Catherine Pinard

What breed are your dogs?

Do you know the name of all your dogs?

Of course!  And not only their names, we know their personalities, their good and bad habits, their best friends, their blood lines, their gait, their eating habits, etc.  We spend countless hours with them, so we get to know each other very well!

When do you start training the puppies?

We put them in harness usually when they are about 7 months old, but only for a short distance.  Slowly, we increase the distance.  To participate to a long distance race, the dogs should ideally be between 3 and 6 years old, but many younger and older dogs have done very well.

How do you feed your dogs?

We give them a mix of commercial dog food, chicken fat and fresh chicken.  During the races, we substitute the chicken with horse meat.  We also give them lots of snacks such as fish, pork fat, beef, tripe, etc.

How do you train your dogs?

We start training at the end of August, but we only do short runs (a mile or two) about 3 times a week if the weather is not too warm.  The dogs are pulling an ATV.  Then we slowly increase the distance and frequency.  When there is enough snow, we train on the "Canol Road" , a road that is closed in the winter.  Eventually the dogs should be able to do one long run (50 to 100 miles) per week and a few shorter runs every week.  It is also very important to give the dogs enough time to recover after tough workouts.

What is the role of the leader?

Normally, there is more than one leader in a team.  We actually use two leaders at the same time.  Some are really fast, others are very good in difficult conditions such as overflow, glaciers, hills, etc  A few know the commands Gee (right) and Haw (left).  And some leaders will be able to find a trail that has been buried under snow.  Depending on what we need we can use one leader or another.  But it is quite stressful for a dog to be up front, so we have to make sure we give the leaders some good breaks.

How do you decide which dogs to take for the Yukon Quest?

Early in the season, we usually train about 20 dogs.  Throughout the season, some dogs get hurt, or sick, some just can't handle the pace, or don't eat well, etc.  The 14 healthy dogs that work the best  will make the team.

Which dogs are the best?  The males or the females?

Each one has its good and bad sides.  Generally, the males are bigger and punch through the snow more than the little females and may get hurt more easily.  The little females may not be as powerful as the males, but they generally have incredible stamina and don't seem to get hurt as much.  But they can come in heat and then the males can really get distracted!  I like to have a team made of a lot of females, especially if I have 14 dogs!  But a mix of both is ideal.

What do you bring in your sled?

During the races, we have to carry a few mandatory items: a sleeping bag, an ax, snowshoes, booties, some promotional items (usually a bunch of envelopes), and a vet book.  But I also bring dog blankets, a dog first aid kit, two headlamps with spare bulbs and batteries, a GPS, maps, spare mittens, a cooker to melt snow for the dogs, a cooler (insulated container) to prepare the dogs' food, spare plastic runners for the sled, a small repair kit for the sled, a knife, food, a snow hook.  The sled can weigh between 100 and 200 pounds depending on the amount of food we need to carry.

What is a  bootie?

A bootie is a kind of sock that we put on the dogs' feet to protect them from the abrasive snow when they run for a long distance.  It is made of cordura or nylon or fleece, and attached with an elastic velcro.  During the Yukon Quest, we need about a thousand of them!  Every time we stop for more than 30 minutes, we have to take them off and use new ones when we get going again.

How do you dress for the cold?

I wear many layers!  For the really cold nights, I wear long johns, fleece pants, a fleece shirt, a fleece sweater, and a wool sweater on top, a down vest, a big parka, insulated bib pants with sometimes another pair of insulated pants underneath.  On my feet, I have a thin pair of sock, with a vapor barrier sock on top, then a thick sock, mukluks and over boots.  On my hands: many layers of fleece mitts.  I also wear some kind of fingerless mittens that keep my wrists warm when I put the booties with my bare hands.  I also use hand-warmers (Hot Shots).  On my head I have a balaclava and a musher's hat, and finally a neck warmer and a scarf!

What do you have to do when you camp?

First we park the dogs.  We have to make sure the trail is clear in case other teams want to go by.  Then we give straw to the dogs.  There is straw for the dogs at all the checkpoints, but I usually carry some between the checkpoints as well.  Then I start my cooker to melt some snow.  At the checkpoints, we can usually get some water that we heat up in the cookers.  Then, while I keep an eye on the cooker, I take all the booties off and start checking the dogs' feet.  If the dogs have irritations or fissures, I put some ointment on them.  I also check all the wrists and I can use wrist wraps to prevent swelling.  I may also check the shoulders, rear legs or backs if necessary.  When I'm in a checkpoint, I often ask the vets to help me.  When the water is boiling, I pour it on the frozen dog food, and let it sit for a half hour or so.  When the food is ready, I feed the dogs and keep looking after them.  Some dogs may need massages.  I try to do everything quickly to let the dogs rest as much as possible.  Then I can eat a little, reorganize my sled, sleep an hour or two if it's not too cold.  Before we leave again, I have to look after the dogs that need special care, massage or walk some of them, put booties on.  This routine is repeated every 40 to 50 miles.

How do you find your way?

The trail is opened by snowmachiners and marked with wooden sticks that are painted with a red and black stripe and has a piece of reflector stapled to it.  But with the wind, a lot of markers fall off.  It is then pretty hard to find the trail especially if the trail is covered with fresh snow.  Some dogs are really good at finding a wind-blown or snowed-in trail, but a lot of dogs don't really know where to go when this happens!

How can you travel at night?

How fast do you travel with the dogs?