Fast, exciting, well trained sled dog teams are the result of careful behind the scenes planning and hard work. Successful mushers are knowledgeable in such diverse areas as kennel management, canine behavior, nutrition, veterinary care, psychology, physical conditioning, housing and transportation. Wise mushers soon learn that success or failure in any of these areas affects performance dramatically. Considering this fact it is obvious that the welfare of the dogs is of paramount importance. Team and driver develop a close, trusting relationship because of the amount of time they spend together. To betray that trust by not meeting all of the dog’s needs runs counter to the goal of having a happy, healthy, highly motivated team. What you see at a race is the result of long hours of work and planning to ensure that the team is prepared to test its abilities against the trail and the competition.
Sled dogs run because they love to run, they are born and raised to it. How they run is a product of how they are trained. If they are well trained they will run in perfect harmony. If they don’t it is the failure of the musher, not the dogs. One of the great mushers of all time summed it all up when he said "the dogs never make a mistake".
Sled dogs, like all athletes, spend more time training than competing. By the time you see a dog running a race, the dog will have logged hundreds or more miles of training. Very few mushers are fortunate enough to live at race sites, so they are faced with a complex problem transporting three, four, six, eight or more dogs, sleds and lots of miscellaneous equipment. In the early days of racing, mushers would 'mush" their teams to the race. Fortunately for everyone, highways and pickup trucks have made getting to the race much easier for musher and dogs. If you glance around a race site you'll see that sled dog trucks are as varied as their owners but they have many common features. Dog trucks are equipped with separate compartments built on the truck itself or on a trailer. The compartments or "dog boxes" generally house one or two dogs. The boxes are kept relatively small so the dog's body heat will keep the box and the dog warm, but yet large enough that the dog can travel in comfort.

Sled dog boxes are well ventilated so the dogs get fresh air and stay dry. The humidity from the dog's breath would make the box a damp and then cold place if it is not allowed to escape through vents or the door. Most boxes have a large opening covered with some form of metal grating. When the temperatures are colder than what the dog normally experiences a portion of the metal grating or other opening may be partially covered to conserve heat, yet still allow humidity to escape. Mushers put a variety of materials in the boxes for bedding. The most common bedding is fresh straw. Straw provides padding and insulation. It must be changed regularly so it does not become wet, molded or soiled.

The dog boxes quickly become a sort of mobile home for the dogs providing a safe haven and a familiar environment no matter where the team travels. The dog truck is equipped to haul everything from sleds to dog food and is rigged with a number of special devices to make travel easier. Lights on the side of the boxes and the rear make it easier to feed at night. Eye bolts around the bottom of the truck give the musher a place to attach short leashes, called ‘drop chains’, to the truck so that the dogs can get out, stretch and relieve themselves while remaining securely attached to the truck and out of harms way.

                                                                                                    

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