Do you messure up?

[SarahNukka&Shadow]

Found this while researching for my sled-dog project for uni and thought it was a really usefull guide for those of us just starting out scootering or rig racing.

X-Back harness messurements

[ocspirit]

Good call! This is the site I use when helping new people out http://www.blackicedogsledding.com/page7.html

www.alpineoutfitters.com also has a very easy-to-understand how-to on measuring your dog. I've lucked out with my 3 in that they fit into the "gernal sizing" harnesses made by Chatmac perfectly! With Makia though I had to take him and his owner with 3 of my harnesses to a friend of mine for him to get a custom fit one. With all 3 harnesses we tried on him there was just something or another thing that didn't fit quite right.

[Ross]

hey guys/gals.

i've been looking around to get Desna an X-back and think i've got his measurements right, but was wondering if I should order one... brings up first question, where to order from? and do these measurements sound right? Neck - 18"

Last Rib - 16"

Length (jsut before base of tail) - 24"

he's 46.1 pounds and just under 10 months old. which brings up the second question...

should i wait a few more months before ordering to see if he is going to hit another growth spurt? and third... is he too young to start running in front of me on a bike, not necessarily pulling the whole weight yet?

Thanx

Ross

[Timbaboy]

At 10 months i would think hes going to not grow to rapidly so would last you a while

[Val (Zebedee)]

growth-wise, I don't think at 10 months he'll grow "upwards" more but may grow "outwards", if you know what I mean! Myshka grew tall first, then between 12 - 18 months started filling out more

I would leave the pulling for a few more months, he's still growing & you don't want to cause any problems with his bones & joints

[ocspirit]

I got OC his first harness at 8 months old and still ended up buying 2 more after that because of the "filling out" that he did.

If you can hook up with a local musher and put him on a team you can start now but at this point he is too young to be pulling the full weight of an adult on his own. You can for sure start training with lighter weight though and getting him used to the harness and what is expected of him while he is wearing it!

[Ross]

i've gotten him a walking harness, and we work on commands while out on walks, I guess for now i can tie him off to the bike on this harness and pedal so he's not pulling, but still running. I'm not in shape so running is out of the question for me (plus I smoke). Figure the right time to get him a harness is about the same time I get him taken apart at the vet then. I'm keeping him "whole" until 18 months just so he can get ev"erything he needs from his "berries" before i take them off.

Do the measurements sound right though? just wondering if I got the right parts of his body. They seem to fit within the measurements on the sight OC posted, except that his neck was a little small for where the rest of his measurement fit in.

Ross

[ocspirit]

Hard to tell, I mean every Husky is built a bit different. Some have puny necjs with thick bodies, others are all neck/chest with no hindquarters, some have the body of a sighthound, some you wonder if there wasn't a mix up and they aren't actually a Malamute...etc.

I wouldn't run him on the bike with that walking harness. All you would be doing is teaching him that he shouldn't be pulling when in harness which is the exact opposite of what you want him to learn LOL Besides, I really don't know anyone who can pedal faster than the top speed of s HUsky besides competitive bike racers. Practice commands for sure, you can do that on daily walks.