Frequently Asked Questions

Firstly a question of our own ... What is your dog care philosophy?

This is an extremely important question for us. Our most important principle is "Dogs First!". We make every effort to provide the best possible care for the dogs and always put the dogs first - for example, after a run we firstly care for the dogs and then the people. We place their needs ahead of our own: that applies to feeding, training, general care, health care and medical treatment.

We do not cull our kennel and we do not get rid of dogs who retire – whether they retire as pups or as seniors. At any one time, you'll find 6 to 12 retired dogs lounging around the yard and the house. And at any given time, one or more of our older dogs may be facing serious medical challenges – cancer, kidney problems or arthritis. They work hard for us in their youth and middle years so we do our best to take care of them throughout their natural lives. While this is a more expensive approach to kennel management, it is the one we feel we must live by. Grizzly (photo: bottom right) ran until he was 14 and lived to 17 years.

How long have you been in the sled dog business?

Muktuk Kennels has been in the mushing business for over 20 years and Frank has 21 years of long-distance racing and sled-dog expeditions.

For the past 12 years, people from all around the world, and all walks of life, have been sharing our lifestyle and enjoying our tours.

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Who conducts the trips?
What are their qualifications and experience?

Trips are led by Frank and/or our guides. They are all experienced in backcountry winter survival, first aid and dog handling. Our senior guides have many years of wilderness experience including mushing and guiding. They have Food Safe and Wilderness First Aid certification. Muktuk Kennels has a Wilderness Tourism License and all appropriate insurance.

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How many dog teams go out on tours at one time?
How many teams go on a trip? How many guides?

On any particular tour, three or four dog teams will go out together. We have a maximum ratio of 4 clients per guide. We also limit the number of teams for each trip to ensure a true wilderness experience. A fully subscribed trip consists of 4 guests and 1 or 2 guides and we do not book more than two groups at one time.

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How many dogs are there in a team?

Under typical conditions, each guest drives a 6- to 8-dog team, while the guides drive 8-10 dogs or ride on a snowmobile (for safety and security). All our week-long trips feature one person per sled unless otherwise requested/specified. As our dogs are exceptionally strong, we try to determine the ideal size team for each individual client. Clients are able, if they want, to try driving a larger team. As we have an emphasis on learning adventures, we want people to be able to try new things and test their own limits, if they want to.

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As much or as little as they want. We encourage maximum involvement but it is not mandatory. Again, since we are interested in adventure learning, we try to allow our guests to participate in all aspects of mushing, including dog care. We have hosted guests from 11 to 80, and we customize our tours to suit the interests and skill levels of each client.

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What kind of dogs do you use?

All our dogs are Alaskan Huskies and all of them are racing stock for long-distance competitive racing. Most of the dogs have been bred and born at Muktuk. See our "Dogs" pages for more information.

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Do your dogs ever fight?

While we cannot say they "never" fight, fights are rare in our yard. Developing healthy dogs with good attitudes is a top priority for our kennel and we work hard to prevent fights. Indeed, our dogs travel in an open compartment in our dog truck and do not need to be separated in individual boxes.

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Are the dogs socialized well? To children as well?

All of our dogs are very well socialized to children, adults and older people. They are very friendly, but as they are rather large and sometimes get excited, they can be a little intimidating for very young children – nevertheless, they do have contact with children of all ages.

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What is included in the price?

Meals, accommodation, guides, equipment, dog teams, camping gear, ground transportation – everything except personal gear and expenses and your travel to and from Whitehorse. However, if you speak to us in advance we can pick you up and return you to the airport.

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What equipment is provided? What is not provided?

We provide all the gear needed to make your adventure as safe and comfortable as possible. However, we recommend that you have your own personal winter gear. While we can provide you with parkas and boots, you will likely be more comfortable with your own inner clothing; fleece liners, long underwear, sweaters, socks, hats, mitts, etc. We also provide all the camping gear including sleeping bags (with washable liners).

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Do you have sleeping bags for guests who ride in the sled?

Yes, we have sleeping bags (and/or extra parkas) for every guest, but we encourage everyone to drive their own team at least part of the way as that is part of the adventure – it can actually be a little uncomfortable to sit in a sled for very long.

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What happens if it gets really cold?

We are in full operation unless temperatures drop below -35ºC or colder with wind chill factors taken into consideration. We have many years of experience traveling and camping in winter conditions; we also have the expertise, clothing and equipment needed to make sure you are comfortable in cold conditions. We have extra parkas and boots as well as extra socks. We provide hand and foot warmers when necessary.

We also do not run if the weather is too warm for the dogs although that is rare during our touring season (December to February).

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What kind of meals are provided?

We offer healthy, hearty home cooking, with organic vegetables, some wild game and local fish. We can provide vegetarian meals as well. Please let us know if you have any special dietary requirements. We will do our best to accommodate your needs (and we would let you know in advance if we are not able to).

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How do we get to Whitehorse?

There are daily, year-round flights into Whitehorse from Vancouver (2 ½ hr flight), plus flights from Edmonton and Calgary. In the summe there are weekly flights from Germany and Switzerland. You can also reach Whitehorse by driving the Alaska Highway, or traveling on the coastal ferry system to Skagway, Alaska (we can meet you there).

If you're making your own way to our place, you'll need directions to our property (on our 'Getting Here' page).

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