Table of Contents
Editorial: Who
Are You and What Do Want?
*
Fan Mail
*
F.I.D.O.: Ludovic
Pirani
*
Geronimo's Travels
*
The Breeding and
Maintenance of Sledge Dogs: Part I
*
How We Met Tom
*
Dog Yard Tips
*
Setting a New
Standard
*
In the News
*
Behavior Notebook:
Qiniliq and Sunny
*
IMHO: Unnecessary
Roughness
Editor's/Publisher's
Statement
Editor-in-Chief:
Sue Hamilton
Webmaster:
Mark
Hamilton
Print
Edition: Imaged and distributed
by the IPL students of the Ulluriaq School,
Kangiqsualujjuaq, Nunavik
The
Fan Hitch,
Journal of the Inuit Sled Dog International,
is published four times a
year. It is available at no cost online at:
https://thefanhitch.org.
Print subscriptions: in Canada $20.00, in USA
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"Mark Brazeau", and send to
Mark Brazeau, Box 151 Kangiqsualujjuaq QC J0M
1N0 Canada. (Back issues
are also available. Contact Sue Hamilton.)
The
Fan
Hitch welcomes your
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editorial staff
reserves
the right to edit submissions used for
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The
Inuit Sled Dog International
The
Inuit
Sled Dog International (ISDI)
is a consortium of enthusiasts whose goal is the
preservation of this
ancient
arctic breed in its purest form as a working dog.
The ISDI's efforts
are
concentrated on restoring the pure Inuit Dog to
its native habitat. The
ISDI's coordinators welcome to your comments and
questions.
|
Dog Yard Tips
by Linda Fredericksen
Preventing Fence Fighting Related Injuries
Unfortunately, fence fighting is a fact of life with some breeds. Some
Inuit Dogs I know seem to relish this activity. My kennel is configured
with one very large pen, big enough to comfortably hold up to seven dogs,
and three smaller pens with gates between each for different combinations
of pens based on need. These needs consist of a separate place for dogs
in heat, containment for rescue dogs, puppies, older dogs or just dogs
in need of some alone time. When our first rescue dog arrived I didn't
want to take a chance that a possible fence fight would result in someone
getting hurt. I found the solution at the Wildlife Science Center north
of Minneapolis-St. Paul in Minnesota. The center keeps a number of wolves
in high enclosures and, because it allows dogs in the facility and stages
a number dog related activities, the center has prepared for the possibility
of resident wolf-visitor dog interaction by fastening hardware cloth to
the chain link using hog rings.
Adja smiles from behind the hardware cloth reinforced
fencing
Fredericksen photo
Hardware cloth comes in different heights and different mesh sizes.
On the common walls between my pens, I mounted three-foot high material
with half inch mesh. In one pen, I installed hardware cloth all the way
up the six-foot wall. This material is easy to work with, as the tool needed
to install the hog rings fits nicely in the holes. We have a number of
young visitors to the dogs and I thought it would be easier and less stressful
for me to have this hardware cloth in place. To keep little fingers out
of the pens, I used three-foot high cloth with quarter inch square openings
for the exterior of the entire kennel. I also have a house dog, a twelve-pound
dachshund-poodle cross, and even though my management of the dogs is strict,
I felt secure knowing that if the little guy ever found himself near the
kennel, he would not be in danger.
Hog Rings and Hog Ring Plier
Fredericksen photo
What about gates? For this purpose I use a section of cattle fencing
with 6x8-inch openings, made of wire so rigid that it must be cut with
bolt cutters. To this I attach the hardware cloth. Then, using brass clips,
I secure the entire panel to the gate with an overlap on each side. It
stays nicely in place and I merely have to unclip the panel when I want
to open the gates to combine pens.
Providing Summertime Shade
When I turned our very large garden into a dog kennel, I was faced
with the challenge of providing shade for the dogs. A friend, the owner
of Black Ice Dog Sledding Equipment, offered me the following solution:
I special ordered an 85% shade landscape cloth from a local landscaping
supply company. The measurements and design were to my specifications.
I had the company put a sleeve at one end of the rectangle and grommets
every twelve inches on the other three sides. I used nylon rope through
the grommets to attach the cloth to the top rail of the kennel fencing.
Once cut, the ends of nylon rope must be carefully burned to prevent fraying
so it can easily pass through the grommets and the sleeve. I fed a long
piece of nylon rope through the sleeve. Then I tied one end to the top
rail and secured and tightened the other end by means of a rope ratchet,
which allows me to maintain tension on the line.
Rope ratchets secure sides Fredericksen
photo
The shade cloth manufacturer would not make a triangular shape for a
sunny corner of the kennel, so I just had them make a square with no sleeve.
I folded it over to make the triangle. I secured it the same way except
the rope went through two grommets due to the fold.
Examples of corner and full width shade cloth
Fredericksen photo
Environmental Enrichment
I discovered that my dogs loved the dog walk (wooden ramps with a level
section in the middle) part of the course at agility class, so I had ones
custom made for their enjoyment in each kennel. I have two sizes based
on kennel size. There are nooks and crannies where they can hide
and ramps on both sides and that long flat area on top where several dogs
can sun bathe.
Custom Dog Walk unit
Fredericksen photo
Cooling Off
I used to set up flimsy plastic kiddie pools in the exercise yard like
many dog people do, but got fed up with having to replace them every year.
Freeland
Industries (PO Box 59, Portage WI 53901 Phone: 608 742-2189, 1-800
444-2189) makes heavy duty "Poly Tuf"™ stock tanks in a variety of sizes
that double as great doggie pools. These are often available at farm supply
stores. I put one in every pen because the dogs liked them so much. The
oval shaped tubs are 14" high by 31" wide by 52" long, and hold 60 gallons.
The only required maintenance with the tubs is the constant changing of
water to avoid algae build up. I know there are chemicals to prevent this
but I don't like the idea of chemicals in the dog pens. Every few days
I scrub out the tub with a metal pad.
Isis cools her heels
Fredericksen photo
Have a safe, shady, enriched and cool summer! |