further back in the pack? – Sometimes it is welcome, because it is mentally tough to go first and then they like to be moved to the back. But then you have some idiosyncrasies who might get a little angry and wonder why they have to be further back, but they just have to accept this, says Dalby. The rest of the team news’s expert compares the rest of the team with offensive midfielders, as in football. They can be placed both at the front and at the back of the bucket depending on the needs. The expert points out that the dogs that walk in the middle of the pack also play very important roles. – Since the first four are the ones who set the pace in the pack, those who come behind must again be part of the pace. And then there are the four-wheel drives in the back. So you have to have these runners who can also contribute at the front if needed. Go two by two, but not always The dogs go two by two, but already on the first day there were several mushers who had to put dogs out. As a result, someone has to walk alone in their row in the van. – Not all dogs can handle it, so here you have to find one who is strong enough in his head to walk alone in the middle of the pack. Another challenge can be that the chemistry doesn’t quite fall into place: – Not all dogs work equally well together, some actually can’t stand each other’s noses. – But then it can work well to put a young dog together with one who is more experienced, so it learns. The last time I ran a race, I had a young dog who started to hang his head and was a bit tired, and then the adult dog next to him took responsibility and pushed his muzzle into the young one – to cheer him up to continue, says Dalby. Tunheim says that it is the dogs that largely decide the race. – You can’t order anything, but be present to do the work. Then we’ll see how it goes. We work with animals, and they are the ones who decide, in a way, and then it is up to me to be a good leader and take good care and look after them. And he knows how to take extra care of the two rear dogs in the pack: – They are a little more wild and crazy. I hold them a little closer to the sled, so I can correct them a little more, says Tunheim.
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– The way you compose the team is very decisive – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
