Originally posted by CagneyDog
And I have always wondered, How do you choose a lead dog?
Well, in general, they should have a calm temperment, not too timid. Alpha dogs in general aren't great leaders, although most people expect them to be. My three best leaders are all females. They are all very similar in temperment--quiet, unassuming, confident, but not dominant, and calm, new things don't scare them and they are emotionally stable enough to handle the added pressure of being out front.

I have two that are "born leaders"--Sleet and Paxil. Paxil will swing wide and try to pass the other dogs if she is dropped back. Sleet is now fully retired, but in her day, she would go limp and let the team drag her if she wasn't out front. No way would she run if she wasn't in lead. Sleet actually trained Paxil and they are remarkably similar in their styles. Both flawless, never miss a command, don't get distracted by wildlife, other dogs, people ect. Both demand their teammates follow them. Paxil will turn around and tell the other dogs off if they are messing around. She is much more effective than me yelling at them!

Pingo is a different kind of leader. She's a trail dog at heart. She has unfailing trail sense. She can judge snow, ice, overflow and find the safest, quickest way through. She always knows the way home, even when I don't. She responds to commands, but she really shines on the days when I let her pick the trail.

I'm training two males to lead, Mac & Founder. Mac needs to learn to focus and he'll do well. Founder needs to learn his commands better, but he loves to be up front and in charge. That's most important--Do they like being up there? I have a couple who would be great, but they hate it! Franklin is an amazing puller, but he falls apart up front. Too much pressure for him. I sometimes spend a lot of time moving dogs around just to see if some of the team dogs like it up front.

Oh, and never trust a musher who tells you they "have puppies with leader potential"...what that really means is "I have too many puppies and I'll say anything to get you to take one off my hands!" So far this summer, I've had four calls from guys trying to give me "puppies with leader potential"...I tell them to call me back in 4 years when that puppy can lead but is too slow for their race team!