Barking Brook News and About Page

puppies learn kitchen skills

2012-01-29T05:16:00.001-08:00

Someone has to help out in the kitchen here dammit!

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We are out testing the trails wuth an experienced had on the double driver

2012-01-17T11:07:00.001-08:00

That's my friend Scott, his 6 dogs plus 2 of mine.
I thought it would be good to actually run the trails before doing dog sled tours. The surface was ok but not enough depth to set a hook. No dog sled tours just yet...please send us more snow...please...

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Come on weather....just snow...dog sled tours need snow!

2012-01-17T10:06:00.001-08:00

This photo is from a few days ago, when it was super super cold. We had to cancel all the dog sled tours due to lack of enough snow. It had snowed but then RAINED. Ugh. Most folks could reschedule, thankfully! When it finally snows enough we are going to be super super busy with dog sled adventures morning till night!
Anyway in the photo are Kubota and Bridget, two who never cuddle. I watched Kubota wag and flirt his way into Bridgets house, it was so cute!

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2012-01-15T07:27:00.003-08:00

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10 degrees, what to wear

2012-01-15T07:27:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I took dogs out on snow for the first time. I had to cancel all my dog sled tours as there was no good snow on my trails, but I made the long treck out the Kanc to Bear Notch Rd where 3 to 5 inches of snow lay. I met another musher who shared my sled, we took out his team together than mine.
Anyway, I thought it worth noting what I wore in these temperatures and how I felt. Also, please note that while the snow was nice there was no ability to set a snow hook and plenty of snowmachines whipping past all day.

I wore my Sorel caribou boots with one pair of wool socks from EMS. My feet were a little cold, but we did a lot of paddling to help the dogs so that kept my feet just fine. A note on socks, most socks do not work for me, my boots eat them and they end up around my toes. There are some wool socks at EMS that are a bit shorter and seem to have elastic knitted in, they fit snuggly and don't get eaten by boots.
On my legs I had expedition weight long underwear whci are essentially one sided fleace, fuzzy side in, thinner than jacket weight, super soft and stretchy. Over that I had insulated snow pants. On top I had two EMS brand zip-t shirts, which are fleece. Then a fleece jacket (mountain hardware), nothing special about this one. Collects lots of dog hair though. THEN my most useful and warm outer wear: a down jacket with a tough outer fabric. It is ugly, a strange almost digital pattern of grey and beige, almost looks like a dirty snow bank. It has a great hood and nice high neck with fleece to protect your chin.
On our way out with the first team we had the wicked wind in our faces and I was a little cold. I could feel the wind find the small gap in my armpit where I hadn't remembered to zip up the pit zip! I wished I had my neck warmer on so I could cover my chin and nose but was too lazt to get it from the bag right in front of me. That's the way it is sometimes when you are cold, it makes you not want to put any effort into getting warmer. My hands had simple fleece gloves which were not enough, my big wintergreen mitts were far away though, in the bag in front of my fellow sled driver. I need some sort of intermediate glove or mitten that is not such a big commitment. I love my wintergreen mitts but they are huge and take your hands out of play for any quick work with the dogs. They have a harness so you can throw them off and have them dangle at your side. You need a glove liner so that you are not all of a sudden bare skinned. That's why it is a big commitment to me...need to bust out glove liners. I don't know where any of mine are!

So, that's what I wore and how I felt. The day did warm up from the 10 or 11 degrees we started with, but it was back to 11 by the time we were done with the second team 6 hours later.
It was FINE, nothing froze off, and was 10 degrees and windy.

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a wicked wind blows

2012-01-13T13:02:00.001-08:00

After a disappointing storm a cold wind has a come along. We got a nice amount of snow but this was followed by RAIN. A heavy crust built up on untouched snow but on anything packed it is now ice or going to be soon. A firm lumpy icy slush soon to be abrasive concrete - hazardous to dogs feet. Temps are plummeting as are my spirits. 6 tours this weekend...all cancelled or rescheduled. Sad musher today. If anyone reads this so hoping for some snow-love posts on the barking brook facebook page.
Xo

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kennel helper all ready for nightly feeding

2012-01-09T14:32:00.001-08:00

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4 playful puppies

2011-12-28T18:14:00.000-08:00

-Miss W
Owner and Musher
Barking Brook Sled Dog Adventures, llc
http://www.Barking-Brook.com

Bonzo...mojo rising

2011-12-28T14:41:00.001-08:00

The coolest little pup I have ever met! Bonzo so inhabits his name, this world, this moment. He is handsome, loving, sure. I can see him becoming a leader just like dad, grandma Rainy and so many others in his family. He will be a great asset on or dog sled adventure team.

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Handsome Zenji...

2011-12-28T14:38:00.001-08:00

Pretty boy Zenji, so fluffy and cuddly! Soon to be a big sled dog doing tours and cuddling with kids....but for now he is my cuddly puppy boy.

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Fall meanderings

2011-12-19T20:40:00.000-08:00

Fall training is going along really well. I finally got the front brakes on the ATV fixed, so that is nice. The dogs are getting so strong we really need both sets to stop and hold the team to take a break and water everyone. I found out the ATV weighs 426 pounds. I have been carrying around a 70 pound bag of sand too. And I think the tire chains must weigh 40 or 50 pounds (and really add to the holding power). So we are really ready for the double driver sled loaded up with happy passengers. It actually will feel a lot easier for the dogs!!!

With the little skims of snow we have been getting the road here is no longer safe to take teams on. 6 weeks of hard hill training certainly got the dogs fit, but it is rough on the feet. The dogs are happy to see the softer trails we have been using. I officially named our home trails "the ten hill, 10 dog, two hour" run. With real snow it is a whole different game of course. And we have a gorgeous loop for our shorter tours here, great views of Mount Cardigan and Newfound Lake!

On a sad note I retired 5 dogs from the dog sled tour team pool. They joined Anuk, and so there are now 6 retired dogs in the kennel. They are not so sure about retired life, so I am hoping to get a few of them out for short runs on snow just for fun. Maybe Siepa or Denali will help me pull out little Emma girl around on her snow sled.

Also sad (very very) and not mentioned on this blog is the passing of Blanche. I have to write her something proper...she deserves a grand story with lots of pictures. I miss her terribly. I wish she could have recovered, but 17+ years is a long long life. I could not ask her to keep struggling.

-Miss W
Owner and Musher
Barking Brook Sled Dog Adventures, llc
http://www.Barking-Brook.com

This years first...12 dog team!

2011-12-10T10:53:00.001-08:00

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Yep...I got in here but can't get out...

2011-12-07T19:35:00.001-08:00

Katie and Bhati puppy

2011-12-06T12:54:00.000-08:00

The girls and Pema's pups

2011-12-05T19:32:00.000-08:00

-Miss W
Owner and Musher
Barking Brook Sled Dog Adventures, llc
http://www.Barking-Brook.com

kubota loves me...

2011-11-29T07:15:00.001-08:00

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Dog Sledding Tours near Waterville Valley

2011-11-28T18:46:00.000-08:00

I am really happy to say we got our permit to use the White Mountain National Forest for dog sled tours. We have been granted several trails, and will be offering sled dog rides right in the White Mountain National Forest. The areas where we will be giving tours include one trail very close to Waterville Valley. Skiers and other winter enthusiasts staying in Waterville Valley, Campton, Thornton and Plymouth will enjoy easy access to a really unique and beautiful new winter adventure.

The trails we will be using are trails I have been mushing on for years, recreationally and in preparation for races. I know them inside and out, and love and treasure every inch of them. Some of the MOST beautiful stretches of trail on earth! I am really excited to share these with people.
-Miss W
Owner and Musher
Barking Brook Sled Dog Adventures, llc
http://www.Barking-Brook.com

Leader training...again

2011-11-28T18:39:00.000-08:00

I had a chance to retest myself on my own methods this past week. Snowy conditions (not enough to sled on) caused me to drop back to small teams and use my Fritz Dyke cart. I took 2 teams of 6 dogs out and so once again got to test some other members of the first string at lead. I was really happy with the outcome, Tula and Bridget are really shaping into nice leaders. I had the usual tussle with Tula about Gee Over. She is a strong lefty. I had to stop many times when we first started out. So frustrating to do when you have a fresh team! I did the usual gentle-pushing over. Those moments of frustration (I really felt like giving up) are a great stage for the dawn of success. So the praise is really heartfelt. When Tula felt my admiration and appreciation she started to work for it! My next step working on Gee Over is to not stop the team but ride the brake if I need to correct the leaders to gee Over more. That step lasted only a short while before Tula and Bridget were perfectly Gee-d Over, and for the rest of the run! Good job girls!
-Miss W
Owner and Musher
Barking Brook Sled Dog Adventures, llc
http://www.Barking-Brook.com

Emma and some of the puppies

2011-11-24T13:27:00.001-08:00

Puppies available

2011-11-24T13:25:00.001-08:00

We still have 2 white siberian husky puppies available from our latest litter of puppies. Please visit the puppy pages on www.barking-brook.com. Lots of great photos!
The pups are from very nice working lines, lots of leaders in the family:parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles. Also wonderful temperaments, friendly and sweet. Great house dogs or kennel dogs. Great with other dogs and children. And these puppies are getting loads of kid time!
Ready to go in about 3 weeks.

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Training Lead Dogs - a gee over tip

2011-11-18T12:15:00.000-08:00

Training new lead dogs is always a lot of fun, and is so easy in fall. It seems like the hardest skills to teach are the turn commands and "gee over". You get really motivated to teach gee over when you run on a road like we do, or go up to Pittsburg and share the trail with snow mobiles going 70mph. Also, running sled dog tours like I do, you really need to do your homework in fall to get the team ready and up to snuff.

To teach gee over I start with stopping the team and pushing the dogs gently over to the gee side. Repeat ad naseum, but when you get that golden moment when the lead dogs see you coming and scoot over on their own PRAISE LIKE HECK! This is the moment you have been waiting for. And you need to let them know how great you think they are as they are doing it. Now you still have a lot of work to do if you have strong lefty dogs. Keep at this, it matters, it works, you will succeed. If you think your dogs are getting bummed out, just imagine how bummed out they would be to be in a car or snowmobile crash.

After the dogs get so they know what you are saying, what you want to do is not stop, but use the command shortly followed by pressure on the breaks if they do not respond. Slow the team down to a crawl. Then, as they step over to the right, praise like heck and let go of the brakes right away! Once you get to this point things go a lot faster, because lets face it, these sled dogs LIVE to run. It also feels much better as the musher, bcs you are not stopping a million times on the trail. But you need to make sure the dogs know what the words mean FIRST.

Good luck, and good "gee over"!

-Miss W
Owner and Musher
Barking Brook Sled Dog Adventures, llc
http://www.Barking-Brook.com

have cheeks, will travel

2011-11-17T10:45:00.001-08:00

This puppy is Zenji.

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wee pups scoping out dinner

2011-11-13T17:43:00.001-08:00

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Blossom with muddy legs

2011-11-12T12:07:00.001-08:00

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Big loss...we miss and love you Trader

2011-11-02T12:26:00.000-07:00

Trader is off on his last trip, mushing in his silver harness to some great place beyond our knowing. We burried him next to his great friends Boomer and Ranger. (And Blue Dog)
I cannot even stand it hardly, to write all this, a week later.
He was such a pretty boy, a soft boy, a handsome and stately boy. His nature was gentle and giving. His needs simple, his forgiveness complete. Quirky, happy, sparkly...
As his physical presence dwindled with old age his eyes become MORE intense and joyful, more sparkly. He was totally there, with so much heart and knowing. He spent his last months with Blanche, a perfect kennel mate I suppose. Both slow eaters, fragile in body, in need of gentleness.

I still remember the day I drove home from Valerie's house with Boomer and Trader. I was beyond proud and infatuated. Two real sled dogs! To add to my little growing sled dog kennel - to help the 4 puppies learn! To help me learn! (Oh Trader you taught me so much.) I remember thinking how absolutely beautiful Trader was, and wanted him in the front seat of the saab on the way home. Boomer nosed his way up first though, and that was the pattern. And Trader was happy to be part of the scene, even if he wasn't the center. So many early adventures back then with 4 dog teams, skijor teams. Then 6 dog teams! Wow! Then 8 dog teams. A lot of learning. Trader and Boomer were experienced sled dogs, and along with an elderly Alaskan Husky named Ebony, created my first team.
Sled Dogs + musher = team.
Sled dogs with heart + adventure = bliss

Thank you for the bliss Trader, and everything in between. It was all special.
I love you!

-Miss W
Owner and Musher
Barking Brook Sled Dog Adventures, llc
http://www.Barking-Brook.com

Puppy pile becoming puppy mountain

2011-10-27T05:01:00.001-07:00

WHEN THE PILE OF PUPPY NURSLINGS ARE ALMOST AS BIG AS MOMMA...YOU CAN SEE WHY YOU NEED TO FEED HER SO MUCH MORE FOOD!!

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Pema pups getting fatter!

2011-10-26T12:06:00.001-07:00

Lovely babies all piled up at momma. I am trying a new marking method, tail and 1 ear tip. Pema keeps removing the indelible ink from their tails. Thankfully it is non toxic.
Since she has been running in harness she has become a more content and doting mother. It makes a little sense, but is somewhat a tricky line to balance. We are running right from the kennel which makes it easier to minimize her time away and exposure to other dogs germs. I am planning an evening run soon though and I will have to leave her home. I do not run on my road at night for fear of cars. So I will be trucking the team for the first time to old Hill Village. Way too many dogs and germs there for a nursing mother. Hopefully with the team and excitment gone she will remain settled. I ran her in the first place because she destroyed her whelping room door while I was out with a team.

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Turbo post surgery

2011-10-26T08:32:00.001-07:00

Turbo had a lump removed from his cheek this week. The surgery shaving revealed something about my dogs, especially Turbo. You can see that it looks like he has no right cheek. That lovely face and kissable scruchable cheeks ruff is all fluff! Under my dogs massive coats are lean dogs with amazing athletic bodies.

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Sled dogs training for adventures!

2011-10-26T08:28:00.001-07:00

We use our road to train in fall. It has lots of hills which helps the teams get very strong. Hill workouts are perfect for dog sled tour training. I like a 10 dog team for this size ATV. If the terrain is flat we need no engine holdback or help. Most of the time I keep the engine off. I actually help on most hills,until I am too tired! My hill philosophy is based on the fact that my hills are huge. I let the dogs rest several times on the big or long hills. I have seen over the years that my team gets stronger and stronger this way. Some people worry that it trains the dogs to quit but the personalities of my dogs have ZERO quit in the mix. So this is not an issue.
I thought this picture was funny...a wild and thing paired with the domestic. A natural engine paired with the excavater.

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Hot chicks

2011-10-23T13:14:00.001-07:00

Pretty Darka and Blossom...taking a break from lead. Great girls to have on a sled dog adventure!

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cool enough to cuddle!

2011-10-23T13:12:00.001-07:00

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pema and her pups...getting so round!

2011-10-22T14:04:00.001-07:00

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2011-10-22T13:48:00.001-07:00

Happy dogs at the end of the run. Kubota in a rare moment not in lead!

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Did someone say dog sled tours?

2011-10-16T17:09:00.001-07:00

Bodihi says "yipeeeee". Let's get ready to take some NH visitors out for some fall sled dog rides!

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Pretty

2011-10-16T17:07:00.001-07:00

Pretty fall leaves. Pretty team too!

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Mushing by dinner

2011-10-16T17:05:00.001-07:00

Todays short runs took us by the cows again. Thank you Mushing Boot Camp for teaching me to appreciate the chance to test the dogs! And I suppose I have hurricane Irene to thank for the cows still being in our mountain pastures and not on the river pasture.

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diaper time

2011-10-14T12:45:00.001-07:00

It's diaper time for Pema's puppies. She is very systematic about it!

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Puppies make good pillows

2011-10-14T12:42:00.001-07:00

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a tiny Pema puppy

2011-10-13T19:35:00.001-07:00

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Pup asleep at milk bar

2011-10-13T19:31:00.001-07:00

One of Pema's pups asleep at the milk bar.

Pema's puppies are here! 7 lovely puppies.

2011-10-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

6 boy puppies and 1 girl puppy. The daddy is Bodhi. All the puppies are white because both the mother and father are, that is how the white coat gene works in Siberian Huskies.

-Miss W
Owner and Musher
Barking Brook Sled Dog Adventures, llc
http://www.Barking-Brook.com

Puppies arriving NOW!

2011-10-12T01:22:00.001-07:00

2 pups so far, fat and lovely white puppies...no gender yet as Pema has been very busy cleaning and cleaning them...

-Miss W
Owner and Musher
Barking Brook Sled Dog Adventures, llc
http://www.Barking-Brook.com

Pema...one week left till puppies!

2011-10-07T05:28:00.001-07:00

Pema looks great with 1 week left to go. She has a good appetite and a happy demeanor. We cannot wait! Emma is excited too. She thinks everyone in the family is getting a puppy and regular discussions about gentle handling are followed with Emma naming everyone who lives up here on the mountain.

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Pema puppies soon: Mid-October

2011-10-01T21:18:00.000-07:00

We have launched our welcome puppies page, please visit!!
Slide show features:

photos of Pema as a tiny puppy along with her littermates, 6 years ago.
photos of Bodhi as a tiny puppy along with his littermates, 3 years ago.

-Miss W
Owner and Musher
Barking Brook Sled Dog Adventures, llc
http://www.Barking-Brook.com

Sled Dog Trade Fair in Hopkinton

2011-10-01T18:34:00.001-07:00

I had a great time at the sled dog trade fair today. Saw old friends, bought mushing supplies and checked out new products. There were 2 vendors there with very nice training rigs.
This year I went to listen to the speakers Rene Marchildon and Mike Ellis. Very worthwhile! I wish I could have stayed for the pot-luck dinner but momma-duty calls.

Check it out, tomorrow there are more fun events: rig race followed by more special topics from some of the speakers.
Click this Sled dog Trade Fair Link to see the schedule, speaker's topics and other information.

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Pema soon to be Momma-Pema!

2011-09-28T11:10:00.000-07:00

-Miss W

Owner and Musher

Barking Brook Sled Dog Adventures, llc

http://www.Barking-Brook.com

Sweet Tart singing the plump puppy song!

2011-09-28T11:08:00.000-07:00

-Miss W

Owner and Musher

Barking Brook Sled Dog Adventures, llc

http://www.Barking-Brook.com

Fall rides and evening Tours!

2011-09-25T19:45:00.000-07:00

This fall we will be offering two new types of rides: fall rolling dog sled rides (on our cart) and evening dog sledding in both fall and winter. Our new tour descriptions and rates our on the Tours & Rates page. We have also updated our policies in regards to booking and cancellations, please see Policies.

-Miss W Owner and Musher Barking Brook Sled Dog Adventures, llc http://www.Barking-Brook.com

2011-08-27T11:22:00.001-07:00

Perhaps the high winds in the coming storm will blow all the clumps of hair off Emma-Leigh. She never lets me brush her....her fur has to just fall off or be shampoo'd and blow dried off.
We are busy preparing the kennel and the house for the storm. I just screwed all the dog house roofs down and pushed houses into more stable clumps. We are picking up all the small things outside now. Later I am planning to put dogs in the dog truck for the worst of the storm. Maybe use part of the barn and also the puppy room for older or bigger dogs. I can't see Hakka in a dog box for long nor ancient Blanche in one at all!

Our other animals...aka dinner.

2011-08-19T14:11:00.001-07:00

Emma checking out the cows in the rock pasture.

Emma lets Trader have some of her water from her new travel cup.

2011-08-19T14:08:00.001-07:00

Emma hangs out with 15.5 year old Trader.

2011-08-19T14:02:00.001-07:00

Thats not a clump of siberian hair...thats a SUPER fuzzy caterpillar!

2011-08-18T12:37:00.001-07:00

Emma shares her Sled Dog Bookshelf!

2011-07-25T17:06:00.000-07:00

My two year old daughter Emma has decided to share her Sled Dog Bookshelf. We hope folks enjoy it. She loves books about dogs, but her favorite stuffed animals are a beagle and a basset hound! Go figure.
http://www.barking-brook.com/emmas_dog_sledding_library

-Miss W Owner and Musher Barking Brook Sled Dog Adventures, llc http://www.Barking-brook.com

Smart Emma-Leigh in 95 degree weather. She's clever cute & a good sled dog too!

2011-07-23T05:02:00.001-07:00

One word...HANDSOME!

2011-07-13T17:27:00.001-07:00

Kubota is a seriously handsome and cuddly guy. His fur is thick and rich...his eyes so beautiful...look closely....they are rather unique! He is a dream on the dog sled tour team, a great leader I can trust to get through thick and thin!

What'r they doing it's 90 and 90% humidity...get out of the sun!You'r siberians

2011-07-12T10:18:00.001-07:00

Super Smudge Sled Dog Cowboy

2011-07-11T15:00:00.001-07:00

Super Smudgie singing for his supper. So Cute! So Handsome!
In winter he charms kids and gives dog sled rides around the gorgeous New Hampshire trails.
View Smudge and his team on our website:
Barking Brook Sled Dog Adventures llc TEAM page

-Miss W
team Owner and Musher

Feeding Sled Dogs...

2011-07-11T12:03:00.000-07:00

Twinkle, Turbo then Bodhi demonstrate what sled dogs do for food in the summer. In the winter of course they give dog sled rides...but in summer they have to do obedience routines in order to earn their supper.

Miss W
Owner, Musher
Barking Brook Sled Dog Adventures, llc

Java Bean - Joyful Java! Happy Sled Dog!

2011-07-07T12:32:00.001-07:00

My handsome Java Bean...love you boy! Why did he get that name?? When he was a puppy he lived at Donna Johnson's with his mom and litter mates. I could tell the girls apart easily but not the boys. Finally I could tell Java apart from his brothers. He had a small black spot on his muzzle. When it was time to give him a real name I thought he was small, round and uplifting...so I named him Java Bean! Then for his registered name, since he was bred at the Blackwater kennel, I named him Blackwater's Whitewater.

To visit Java Bean and his NH dog sled tour team please visit The Barking Brook Sled Dog Adventures Team Page

Miss W
driver and owner
Barking Brook Sled Dog Adventures, llc

Hakka wonders.....

2011-07-07T11:21:00.001-07:00

Hakka...what is dancing around you??

Baths....past the half way point!

2011-07-06T16:46:00.001-07:00

The summer chore of giving baths is well underway. Every sled dog deserves at least one bath! Giving families dog sled rides in the winter is hardly a dirty sport, but the baths do help the winter coats shed out.

I have completed 14 out of 25 total baths. Remarkably, the worst behaved dog was Angus, our Aussie, who does not participate in dog sled rides or tours. Maybe he should... he certainly has a lot of energy and he also has a lot of coat, he is always toasty!

Blanche, who is 17, managed her bath with grace and looks like a movie star. Trader, who is 15, got through his with no muss of fuss either, but was quiet tired by the experience. The prime aged dogs who make up our working dog sled tour teams have been somewhat more challenging, some being quite vocal about their dislike of water. Oh dear! But they all seem very happy to be clean, dry and separated from a lot of insulating fluff.

Blanche playing with Emma in the Kitchen

2011-07-01T15:41:00.001-07:00

How can Blanche be 17??? She is so mobile and social. It's insane. Even after her bath she is full of life.
We love you Blanche!
(ps that is Emma on the floor)

Bodhi...again!

2011-06-23T17:34:00.001-07:00

Ok...Bodhi again. Hey this might be the last time this summer that we see him clean! So enjoy...he is so handsome! And such a happy sled dog and tour team leader!

New Sled Dog Tour Options for Fall and Winter

2011-06-23T10:56:00.000-07:00

Barking Brook Sled Dog Adventures, llc is going to be offering new tour options this fall and winter. For Fall we are now going to offer wheeled dog sled (cart) rides on our Fritz cart. This will be both day and evening adventures. Come snow we are adding to our list of adventure options The Moonlight Tour. Come visit our Facebook page or website for more info:

BarkingBrook on FB

Barking Brook Sled Dog Adventures, llc

Solve not Absolve. Evolve!

2011-06-22T17:39:00.000-07:00

     My dogs are happy! And for the most part peaceful. They are dogs, they act like dogs, I am not saying they are little stuffed toys. It's a challenge managing 25 dogs. Last year that was 2 teams of 10 dogs each giving sled dog rides and 5 retired dogs. But I love it. I always want to know them better, care for them better and love them better. As I look into a set of loving canine eyes I ask "how can I love you better?". I listen to what I hear.
   For sure, certain personalities are tough and require more "work" or thought. Most mushers place out dogs who are difficult or fade in the presence of higher performing dogs. I don't. I solve, not absolve. We all (most mushers) breed for better dogs and evolve. Some musher's kennels evolve quicker, but there is no history. They may treat the dogs like last years skis: moving on and placing the old, hard to manage, less performant dogs.
     I realized today I had 4 alpha type females. They don't share playtime! I have 3 play yards and do 2 shifts of play times. Each dogs gets about 4 hours of playtime with dogs they like and can relax or play with. I don't have to supervise 100% of the time because no dog is asked to feel uncomfortable or is put in a position where he or she is pressed into defensive behavior.
     Things do change, dogs become more secure and happy. Sometimes with age dogs become less secure and ask for quieter play times or different kennel companions. I watch and alter things as needed. I try to listen to the subtle calls for change before there is trouble. Anytime something negative happens I ask MYSELF what I could have done differently or what signs I missed. There is no use blaming it on a dog, dogs are dogs! I am the one in charge.
     Play groups may be small, 4 to 6 dogs, but my teams are usually 10 dogs. Dogs who may not play together work together just fine. Why??? They don't have big grudges, they aren't constantly being faced with someone that rubs them the wrong way. They know in harness they work and have a great time. 2 of my toughest girls ran lead together for a few years. But I listen...   both are incredibly smart and driven but together they were less responsive to leader commands. Why? I think because they were working on getting along and did not want to push or pull each other into a turn. Perhaps also being so close to another tough girl took a little of each's confidence. I listen...solve and not absolve....they both can run lead at different times. It's fine!
   Barking Brook history is here: the first dogs I purchased as puppies, the first litter I had. If I commit to keeping a puppy I try to keep that promise. The dogs who I adopted as older dogs and who gave me their life-long earned wisdom are here or passed away with love all around them. 17 year old Blanche is one of those gems, and she is tottering abound my living room right now.
     I am a pretty lucky gal. Having fun mushing with my best friends and now sharing a dog sled tour business with them. xo

Bodhi bath comments

2011-06-21T20:13:00.001-07:00

OK, this is really what Bodhi said about baths. I think it translates to "I am glad that is over!"

Bodhi's thoughts....

2011-06-21T15:15:00.001-07:00

This is what Bodhi thinks of baths! He'd rather be leading dog teams for sled dog adventures anyday!
Bodhi looks very handsome though. He loves to dig and roll in the dirt so seeing him clean and back to his lovely creamy white is a treat!

Turbo....happy he had a bath

2011-06-21T11:58:00.001-07:00

Turbo...COOL...happy...clean...undercoat all shed out! And terrifically handsome!

Turbo pre-bath

2011-06-07T12:02:00.001-07:00

Turbo...voted most in need of a bath, scrub and blow dry and major brush out! Poor Turbo is shedding an entire sheep skin out of his coat.
Turbo is one of the hardest working BBSDA dogs. On dog sled rides and tours he is the engine of uphill travel AND speed! I love you Turbo!

Cool sled dog!

2011-06-07T11:31:00.001-07:00

Kubota staying cool in the shade on freshly simple greened and hosed blocks. This guy is no dummy! Kubota is one of the BBSDA go-to leaders. He is excellent on the dog sled tours and rides. Always taking the team perfectly thru whatever turns and manuvers are needed. And looking like such the handsome sled dog too!!

Rainy and her daughters Pema and Bridget

2011-06-03T09:36:00.001-07:00

The three girls (Pema left, Bridget center and Rainy to the right) in the heat pen....not in heat but I just hope any day now we will get that over with! They were on a perfect schedule of Oct/April...what happened??

This pen is alternately called the puppy apartment as it is completely separate from the main kennel (no puppies can be chewed through a fence) and there are two kennels next to each other that can have a door opened between them. The kennel next door has the momma house - an extra large dog house with bumper rails. Usually when the pups are small I open the door between kennels but place a board over teh door way so momma can go next door to get away or do her business. There is a big grassy pen next to the apartment that is for puppy play time.

It would be nice to have puppies again!

Do dogs tan?? Should sibes wear sunscrean??

2011-05-25T10:25:00.001-07:00

Pearl is trying to get a tan on her belly...

Kennel spring cleaning

2011-04-25T11:18:00.001-07:00

Emma helping to clean out the winter's hay from thr dog houses.

Blanche turns SEVENTEEN 4/23/11

2011-04-19T15:38:00.001-07:00

Blanche, my sweet old house dog and retired (amazing) lead dog is turning SEVENTEEN this Saturday! (4/23/2011) She will get to celebrate with a few of her favorite folks on Friday.
Blanche came to me when she was 9. She was a super leader and was the first leader I had who could keep up with Rainy, my hot young lead dog. They were a beautiful pair, like runaway brides in their pretty white coats and fluffy tails held behind them like trailing vails.

Pema and Bodhi pass CERF tests Spring 2011

2011-04-19T15:17:00.000-07:00

6 year old Pema passed her most recent CERF eye exam this past Sunday along with 3 year old Bodhi. Not sure what our breeding plans are but Bodhi is certainly one of our best sled dogs and a leader to boot. Pema is also a great sled dog plus a real sweet cuddle bug. Bodhi has competed in Rally obedience and is a very fun dog to work with. He has his Rally Novice title so far. Pema has only been to beginner obedience and while she is sweet and easy to work with she doesn’t seem to excel at it. She is more of a pro-snuggler!

2011-03-20T08:20:00.001-07:00

Katie and the 10 dog team, from point dogs back. 3/16/11 at Dorchester.

2011-03-20T05:39:00.001-07:00

Katie Esty driving the 10 dog A team on the dble drvr sled. Dorchester 3/16/11.
It was a gorgeous snowy day. We did 10 mile rd then Rocky trail then out to Lyme a ways.

Running at Dorchester trails 3/16/11

2011-03-20T05:36:00.001-07:00

The river next to No Dorchester Rd

Siberians make good pillows

2011-03-12T11:23:00.000-08:00

Angus using Boomer for a pillow.

Danielle and Ronda out for a ride

2011-03-05T17:44:00.001-08:00

Danielle and her mom Ronda out for a sled dog ride on Bridgewater Mountain. Ronda is Emma's babysitter.

Danessa's sled dog ride

2011-03-05T17:41:00.001-08:00

Danessa out with me and the 10 dog 'A' string on Bridgewater mountain.

2011-03-05T17:38:00.001-08:00

A girl taking a sled dog ride at the MVG. She said it was the most fun she'd ever had!

2011-03-05T17:36:00.001-08:00

Danessa tucked into my CB Sled.

Resting during the rain and snow

2011-02-28T07:37:00.000-08:00

Day two of rest after a 7 day stretch of mushing madness. The dogs are so fit right now, I wish I was entered in the Can Am race. My little puppy leader, Bodhi, is doing amazing. Our last tour run on Sunday he took commands in a series that wove us through a knot of snow machiners taking up a large trail junction. Given that he is still a little afraid of snow machines, that is pretty amazing. I think my first string of 10 dogs is the best pool of dogs I have ever run! A few are getting older, next year it may be a pool of 8. So....again...I so wish we were Can Am bound! I love these guys! The second string, mostly older dogs, is doing great too.
We have given tons of people a beautiful sled dog ride or tour this winter and the dogs have met and charmed folks young and old.

2011-02-16T19:27:00.000-08:00

2011-02-16T19:26:00.001-08:00

Happy team post run.

Back on our home trails!

2011-02-16T17:05:00.000-08:00

We had our first run on our old stomping grounds. The conditions were a little sketchy, the well groomed trail was hard hard hard. The bits down the center that had been churned up by snomo traffic were chunky and gritty. But it was great to be climbing up our mountain again and cruising down the pretty trails.

I ran the B team first, thinking it was going to get pretty warm. They are all fairly heavy coated. I had to put Nikka back in the truck, she was acting like she didn't want to go. The other 9 were happy on the trail, it was not as bad as I thought. I kept their speed down low. The dogs were gee'd over so hard that they were on the glare ice where no snomobiles had dared to travel (they always go down the center of the trail).

On the A team we were still short Rainy, who is still limping slightly. The other 9 pulled like crazy and I was using the drag on uphills to keep the speed down! I am so impressed with Bodhi in lead. He is a Good Boy! And really goes. Twinkle likes him too, they make a nice lead pair. But what an age difference...she is 8 and he is 3. Oh no...the "find another leader" game will be back in play soon I fear. No worries for this year though. Twinkle loves to run with Bodhi and though he is sometimes a step faster she works hard to be up front and is showing she really does know commands after all. (She had a bad year running with Tula, neither wanting to push or pull the other into a turn....)

I love my dogs!!! They are fit and ready for the busy vacation week doing dog sled tours and dog sled rides!

Cute little TART!!!

2011-02-12T11:48:00.001-08:00

Isn't she just the cutest???

Pam Flowers - amazing sled dog driver

2011-02-11T11:09:00.000-08:00

I got to see Pam Flowers speak on Feb 3, second time I have seen her. She gave a presentation on her arctic expedition at Moultonboro's "One Book - One Community" kick off. SHE IS AMAZING!!! She is truly my hero. And I am so impressed with Moultonboro as a community. This year they hare having a theme "Sled Dog Oddessy", and 4 books instead of one!!!

She completed a 2500-mile dog sled trek across Arctic America with her 8 dog team and two huge sleds. This is the longest solo dog sled trek by a woman in recorded history. The first solo by a woman and the first by an American over this route: from Barrow, Alaska to Repulse Bay in Canada's Nunavut Territory.

I took the opportunity to get more copies of 3 of her books that I love: Alone Across the Arctic, Big Enough Anna and Douggie (the second two are fabulous childrens books that my little Emma LOVES).

Learn more about Pam, her books and her expeditions here: www.pamflowers.com

2011-02-02T06:49:00.001-08:00

Boomer and Angus hanging out

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Gratitude - leaders!!!!

2011-01-27T11:59:00.000-08:00

I have to express my utter gratitude for the gifts from the universe in the shape of wonderful LEAD DOGS. From the beginning there was Nikka, who as a puppy was aided by some older lead dogs we adopted. She had the right stuff from the get go. We adopted Ebony, a 9 year old alaskan sweetheart. She was professional and hard working and cute as a button. We adopted Boomer, another older dog with tons of experience. He brought heart and soul and a debonair attitude. Nikka learned from these guys and then helped train Rainy. Rainy, a true leader and all you could ever want, quickly learned from Nikka but then needed a faster dog to pair with her. The universe was looking out for me... Blanche fell into our laps. Another 9 year old dog. Blanche and Rainy were a pretty pair, fast and perfect. Nikka trained several dogs to run with her, starting with her handsome brother Siepa. Then later her good friend Kubota. Nikka and Kubota are the lead pair I can count on for tricky situations, new trails, and constant great behavior. I'd hate to be without them, but Nikka is getting on in age and starting to show she will need to retire sometime soon.
Blanche retired and was replaced by little Twinkle. Twinkle and Rainy were a great pair, Twinkle brought a hard driving attitude and these two were utterly dependable and fast. Rainy has retired back into team and several dogs have been tried up front with Twinkle. Finally, a puppy has stepped up: Bodhi. He is Rainy's son. He has the trail ethic we needed, and his attitude to get down the trail is phenomenal. He is smart and Twinkle is teaching him the ropes. They have great chemistry together, and they look handsome too!

Thank you to the universe, the Great Mother, all the dogs in these guys pedigrees, and all the breeders who helped shape these leaders!

17 miles with 10 dogs....flying!

2011-01-25T16:07:00.000-08:00

I have been training 10 dog teams for sled dog rides/tours all season and have had few snow runs without passengers. Today I had the Twinkle/Bodhi team and we went all the way to the Franklin Falls Dam from Profile Falls in Bristol. The dogs loped for about 10 miles continuously, and then finally settled into a trot for the rest of the run. I saved side trails for the way back as a treat for the dogs, but some were not broken out right (drunk or crazy snow machiners). In one set we ended up doubling back on ourselves and coming out the way we went in, which involved breaking trail in pretty deep snow. Quiet a change from the hard packed and fast main trail.
The run was so perfect: exciting, relaxing, fun and even funny at times. I love watching Bodhi learn. And watching Twinkle get her mojo back! She really likes running lead with Bodhi.
The whole team was:
Twinkle & Bodhi
Pema & Bridget (eventually put Pema in wheel bcs she was ruining our perfect GEE over)
Java & Turbo
Tula & Hakka
Rainy & Smudge (Rainy went up and took Pema's place)

Tomorrow I am taking the Kubota/Nikka team out. Not sure where I will go. Maybe explore the Bridgewater trail conditions?

14 sled dog tours in 4 days....tails wagging and all dogs cuddled up

2011-01-18T19:35:00.001-08:00

Starting with breaking trail on Friday with Katie, a family of four on Saturday and then busy days up at the hotel with Tom my teams did 14 tours these last 4 days. So much fun!
Today the dogs all got massages. Lots of lazy happy tail wags and dogs paired up cuddling in dog houses.

Website Launched

2011-01-06T14:33:00.000-08:00

We have a website! It's a plain website, soon to be a very exciting website. Created by BBM Designs.
www.barking-brook.com
Full launch of the website should be mid-January!

We are in the Paper!

2011-01-04T17:58:00.000-08:00

We are in the state section of the New Hampshire Union Leader, 1/3/11!!!
Article entitled: Kennels offering Sled Dog adventures, Call of the wild By Roger Amsden
The article has a great photo of my new sled, me, Linda Isabelle (who was helping me out that day) and two of our first customers! Too bad I was wearing my silly hat that day.
It was a great tour day, 8 people from the Biller family came out and rode in pairs.

Fabulous day with two Friends and 20 Dogs

2010-12-19T15:22:00.000-08:00

Today I met my friends Scott and Linda Isabelle at the Hill trails. Linda said she would help me anyway I needed, and I took her up on the offer! She was a huge help, doing half the work of prepping first one team and then the other. It was great, I was able to get both teams out today without exhausting myself. Further joy was having an adult to talk to for HOURS! Scott ran his team with us while we ran my A team. We did lots of nice passing work on the way out and then we turned around at about 4 miles to head back. We saw him again for a head on pass as we headed out with the B team.
It was a truly spectacular day, thank you Linda!

Clever Dogs doing Clever Things

2010-12-19T15:18:00.000-08:00

Did that just happen? How did those three dogs get out of their kennel into the play area???

Go and put them back in....
Put the little carabeener into the latch just to be safe....
And wow! Looking over I see Java Bean on his hind legs, carefully and slowly manipulating the kennel door latch with his front paws and nose! And I have an extra witness, KTST saw this too.

I think Java bean usually waits till I am not looking, but he must have been extra worried I was going to leave his group behind when I loaded the dog truck!

Christmas Mush - Dogs at the truck

2010-12-06T16:35:00.000-08:00

A nice photo taken by Kelly Berg. I love how Rainy is Howling away!

Kennels v Tie Outs

2010-12-05T14:26:00.000-08:00

Now that we are into some nice chilly weather I am finding multiple dogs per dog house cuddled up. Cutest thing ever. Each dog has his own house, but I am sure it is warmer with two. Tie out dogs cannot do that!