We are very proud of our dogs. They have wonderful personalities and they love to work.
This has not just happened by chance. It is the result of 35 years working with sled dogs, watching, and learning. It is the result of a planned acquisition and breeding program to produce a unique Chocpaw dog. From the outset we wanted a dual purpose dog that could compete on a race circuit and also work expedition. Rene has taken that one step further developing a mid distance race team that can run longer race up to 500 miles but can also be successful at shorter and faster races.It is my belief that a dog with the structure and heart that can run competitively can certainly work expeditions. They can work long, hard, and are less susceptible to injury. We start the pups in training at 7 months and by 10 months they are ready for a winters work. We have had many dogs work expedition to 12 and 13 years of age and a few beyond 15. We do, however, put dogs up for adoption at age 10 years. An average winter’s work exceeds 2000 miles (3220 km).
Structure and desire to run are paramount in our dogs. Whether born in the Chocpaw kennel or acquired from other kennels all our dogs are assessed on their temperment as well. We do not tolerate aggression, whether to other dogs but especially not towards people. We do have some shy dogs or dogs that would prefer you leave them alone. These dogs have chosen 1 or 2 staff members as friends. The vast majority are friendly and outgoing. For all dogs that stay in the kennel, they all look forward to the opportunity to work.
To these essentials we try to instill in every dog a sense of purpose. A dog with a purpose is a happy dog. A dog disciplined and conditioned to work as part of a team is a happy dog.
Of the 356 dogs in my kennel – including puppies – there are no purebred dogs. Having a kennel club pedigree is not essential or even preferable to being a sled dog. Conforming to arbitrary standards that are based predominantly on appearance is not essential to being a sled dog. A working dog breeding should not be based on blue eyes or a nice even mask. The sled dogs of our heritage and history were not purebred dogs. They were mixed breed dogs. Their one standard for being a sled dog was that they worked in harness. Most of the dogs now used in racing are mixed breed dogs. Certainly the teams setting the winning paces are mixed breed dogs. Racers keep pedigrees on their dogs to better keep track of winning lines. I have pedigrees for most of my dogs. Those I don’t have pedigrees on I do not use in a breeding program.
In the 1990’s, Charlie Champagne & Roxy Wright produced a super dog, Pluto. He was out of Gareth Wright’s Aurora Husky line 1/3 Alaskan village dog, 1/3 English setter & 1/3 artic wolf. Pluto was a leader and led his teams to victory in prestigious distance, open class races and sprint races. He was a dual purpose dog. I was so impressed that in early years working with the alaskan sled dog I looked for this dog in the lines of dogs we acquired or in our breeding candidates..
About 10 years ago I began acquiring dogs from Lou Serre, an Ontario racer who has won the most ISDRA medals in the history of the sprint racing. For 14 years Lou has dominated the sprint world. What made Lou’s dogs so attractive to me was that his lines also trace back to Pluto and therefore I had access to world class dogs that clicked with the lines I already had and was using in my breeding program. My theory is that if you take the best distance lines and breed to the best sprint lines, all with that Pluto link, you are going to produce really good dogs whether for race or for work. That has been proven in racing teams as winning teams and super dogs generally have Pluto in their lineage whether alaskan, eurohound or lourohound. Jinx & Jarvis,
-PICTURES - Rene’s outstanding leaders are from these breedings as are super dogs Python, - PICTURE - Potter, - PICTURE – Pelly, -PICTURE – Puba -PICTURE -
This isn’t a new idea breeding sprint to distance dogs. Other mid and distance racers have done this successfully. The result has been faster speeds in the mids and distance. Mushing Magazine featured Rene’s dogs in the summer issue this year.We do pick up dogs from other racers as well. We have bought out whole kennels where the lines were good. If the lines trace back through Pluto then depending on their performance they could be used in the breeding program.
Therein is the difference in a pure bred dog and a racing dog. Purebred dogs as a rule are judged on an arbitrary standard, generally physical traits, that don‘t necessarily address working traits. Alaskan sled dogs, lourohounds, & eurohounds are performance evaluated. Not all mixed breed dogs working as sled dogs are Alaskan sled dogs. They are mixed breed dogs and have not met a performance criteria to deserve the name.
I have 3 types of sled dogs in my kennel. The alaskan sled dog
- PICTURES -
is the result of a careful mingling of breeds to produce a quality dog. This is not a malemute. Almost every breed of canine, domestic & wild, has been tried in breeding programs. When I say almost every breed, dogs like Chichuauas or Pekinese don’t qualify. Base is generally Alaskan village dogs. Hounds are popular because they are physically tough, and fast. Border collies have been used successfully. Shepherds, labs and a wide variety of pure breed dogs have been used in many programs successfully.
The Eurohound
- PICTURE – is very popular on race teams today. They are the result of crossing Alaskans with german short haired pointers. There may be other hound types incorporated in the breeding programs although they may be given different names to indicate breed of hound. . PICTURE COTTON – KATIE
They are fast. They are tough. They have attitude. They have proven their right to be a part of the racing scene.
The lourohound
- PICTURE JOEY – NOOGIE – COOK – was developed by Lou Serre of Sudbury, Ontario. Lou had winning teams when he acquired a Polish hound that he called Tex. The pups from these breedings that came to be known as lourohounds were big dogs and very fast at 4 & 6 & 8 miles. These dogs came to dominate these races over the next 10 years. Lourohounds can be seen in winning race teams all over the world. It is these dogs that I have incorporated into my breeding program. Lou has since moved to a new challenge of open class racing. He has gone to smaller dogs and has incorporated African hounds - BRONZE – & Euro hounds - Anka –
in his breeding program, still with Pluto lines. We are acquiring some of these dogs as well.
Of the 356 dogs in the kennel, more than half – 210 – have been acquired from other kennels. When you acquire from good racing kennels you pick up dogs that are already broken to harness and more importantly you acquire the breeding lines of the top racers in the world. Each year we produce a number of litters.
- PICTURE – PUPPIES
More this year as Rene gears up for an attempt at the Yukon Quest in 2 years. Also we have retired many of our older dogs this summer and still have some looking for a home. (Please see our Adoption Page.) All our planned breedings are from proven lines usually using dogs from Rene’s teams as we are attempting to produce a superior mid and distance dog. Included on this page is a Breed Info Page that provides information on lines in our kennel (under constructon).In a kennel this size there can be unplanned breedings or unknown breedings. Only dogs that we are sure of the breeding show both parents on the stats page. Where we are unsure of the father we use the term UNK for Unknown. You will see spaces where neither father or mother are listed. These are dogs we took where we received no line information. Often some of these unplanned or UNK litters will produce outstanding dogs, but it is important to indicate unknown in their pedigree. With every pup we provide a pedigree showing lines 5 generations back. It is imperative to keep accurate records of breedings, as like myself, other kennel owners and racers are looking for specific lines. To have your lines called into question undermines a life time of diligence and work.
This summer we have 7 litters. If you check the Breed Info page you can see the lines behind these pups.
Meaghan X Thorne – 6 pups
Madge X Thorne – 2 pups
Jenna X Thorne 6 pups
Mel X Joey – 1 pup
Noogie X Python – 6 pups
Corey X Jedhi – 5 pups
Myra X Unk – 5 pups
Rene will be evaluating these pups this fall and it is likely some will be available. A good opportunity to pick up winning lines.
We are conditioning and training now and breaking pups to harness. This is a fun time for the dogs to get out and stretch. We don’t run far but every hookup is a positive experience for the dogs. We do have 2 large exercise areas. One is left for the pups and all litters free run together during the first months of their lives. This is where they learn canine relationships. This is also where they develop agility and speed.
There are several key ingredients to producing good working dogs. The above covered breeding and acquisition. Equally important is nutrition. Another key ingredient is around the human/canine relationship – love, discipline, conditioning and training. I will address these issues in a separate post.
We are always receptive to visitors to the kennel. If we are in the kennel you are more than welcome to come in and wander about the kennel. We love to show off our world class dogs and tell you about our world class care.
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“Folk will know how large your heart is by the way you treat a dog.”
Charles Doran
Contacting Chocpaw Expeditions
P.O. Box 674, I Industrial Park Road, South River, Ontario, P0A 1X0
Phone/Fax – 705 – 386-0344
