Brent's Blog

It is hard to believe that we are almost into Aug. Summer has been flying by for me and the busier it gets the faster it goes. At this point I wish there was 36 hours in a day, I might be able to get most stuff done with that much time. NO complaints here though! The busier I am the happier I seem to be! I can tell you one thing 19 puppies takes alot of time but it is one of the most exciting adventures Ive been on. With three of the litters so close in age it has made the training alot of fun they are all within a week or less and are getting along great.
Going on puppy walks with 11 puppies between the age of 7 and 10 weeks is something unexplainable. They all know their names and come a runnin every time they here it, of course there coming because they know there is a reward! Treats are the key to puppy training and these guys are living proof. They listen so well now that it amazes me. It's up to me to continue the training so that they will continue to listen. Peaks litter, the youngest of the four are in a world of their own. There are eight of them that are approaching 7 weeks old and they are crazy!! They have minds of there own and are definitely going to put my puppy training to the test. This is a good thing puppies with lots of drive and determination grow up to be strong sled dogs. On top of their craziness is that they have great genetics. Bringing in the Redington Bloodline is extremely exciting for me and to have it mixed with Silver, makes it hard for me to wait to put these guys into harness and see what they can do. I better get some sleep, hope the pics and video help bring you alittle closer to the Wild and Free puppy world!


BEING WILD AND FREE

BRENT

Check out this video of the Peak puppies really starting to get their legs moving!

The pups are growing into dogs quickly and it is very exciting to watch. Today on our daily puppy free run we had Rosies, Muskrats and Madonnas pups (11 total) all out running around and it was crazy. They all play very well together, it is a running, tackling and wrestling match that never lets up. Just below the dog yard we have a great spot for them to run around in tall weeds, water and some forest. This is a great area for them to explore new things. All of Rosies pups know their names and listen very well for 8 weeks, Muskrat and Madonnas recognize there names and are close to putting it together. Willow and leer are also around over seeing the excitement, they chime in every now and then and let the pups know who is boss. They are great teachers.
When that craziness is over we get out the Peak pups who are also growing fast and really starting to get around. They are very cute, I can already tell there is allot of Silver in them! On subjects other then pups. Kyla my trusty handler is growing up! She turns 21 Today! I think she is very excited especially since she has been hanging out with a bunch of old folks for the last couple years. So we got a big party planned for tonight, should be allot of fun. Work is going well, I am keeping myself really busy with construction jobs, while my sister Melissa and Metta are doing the show downtown. I really owe them allot for taking this on. It is great to know that the show is going on while I am off making money working on other projects, Summer in Alaska, there is never a dull moment! We are still in the midst of this crazy heat wave, it was over 80 again today. All I dream about is SNOW! but I should not be thinking about that yet, it will be here before we know it. thanks for checking in.

Brent

The newest family members. This is the Peak (Joee Redington)/ Silver litter they are almost 4 weeks old and looking pretty cute!

The family is growing but also shrinking at the same time. Because of the arrival of this new generation I have had to find some homes for some dogs that just arent going to make my Quest Team. Since the fall I have sold or found homes for over 20 dogs and have 3 more that need new homes. This was a really hard thing for me to do but it had to be done. These were all really good dogs they just did not have what it takes to be on a winning Quest team. This was really hard for me that is why there were so many. I become so attached to them that it is like selling a family member. But in thee end it is whats best of for the dogs and me. Because of this I currently have 23 adult dogs and only 15 races dogs. Instead of going into the season with 33 dogs to train and pick from I will be starting the season with just 18, but eighty of the best from the 33 I started with last season plus a couple big additions. It is the start of what I hope to be a long career as a dog musher. Every year that goes by the dogs and I both get so much smarter and gain so much experience with every race. My first race was the Quest 300 in 2006, A race we won and the race that would be the defining moment in my career. (See The press releases tab) Since then I have competed in 10 races finishing all of them and placing in the top ten nine times and the top five seven times. So at the brink of my 5th season of competitive racing I feel stronger and wiser then ever before. I have a team comprised of mostly veteran dogs with a few new comers with lots of potential. But what makes this season so exciting is the puppy program. 2009 marks the first season of serious breeding program. I have spent the last 5 years figuring out what kind of dog I like to run, created that and now am breeding them with some very successful genetics to create my perfect dog and future Yukon Quest and Iditarod Champions. This season is going too be very exciting please stay tuned for more information about the dogs in the 2010 team as well as puppy updates.
Thanks for checking in

B

Heres some fresh pics from the puppy yard. Enjoy


Oreo Posing for a pic, Oreo and his brothers and sister are now totally weened away from Rosie and ready for me to put their training into full force. We are doing very well on names, most of them know it most of the time. Walks in the woods are going to start getting longer and more challenging with obstacles like steep hills, water and big logs. So far this is a very strong set of pups, it has been hard to pick which ones that are the strongest and smartest. Tob the chocolate brown one is going to go to my good buddy Josh. He is ready to start training a young pup for skijoring since his oldest of 2, Willow is getting on ten and not up for long fast trips. Tobler which is what Josh is going to call him is going to be a great fit. Tobler will learn alot from Willow and Mo (Joshes other dog), who also came from my Kennel. Mo is the sister to Busta, one of my main dogs. So were keeping in the family, which is really awesome.

The second pic is Madonna and Clyde. Clyde is the lonely boy out of 3 and is truly a mamas boy!

A very large part of our training is left up to the older dogs, but not just the race or retired dogs, the video shows how Dorcy who is 4 months old, is making these pups tough. The more exposure to other dogs, the better off the pups will be as the grow up. Socialization with both humans and other dogs is the key to early puppy training. Dorcy shows that she know just how far to go before she really upsets them.
Its way to hot for me and the dogs today, its been 85 and sunny al day. luckily it still cools down here at night. I can't believe we are already into July another month and a half and Ill be training dogs again. I cant wait. Lately I have been watching alot of videos from last season and I am already getting anxious for SNOW!! I know I am crazy but that my life. WILD AND FREE! I finally got my ability to download photos to the blog working so I am going to post fresh puppy photos and updates at least once a week. It is amazing in just a few months the pups will be dogs, and I will be picking out my future leaders. Very Exciting. Thanks for checking in. Have a great 4th of July

B and The Wild and Free furry Four Leggers

**** Scroll down to see picks of the pups!

Twix is the only female out of 7 pups that Rosie had on May 15. Rosie was breed with Tok who has run multiple Iditarods and trained and made my team last year at 10 years old. These pups have started the weening process and you can see twix still likes being close to her mom.

Here is Peak keeping a close eye as the pups get braver everyday. Yesterday was the first day the crawled out of the house on their own, it is amazing to watch how fast they grow. This group was born on June 8 and has 4 males and 4 females. Peak is a leased Joee Redington dog that I bred with Silver. This was a bit of an experiment since Peak is a 40 Pound Sprint Husky and Silver is a 75 pound Distance Monster. I am very excited to see how this litter turns out.

Lucy, Bonnie, Clyde (from front to back) were born on May 30 and growing fast. They are the biggest of all the pups this year and are very fat and happy. These guys are out of Madonna and Thunder, both two time Quest finishers. This is Madonnas third litter and she is pro at being a Mom. Madonna has not only been working hard at being a good mother, she is also a great show dog. Because of her experience and tolerance to strangers petting her pups she is a star at the Puppies to Pullers Show Downtown. She is pet by hundreds of tourists 5 days a week but even more special is that she lets everyone pet and hold her pups!!

Yukon and Denali are pups out of Muskrat (Wold/Siebold) and Tofty (Mackey/Team Norway). These guys were born on may 21 They were 4 weeks old when this picture was taken. the litter also includes a large female named Denali.