AboutΒ PetterΒ Karlsson
PetterΒ Karlsson is from the north of Sweden, where he has a Farm and a Dogsledding company. They offer multi day tours through the biggest nature reserve in Europe, andΒ PetterΒ himself competes in long distance races. He has won the biggest and toughest races in Europe in the past few years and is on a mission to put together the best dog team in the world.Β
Be it in the summer inΒ 25-degreeΒ weather taking care of the cows, or racing dogs through aΒ snow stormΒ in -35 degrees, he is always wearing hisΒ .
Intro
Winter has arrived early this year, itβs not even November yet and we already have 30cm of snow. Fall training is already in full swing and my 3 handlers andΒ IΒ are training dogs almost every day. Currently we are using ATVβs and Cartβs to train the dogs, but we hope to switch to sleds soon. Up here in the north of Sweden, only 150km below the arctic circle, the winters are cold andΒ long,Β and we usually have enough snow to go out with the sleds for about 6 month a year. My main goal for the upcoming season is to win the 1200kmΒ Β race in Norway for the 3rd time, but more than everything I just love to be out with my dogs, exploring the nature! We also offer dogsled tours and when the racing season is over, I will guide someΒ 8-dayΒ expeditions into the biggest nature reserve in Europe myself. I always enjoyΒ these tripsΒ and next to the proven race dogs I also take some young dogs with me and see who has the talent to get a shot at being in the race team next year.Β Β Β
Meet the TeamΒ
Currently we have 36 dogs in training with the race team, and from them we will take the 26 best, form two teams and then go compete in long distance races in Sweden,Β FinlandΒ and Norway. The other dogs will stay at home where they will make some guests happy on our multi day tours. In my race team I have a good mix of dogs from 2-8 years old,Β maleΒ and female, big and small. The interesting thing about long distance races is that not only big and strong dogs will be in the race team. I want dogs that can run 1000km in 6 days and still be happy and healthy, and often itβs the dogs that are more relaxed and not pull that hard in the beginning that stand there at the finish line, still smiling and asking for a treat. One of myΒ favouriteΒ dogs is Grey, a small female almost only half the size of the biggest dog in my team, but she is always happy, always hungry and has a very strongΒ and determined mind. Having her on the team does not make the team go faster in the first half of the race, but it will make the team better in the second half, and thatβs when it counts.
Sled DogΒ Expedition 2021.
Meet the Puppies
Every year we also have some puppies, and itβs a lot of fun to watch them grow and teach them how to become a sled dog. They have the natural desire to pull, so we donβt have to teach them that, all weΒ have toΒ do is to teach them how to behave and how to control their energy. From my office I see directly into the puppy pens, and when I watch them play and have fun with each other itβs better than watching TV! We introduce them to food already at 2 weeks old, and when they are 4 weeksΒ old,Β they all run out of their house when they see the food coming. But itβs also a lot of work because weΒ have toΒ make sure that every puppy gets the same amount of attention. Especially the small and shy ones get run over by their bigger siblings, so it is our duty to not get blinded by the attention seekers and show some love to everyone.Β At the momentΒ the youngest litter of puppies is one month old, and if you want to stay updated about their hard life of being cute you can follow @petterkarlssonsleddogs on Instagram, we will regularly post updates!
Fun Facts
When the dogs are getting too old for racing, they retire and will join the tour team. Once they donβt like to go out on tours anymore, they will stay home and then go on short training runs with the young dogs and teach them how itβs done. That means some of the best dogs in the world that were winning the biggest races in Europe get to spend the later years of their lives on tours with our guests, showing them around their backyard and make for some unforgettable memories.Β
One of myΒ all-timeΒ favouriteΒ lead dogs is Kira. When I won theΒ FinnmarkslΓΈpetΒ in 2016 I had a cold and she was on my team, and every time I coughed, she barked like crazy and then the whole team sped up. First it was a bit annoying, then I started to try to control my coughs to get the energy boosts when I needed them, for example in steep uphillβs and until now I still have to laugh about itΒ thinkingΒ back on this. She retired from racing now and is enjoying her new life as a tour dog. Every time one of us walks over to her kennel and calls her name, she jumps out, wags her butt (not only the tail),Β barksΒ and smiles in joy. She is one of the fansβΒ favouritesΒ on our tours too and with her loud and sparkling personality she makes everyone smile. Life with so many dogs is not always easy, itβs more like 365 days of craziness every year, but being able to go out and explore the nature with them and helping them to do what they love is what makes it all worth it!Β
Β
Related Categories
European Union
Germany
United States
Canada
New Zealand
Australia
