Help Train New Lead Dogs On A Thrilling Summer Dog Sled Ride
HIGHLIGHTS
★ Exciting 20-Minute Sled Dog Ride
★ Learn About Dog Sled Racing From Real Racers
★ Meet Real Racing Huskies and Take Your Picture with Iditarod Super-Stars
★ Cuddle Adorable Sled Dog Puppies
★ No Extra Gear Needed. We provide it all.
★ Appropriate for All Ages. Children 2 and Under Ride Free.
★ Upgrade To Include Lunch
★ Complimentary Pick Up and Drop Off at all Seward Area Hotels.
“ “The best dog sledding experience in Alaska!– Grey”
THE DETAILS
| Departures: | 9:00, 11:30 |
| Length: | 90 Minutes |
| Price: | $69 / adult, $34 / child |
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What To Bring:
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Sunglasses, Sunscreen, Jacket, Sneakers or Boots. A rain coat is a nice piece of gear to have when petting dirty dogs! |
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Booking Tips:
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Due to our limited departures, this tour fills up quickly. Book Early! |
AS SEEN ON
YOU’LL HAVE A GREAT TIME
“ We had a really great time at the kennels, a great ride and a chance to hold the beautiful puppies. It was a small group and we were not hurried. I’m so pleased we found this tour and thoroughly recommend it.– Slyvia visited summer 2016”
“ We have visited a number of kennels before but Turning Heads Kennel is different. The dogs look very happy. Travis is very generous with stories. He and his team will do everything to let you enjoy the experience exactly the way you want. Literally everybody, from kids to grandparents, from mushers to people who have never followed dog sledding in their life, will enjoy this experience because Travis and his team can and will tailor make it the right way. This kennel is definitely a must if you are in Alaska. We drove from Anchorage and back just to do it and were ready to do it again the next day.– Jean visited August 2016”
“As dog lovers, my 9 yr old daughter, my husband and myself knew we would enjoy it. What we didn’t expect was the incredible immersion into the lifestyle. It was both fun and educational to meet Tracis, his team and his dogs. And ok let’s not forget his experience with the Iditarod was amazing! If you are in the Seward area, a visit to this kennel is a MUST! It’s a great experience for everyone in the family.– Sara visited August 2016”
TOUR DESCRIPTION
Our ride and kennel tour is a one-of-a-kind experience. The best part? Our tours are intentionally kept small because dog sledding is all about the bond a musher has with their dogs and we want to show that to you. Because of that, Travis and Sarah, the owners give over 95% of the tours themselves. After all, they know their dogs best! Both Travis and Sarah have run the 1,000 mile Iditarod and those working with them often aspire to compete in it too. Small tours also mean that you will have plenty of time to ask questions, meet the dogs, and snuggle our husky puppies.
First, get ready for our tour. You don’t really need any special clothing, but make sure you are comfortable. We recommend closed toed shoes in the dog lot. Sled dogs can be playful. Guests that want the full kennel experience are advised to wear a rain jacket or another piece of clothing they don’t mind getting dirty — but don’t worry, this isn’t mandatory and if you show up in your Sunday Best our dogs will be sure to mind their manners.
In the event it is raining, most of our tour is covered to keep you dry. We will still go out if it rains because this is our dogs favorite weather: the cooler temperatures allow them to perform better and longer. If you are feeling the Alaskan chill, we have a nice warm fire to keep you nice and toasty. If it is exceptionally hot out we may also do things differently to accommodate the needs of our dogs. Depending on how hot it is, we may have to stop more frequently or shorten your dog sledding experience because everything we do is about our dogs and their well-being.
At our kennel, you’ll be greeted by a plethora of wagging tails from our retirees who now hold the official title of “kennel greeters.” Give our loving older dogs a quick pet on the head, if you like, before checking in to our tour. While you wait for the tour begin, check out some of our racing memorabilia and photographs hanging on the walls or take a group photo in front of our kennel sign. Then, it’s time to start! When you meet Travis or Sarah, or perhaps one of their helpers, you will be swept up in their passion for their dogs.
Before you head into the dog yard, you’ll be given a quick over view of our dog lot rules and how to interact with our dogs. Our dogs are all very friendly but to ensure a positive experience for both our guests and our dogs, we always teach our visitors how to interact with our dogs. Under the supervision of one our guides, we invite you to pet and play with our dogs — though you certainly don’t have to. Take pictures of our sled dogs and their colorful houses. Then, it’s time to sing! Everyone loves a good husky howl and what better way to bond than by leading the canine choir in a big howl!
After our beautiful song together, it’s time learn about mushing. Hear tales from the trail as you learn about the gear both mushers and dogs need to excel on a 1,000 mile dog race. Learn how we deal with things like open water at -40 and the rigorous routine we go through to take excellent care of our dogs while we are racing and training.
We conclude our kennel tour by meeting the youngest members of the pack: our puppies. Steal kisses and cuddles from puppies from as young as 2 days old to up to 10 weeks old. Our puppies hilarious personalities and antics will have you laughing. Trust us, you won’t want to say goodbye to these guys!
After getting your fill of kisses, it’s time to mush! We have a custom built cart that we hook our dogs up to so we can run on the dirt. A lot of people think dog sledding is only done in the winter, but a majority of our training actually happens before the snow falls on carts, like the one we will go out on, and ATVs. If you are interested in mushing on snow, please check out our glacier dog sledding ride or visit us for a winter tour.
Once you are seated on our cart, we will start hooking the team up. In their excitement, our dogs jump and bark.This is a great time to get some action shots, so while you watch us hook up the team pull out the camera. People never believe how high our dogs can jump and it’s a great memory to have on camera! See first hand the love and joy that running brings these amazing athletes.
Once the last pair of dogs are hooked up, it’s time to take off. The team instantly quiets as we set off on our training session. The commands start just a few moments into the run. Watch in amazement as our leaders respond with precision timing. At least, that’s what we hope! We often use this tour to train new lead dogs so sometimes things don’t always go according to plan. As exciting as it is to watch the dogs get it right, it is equally enthralling to watch as we work with new lead dogs and the light bulb clicks. No other dog sled tour offers this unique behind-the-scenes opportunity to watch actual training occur. We think it’s pretty special and we know you will too!
The ride will go all too quickly and when it ends, we guarantee that you will be impressed with our dogs athleticism and their intelligence. Back in the yard, we get water for the dogs and give them a scratch on the head to say thanks. Pose with our lead dogs for the day as a great souvenir post card before saying goodbye. We’ll tell you ways to continue your involvement with our dogs, if you find yourself enraptured with the sport of dog mushing and want to follow along on our training and racing journey.
We kindly ask that you do not bring treats for our dogs. We appreciate the warm thoughts and well wishes but our sled dogs are the canine equivalent of Olympic athletes and have a highly tailored nutrition program. Unfortunately, our dogs turn tend to turn their nose up at anything except the kibble we feed and, of course, meat. If you would like to reward the dogs for their hardwork, please consider donating to their booty food or purchasing a round of kibble.
We strive to present an accurate representation of our tour. All timing is approximate. Actual tour order may differ.
WHAT SETS US APART
Other summer mushing outfits may take trails that are longer, but no one has trails that are more exciting than we do! Our summer tour is a training exercise which means you will get to see our dogs in action. We are not going out on a lollipop loop. The trail we are taking requires our dogs to constantly to listen to our vocal commands making our tour a training exercise and not a walk around a track. This is unlike any other dog mushing tour out there. During a mile and a half long tour, watch our dogs take up to eighteen commands.
We pride ourselves on our high quality hands-on tours that focus on providing one-on-one experiences. We are a small family-owned operation that maintains minimal staff. Over 90% of our tours are performed by one of our owners. We emphasize great customer service and great dog care — our dogs absolutely love what they do.
OUR DOGS AND TOUR GUIDES RACE IN
