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Summer up here in alaska always flies by. As you can see
we're well into fall and winter is just around the corner.
You might be wondering what happened to these little pups that were born on May
third?
They've already grown into such big dogs and these guys
are about 21 weeks old and
weighing in at over 40 pounds each.
It's really important that we nurture each individual puppy's curiosity and confidence. So
that they grow up with a desire to continue to explore and experience the big world,
because we'll need them to be ready to be sled dogs
exploring six million acres of Denali National Park and Preserve very soon.
One thing that's really important in every aspect of puppy training
is playing,
because every time they're playing their actually learning and developing really
critical skills.
So, one of the first thing that we do is put several toys
and challenges into the puppy pen so that the puppies constantly have
different ways
to engage their minds and bodies in play.
You'll see that the puppies love to crawl through the tube
and that teaches them to explore strange new places.
They love the treats that they can play with and chew on and roll
around in the pen
and the really get excited the first day they discover
that they can
walk up the ramp
to the roof of the house. But the pups don't just play with toys
they also love to play with each other.
And they go through several different developmental phases as they grow up
through the summer.
They experiment with their voices and barking and growling.
They like to try and howl with the big dogs. (dogs howling)
They will start to show different displays of
dominance with each other
and form a little hierarchy amongst the puppy pack. That can change from day to
day,
but they like to experiment with who is the big dog on any given day.
We'll take Mom on a leash with us for the first few runs around the track so she
can show her kids how it's done.
When we open the pen door and
we'll call pup, pup, pup, as we run away
and the pups follow us and their mom around the track and right back to their
pen
where a kibble reward waits for them.
They learn the value of staying close to us humans
they form the bonds of trust and willingness to go wherever we want them
to go
knowing that they will always be cared for, fed and rewarded with love at the end
of a run whether it's just around the track
or through 30 miles of deep snow in winter.
Each week as the puppies grow older
they get to go out on longer and longer walks.
They are learning all sorts of different terrain
that they'll face on the trail as adults.
It's always cute to watch them go tumbling down the hill or come running back
up through the shrubs, see how they react to the first time
they discover water,
and learn that they're going to have to go
through the moving water.
And this is the case even in the heart of winter here in Denali.
we'll have open running water when it's forty below.
So it's really critical that are dogs are willing to run straight
through it without hesitation.
One of the most fun things the pups get to do is visit the offices around the park
headquarters.
This lets the pups meet and play with lots of new people and
exposes them to fascinating new things like carpets and stairs.
At times like this training, work and play are all one in the same for our pups. And
this translates into adult dogs who are always having fun. No matter what they are doing
and what they are working on.
This is a critical attitude for them to start to develop when they are just young pups.
For the last several weeks, these guys have been busy with their new favorite
training activity, which is running around in the dog yard and socializing and playing
with all of the adult dogs. This is a really important time for them as the adult dogs
learn to love and accept the newest members of the pack and the family.
These guys are now part of the gang,
ready to take the place of our oldest dogs.
And the next step for these guys is to take the big leap into being full-fledged working
dogs, members of the team working hard to protect the two million acres of
designated wilderness here in Denali.
And then the whole process will begin again next summer with a new litter of puppies.